With his re-election still two months away, Mayor Gavin Newsom requested yesterday that all Department Heads – as well as all his commission appointees – resign, so that he can start his second term with a clean slate. If Newsom weren’t such a shoo-in to win in November, this move would be ridiculed as presumptuous. But it also speaks volumes about a Mayor who has governed for four years with no strong agenda, and has publicly confessed that the lack of a serious challenger is throwing him off-guard.

If Newsom wants to clean house, why did he keep so many veterans of the Willie Brown era for four years – and what does this shake-up say about a popular Mayor who could not even generate an opponent? Newsom has even asked department heads that he cannot remove to submit their resignation, as well as commissioners who don’t serve at his pleasure – and don’t have to resign. While the Mayor’s not expected to accept all the resignations, the City Charter could put a foil in his plans. The Police Commission, for example, can accept the Police Chief’s resignation – even if the Mayor does not.

“It’s all very Alice in Wonderland,” said Supervisor Tom Ammiano. “The Mayor’s like the Queen of Hearts who says ‘off with your heads!” Some have speculated that this mass firing is a calculated move to get rid of problematic department heads and disloyal city commissioners, without creating any political fall-out from a single dismissal. Billed as an across-the-board “house cleaning,” most of these people will probably still be there after the dust settles.

Chief executives often shake up their Administration at the beginning of a second term, but they usually wait until after they’ve been re-elected before announcing such plans. And while Newsom is virtually guaranteed to win a second term, his move effectively tells voters that the November election is irrelevant because he is going to win anyway. “It’s a clear admission by the Mayor of the utter failure of his Administration,” said mayoral candidate Quintin Mecke.

Two weeks ago, Newsom told columnist Ken Garcia that he predicated his entire re-election effort on having a serious opponent, and the fact that he’s now running virtually unopposed has scared him. “There’s a sense of awkwardness that wants to fill the void,” said Newsom. “The biggest fear is that your supporters lose their energy and commitment. [They question] whether they really need to put signs up, or make calls. It’s kind of a strange place to be in.”

Could it be that the latest mass firing is part of the Mayor acting up?

A Mayor who four years ago pledged to appoint only the “best and the brightest” to his Administration - a clear implication that he would not appoint old cronies - has kept many department heads left over from the Willie Brown era. Health Department Mitch Katz and Human Services Director Trent Rohrer, for example, have led their agencies since long before Newsom took office in 2004 - which raises questions about why a sudden change now.

Why would Newsom call for a mass firing of City department heads after four years in office – right when he’s asking voters to keep the status quo, and they’re likely to give it to him?

A massive shake-up where the Mayor gets to hand pick who he truly wants to keep later suggests an effort to eject disloyal subjects – without the political fall-out of a single unpopular firing. Willie Brown’s well-publicized dismissal of Planning Commissioner Dennis Antenore caused him grief with voters in 2000, helping progressives take over the Board of Supervisors later that year. If Newsom forces everyone to re-apply for their jobs, he can get rid of the troublemakers more quietly.

Some have suggested that this is a way for Newsom to seize control over commissioners and department heads – after spending four years virtually ignoring the details of city departments and giving them the flexibility they never had before. Newsom appointee Joe Alioto-Veronese, who serves on the Police Commission, last May defied the Mayor’s wishes and cast the deciding vote for President Theresa Sparks. As I’ve argued before, Willie Brown would have never allowed that.

Newsom even asked Department Heads who do not serve at his pleasure to resign, asking them to “direct your letter to your appointing authority with a copy to me.” The President of the Department of Building Inspection’s Commission (DBI), Debra Walker, was nonplussed. Walker’s Commission – not the Mayor – appoints the head of DBI, and they just hired a new director last March and are working on their own mid-year evaluation of him.

As for city commissioners who are appointed by the Mayor, those who serve on Charter Commissions (Police, Health, etc.) can only be removed for misconduct and are not at-will. While the Mayor can ask them to resign, he cannot remove them without a reason unless their terms expire. “None of those Commissioners should agree to resign,” said Supervisor Chris Daly. “Commissions serve a valuable purpose to de-centralize power. They don’t work for the Mayor; they work for the people of San Francisco.”

Some have suggested that this mass firing is a good way for commissioners to re-think about their jobs and remove the “dead wood” – and some commissioners have served for too long and have worn out their welcome. But Proposition B – a Charter Amendment on the November ballot – would remove commissioners after their terms expire, unless the Mayor re-appoints them. If voters really want to deal with this problem, they can just vote for Prop B in the next election.

The Mayor is expected to keep most commissioners and department heads, but the City Charter could put a dent in some of those plans. Proposition H – a Charter Amendment passed in 2003 – governs the Police Commission and gives that body the power to fire the Police Chief. So if Heather Fong submits a letter of resignation, the Commission can accept it regardless of what Newsom wants to do.

Theresa Sparks, President of the Police Commission, says that she’s likely to call a special hearing to consider Fong’s resignation. The Mayor appoints four of the seven Commissioners, but they do not serve at his pleasure and can choose not to go along with his plans. One of his appointees, Alioto-Veronese, has already proven to be independent and refused to resign after Newsom asked him to.

This mass firing – a P.R. stunt to attract attention for the Mayor’s re-election team and give voters the impression that he’s cleaning up government – could lead to a struggle between Newsom and the Police Commission. Which may not be what the Mayor (or his campaign managers) had in mind.

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