I must correct the misstatements regarding JFK Promenade in your article.“Tech Millionaires Take on Politicians in a Fight to Fix San Francisco.” 2.8.2024 The City did not decide to “reopen” JFK Promenade to cars when the Pandemic subsided. Quite the Contrary. The Board of Supervisors voted 7-4 to make JFK Promenade a permanent car free space. The legislation was signed by Mayor London Breed in May 2022. I was there. (see attached photo of Mayor London Breed signing the legislation creating JFK Promenade 5.7.2022) The Supervisors, to cement this legislative victory, placed the issue on the November 2022 ballot. The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF), whose jewel the De Young Museum sits astride JFK Promenade, paid signature gatherers to place their own measure in opposition to JFK Promenade and The Great Walkway along the shoreline. The FAMSF spent nearly 1M on this effort. In November 2022 the voters approved the Supervisors measure, Proposition J, with a 63 percent YES vote. Simultaneously the voters turned down the FAMSF measure, Proposition I, with a resounding 65 percent NO vote.
Buried deep in the WSJ piece the reader can find the incorrect history of JFK Promenade
Car-Free JFK Drive supporters enjoy during the sunset while celebrating the Prop J victory and continuation of Car-free JFK Promenade in Golden Gate Park San Francisco Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022. | Camille Cohen/The Standard
TOP PHOTO: Mayor London Breed signs legislation creating JFK Promenade in Golden Gate Park 5.7.2022 – photo Lee Heidhues
The voters have spoken and they want an END to the Extremist Circus of LIES! – artwork by Liz Heidhues
The continuing abject silence being exhibited by GrowSF in saying not a word about its Sugar Daddy provocateur Garry Tan is appalling.
Instead as a way to deflect from the treachery of Garry Tan we have the GrowSF L’affaire Julie.
This is the same Garry Tan who two weeks ago wished death on Progressive San Francisco Supervisors.
Fuck Chan Peskin Preston Walton Melgar Ronen Safai Chan as a label and motherfucking crew – Die slow motherfuckers
How does GrowSF deal with the threats issued by Garry Tan, Board member and funder? It unleashes an over the top attack on Julie Pitta. Who, in a moment of frustration more than anything else, took down a campaign flier for a Supervisorial candidate GrowSF is supporting, Marjan Philhour. One week later the details of the L’affaire Julie incident, have been totally blown out of proportion. When comparing Julie’s lapse of judgment to the unbridled threats being put in the public forum by Garry Tan.
Following is the GrowSF take on L’affaire Julie. A diatribe full of innuendo and political buzz words designed to feed the Reactionary beast in San Francisco. Judge for yourself.
Progressive operative Julie Pitta was caught on camera stealing campaign materials for Marjan Philhour, who is running for Supervisor in the Richmond. Stealing and destroying political posters without permission is election interference and a misdemeanor crime. Now, the police are investigating. Pitta has been a vocal critic of Philhour and has volunteered for incumbent progressive Supervisor Connie Chan.
When faced with this evidence, Pitta took to social media to plead her case, claiming that she had permission from the coffee shop’s employees to remove the sign. Unfortunately for her, the owner of Royal Ground coffee shop stated unequivocally that Pitta was lying.
Julie Pitta showed us all what Connie Chan and her allies value: partisan interference in free & fair elections.
It was four years ago that Liz Heidhues, then 70, was handcuffed, thrown into an SFPD paddy wagon and hauled off to jail for the second time in less than two years.
The victim of a second reprehensible, brutal false Citizen’s Arrest. Two false Citizen’s arrests which had no probable cause or basis in fact.
Two false Citizen’s Arrests which were quickly tossed out of San Francisco Superior Court.
Nonetheless, the psychological damage was done and has been long lasting.
Today, on the fourth anniversary of this heinous abuse we went to the Legion of Honor to put ourselves in another place artistically, mentally and spiritually.
