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PUC questions linger One month has passed since Mayor Gavin Newsom named city treasurer Susan Leal to lead the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. And while most of the speculation since then has focused on whom Newsom would appoint to be treasurer, the Mayor's Office still hasn't produced records of other applicants for the PUC general manager position that should have been made public.

The decision to select Leal raised obvious questions about the qualifications Newsom was seeking in a candidate and who else was being considered for the job. After all, Leal brings absolutely no experience in public utility management to the PUC, but she did provide Newsom a key endorsement last November during his campaign for mayor.

In an attempt to answer these questions, the Bay Guardian made repeated attempts to speak with Newsom press secretary Peter Ragone and press aide Darlene Chiu, who we were told would handle information requests. We also filed a request May 24 under the Sunshine Ordinance for copies of all résumés and applications submitted to the Mayor's Office for the PUC general manager position, knowing at least one applicant had his résumé hand-delivered to the Mayor's Office (see "Water under the Bridge?," 5/19/04).

Asked late last month about Leal's qualifications, Chiu told us, "We are usually looking for the best and the brightest," but she declined to elaborate. The Mayor's Press Office hasn't responded to our public records request, in apparent violation of the Sunshine Ordinance.

Meanwhile, representatives of Bayview Hunters Point Community Advocates, Greenaction, and Literacy for Environmental Justice are calling on Newsom to replace Ed Smeloff, assistant general manager for power policy, and bring in new leadership that will prioritize renewable energy and environmental justice.

Dana Lanza, director of LEJ, told us the PUC has committed too much to siting three gas-fired power plants in the southeast, and those efforts have come at the expense of its environmental priorities. "I don't know if Susan Leal will be any better [than predecessor Pat Martel], but I don't see how the city could be any worse," Lanza said.

Maureen Barry of the PUC communications department told us any changes in PUC leadership would likely come after a new general manager is in place and referred further questions to the Mayor's Office.

Matthew Hirsch