David Latterman

Leland Yee Has the Best Enemies

As noted on this very page, an allegedly unhinged engineer is accused of threatening Sen. Leland Yee with a makeshift bomb. The San Francisco legislator will address the media shortly, and claim that his legislation attempting to reign in the deadliest of military-style firearms was the impetus for ... More >>

Body Politic: Scott Wiener Strips Down City Bureaucracy

Nancy Pelosi Says She'll Keep Her House Leadership Role (Update)

Update (Nov. 14): Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi announced this morning she will stick around as the House Minority Leader. Nobody in the House is challenging her on this one -- she's loved by her fellow Democrats. San Francisco should be stoked -- she's our powerful pipeline to the White House.(Origina ... More >>

Eric Mar Wins, Volunteers Outdo Record Spending in District 1 Election

The odds were against Eric Mar. The Richmond District supervisor was seen as the most vulnerable of all San Francisco progressives up for election Tuesday -- and that was before the city's moneyed interests tried to drown him with buckets of cash.In addition to Mar's reputation as an erratic legisla ... More >>

Norman Yee: Are Voters Confusing Him With Leland Yee?

In the abysmal 1992 flick The Distinguished Gentleman, a character played by Eddie Murphy ascends to higher office thanks to having the same name as a longtime office-holder. Could it happen here? Perhaps. District 7 Supervisorial candidate Norman Yee turned heads when early polls gave him 24 percen ... More >>

8 Washington: Supervisor Olague Votes Herself out of Favor

Progressively Modest: Eric Mar Stays out of the Headlines

Ross Mirkarimi, You Are No Willie Brown

​It hardly takes a deft mind to liken the ongoing Ross Mirkarimi domestic violence saga to the telenovelas his wife used to star in. Yet yesterday's testimony from ex-Mirkarimi flame Christina Flores was broad and prurient to an extent that would scare off even a soap opera sponsor. Per Flores, fr ... More >>

Map Game: Redistricting May Make Neighbors of Voters

Occupy Movement Losing Support in San Francisco

​The Occupy Movement is still making headlines, four months after it took root in New York City. But it's only front-page news because of the damage it's been causing, not because of its success. Perhaps that explains the latest sentiment among San Francisco residents who were once on board with O ... More >>

Does David Chiu Have a Chinatown Problem?

It's Chinatown, David. It's Chinatown. ​Also, is John Avalos really feeling it in District 11? Absorbing a beating is never enjoyable -- unless, of course, you're into that kind of thing. Presuming you aren't, getting your behind kicked is even less palatable when it takes place in your home terri ... More >>

What Will It Take for Ross Mirkarimi to Lose the Sheriff's Race?

Not an easy slide into first place​Barring a miracle, Ed Lee is on his way to becoming the next mayor --it's now the hotly contested sheriff's race that is the one to watch. As of this morning, Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi had a narrow, 10 percent lead over Chris Cunnie, securing 38 percent of the vo ... More >>

The Billion-Dollar Bet: Which Pension Reform Measure Will Pass and Survive Legal Challenge

San Franciscans Are Too Negative

Debbie Downer. Born and raised in San Francisco ​How quickly we take for granted our City by the Bay. Nevermind the fact that we live within the beautiful backdrop of iconic places like the Golden Gate Bridge. Forget that we won the World Series last year or that we enjoy sex more regularly than m ... More >>

Joanna Rees Gives a Large Chunk of Money to Democratic Party For No Good Reason

The best way to support the Democratic Party is to JOIN the party​In the San Francisco's mayor's race Joanna Rees has played the part as the unknown, nonpolitical candidate who has confounded people by claiming she is a "progressive independent" -- whatever that means. But now it seems the apoliti ... More >>

See Jane Kim Run -- to the Right

David Chiu Has 'Good Shot' at Mayor, Political Rivals Admit

Moderately progressive?​We can never forget former Supervisor Chris Daly's famous tongue lashing after Supervisor David Chiu broke ranks with his left-leaning colleagues to get Mayor Ed Lee appointed earlier this year. It was then that Daly publicly vowed to haunt Chiu and his fellow "moderates." ... More >>

David Chiu's Yellow Pages Jihad Is Smart -- and Smart Politics

This is your apartment foyer...​Supervisor David Chiu's pending legislation to require residents to opt-in before receiving a yellow pages isn't just smart -- it's savvy. Anyone who's ever taken a trip to the city's recycling plant knows that phone books are so heavy, they confound machines design ... More >>

David Chiu Is Board President Again -- No Conspiracy Necessary

Joe EskenaziThe new supes are sworn in. Everyone cheers. The knives come out for presidential voting. Then everyone makes a poignant speech. And everyone cries. ​You can add another adjective to describe Supervisor David Chiu, the once and future president of the Board of Supervisors: Survivor. Ch ... More >>

Is Ed Lee A Moderate? Ask The Chamber Of Commerce

A Moderate Progressive?​Progressives say City Administrator Ed Lee is a moderate, while moderates claim he is a progressive. The San Francisco Chamber of Commerce today endorsed Lee for interim mayor. Now you do the math.

David Chiu could land mentor Aaron Peskin's dream job: mayor

Bevan Dufty's mayoral bid fizzling just as the race is really getting started.

