Sweet Melissa : Sept. 11 Examiner - Bored of Supervisors

Constant Readers,

Today's paper is up. Ima do a full and separate page on Prop V, which was edited at The Examiner. In the meantime, here's your Board of Supervisors roundup.

The wait is over! The Board is back! And I’m happy to watch the meetings so you don’t have to. Here are the highlights from Tuesday, September 9 (along with my interpretations of debate excerpts):

1. Currently parents who want their children to attend public schools have to list their top seven choices and pray to the gods of the Diversity Index that they get into one. But it seems like they never do. And even if they do, it’s never the school a block away. And there’s almost nothing parents in San Francisco like to complain about more than this incomprehensible process. (Read the Civil Grand Jury Report on this issue here: Download sf_kindergarten_admissions.pdf) So, Supervisor Chu introduced a resolution urging the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) to “reconsider the current school assignment system to…ensure students a greater chance of attending a neighborhood school.” (Resolution here: Download sfusd_resolution.pdf.)

McGoldrick: We shouldn’t be dealing with this issue. This is the SFUSD’s turf. At the very least, we should send it to the Joint City & School District Committee.

Elsbernd: Members of the SFUSD and the public already came to the hearing at the City Operations and Neighborhood Services Committee in August. We’re all fresh out of ways to complain. Besides, the Board just gave the SFUSD $60 million dollars from our City budget, which should at least buy us permission to “urge.”

Daly: If we desegregated our neighborhoods we wouldn’t have this problem of needing to move people around to create diversity. Peace out.

Result: The Board ultimately agreed with McGoldrick’s proposal and voted to refer the resolution to the Joint City & School District Committee. Supervisors Chu, Elsbernd, Sandoval and Alioto-Pier voted against the referral.

2. Supervisor Daly’s ordinance making the San Francisco Zoo into an animal rescue facility was also considered Tuesday. (Ordinance here: Download zoo_ordinance.pdf.)

Daly: On behalf of the organizational sponsor of this legislation, I’d like to continue this item for two weeks.

McGoldrick: The Office of the Legislative Analyst (OLA) will be issuing a survey of best practices from other cities on this issue within two days.

Elsbernd: Whatever, y’all. Daly can kiss up to the “organizational sponsor,” whose flamingo-whisperers in Europe and Asia have been sending me emails for weeks. But my constituents in District 7 have been clear: they want this voted down. Like right now. I’ll support a one week continuance so we can see the OLA report, but not two weeks.

Daly: Sheesh, fine. Let’s just say one week.

Result: The rest of the Board agreed, so look for it on the September 16 agenda.

3. Last week, I wrote about Supervisor Daly’s proposed smoking ban and the fact that he and three other supervisors pulled it out of the City Operations and Neighborhood Services Committee to be brought before the full board. (Ordinance without newest amendment here: Download smoking_ban.pdf.) When the item came up on Tuesday, Supervisor Daly proposed an amendment. And Elsbernd jumped in:

Elsbernd: There was no good reason to pull this from committee. Daly just didn’t like having his pet project in a committee upon which I and Supervisor Chu sit. So, fine. Be a hater. But there is still no reason to make the full Board deal with amendments and such. This ordinance is completely screwed up and needs the attention of a committee – so Daly should pick one where he can happily oversee the changes and send it back there.

Peskin: I am the President of the Board and I alone possess the godlike power to decide which stuff goes to which committees! (Board Rules of Order, 2.11 and 5.11 Download board_of_supervisors_rules_of_order.pdf.) I mean, I’ll do what you want, but I’m really not feeling appreciated right now.

Result: First, the Board unanimously agreed to Supervisor Daly’s amendment. Then, in a narrow vote, the Board agreed to have the matter referred to another committee (to be determined by Supervisor Peskin) with Supervisors Ammiano, Daly, McGoldrick, Mirkarimi and Peskin voting against the motion.

QUOTE OF THE MEETING:

“If we can try and tell the Chinese government what to do and the federal government what to do, and so forth then I don’t see the big deal in trying to weigh-in with our school district.”
– Supervisor Sandoval responding to Supervisor McGoldrick’s argument that it’s not the Board’s place to legislate the extent to which the SFUSD uses geography in school admissions. Honestly, this is the best show on TV.

--Melissa