The Weekly Digest (December 11, 2022)

Happy Sunday, Brionies! Here’s what you need to know about San Francisco politics this week, and beyond:

City Hall

• Monday, December 12 at 10am: Regular meeting of the Rules Committee (agenda and call-in instructions here)

• Item 3: Hearing called by Supervisor Peskin to allow the Board of Supervisors (the “Board”) to  re-appoint Cindy Elias to the Police Commission (the “Commission”) four months before her term is up. See, also, Item 42 under the Board summary, below. Some say this is a dirty-tricks attempt to prevent the new Board, which takes office in January and will include moderate Joel Engardio, from having a say in the makeup of the Commission. Among other things, the Commission is responsible for selecting candidates for police chief and setting SFPD policy on things like traffic stops and use-of-force.

• From our friends at Stop Crime SF: 

• Click here for more info on how you can give public comment to the Rules Committee opposing Elias’ premature reappointment. 

• Click here to send an email to the Board opposing Elias’ premature reappointment. 

• Tuesday, December 13 at 2pm:  Regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors (agenda and call-in instructions here)

• Item 1: Mayor Breed makes her monthly appearance. She will be addressing questions raised by Supervisor Preston, about overdose prevention, and by Supervisor Melgar, about the Compassionate Alternative Response Team, or “CART,” which bills itself as a “new response model that would eliminate police responses” to homelessness, funded out of SFPD’s budget. CART is a brainchild of the Coalition on Homeless and failed district attorney candidate/Twitter superstar John Hamasaki, among others.  

• Item 19: Authorization for HSH to use $56m in state Project Homekey funds and $98.8m(!!!) in city funds to acquire 333 12th Street and operate it for five years.

• Item 42: Motion by Supervisor Peskin to re-appoint Cindy Elias to the Police Commission four months before her term is up. See, also, Item 43 under the Rules Committee summary, above.

Happenings around town

• Community Event: Demanding Drug-Free Schools and Playgrounds with Supervisor Stefani and Mothers Against Drug Deaths

•  Thursday, December 15 at 1pm, Presidio Public Library 

• AEI: A Conversation with San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly

• Friday, December 16, 2022 at 12pm, online event

• City Arts and Lectures: Justice Stephen Breyer and Judge Charles Breyer 

• Saturday, January 27, 2023 at 7:30pm, Sydney Goldstein Theater

• Bonus: Watch Justice Breyer argue against Democrat’s perennial court-packing schemes, and mount a defense of keeping politics out of the courtroom.

What we’re reading

• City Plans 12 New Drug Consumption Sites; unrelatedly, America’s Syringe Exchanges Might Be Killing Drug Users

• Old Twitter was secretly blacklisting accounts and manipulating feeds, but let’s focus on the real issues, like someone put two beds in new Twitter HQ

• Mayor Blasts Peskin’s Attempt to Fast-Track Appointment of Police Commissioner

• Herschel Walker got tackled by the MAGA penalty. Will the RNC pivot to a new Chair (who’s based in San Francisco)?

• Don’t Be Surprised by Kanye’s Antisemitism – Thomas Sowell Explains (3 minute video)

• Why Buses Shouldn’t Be Free – paging Dean Preston.

• San Francisco Public School Enrollment Declines Are Private School Enrollment Gains

• San Francisco’s Moderate Revolt Continues With Joel Engardio Victory

• Boudin was only part of the problem: Judge Chun Releases Dangerous Criminal On Own Recognizance

• Cartoon villain John Elberling has successfully prevented 500 units of housing from being built. It’s been a busy year for Elberling – he also spent nearly $500,000 of his “nonprofit’s” funds backing a ballot measure so buffoonish he was shamed into withdrawing it.