Dear Editors,

Randy Shaw offered some interesting theories for his belief that "Mayor Gavin Newsom is politically unbeatable in November" ("Gavin Newsom, San Francisco’s Teflon Mayor," April 23), but failed to consider one important factor that might change voters' perceptions of the mayor between now and November.

What would happen to Newsom's 60 percent approval rating if a substantial, inspiring candidate were to enter the mayoral race and seriously challenge him?

Contrary to what Shaw said, there are signs that the city's problems are in fact "sticking" to Newsom. Already, without any real opposition (except, arguably, himself--his own bad judgment and strange self-destructive behavior), Newsom's numbers have in fact slipped, from 70-plus before his 'Rubygate' affair with his advisor's wife and subsequent admission of alcoholism, and down from a heady 90 percent honeymoon following his gay marriage performance in 2004, shortly after he squeezed out an expensive yet narrow win over Matt Gonzalez.

In 2003, then-Supervisor Newsom repeatedly directed voters to his online position papers outlining all his promises if elected. Four years later, he now has an actual record. And it isn't that great.

While yes, many people are distracted by the nightmarish undercurrent of the Iraq war, I suspect San Franciscans are also disturbed by the violence in their own neighborhoods. As a former longtime resident of SF, I am shocked and dismayed to read headlines of what's happening to this great city, beginning with the homicide and pedestrian casualty rates.

Then there's Newsom's odd refusal to honor voters' request that he meet with the Board of Supervisors once a month, another Muni meltdown, exodus of families, ongoing gentrification, and it sounds like "Care Not Cash" hasn't worked out as planned either. In other words, Newsom's record offers numerous causes for voter concern and dissatisfaction.

Newsom's competence and suitability for the job have also come into question. He himself has openly expressed ambivalence about the job. Perhaps that explains his growing reputation as an aloof mayor who seems more interested in his image and controlled dialogue via press release and contrived 'town hall' events than genuine efforts to grapple with the complex and messy business of governing a city and answering directly to the people, unscripted.

Give voters a viable alternative to Newsom and there's a good chance their assessment of his job performance will come into clearer focus. Voters may discover that, while he may share Reagan's hairdo, Newsom is in fact more tin than Teflon.

Sincerely,

S. M. Peters
Seattle, WA



Dear Paul,

In your support of SB 464, you did not take into consideration new affordable housing for owners who cannot buy into condos or single homes in San Francisco.

TIC creates another option for people who chooses to own rather than rent. There are plenty of rental units in San Francisco and most homes that rents out are in need of repair due to neglecting landlords or in most cases, renters treating their units with no care.

Speculators go in and buy old homes and fix them up. Will renters do the same?

Christian Nguyen



Paul,

Of course the corporate media want the Democrats to fail. Corporate media are a large and very important part of corporate America, which almost always sides with the Republicans, as it is in their business interests to do so. Many corporations have become even more wealthy because of this illegal and immoral war: the oil companies, the military/industrial complex, and Halliburton, KBR, and Bechtel to name a few specifically. Many of these corporations or their subsidiaries advertise in corporate media, and corporate media is simply very friendly with the rest.

It is very unfortunate that the vast majority of people in the U.S., including those in Congress, get their news from companies that are more beholden to their bottom line -- and the bottom lines of their corporate friends -- than to honestly reporting and commenting on the news. However, this is the case, so if you want anything that approaches the truth you have to look outside of corporate media.

Jeff Hoffman
San Francisco


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