The Weekly Digest (August 13, 2023)

Written By Bill Jackson

Happy Sunday, Brionies!

Here’s what you need to know about San Francisco politics this week and beyond:

City Hall

Happenings around town

What we’re reading

  • We call your attention to this article from early 2023, highlighting another instance of San Francisco finding new and creative ways to take money from businesses and citizens. Chances are, you haven’t heard of the SF City Option, an indirect tax a healthcare program started in 2006 that businesses are required to fund on behalf of their employees. Indeed, many beneficiary employees don’t even know that these funds exist. Due to this lack of awareness (exacerbated by the City being lousy at explaining it to people), there is over $104 million sitting in unused accounts. Fear not, citizens! Your local government has devised a solution: starting in 2026, accounts that have been inactive for three years will be slushed on over to the City’s General Fund. 

  • Jennifer Friedenbach, the Queen Mother of the Homeless Industrial Complex, gets a well-deserved take-down by Susan Dyer Reynolds.

  • On August 4, President Biden called on his Cabinet to “aggressively execute” plans for federal employees to work more in their offices. On the very same day, officials at the San Francisco office of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said, “Well, not here, silly!” and advised hundreds of employees to work remotely, due to safety concerns outside the Nancy Pelosi Federal Building, where “dozens of dealers and users congregate on a daily basis.”

  • In an affront to the families of victims of serious crimes, California State Senator Dave Cortese has authored Senate Bill 94, which would offer a path to parole for inmates serving life sentences. "What (SB 94) ignores is the concept of equal justice," says Tim Ward, President of the California District Attorneys Association. "The supporters and authors of this bill did not write a fair and equitable relief process. Everything in it is geared to benefit the defendant."

  • The California GOP has approved changes to the state’s primary rules. Under the new rules, if any candidate exceeds the 50%-plus-one threshold in the primary, they win all 169 delegate votes. The changes, touted by the state party as a way to entice candidates to campaign in California, are considered by many as a boon to the campaign of former President Trump, who has been near or better than 50% in recent polls.

  • The California Public Utilities Commission approved additional permits allowing Waymo and Cruise to expand their fleets of driverless cars. It ain’t quite Minority Report yet, though, as the Board of Supervisors is weighing options to appeal the ruling.

  • In a development that could (hopefully) have effects in San Francisco, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York fired a shot across the bow of “safe” drug consumption sites in the Big Apple, putting them on notice that his office is “prepared to exercise all options - including enforcement - if this (unlawful) situation does not change in short order.” Supervisor Hillary Ronen hasn’t been in the news lately, but she came out swinging: “We’re going to have an overdose prevention center in this country at some point,” Ronen said. “The question is: When are politicians going to get out of the way?” 

What we’re listening to:

Quick Hits

Palate cleanser

Bill Jackson
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