Lee and Liz look past the trauma and view Botticelli
Botticelli Drawings is the first exhibition ever dedicated to the drawings of Renaissance artist Sandro Botticelli
Sandro Botticelli – Judith with the Head of Holofernes.The account of the beheading of Holofernes by Judith is given in the deuterocanonicalBook of Judith, and is the subject of many paintings and sculptures from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. In the story, Judith, a beautiful widow, is able to enter the tent of Holofernes because of his desire for her. Holofernes was an Assyrian general who was about to destroy Judith’s home, the city of Bethulia. Overcome with drink, he passes out and is decapitated by Judith; his head is taken away in a basket (often depicted as being carried by an elderly female servant).
Liz captures the art of Bottecelli
A packed Legion of Honor views the Bottecelli exhibit
Sandro Bottecelli – DISCORD – The Late Drawings:Spiritual Anxiety, Political Unrest. Sounds like the current state of life in America
TOP PHOTO: Joan of Arc outside the Legion of Honor. Joan of Arc was born January 6, 1412 and burned at the stake May 30 1431 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_of_Arc
It was only a matter of time and the time came quickly.
It was just a week ago that the Feds finished their tree trimming renovation project in Sutro Heights Parkat the northwest corner of San Francisco by the Pacific Ocean.
The Feds touted the fact that the workers would be clearing an area so that visitors would have a more unimpeded view of the Pacific Ocean.
Unimpeded view of the Pacific Ocean courtesy of the National Park Service
3 VIEWSHED – Selectively prune and/or remove trees to restore or maintain historic views of Ocean Beach
THE WORKERS CERTAINLY DID JUST THAT…….
Ask one of the local residents what she thinks about the unimpeded view of the Pacific
Top photo: A felled tree which went went down during the recent rain and wind storm. The tree was directly in the path of the wind tunnel created by the National Park Service to give visitors to Sutro Heights Park a better view of the Pacific Ocean.
What’s a law and order crime stopper political animal gonna do when she realizes, but refuses to admit, her draconian lock ’em up policies are a total failure?
Close her eyes and pretend it’s all good while drug users are dropping dead in the streets of San Francisco.
Over 800 in San Francisco during 2023.
The San Francisco Chronicle editorial 2.4.2024
San Francisco suffered a record 806 “accidental” drug overdose deaths in 2023.
But the misery we see on San Francisco’s streets is anything but happenstance. It’s a policy choice.
A man holds the hand of his friend, who was revived with Narcan after overdosing on Willow Street in San Francisco on Aug. 31.Jessica Christian/The Chronicle 2023
The scourge of fentanyl has largely yet to land on European shores. Its arrival has the potential to collapse systems of care. But fentanyl’s presence in San Francisco is even more reason to stop arguing and get on the same page.
The only inevitable consequence of continued squabbling is more death.
San Francisco has had a comprehensive overdose prevention plan since 2022. Part of that plan is opening overdose prevention sites, which were thrown into legal limbo after Gov. Newsom vetoed a 2022 bill that would have given the city authorization to run such facilities.
The editorial board has highlighted the efficacy of Portugal’s approach to problematic drug use, decriminalizing possession with a focus on treatment. But it’s also worth mentioning Europe’s most deadly region for drug overdoses: Scotland.
After a record 1,339 overdose deaths in 2020, Scotland moved away from a focus on punitive measures for drug use and began pivoting toward Portugal’s approach. Overdose prevention centers opened in the deadliest cities. Conservatives pushed for a universal right to treatment.
Yet providing treatment on demand for substance abuse — an essential component of our plan — is fully within our power to achieve. San Francisco has not. Instead, evidence-based policy pursuits have become mired in debates over crime and punishment.
San Francisco is sinking into a political sinkhole of intolerance and name calling. Garry Tan has led the charge. Mayor Breed, her allies and groups like Grow SF are coming away unscathed.
In the uproar surrounding Garry Tan and his January 27, 2024 violent Tweet wishing violence on San Francisco’s Progressive supervisors there has been total silence from Mayor London Breed.
Mayor London Breed and members of her crew. DA Brooke Jenkins, Supervisor Matt Dorsey, Breed and Assistant DA Nancy Tung
A silence which has been copied by those in her political circle and San Franciscans who believe the unhinged behavior of Garry Tan is acceptable election year rhetoric.
