Alioto has the unions

It speaks volumes that a campaign functionary, John Shanley (and not an actual member of a union allegedly endorsing Newsom), was charged with responding to the Bay Guardian's Aug. 13 article "Newsom's Money Matrix," which stated, "What stands out most is Newsom's lack of labor support" [Letters, 9/17/03].

Despite Newsom's claim of widespread union support, only 10 unions, representing fewer than 8,900 members, cast their votes for Newsom at the San Francisco Labor Council's mayoral endorsement meeting. In contrast, Angela Alioto received the votes of 23 unions, representing 42,696 union members (60 percent of all votes cast at the council). Not even close, John. When it comes to deciding who best represents the interests of San Francisco's working families, it's no contest.

Dan Martin Healthcare Workers Union, Local 250

Many more Tennisons

The recent release from California prison(s) of two inmates, Antoine Goff and J.J. Tennison, as reported in the Sept. 10 "Life after Death," as well as Rick Walker (see the San Francisco Chronicle, Sept. 11), is but a mere chip off the iceberg in what we at California Prison Focus believe to be hundreds, if not tens of thousands, of wrongly convicted prisoners languishing in today's prison industrial complex. Our admiration goes out to the likes of reporter A.C. Thompson for staying on this story since first reporting on it January 2001, as well as thanking the gutsy attorneys willing to pursue what would otherwise seem like a lost cause. Not once have we seen, or will we see, state prosecutors of these exposed frame-ups come forward to admit their prosecutorial misconduct and self-serving application of the so-called justice system here in America. Once again we at California Prison Focus urge all convicted felons serving time to not quit on themselves in redressing injustices they have suffered. Never will there be enough attorneys willing to go pro bono, or able, to represent all the wretched imprisoned underclass. On the whole, prisoners must learn to do for themselves. Justice wins out but only with a dedicated fight.

Bato Talamantez San Francisco

Money and influence

I think it's hysterical that the Bay Guardian runs a full-page ad for a tobacco company opposite your column item criticizing Chinese American Voters Education Committee for accepting ChevronTexaco's donation of a Moon Festival information booth to support our nonpartisan efforts to register Asian Americans to vote [Campaign Watch, 9/10/03]. How many hundreds of thousands of dollars has your paper taken from tobacco and liquor companies? Does the fact that the Bay Guardian takes large sums of tobacco and liquor money make you a tool of those industries?

David Lee San Francisco

The Rent Board members

In Ted Gullicksen's Opinion piece, "Fixing the Rent Board" (9/3/03), there were some gross misstatements of facts that cannot go unchallenged. First is the statement that 4,900 landlord petitions were approved in 2001. Our statistics, which are posted on our Web site (www.sfgov.org/rentboard/statistics), show that there were a total of 621 landlord petitions filed in 2001-2002. And not all of them were approved, either. Conversely, 1,562 tenant petition filings occurred that year.

A second fable cited was the fact that 80 percent of the decisions were in the landlord's favor. A simple review of the decision binders will put this fabrication to rest.

Ted knows that there were some hearings on wrongful eviction petitions and that we worked with him to use the City Attorney's Office to investigate such cases. But between tenant disinterest in prosecuting cases, no legal standing for the city or district attorney to sue without an injured party, and no departmental authority to subpoena, it is easier for salmon to swim up Niagara Falls. Landlord attorneys simply advise their clients not to show up since the eviction is already in the courts in most cases. Any good eviction case gets cherry-picked by the tenant bar because of the potentially large monetary penalties, and they are loath to participate in free discovery at the Rent Board before getting to court.

What has been overlooked is the effectiveness of our staff in its investigation of allegations of wrongful evictions. Staff has thwarted many wrongful eviction attempts through their diligence and investigation of these complaints. These are cases that never have to go to a hearing because the eviction action is withdrawn.

Inexplicably glossed over is the fact that the elected Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board, when dominated by a majority of landlords, voted to give themselves a fat 37 percent rent increase – and did so successfully. Couldn't it happen here? Think again.

Joseph P. Grubb Executive Director San Francisco Rent Stabilization and Arbitration Board

For the record