Endorsement interviews: Dennis Herrera

09.16.11 - 1:03 pm | Tim Redmond |

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Dennis Herrera has an interesting challenge: as city attorney, he's been barred by law, legal ethics and custom from taking stands on a lot of the legislative and political issues facing the city. He couldn't, for example, say he opposes a law that he might later have to defend in court. But now that he's running for mayor, he's liberated himself, and he's started to talk about specific challenges facing the city.

Herrera told us he thinks this is the most important mayor's race in the past 20 years and said that local government is going to have to play more of a role taking care of things that the federal and state governments will no longer do. He talked about the "culture of an organization" and his experience running a large office. He said that the city can't cut its way out of its budget problems and he supports "additional revenues," including a higher real-estate transfer tax, a more progressive payroll tax and (possibly) a commercial rent tax.

He supports an affordable housing bond -- but wouldn't call for a moratorium on market-rate housing and condo conversions.

Video and complete audio are after the jump.

Herrera by endorsements2011

Comments

There is no reason why the

There is no reason why the taxpayers that can (barely) live in SF subsidize people who don't come close to being able to afford to live here.

SF is not an island in the middle of the Pacific. Antioch and Vallejo are a BART ride away.

Posted by Guest on Sep. 16, 2011 @ 3:46 pm

San Francisco should be a

San Francisco should be a city where anyone can live. Your comment exudes a sense that you do not understand what this city is about. We are city of inclusion and not exclusion.

Posted by Anthony on Sep. 17, 2011 @ 10:08 am

Except when it comes to

Except when it comes to everyone between the very poor and very rich, in which case we are a city of exclusion.

Posted by marcos on Sep. 17, 2011 @ 10:24 am

Not everyone can afford to live in SF

The problem right now is that there are too many people here who can't afford to live here, but want to. That's true of all desirable places e.g. Hawaii, Santa Barbara, Aspen, Taos, Jackson Hole. Manhattan, Monaco and so on.

'Twas ever so. And for all such disconnects, reality demands that it's the people who adjust, not the place.

Posted by PaulT on Sep. 17, 2011 @ 12:55 pm

So when are you leaving, Troll?

Your endless whining and complaining tells us that San Francisco is not your kind of place.

Posted by Guest on Sep. 17, 2011 @ 1:22 pm

I can afford to live here and so

don't spend all day whining about how everything should be cheaper here.

Posted by PaulT on Sep. 17, 2011 @ 3:31 pm

Herrera Cries Of Outmigration While Protecting Lennar & Fortress

It is totally outrageous that Herrera cried his crocodile tears for you as a mayoral candidate, about the out-migration of people of color and low income residents from San Francisco, while his City Attorney's office shills for the Wall Street corporations Lennar and Fortress, helping them completely screw over and gentrify the Bayview and Parkmerced.

This kind of betrayal, we do not need in the mayor's office.

Posted by Eric Brooks on Sep. 16, 2011 @ 8:36 pm

Hidhi campers

Hi Eric,

Did you say that Karl Marx was a right wing Christian nut or is that description not far enough to the "right" for you?

Posted by Guest on Sep. 16, 2011 @ 10:09 pm

Oh brother...

Are you actually asking us to believe that it is somehow a radical left position to simply expect the City Attorney not to abuse the power of his office to help corporations outrageously screw over people of color and low income San Franciscans?

Posted by Eric Brooks on Sep. 16, 2011 @ 10:51 pm

Are you trying to tell me

Are you trying to tell me that the legal cover for the massive developer give aways asked for by Herrera's clients was on the level to the extent that a shrewd lawyer for the people could not have identified legal enough legal hitches to change the outcomes? Are you trying to tell me that the EIRs for these projects were complete enough in their assessment, that the CA could not have identified significant areas worthy of more study and analysis?

No, Dennis has spent the past ten years paying his dues to corporate power in San Francisco. Now that they've abandoned him for Lee after so many years of faithful service, he's finding he's got to be changing his tune in order to differentiate himself, late in the game as it is.

Yes, Herrera would be better than Lee, but I'd imagine were he elected, Dennis would probably cleave back to them what brung (and now screwed) him exacting a slightly larger personal political price for each gift of the public purse for the offense.

Posted by marcos on Sep. 17, 2011 @ 8:52 am

Chiu, Herrera, Lee

They are ideological clones of each other, their ideology being that they are for sale to the highest bidder.

Posted by Greg on Sep. 18, 2011 @ 8:07 am

The question for Chiu and

The question for Chiu and Herrera is what they will do once spurned by the highest bidders to whom they'd thought they'd sold themselves, more transactionalism or vindictiveness?

Posted by marcos on Sep. 18, 2011 @ 8:41 am

Rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?veGxBtGuu9BVE

Posted by Pat Monk.RN. on Sep. 19, 2011 @ 10:27 am