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• Many City Hall observers have noted that the city's budget crunch has sucked all the air out of the supervisors. It may be that there are too few resources to do too much -- and so the supes don't do as much.
• Likewise, it may be that the city's condition is so bad that the supes would rather not talk about it -- again, leading them to do less.
• Off-the-record conversations with City Hall sources have suggested that several term-limited supervisors who are traditionally high volume legislative players are not pushing the way they used to. This list includes Michela Alioto-Pier, Sophie Maxwell, and Chris Daly. Alioto-Pier, of course, is running for higher office, and is therefore distracted. Maxwell is, by several accounts, trying to figure out what happens next in her life. And Daly? Sources described him as "detached."
• One of the signature reasons that previous Boards got so much legislation through was the guiding hand of Board President Aaron Peskin. New Board President David Chiu might not be as good at it. This isn't as big of a criticism as it sounds: Peskin was very, very good while Chiu has had less than a year on the job. Still, it may be a factor.
This slowdown might be acceptable -- to an extent -- if the supes weren't so eager to go along with it. But their willingness to take a week away from the people's business on behalf of a fake holiday is the clearest sign we could have that they, too, don't believe they have a relevant agenda to offer San Francisco.
I would like to suggest that this week off on behalf of a made-up holiday be unpaid. If they're not even going to try to get work done, I think the taxpayers deserve their money back.
