Organizers with the Coalition on Homelessness, People Organized to Win Employment Rights, Religious Witness for Homeless People, and activists who organized against Proposition E in 2000 say they're tired of fighting initiatives year after year that propose replacing cash allowances with services – especially, they say, since many of those services either do not exist or fail to address the root causes of homelessness.

"People like Newsom play fast and loose with what they call 'services,' " said Paul Boden of the Coalition on Homelessness. "We're talking about treatment and housing."

Behind the scenes they're shopping around for supervisors to sponsor legislation that would put a measure on November's ballot that would prevent anyone from substituting services for cash without appropriate treatment programs and enough affordable housing in place. But it's getting down to the wire. At least four supervisors would have to vote in favor of the ordinance by Aug. 7 for it to go to the voters this fall. (Camille T. Taiara)

Workers in limbo: Laundry workers and nurses at Laguna Honda Hospital whose jobs were saved by the Board of Supervisors last week may again be facing the unemployment line. While the board moved July 22 to salvage jobs at the beleaguered hospital, the Mayor's Office might have a different idea.

Spokesperson P.J. Johnston wouldn't confirm talk around City Hall that Mayor Willie Brown might veto the board's last-minute budget shuffle. The jobs had been tagged for a cutback after officials from Service Employees International Union Local 250 reached a stalemate during budget talks with the mayor. Local 250 was the only labor group whose city employees faced such cuts. "If they [the board] think they can play the SEIU against every other union in the city, it's not happening," Johnston said.