How Jean Quan May, Astoundingly, Become Mayor of Oakland

Jean Quan for Oakland Mayor 2010Jean Quan, the politician who lived​As we wait for final election results to come in for the Oakland mayor's race, it's not premature to say that City Councilwoman Jean Quan will have pulled off one of the great political Lazarus acts in recent Bay Area history if s ... More >>

The Identity Card

Voting by race has made the city's political representation more Asian. It could be what puts 33-year-old Jane Kim on the board of supervisors.

Poll: Dems Abandoning Pelosi. Does Nancy-Challenger John Dennis Have a Chance?

Still just a dream​John Dennis may live in Pacific Heights, but his similarities to fellow posh neighborhood resident Nancy Pelosi end there. The Republican challenger to most-powerful San Franciscan Pelosi supports Proposition 19, wants a repeal of the Defense of Marriage act, and is even OK with ... More >>

Is Kamala Harris Scared of Chris Kelly?

Hey, Kamala Harris...​In politics, as in life, smart folks pick their battles. If you're winning the race, it doesn't do to get caught jawing with some little-known also-ran. So the recent, persistent efforts of Kamala Harris -- the Democratic front-runner in the Attorney General's race -- to deep ... More >>

Leland Yee's Sarah Palin Crusade Strikes 'San Francisco Gold'

For Sen. Leland Yee, Sarah Palin has proven to be the perfect foil​For the record, Sen. Leland Yee has always claimed that his ongoing Sarah Palin crusade is not a politically motivated operation. If some other figure with a penchant for charging $100,000 per speech were slated to appear at Califo ... More >>

Feinstein Endorsement Gives Newsom What He Needs, When He Needs It

Sen Dianne Feinstein says voters should give Gavin Newsom a shot​When then-gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom in September dropped the news that President Bill Clinton was endorsing him, local political analysts told SF Weekly "this doesn't suck!" And yet, within a month and a half, larger probl ... More >>

Kamala Harris Hasn't Made Friends With S.F. Cops -- But That May Not Cost Her in the End

Kamala Harris​In many American towns, the debate over the merits of Chevy or Ford pickup trucks is no laughing matter. In a nerdier milieu -- one less likely to cause a bar fight at least -- Apple and PC partisans snipe at each other smarmily. And here in San Francisco, we have our own endless, ta ... More >>

Which Is Worse? Newsom Boycotting Press, or Newsom Blowing off Substantive Questions and Being Nasty?

BrainchildvnI am displeased in you, Hank Plante. ​By now many of you have seen the cringe-worthy Gavin Newsom/Hank Plante interview, an experience every bit as unpleasant as watching Ricky Gervais as David Brent pontificate and condescend in the British version of The Office. Most folks will remem ... More >>

Newsom Resign-O-Rama Continues -- Is it Business as Usual or Beginning of End?

So long, Mr. Ryan...​With today's announcement of the departure of Kevin Ryan, the head of the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice, Gavin Newsom passed an important pinnacle. His right-hand men and women have now quit more times than Brett Favre. It took a while, but Newsom caught up. On a serious ... More >>

Political Strategists Confident Extended Parking Meter Plan Is Dead -- But Maybe It's Only *Mostly* Dead

Can some manner of Miracle Max save the extended parking meter enforcement plan? ​In retrospect, the Municipal Transportation Agency's proposal to extend parking meter hours to 9 p.m. or midnight through swaths of the city and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays could have been more badly timed. This, ... More >>

Bill Clinton Throws Weight Behind Gavin Newsom. 'This Doesn't Suck,' Quips Political Analyst.

The big political news of the day is that President Bill Clinton will officially endorse Mayor Gavin Newsom's campaign for governor of this state. You don't have to be a conspiracist to see the politics in these politics: Newsom was an unabashed Hillary Clinton loyalist and Bill Clinton and Jerry Br ... More >>

The Wrong Stuff

Candidate Newsom is “narcissistic,” “thin-skinned,” “disloyal,” and “friendless.” And that’s from his former supporters.

Would Gay Marriage Not Being on the 2010 Ballot Help or Hurt Gavin Newsom? The Answer: Yes.

Being emotionally charged up can certainly affect how demonstratively one waves his or her placard in a street protest, but it's of less use in the voting booth. No matter how emphatically you punch your ballot, it still only counts for one vote. This appears to be the crux of Equality California's ... More >>

So, Would City Unions Really Cut Back Hours to Stave Off Layoffs Like Obama Wants? This Union Head Says Yes

To say San Francisco is enthralled with our new president is putting it a bit mildly. If, during his inaugural address yesterday, he'd have instructed us to shout "I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!" out the window -- well, skip to three minutes, 16 seconds here, and you'll s ... More >>

Political Consultants Give Obama Speech High Marks -- But Wonder if You Can Be Memorable When No One Remembers Anything You Said

It's hard to be nostalgic when you can't remember anything. And a handful of San Francisco's top political consultants are now pondering if it's possible for President Barack Obama to have delivered a "memorable" address when they had trouble recalling its specific lines even 15 minutes after he utt ... More >>

He's No Menace

Gay marriage has been very, very good to Dennis Herrera.

Hot Off the Presses: Breaking District Returns

The Class of 2000

Eight years after being swept into office, a once-disorganized band of neighborhood leftists tries to create a citywide political machine.

Will black neighborhoods in S.F. support the gay marriage ban — again?

San Francisco Election Analysis: The Scarecrows Have It!