October 22, 2003

opinion

THE DEBATE ABOUT who can best beat Gavin Newsom in the San Francisco mayor's race ultimately comes down to an argument about how best to challenge the status quo. All the polls and every savvy political observer in San Francisco agree on one thing: voters want change.

Newsom's polls are telling him the same thing, which is why he is desperately trying to portray himself as an agent of change. However, nothing could be further from the truth. The list of Newsom's backers reads like a who's who of the politically connected in San Francisco. Newsom's connection to the status quo is so clear and apparent that not even a multi-million dollar advertising campaign has been able to push him past 40 percent in the polls. Despite a masterful makeover job, Newsom's handlers have managed to apply only a paper-thin veneer to their conservative candidate. And therein lies the key to interrupting a smooth handoff of city hall from Mayor Willie Brown to Newsom, his heir apparent.

To exploit this vulnerability, we need a challenger who will stand in stark contrast to Newsom. We need a candidate whose track record and vision for change are the genuine articles. We can't win back city hall by supporting a challenger whose main asset is money. Trying to beat Newsom at his own fundraising game is a sucker's bet. We will win by rallying around a candidate who offers voters the real choice they are longing to have.

Challengers can win elections even without winning the money game when they offer voters a real choice, even if they come from the left end of the political spectrum. The best-known national examples of this dynamic are the elections of Barbara Boxer and Paul Wellstone to the U.S. Senate.

San Francisco does have such a candidate. His name is Tom Ammiano. He is the champion of change in San Francisco. His entire political career has been devoted to changing the status quo for the betterment of us all – from district elections to campaign finance reform to domestic partner benefits to a living wage for S.F. workers. And the ballot in the upcoming election offers even more confirmation of Ammiano's commitment to change.

The three strongest charter reform measures on the Nov. 4 ballot all come from Ammiano. Proposition E will nail shut the revolving door that now allows a former elected official to take up a career as a city hall lobbyist. Proposition G will usher in the most important city fiscal reform in a quarter century by establishing a mandatory rainy-day fund. Proposition H will finally give teeth to the two city watchdog agencies overseeing the San Francisco Police Department.

And what does Newsom offer the city on this ballot? Proposition M, a ballot measure banning public begging by the poor. The contrast is clear and powerful.

Those of us who work for change in San Francisco sometimes find it hard to believe it can really happen. The status quo has reigned for so long that there is a real danger of coming to believe we cannot make this city a better place. Such despair is carefully fostered by the opponents of change, who know they can't win a debate on the issues. Instead of responding to our candidates on the issues, they trivialize their candidacies and belittle their chances at the polls.

Don't fall for this cynical ploy. Ammiano is the one candidate who time and time again has defied the pundits when they counted him out. He is the one candidate who has the track record to put the establishment's candidate to shame. He is the one candidate who has created and sustained a genuine movement to reform city government. He is the one candidate who offers voters a vision of a better San Francisco that they can see, that they can feel. Ammiano is the candidate to back Nov. 4.

Sup. Jake McGoldrick represents District One, and Sup. Aaron Peskin represents District Three.