It is not.
Garry Tan’s Tweet concluding with “Die slow Motherfuckers.” 1.27.2024
Garry Tan is on the Board of Directors of GrowSFand a financial contributor to this advocacy organization.
We have heard not a word from GrowSF which is leading the charge to further upend the political order in San Francisco. GrowSF is currently pushing hard to defeat Progressives in this years’ election cycle. https://growsf.org/
GrowSF is actively promoting Mayor Breed’s March 2024 ballot measure ‘E’. If passed by the voters it will give more power to the San Francisco Police Department and weaken Police Commission oversight of the cops.
This is a crew lacking any ethical moorings which accepted Garry Tan’s money and worked for the 2022 Recalls of three members of the San Francisco School Board and District Attorney Chesa Boudin.
They have just begun their destruction derby of the political order in a town which likes to think itself progressive.
Garry Tan’s violent tweet advocating violence clearly advocates. Get rid of the Progressives.That’s the opening salvoin his campaign to further upend the political landscape of San Francisco.
Elected and unelected officials are his target.
Money and political intimidation are the linchpins of his agenda.
The fallout from Garry Tan’s threat to Progressive electedofficials continues to percolateis just the start in this election year.
The San Francisco Standard ran dueling op eds. On one side is Christopher Cook who unsheathed his pen and continues to lacerate Garry Tan. The most interesting, and disturbing, part of his piece follows.
“RIGHTS? Sounds like you have had too much to think.” Garry Tan’s world
In a rather Orwellian video, Tan told the Network State conference in 2023, “We need our own parallel media, we need our own machine … We have a parallel media now, with Elon’s Twitter or X. Getting a parallel media was a key piece, and it wasn’t done through voting, it was done by building.”
Tan went on to say, “Voting is important, but it just replaces the elected officials … we need to replace the unelected parts as well.” He proposed a network of “parallel media and businesses” as “a possible recipe for reforming San Francisco and building the alternative tech political machine. And if it works in SF, it will work everywhere. And the cool part about it is, this is just getting started.”
When Garry Tan writes, “Voting is important, but….“
What Garry is really saying is that the voters can’t be trusted. He is advocating for a media and business community sympathetic to his vision of San Francisco.
A contact within the San Francisco Police Department, with no documentation provided, has alleged that Left leaning individuals may be responsible for the threatening letters being sent to Progressives on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors at their home addresses.
I learned of the SFPD allegation from someone who has solid connections with San Francisco media.
The SFPD Alice in Wonderland version of this dangerous affair strains credulity.
The Left sent these letters.As a way to further embarrass Garry Tan. He is on the hot seat for his Tweets threatening several Progressive supervisorswith violence.
The explanation for the ‘false flag’ SFPD allegation, aimed at the Left, is obvious to those familiar with the easily excitable Police Officers Association (POA). Deflect attention away from the firestorm consuming Garry Tan following his incendiary Tweets,by holding the Left accountable.
It fits right in with the POA playbook on handling its adversaries. Smear then destroyby any means necessary.
Politicians who are associated with Garry Tan in the current election cycle need to think seriously.Do they want to be associated with a wealthy, reprehensible, toxic reactionary rabble rouser?It is a Faustian bargain which will not serve them well.
This vile creature Garry Tan can make all the disavowals he wants.
The fact is he put in the public arena social media posts encouraging violence against Progressive elected officials.Garry Tan’s toxic politics have now come full circle. San Franciscans are being reminded that rhetoric like this can result in violence. The November 1978 assassinations at City Hall of Mayor George Moscone and gay icon Supervisor Harvey Milk come to mind for those who lived through the traumatic event.
Garry Tan – The Boy Who Cried Bail me out! – now he has moved from his financial misbehavior into the dark area of threatening elected Progressives in San Francisco. – artwork by Liz Heidhues
Excerpted from The San Francisco Chronicle 1.30.2024
Two San Francisco supervisors said they received disturbing mailers to their homes Tuesday afternoon wishing “a slow and painful death for you and your loved ones,” referencing the profanity-laced social media post by Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan that led to police reports and calls for heightened security.
