Newsom, Supervisors Butt Heads
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom had some strong words for the Board of Supervisors this week, as the two sides came to a head over a pair of ballot proposals.
One measure has Mayor Newsom asking voters to ban sitting and lying on sidewalks. The other has several supervisors pushing for a November vote on mandatory police foot patrols, a measure the mayor opposes.
"They're out of their league. It's naïve legislation and it's very damaging legislation. It's pure politics," said Newsom.
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San Francisco Police Chief George Gascon is in agreement, calling the measure "laughable" and said he doesn't think voters should manage day-to-day police operations.
Newsom's objections go further because now there is an amendment that would block the mayor's sit-lie ban if the foot patrol measure gets more votes.
"That underscores the political nature of this," said Newsom. "The political grandstanding and the perversity of this effort. It has nothing to do with the merits and now it's pure politics."
In a similar fashion, Newsom has another proposal on the ballot to close loopholes in the hotel tax, which would cancel a hotel tax hike that's also before voters if his gets more support.
