SF Weekly Letters

Dead Men Don't Vote
No time for DNA on the campaign trail: As Gavin Newsom devotes more and more of his time to running for governor, John Geluardi had a timely article about the lack of accountability of the Newsom administration for the record number of murders in San Francisco ["Stiffed," Feature, 9/10]. Especially disturbing is the failure of the police department to solve most of these crimes and the coroner's office to complete necessary autopsies.

Newsom needs to pay better attention to the responsibilities of his current job before running off to find a new one. And, as suggested by Geluardi's article, the SFPD needs to be more forthcoming about the status of its homicide investigations if the people of San Francisco are to have any confidence in the department's ability to solve these crimes. For instance, the article mentions the crime lab's 500-case backlog in DNA analysis — and that figure is 5 years old. 

How can the people of San Francisco have confidence in a police department that is unresponsive and operates in darkness?

John M. Kelly

San Francisco

"Dubious" Disclaimer
Turn your head and comment: My comments in Matt Smith's article "A Dubious Proposition" [9/10] are my own and do not represent those of the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

San Francisco public health officials are not permitted to take positions on ballot initiatives.

Dr. Jeffrey Klausner

San Francisco

Treasure the Little Things
What a difference an A makes: It is unfortunate that Joe Eskenazi was unable to make a distinction between a group of individuals who have organized themselves into an entity identified as the "Treasure Island Museum Association" (TIMA) ["Buried Treasure," Sucka Free City, 8/27] and a collection of museum articles known as "the Treasure Island Museum."

TIMA and the Treasure Island Museum are not one and the same. TIMA seeks control of the Treasure Island Museum, which is owned by the Navy.

Perhaps one day TIMA will be able to manage the collection, but TIMA is not the owner of it today and never has been the owner of it.

Marvin Norman

San Francisco

Joe Eskenazi responds: The article makes it pretty clear that the Navy owns the exhibits and has made all the decisions regarding whether to open, close, or relocate the museum. It also notes the Treasure Island Museum Association's search for an "organization to run the museum."

Still, Mr. Norman's complaint has some merit, as I did indeed refer to the president and vice president of TIMA as the heads of the Treasure Island Museum.

Seriously, I'm Not a Creep
Did I mention I'm not a creep?: I've contemplated writing this e-mail for some time, wrestling with the fact that Katy St. Clair could mistake my sincerity for "creepy guy" syndrome, but I have decided to write after all. For the record — I'm not creepy. Or, at least, my wife tells me I'm not.

Every Wednesday when I pick up my SF Weekly, the first thing I turn to is St. Clair's column, Bouncer. She rates higher on the must-read scale than Savage Love! Besides the occasional visit to bars in my area (the Ha-Ra, the Edinburgh Castle) to see friends, my barhopping days are pretty much over. That's why I appreciate the column. I get to  experience the many bars of S.F. vicariously through her excellent writing.

That said, I'll try to avoid leaping into the aforementioned "creepy" category and end this letter on a bright note: Here's hoping St. Clair finds a job soon — one that makes her happy, but still allows time for barhopping and the observations she so eloquently describes.

Andi Sumpter

San Francisco