January 15, 2003

In this issue

BIG CITIES THAT become one-party towns often become cesspools of corruption. That's part of San Francisco's problem. The Democrats have been running things without any real opposition for so long that the Brown-Burton machine has been able to get away with all sorts of nasty stuff.

So this city really needs an opposition party, someone to keep the Democrats honest – and somehow, I don't think the Republicans are up to the job. That's one of the reasons why I'm happy that Sup. Matt Gonzalez was elected president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors last week.

When Gonzalez announced (in a Bay Guardian opinion piece) that he was joining the Green Party – just a few days before the supervisorial elections two years ago – a lot of people thought it was political suicide. There were actually supporters of Gonzalez who called me and urged me not to run the piece.

And indeed, Juanita Owens, a Democrat (and machine hack) who was his opponent in the runoff, tried to use the issue against him. But hardly anyone in District Five cared: Gonzalez won a clear victory, and since then several other elected officials have become Greens, and one, Sarah Lipson, was elected to the school board in a citywide race that (properly) revolved more around educational policy than party affiliation.

Now, with Gonzalez in what may be the city's second-most visible political position, the Green Party has the chance to really push voter registration, political organizing, fundraising (the Greens really need a full-time office and staff), and all of the other things that could easily turn the Green Party into the second-biggest political party in San Francisco.

And what a great political statement for San Francisco: in this city there are two strong political parties – and the GOP isn't one of them. The Greens wouldn't be a "third party" anymore.

That will require a ton of work, of course, and some smart strategy. But it could also be a lot of fun, and a great way to make some good points. Here's one idea, for starters: Why not begin work now to find a really strong Green candidate to run for Congress against Tom Lantos? Lantos is a hawk in a town that has the nation's leading peace movement. He's bad on globalization, he's out of touch with his district – and no Democrat will dare take him on. What's there to lose?