A new downtown attack

TWO VERY DIFFERENT events – Mayor Gavin Newsom's appointment of Sup. Tony Hall to the Treasure Island Development Authority and the move to recall Sup. Sophie Maxwell – have spurred powerful interests once again to start talking about repealing district elections. That ought to be a wake-up call to everyone in the city who wants to keep money from controlling local politics, and it should be a central issue in the November election.

The San Francisco Chronicle used the Hall appointment (which was a disaster – see above editorial) to announce in an Aug. 4 editorial that Newsom "should be trying to build support for a measure to end district elections – removing the partisanship inherent in having 11 tiny political fiefdoms.... That would help in removing the petty squabbling and myopic agendas that have characterized this board and would end this regressive era of city politics."

Newsom chimed in almost immediately; the Chron quoted him Aug. 6 as saying the Maxwell recall was a demonstration of "the problem with district elections.... We all get into our little niches."

So this is serious, folks. And it's time to start preparing for a battle that will determine whether progressive politics can continue to play a significant role in determining San Francisco's future.

We've said it before, but it's worth repeating: district elections is the single most important item on the progressive agenda, the only defense against downtown domination of City Hall. When supervisors are elected at large, it's almost impossible to win a seat without raising at least $250,000. That rules out almost anyone who doesn't do the bidding of wealthy and powerful interests, and it guarantees that Pacific Gas and Electric Co., the big developers, and powerful lobbyists will control city hall.

District supervisors can win with real grassroots campaigns, based on neighborhood activism and volunteers. A district system goes a long way toward taking the power of big money out of local politics.

It also reduces the power of the mayor: under an at-large system, mayoral fundraising is crucial – and mayoral appointments are far more valuable.

Every group endorsing candidates for supervisor ought to ask the candidates a direct question: will you make the preservation of district elections your top priority and devote all the resources and time at your disposal to preventing a repeal? If the answer is no, that candidate should be instantly disqualified.

Newsom and the Chron – speaking for the city's big-business interests – have in effect declared war against the neighborhoods, the anticorruption forces, the foes of the old Brown-Burton machine, and everyone else who cares about preserving a livable city. It's not too early to begin planning – and raising money – to fight back.

P.S. Let's remember that the Chron, which is happy to bash district elections and accuse the supervisors of "tinkering" with the sunshine law, opposed the Sunshine Initiative, Proposition G, in 1999.