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Tuesday, August 11, 2 p.m. - Full Board of Supervisors
This meeting is a jigsaw that doesn't come together to make a coherent picture. Here are the pieces:
The bicycle plan is going to clear its second vote this week. I can't wait to find out what bicyclists are going to get angry about next!
As pointed out by the Chronicle, this is a big week for settled lawsuits in S.F., with five of them coming up for board approval, and two of those five alone costing the city more than $14 million (if approved).
By way of comparison, the city is entering into a contract with Western States Oil to get gas and diesel fuel, and it's only paying them $10 million.
On the other side of the scale -- by way of comparison -- the city will be "Appropriating $119,800,000 of proceeds from debt for wastewater system improvements at the Public Utilities Commission for FY 2009-2010 and 2010-2011."
Just so you know where your money's going: water, lawsuits, and oil. In that order.
Three commission and board appointments on tap today: Recreation and Parks; Rent Stabilization and Arbitration Board; Civil Service Commission. I don't care either.
How about hate speech: Do you care about hate speech? Because the entire progressive coalition plus the swing votes (Dufty and Maxwell) has authored a resolution "Urging the Federal Communications Commission to conduct a comprehensive investigation on hate speech in the media and to update the 1993 report on the Role of Telecommunications in Hate Crimes."
Really, guys? Really? We get the eight of you in a room, and you use your veto-proof supermajority to do this? Not to block the worst MUNI budget since Willie Brown blew the entire J-Church line's maintenance fund on hats? To "urge" the FCC to investigate hate speech in the media? This is what you do?
Okay, but don't come running to me the next time your constituents complain about the trains not running, or about their houses being foreclosed on so that Willie Brown has space to build a giant shoe rack.
As a member of the media in question, can I just say that your incompetence actually makes me want to hate more? Because it does.
Also ... serious warning here ... have you heard what some of your supporters have been saying about the Catholic Church recently? I'm not saying they're wrong, but I am saying that maybe people who use strong words ought not to be urging the FCC to tamp down on language. Any speech code you encourage can and will be used against you by bigots.
Anyway ...
As a last gasp for the meeting, it looks like the Mortgage Modification Consultants bill and the "We oppose BART surcharges for airport workers" bill are getting fast-tracked to the big leagues. So, we get to have those voted on twice this week -- if you can stand that much excitement.
I'm done. You done? Okay, let's move on.
