Meanwhile, Hallinan's committee asked for a rebid of the public notices contract. The city chose the Ex again. Hallinan's committee asked for another rebid. Again, the Ex was chosen. The Board of Supervisors had no choice but the give the Ex the contract, which was set to start in July 1994.
Recovering quickly, the Fangs took the issue to the voters, and with Hallinan's help put Prop. J on the November 1994 ballot. The initiative set a new criteria for the contract bidding process. According to Bill Jones of the city's Purchasers Office, cost would no longer be the sole criteria. Home circulation, the cost of the paper, and local ownership would all be considered under the new guidelines. In short, the proposed law was crafted so that no other paper but the free Independent could win the bid. Playing the underdog fighting corporate media, the Independent won easily.
In the first quarter of 1995, the city started a new bid process under the Prop. J guidelines and awarded the contract to the Independent. But there was a shocking surprise attached: Since the lowest bid was no longer the sole criteria, the Independent's bid of $517,000 was declared the winner even though almost a quarter of a million greater than the Examiner's bid of $316,000. Which leaves an open, and rather sore, question: Whose interests were really served by Prop. J? The city's or the Fangs'?
It's a question the city will continually ask itself as the Fangs weave themselves into the political fabric. Fact is, sometimes their interests converge with the city's and sometimes they don't. You have to take the good with the bad when it comes to the Fangs.
The family has positioned itself for nothing but continued success and influence. They are close to the mayor. They are close to the DA. They can set the city's agenda with their newspaper, although they haven't gained enough influence to thrust us into a foreign war, like Citizen Hearst.
The territories the Fangs have their eyes set on are closer to home, as the purchase of the South Bay weeklies illustrates.
Lately, Ted Fang has been spending more and more time in Burlingame, the headquarters of the weekly chain. Since Christmas of last year, he has been attending most of the editorial meetings of the chain. And, it appears, he will play politics with his new papers as he has with the Independent.
In 1994, the Redwood City Tribune endorsed three candidates running for the city council. In addition to running the endorsements in the Tribune, the newspaper group printed up fliers with the endorsements and mailed them to every registered voter in the city.
If the Fangs' San Francisco model is any indication, South Bay politics will never be the same.
Research assistance provided by Jeff Stark.