Progressive Supervisors Aaron Peskin and Dean Preston both told the Chronicle they received the threatening piece of mail at their residences.
After attacking progressive supervisors on the board, Tan said in the post over the weekend, “Die slow motherfuckers. ”
Tan apologized for the remarks, which he appeared to delete from X, in a later tweet saying that “die slow” came from rapper Tupac Shakur’s iconic dis track “Hit ‘Em Up,” adding that it “wasn’t a good call.” He then issued a more thorough apology.
Peskin and Supervisor Connie Chan filed police reports in response to Tan’s post, saying they took it as a threat of violence even before the mailers arrived. After the mailers arrived Tuesday, Supervisors Myrna Melgar and Ahsha Safaí also indicated they would file reports with the police department as well about Tan’s post.
Peskin told the Chronicle the Police Department said they are “actively investigating” Tan’s post, but police were not immediately available to comment.
Top photo: Body of Supervisor Harvey Milk being carried from City Hall after he and Mayor George Moscone were assassinated by Supervisor Dan White. November 27, 1978.
Excerpted from The San Francisco Chronicle 1.28.2024
TheSan Francisco 49ers are going back to the Super Bowl to face the Kansas City Chiefs.
San Francisco 49ers’ running back Christian McCaffrey, 23, stiff arms Detroit Lions’ safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, 2, in the second quarter during the NFC Championship Game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024.Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle
This is not a sentence you would have expected to read after the first half of Sunday’s NFC Championship Game, as the Detroit Lions, fueled by a surging ground attack, built a 24-7 halftime lead. No matter, the 49ers mounted a furious comeback to win 34-31 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
San Francisco 49ers’ defensive end Nick Bosa, 97, gets the second of two sacks on Detroit Lions’ quarterback Jared Goff, 16, in the second quarter during the NFC Championship Game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024.Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle
Top Photo: Their wild rally was punctuated by some improbable plays, none more so than a 51-yardBrock Purdy bomb that Brandon Aiyuk reeled in after it caromed off the facemask of his defender in the third quarter. (Video above).
Detroit Lions’ defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, 97, blocks a San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback Brock Purdy, 13, pass in the first quarter during the NFC Championship Game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024.
A good friend well versed in San Francisco City Hall matters told me, when discussing DA Brooke Jenkins, “What do you expect she’s from Union City?”
The made for the tabloids incident resulted in DA Jenkins firing an employee for sending her an admittedly not politically correct email which reads, ‘What Color Panties You Have On’.
So, what?
If DA Brooke Jenkins had any sense of perspective she would have summoned the employee to her office. Closed the door and asked, “What the fuck were you thinking?” and sent him home for a couple of days to think about it.
Remember this is the same Brooke Jenkins who called herself a “Volunteer” while working for the Recall of her one time boss DA Chesa Boudin. Only to admit after the Recall she had been paid over 150K for her “Volunteer” political dirty work.
Starbucks in Union City, California
Now the non-story ‘What Color Panties You Have On’ has become an immediate drama in a town which thrives on scandal.There are reports that DA Brooke is engaged in a romantic liaison with the employee.More grist for the political gossip mill.
The San Francisco Standard reports that an assistant DA has told employees to delete any emails containing the offending language. A legally questionable action. Particularly when the now fired employee may sue for wrongful termination.
DA Jenkins poses with her Starbucks coffeewhile studying correspondence.
“The email chain posted online ends with a note from Chief Assistant District Attorney Ana Gonzalez that reads: “Dear all, we are aware that an inappropriate email was sent out. This matter is being handled by the administration. If you have opened the email please delete it, do not forward, copy or otherwise disseminate this email. Please be reminded city issued email is for business purposes only.” –excerpted from San Francisco Standard.
A firing offense – “What color panties you have on.”Dimitry Yakoushkin, who posted the screengrabs, said he obtained them from an anonymous source.
Lee's Perspective 