FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Street Artists Send Up Mayor Newsom in Election Eve Stencil Campaign

San Francisco, Nov 6, 2007 — On the eve of San Francisco's relatively uncontested mayoral race, pranksters hit the late night streets and left a message for the city and its encumbent mayor. The campaign included images of the mayor, Gavin Newsom, with the lyrics from Rick Springfield's 1981 pop hit "Jessie's Girl." The campaign, which was placed at strategic polling locations in the Marina and the Mission as well as out front of Mr. Newsom's campaign headquarters near the Civic Center, is a tongue-in-cheek reference to Mr. Newsom's scandalous affair with his then campaign manger's Alex Tourk's wife Ruby Rippey-Tourk.
Images were attached to the following lyrics:

I play along with the charade.
I don't feel a reason to change.
I feel so dirty
when they start talking cute.
I wanna tell her I love her,
but the point is probably moot.
You know I wish that I had…
Jessie's girl.

The stencil in front of Newsom's headquarters was already scrubbed clean by early morning. Other stencils can be found at 1570 Filbert, 1446 Francisco, 325 Sanchez, 1855 15th St., and 3737 27th St.