WHILE THE DAILY newspapers were happily trumpeting the San Francisco Board of Supervisors' noncensure of Sup. Chris Daly as a "victory for civility," the truth is very different. If anything, it was a victory for a few rich landlord lobbyists who wanted to slap Daly for daring to talk of limiting their ability to evict seniors and disabled people – and it almost certainly has created increased polarization on the board.

The truth is, Daly didn't threaten or intimidate some poor, trembling, defenseless citizen, the way the censure motion's sponsor, Sup. Michela Alioto-Pier, suggested. He yelled at a group of powerful lobbyists, City Hall regulars who are tough operators and more than able to stand up for themselves.

And now, as Steven T. Jones reports on page 17, Daly has reacted by saying he simply won't talk to his foes anymore. That's understandable, but it's a mistake; the supervisor has always had an open door and is accessible to all sides, and he shouldn't let Alioto-Pier's idiocy change that.

In fact, the supervisors ought to forget the whole sorry incident, which was just a sideshow to the passage of Daly's important tenant bill.