Lee Heidhues 11.13.2022 (Updated with final Election results 11.17.2022)

The Victory numbers continue to grow for Proposition J. With all the votes nearly counted the Safe Parks for All ballot measure now has 180,220 votes. 63.03% of the electorate.

It’s a Blowout. NO matter how you slice it.

Equally stunning, if not more impressive, is the total trashing administered to the DeDe Wilsey De Young Museum Proposition I. 190,145 voters (65.1%) have rejected this climate killing measure which would have seen cars return to JFK Promenade and The Great Walkway.

The People won a landslide victory on November 8, 2022 when San Francisco voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition J – Safe Streets for All which made permanently car free a 1.5 mile stretch of land in Golden Gate Park.

It will be known forever as JFK Promenade.

JFK Promenade is a place for people of all ages and abilities to walk, run, eat, meet friends and cycle.

The featured photo above shows a wheelchair user enjoying the sunny afternoon on the now permanently car free JFK Promenade.

To accommodate the citizens who have difficulty accessing JFK Promenade The City of San Francisco has taken a number of actions to allay these concerns. The 800 space parking garage has been available for years and with the passage of Proposition N control of the garage has been handed to the City. More equitable parking rates are sure to follow.

There is a Free Shuttle service which runs regular routes on JFK Promenade.

In an area adjacent to JFK Promenade a number of parking spots for disabled motorists have been installed near The historic Japanese Tea Garden. There are also pickup and drop off spots for Paratransit vehicles.

To celebrate this historic and joyous victory by The People a party was held on JFK Promenade inside and outside the Beer Garden.

It was a well attended party and bodes well for what will become a destination for visitors throughout the World.

Lee Heidhues 11.12.2022

EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY – SHOPPING FOR CLOTHES EDITION

Here’s the job for which our ethically challenged DA is genuinely suited to perform.

DA Brooke Jenkins acting as Personal Shopper for her Mentor, San Francisco Mayor London Breed.

For some musical accompaniment readers can listen to the classic song by The Coasters. “Shopping for Clothes.”

Thanks to The San Francisco Chronicle for this marvelous photo.

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=shopping+for+clothes+the+coasters

Lee Heidhues 11.11.2022

Brittney Griner, the American basketball star, has been transferred to a Russian penal colony to serve what could be a nine year prison sentence.

Her arrest, sham trial and imprisonment by Vladimir Putin is a human rights outrage. The worldwide media has paid some, but not enough, attention to this crime against humanity.

At this point it is painfully obvious that Putin is not going to release this American woman. Brittney Griner never should have been arrested, jailed, tried in a kangaroo Russian Court and sent to Prison.

The world must continue speaking out and demand her release.

Excerpted from New York Times 11.9.2022

Wherever Brittney Griner was on Wednesday, one thing was clear: The American basketball star imprisoned by Russia was not heading back home, despite a concerted U.S. campaign to win her freedom.

Ms. Griner was instead being transferred from a jail outside Moscow and thrust into Russia’s vast and opaque penal colony system, lawyers said.

Beyond that, little was known.

Asked whether foreigners are treated any differently, a senior official with Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service said some years ago that they were not. The only difference is that they have a right to visits from consular officials from their home country, the official, Sergey Esipov, was quoted as telling the RIA Novosti news agency.

“There are no special conditions,” he said. “All foreigners serve their sentences on the grounds and in the manner prescribed by Russian law.”

Ms. Griner’s legal team said in a statement that her intended destination was unknown and that it expected to be officially notified, along with the U.S. Embassy, once she had arrived. The process can take up to two weeks.

American officials have repeatedly denounced the treatment of Ms. Griner, and they did so again on Wednesday.

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, in a statement, called Ms. Griner’s transfer to a penal colony “another injustice layered on her ongoing unjust and wrongful detention.” And President Biden directed his administration to “prevail on her Russian captors to improve her treatment and the conditions she may be forced to endure in a penal colony,” the White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, said in her own statement.

