Know what this is?

If you are lucky, you don't have any idea. I found this on Rizal Street, right behind the Whole Foods, near my place. This is a piece of spark plug tied with a string. This is what the professional smash and grab thieves that patrol my neighborhood use to smash the windows of cars as they ride by on their bicycles. After the car alarm dies, they return to steal the contents. Needless to say, I found this one in a pile of shattered saftey glass. The car had been parked behind my mobile campaign headquarters, i.e. my 1973 VW bus. I've found spark plugs on the inside of my own vehicle after discovering a smashed window.

Access Politics. The Democratic way of San Francisco

I get an e-mail on July 27th, inviting me (and all District 6 candidates) to the Community Leadership Alliance's "CLA/CHCAC BUSINESS MEETING And MEET ROB BLACK 4 D-6 Supervisor." The first agenda item is to "Meet Mr. Rob Black 4 D-6 SUPERVISOR, 10 Minutes, Comments/Questions By Candidates 2min. Each."

Then on August 8, 2006 I get an e-mail, stating in part, "'IN THE NAME OF FAIRNESS & DEMOCRACY' Using a candidates contact list provided by the SF-DCCC- -All Qualified D-6 Supervisor Candidates were invited but only one RSVP ed." What this e-mail failed to state was that the July 27th e-mail did not request RSVP's.

So, on August 9, I reply to the e-mail, informing the "director/founder" that I would attend. I get no reply...but I show up anyway on the 10th.

Well, it turns out that the meeting was pretty much just a political rally for Rob Black. Although there were two other candidates in the room, no one acknowleged them, except Jordanna Thigpen, who was very gracious.

Rob Black spoke for about 10 minutes. Although an attorney (since 12/31/2002), he obviously has never been a trial attorney (Which is neither good, nor bad). Trial attorney's learn to communicate their message and persuade. Rob, on the other hand, gave an eloqent, yet wonky, and thoroughly forgetable presentation of political-ese.

Before Rob spoke, Gavin Newsom's "news" man, the rather eccentric Pat Murphy, wearing his trade-mark bow-tie, put down a tape recorder. The next day he wrote a blurb, puzzlingly titled "My Game Too", in his "news" website, "Rob Black, current favorite to make Daly bustle, visited a Tenderloin improvement gathering last night... Reminding all that a bone crushing random bullet days ago killed an innocent dude looking for a pizza... Popular street security cameras popularly wanted at O'Farrell and Jones, Black noted... Daly opposes street security cameras, Black arched an eyebrow, lowered a tone..." Needless to say, the fact that there were two other candidates in the room seemed to have slipped his mind.

Now, we all know that Newsom endorsed Rob. We also know that Murphy is a Newsom apologist. But I still am interested in knowing the basis for the statement that Rob is the "current favorite..."

But alas, this is the lesson of "Access Politics."

All Systems Go.

My nomination documents were submitted on August 7th. By the 8th, they had been approved by the Department of Elections. My signatures were confirmed valid. All systems go.

Jetta Vandalized - 05August2006

Here are some pictures of the smashed front passenger window on my Jetta. This happened on August 5, 2006 between 4pm and 8pm, a strange time for this to happen. This is the eighth time in the last two years that my car has been damaged (several times within the last few months). No other vehicle on the block was damaged. Nothing was in the car (I leave the glove box and center consol empty and open). I believe my car is being targeted.

I Found My '73 Bus Vandalized on 8-1-2006

Frank and me!

See my conversation with San Francisco eccentric Frank Chu

On a different note, my 73 vw camper bus was broken into. People say to me. "Dude! You live in the city. What do you expect?" Bullshit. That's a cop out. I grew up in Los Angeles, and lived in Manhattan for 7 1/2 years. I've never before seen the level of petty street crime that is tolerated in San Francisco. It's a result of the abdication of our representatives.