Comeback of the Year
November 26, 2008
Norman Yee - who gathered the highest votes on the school board with more than 144,000 and far outdistanced Sandra Lee Fewer (also elected) by nearly 30,000 votes - suffered life-threatening spinal injuries in 2006 after a car struck him at 4th and Bryant Streets. But that nasty spill hasn’t affected his love for the tango: Yee has been known as the king of swing - as in swing vote and dance. He has also frustrated some folks on keeping JROTC in the high schools. … With a handful of APAs on the school board (including Yee, Jane Kim and Hydra Mendoza) and college board members Lawrence Wong and Steve Ngo, one could take a shot at running for district supe in the next two to four years. However, the track record isn’t so hot with lame duck school board trustee Mark Sanchez losing his bid for supervisor in District 9 (Mission), college trustee Julio Ramos lost in District 11 (Excelsior) and school board member Eric Mar barely winning his supe seat. Wong himself lost his own bid in 2000. There was some chat among City Democratic Club members last week that Ngo, the first Vietnamese American elected in S.F., had ambitions for higher office. However, according to the City Democratic Clubber, Ngo - an associate with Dale Minami’s legal shop on Union Square - cast cold water on the thought, considering that he lives in District 2, which is represented by powerful incumbent Michela Alioto-Pier…FINAL ACT: Outgoing trustee (and AsianWeek contributor) Rodel Rodis had his last act after 18 years. Rodis, who was appointed to Superior Court Judge Julie Tang’s seat, had barely lost to AsianWeek President James Fang for a BART seat in 1990. Rodis’ departure leaves Fang as the second-longest-serving S.F. elected official behind 27-year veteran Sheriff Mike Hennessey, who is “serving” a life sentence running the county jails…PAID BACK OR POLITICAL PAY BACK? Hennessey could face another run by David Wong, who lost a 2007 challenge to the long-time sheriff. However, Wong, the deputy sheriffs association president, is being sued by deputies for improperly using DSA funds for personal and political purposes. Wong called the charge “political” and paid back whatever was “excessive” as deemed by an internal association investigation….
BORDERLINE POLITICS: Three weeks after the election, former planning commissioner and Chinese Historical Society of America Director Sue Lee last Tuesday formally conceded the District 1 supervisor’s race to school board member Eric Mar. The close victory - by more than 1.65 percent or 337 votes unofficially under ranked choice - might give Mar and his supporters some ideas to think about when The City reapportions all eleven supervisor districts after the 2010 census. To avoid another close election in 2012, Mar might like a district that shifts out more pro-Sue Lee moderate to conservative voters in the Outer Richmond and those north of Clement or California and into District 2 supervisor seat that represents Seacliff and Presidio. Michela Alioto-Pier represents these neighborhoods after she took over when Gavin Newsom became mayor in 2004 …Mar’s no stranger to district election remapping. He served on the S.F. Elections Task Force back in the mid-1990s. Whoever controls the political line drawing could keep APAs in or out of power. The impact could be lasting. The return of district elections in San Francisco in 2000 dropped APA representation from three elected citywide supervisors (Mike Yaki, Mabel Teng, Leland Yee) in 2000 and left the community with one appointed district supervisor (Carmen Chu) by this year. Three - Mar, Carmen Chu and David Chiu - were elected district supervisor on Nov. 4. ….OUT OF THE STABLE: Assembly Majority Whip Fiona “the horse” Ma’s chameleonic Chief of Staff Bill Barnes has left. Duties will be split up among Ma’s Sacramento staffers… GOLDEN STATE: California is once again relevant with a Democrat in the White House. Like Clinton, look for Obama to make frequent visit and bear gifts of federal funds for the 54 electoral-vote-rich state as he gears up for 2012 re-election…CHO FOR PRES! If ever an APA woman ever ascends to be candidate for president or vice president, imagine Saturday Night Live casting Margaret Cho for a few shows à la Tina Fey for Sarah Palin!
Reach Samson Wong at swong@asianweek.com
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