Will Heather Weather the Purge?
September 27, 2007
Now that San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has received resignation letters from nearly all of his department heads and commissioners, the most intriguing thing will be what fate he has in mind for his appointee Police Chief Heather Fong, who is the highest appointed Asian Pacific American in city government. …
GAV FOR GOV: With 2007 re-election practically a shoo-in, Mayor Newsom’s future aspirations will likely be statewide – the governorship in 2010 when Arnold Schwarzenegger terms out or the Senate if Barbara Boxer decides to retire. If it’s governor, then Newsom’s choice of police chief in 2008 could be critical, considering that he may be running against Los Angeles alcalde Antonio Villaraigosa. For the Democratic nomination, Newsom and Villaraigosa could be battling over each other’s criminal justice records. The L.A. mayor’s own Police Department has been historically controversial – the latest being that excessive force was used during an immigrant rights May Day march. … Meanwhile, Newsom handpicked Fong, who has given complete loyalty to carrying out the mayor’s agenda. Fong’s been handcuffed herself, fighting crime with an undermanned force and caught in a tug-of-war between the mayor and supervisors over issues like foot patrols and a rising homicide count that is nearly equal to all of 2006. …
PERCEPTION: As a statewide candidate, Newsom will always be cast as the “San Francisco liberal” (translation: soft on crime). However, the pro-business centrist and admirer of the late Attorney General Robert Kennedy will want to be perceived in a statewide campaign as “tough on crime,” by highlighting his anti-homeless credentials like “Care Not Cash” (offering homeless services instead of cash assistance) and anti-panhandling work – similar issues that thrust former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani to the national spotlight before 9/11. …
TRICK OR TREAT: Three crucial votes on the San Francisco Chinatown community college vote have been delayed until later in October. One is on exempting the state-sponsored plans from the local 65-foot height limit. That exemption could lead to approval of plans for a single 16-story building and a defeat for the alternative plan for two towers, which includes a new 13- and five-story option. … PESKIN FOR EXEMPTION: According to the Chinese for Affirmative Action-based Friends of Educational Opportunities in Chinatown, Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin, who represents Chinatown, will support exempting City College’s one-building plan. Peskin was a key player in fighting for the preservation of the neighboring Columbo Building. Joining Peskin for exemption is Small Business Commissioner David Chiu, who earlier opposed the one-tower campus design and had been aligned with state Senator Leland Yee, the Hilton Hotel and the opposition group, Education Coalition for Responsible Development. …
COME OUT, MARK & CAROLE: The Friends coalition has said that state Senator Carole Migden and state Assemblyman Mark Leno “have yet to come out” against the Hilton Hotel or for the exemption vote. Both represent Chinatown, and Leno is challenging Migden for her state Senate seat next June. That leaves an opening for a third state Senate candidate — Police Commissioner Joseph Alioto Veronese — to take a stance on the campus literally overshadowing his own law office. …
KWOK PASSES AWAY: Opinionated Jimmy Kwok, 56, an “unwavering advocate” for the Council of Asian American Business Associations and Chinese American Democratic Club – passed away last Sunday. “His nickname around Chinatown was ‘Jimmy Talk,’” said 23-year friend Calvin Louie of CADC. Services will be Friday, Sept. 28 at 11 a.m. at Green Street Mortuary, 649 Green St., in San Francisco.
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