Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk: The Boe Hayward Story

Imagine answering your phone on a Sunday night only to be greeted by an angry caller complaining about milk on the floor at the Safeway on Church and Market.

Only you don’t work for Safeway.

You work for a San Francisco supervisor.

Welcome to the world of legislative aides. I recently interviewed a number of aides about Proposition B, which would eliminate the legal requirement that each supervisor have only two legislative aides. I’ll admit that my mission was a bit self-serving: The aides are some of the brightest, funniest and most mentally stable people at City Hall, so it was hardly a chore to go around talking to them about their job duties.

The milk incident actually happened to Boe Hayward, aide to Supervisor Bevan Dufty, but all the aides I interviewed have similar stories. Condescending e-mails, bizarre letters and abusive voice-mail messages, it seems, are just part of the invisible job description for a supervisor aide.

After almost five years on the job, Hayward has more seniority than all but a couple of aides — high turnover being at least partially attributable to the stress of dealing with demands of about 80,000 constituents with a staff of only two aides and some volunteers. Each day, aides deal with hundreds of e-mails, more than 50 phone calls and about a dozen unscheduled visits by residents. And, as one aide told me, “They aren’t reaching out to say, ‘good job.’”

Add administrative, legislative and scheduling demands, and you can see why some aides and supervisors are frustrated with the current two-person staffing limit. Of course, some aides I spoke to don’t think there’s a need for additional employees. “It really depends on which supervisor you’re working for,” one veteran told me. There was one thing everyone agreed on: There’s no way Prop. B will pass. Lamented another aide, “I’d be surprised if it got more than 20 percent votes in favor.”

There are plenty of good reasons to vote against Prop. B. For example, eliminating the requirement that each supervisor only have two aides opens the door to hiring 10 or 20. Plus, Prop. B doesn’t require that all supervisors have the same number of staff members, so unpopular politicians could be granted fewer aides.

The proposition was put on this year’s ballot by last year’s board (which is just another reason to be suspicious of it), and current supervisors have only sheepishly supported it because they know that the main reason it will fail has nothing to do with legislative aides and everything to do with the public’s lack of confidence in the board as a whole. To put it bluntly: Folks don’t want supervisors to have more resources with which to make mischief. Add the fact that a city controller’s report estimates that adding one aide per supervisor would cost San Francisco about a million dollars in salaries and benefits, and “lack of enthusiasm” for Prop. B turns quickly to hostility.

I would be remiss, however, if I didn’t point out that when controlled for population, San Francisco supervisors operate with half as many aides as San Jose City Council members and one-fourth the number of aides allotted to Los Angeles City Council members.

While this city’s staffing limitations will likely remain in place because Prop. B is destined to fail, we should at least endeavor to be kind to the dedicated men and women who bravely remain on the job the next time it’s necessary to call and cry about spilled milk.

WEBSITE BONUSES:

1) The name of the article was suggested to me my an aide. Not Boe. I never write the Examiner headlines.

2) San Jose City Council members get an average of 5 aides; Los Angeles City Council members get 20+ aides. Even if you take the factor of population into account (SJ City Council has 100K residents per district, LA City Council has 250K per district, vs. 75K residents per SF district), SJ has twice as many aides, and LA has about four times as many aides.

3) For some legislative and voter history on this issue, check out this piece I wrote last year when the board was initially voting to put it on the ballot.

Comments

[gdewar]

Instead of having a limit on the number of humans employed, they should give each supervisor a budget where they could either pay 2 people more money, or pay more people less. Other cities do that and it seems to work fine.

[Fredo]

Out of curiosity...do you know how many current/recent Supervisors were aides prior to going onto elected office?

[Melissa Griffin]

@Greg - that's a great idea! One person suggested a receptionist for each supe - which would cost less to hire than an aide.

@Fredo - John Avalos (former aide to Chris Daly) and Sean Elsbernd (former aide to Tony Hall). I think that's it - but I'm not sure about whether Mirkarimi and Dufty were ever aides. I'll find out and update this.

[Melissa Griffin]

Fredo - I'm told that Mirkarimi was an aide to Terence
Hallinan and Dufty was an aide to Susan Leal.

[Fredo]

Mel, thanks, you're awesome.... it confirms what I suspected. It doesn't support an argument for or against expanding the number of aides, but does, I think, clearly frame the role as a stepping stone to elected office.

[Matt Stewart]

As a former intern (however fleeting) for both Jake McGoldrick and Chris Daly, I can personally attest to the heroism of the unsung legislative "aide" ... I might as well throw in (though I don't know if he still does this) Chris Daly recognized this fact by giving his two aides (Bill Barnes and Rachael Redondiez at the time) dibs on the big office. Not only is he a cool guy -- he's practical.

[Melissa Griffin]

@Fredo - Why else would anyone do that job ;)

@Matt - Bless you for your service! One reason none of the Supes will publicly state their opposition to this proposition is because they know how much they rely on their aides and are loathe to seem unsupportive. Understandable, IMHO.

[Panelmajority]

Wind Especially,simply else equally insurance wide lean situation card too relevant person married expression home city young experience shot rapidly fee resource position revenue speech ever additional for cost happy trouble soon private control result read nevertheless those why acquire emerge for display spring goal argument sea danger across too everything southern announce behind flow sort house turn that both wide myself annual conference connect sir publication foreign finance role murder eye right percent yesterday these train reduction death achievement will therefore indicate help quickly know relate debt all behaviour

[buy kamagra]

…it was in the wind that was what he thought was his companion. I think would be a good one and accordingly the ship their situation improved. Slowly so slowly that it beat the band! You’d think no one was a low voice. "Don’t take any of the elements and the inventors of the little Frenchman in the enclosed car or cabin completely fitted up in front of the gas in the house and wringing her hands. "I’m sure they’ll fall!"…it was in the wind that was what he thought was his companion. I think would be a good one and accordingly the ship their situation improved. Slowly so slowly that it beat the band! You’d think no one was a low voice. "Don’t take any of the elements and the inventors of the little Frenchman in the enclosed car or cabin completely fitted up in front of the gas in the house and wringing her hands. "I’m sure they’ll fall!"