Editor:
While I neither voted for nor supported the three individuals up for recall, and while I strongly disagree with many of their positions — such as spending a million dollars to paint over a WPA socially critical historical fresco painted by an Ashkenazic immigrant — they do not deserve recall. This is a misguided effort.
Reasons to vote against the recall:
• Commissioners have not done anything that was in violation of the law;
• Efforts could have been better channeled toward recruiting candidates in line with those supporting the recall;
• Recall is funded by the likes of David Sachs:
“In college, Sacks was the co-author — with Peter Thiel — of the 1995 book” The Diversity Myth: ‘Multiculturalism’ and the Politics of Intolerance at Stanford,” published by the Independent Institute. The book is critical of political correctness in higher education and argues that more intellectual diversity is needed on college campuses. In 2016, Sacks apologized for parts of the book where he called date rape “belated regret”. — Wikipedia;
• There is every likelihood that London Breed will appoint one or more charter school supporters. Unless you too support charter schools, this alone is a reason not to vote for the recall;
• We need real political reform and new ideas. Allowing a conservative mayor to make these appointments is a recipe for more of the same. Ironically, Moliga was appointed by Breed and then elected;
• Supervisors often are elected supervisors. If you love London Breed and Sean Elsbernd’s policies, and the way this city has been “governed” since Willie Brown, you will want to vote for this recall. Candidates appointed in an anti-democratic fashion will likely become candidates for other offices in the future;
• The entire process has been a waste of time and energy that could have been better channeled in, say, working to reduce the extensive corruption patronage, “nonprofit” influence (e.g., the interests of wealthy people). Hopefully, Collins will be able to run again because her views deserve discussion, challenge and explanation. The very fact that this woman was widely endorsed — given the subsequent her fatuous lawsuit, the disclosure building code violations, the job as tower developer with hubby’s firm — is an excellent example of a process that requires radical reform, and;
• This also sets a bad precedent. Elected officials should not be recalled simply because you disagree with their votes. And we do not want to give a conservative mayor’s office (and the office has always been elitist) control over our Board of Education. We already see the results of too much control!
Reject the recall of these three!
Harry Pariser
Categories: letter to the editor
Your comments are appreciated, but I will vote to recall because these 3 are incompetent. I am a retired teacher of 43 years, 10 years for SFUSD. The final straw was the school renaming fiasco that would have cost millions and made SF a national laughing stock (again). Frankly most of city government should be “recalled,” to be honest., starting with Tumlin and Ginsburg.
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These three San Francisco School Board members were going to rename Abraham Lincoln High School and Washington High School for “just cause” in violation of the Brown Act.
Constitutional Law Professor Laurence Tribe of Harvard Law School successfully sued in state court these same three School Board members under provisions of the Brown Act to prevent the “Commissioners [who] have not done anything that was in violation of the law” from actually renaming these schools.
What did you do to prevent these three miscreants from accomplishing this sinister act of historical injustice? Please be brief.
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The three did violate the law, The Brown Act. The court required the BoE to stop their actions as a result.
“Brown Act is California’s ‘sunshine’ law for local government. … In a nutshell, it requires local government business to be conducted at open and public meetings, except in certain limited situations. The Brown Act is based upon state policy that the people must be informed so they can keep control over their government.”
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