Ms. Jean-Pierre said the United States was “unwavering in its commitment to its work on behalf of Brittney and other Americans detained in Russia,” including Paul Whelan, a former Marine who in 2020 was sentenced to 16 years in a high-security Russian prison on espionage charges.

Penal colonies are notorious for abusive treatment of inmates, overcrowding and harsh conditions. Political prisoners like Aleksei A. Navalny and members of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot have previously been sent to them to serve sentences.

At any given time, there are usually around 350 foreigners from what the Russians call “far abroad,” meaning countries that were not part of the Soviet Union, serving sentences in penal colonies, prison officials have said. Usually, about a third are jailed on drug charges, they said.

Lee Heidhues 11.9.2022

It was less than 24 hours after Proposition J prevailed by a landslide 60 percent victory to permanently preserve JFK Promenade.

A large hardy band of campaign veterans assembled on a chilly late afternoon on JFK Promenade near the roller skating area to hug, congratulate each other and celebrate.

The local media was present chronicling the happy event for posterity.

The celebrants had plenty of company as the community traveled back and forth on foot, bicycles, strollers, walkers and plenty of canine companionship.

This historic vote now puts Golden Gate Park in particular and San Francisco in general as an international City that knows how to do it.

Lee Heidhues 11.9.2022

It is a smashing hard fought historic victory.

The amazing 60-40 landslide of Proposition J and the demolition of the Dede Wilsey Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco’s insidious so called ‘Access for All Alliance’ is a historic event.

Tens of thousands of San Franciscans stayed the course since the creation of car free JFK Promenade and The Great Walkway. Undaunted by the whining and complaining of the motorists.

The Entitled motorists and their camp followers waged a vicious, expensive and dishonest campaign to destroy less than three miles of car free spaces.

Personally,  Liz and I have been criticized and lectured on Nextdoor, The Chronicle Conversation page and The Richmond Review. Neighbors and friends took us to task for not drinking the kool aid that motorists and their camp followers have an unlimited right to drive anywhere, anytime.

The voters have spoken emphatically. They no longer have this right of entitlement on JFK Promenade and The Great Walkway.

Following are several photos from the 14 events Liz and I have participated in to preserve JFK Promenade and The Great Walkway since March 2021.

Lee Heidhues 11.7.2022

The vote which will decide the fate of JFK Promenade in Golden Gate Park and The Great Walkway along the Pacific Ocean is tomorrow.

San Francisco needs to make a statement that it cares about the environment and wants to provide two car free recreation spaces for all its citizens.

Dede Wilsey and the wealthy connected patrons who run the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco are sparing no expense to destroy the two car free venues.

All in the name of greed and profit. Doyenne Dede Wilsey, Dow Chemical scion and lavish supporter of Donald Trump, cut the 200K check paying mercenaries to qualify Proposition I for the ballot.

As judgment day approaches Dede Wilsey just chipped in another $10,000. Which for her is virtually nothing. But to those who are watching her callous political effort it means a lot.

The FAMSF have argued that the car free JFK Promenade has stifled attendance at The De Young Museum. This argument is a total fiction. Last Saturday Liz Heidhues and I visit the De Young and had lunch in the cafeteria. The Museum was packed.

Since launching its campaign just five months ago Dede Wilsey and the FAMSF have received officially $762,105.01. Of course some of these so called ‘contributions’ have been Dede’s own money funneled into the campaign as Contributions.

San Francisco voters cannot allow themselves to be swayed by this tsunami of corporate money and greed.

Top photo – Diane ‘Dede’ Wilsey

Lee Heidhues 11.5.2022

Tuesday is election day in San Francisco and with two days to go a hardy band of supporters to preserve The Great Walkway along Ocean Beach and JFK Promenade in Golden Gate Park gathered for the final push.

The Sunday crowd was joined by District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar, whose district is near the Pacific Ocean and The Great Walkway. The Supervisor pointedly reminded her listeners that a defeat of Proposition I is essential to preserve the shoreline and protect the Westside Wastewater Treatment facility.

Lee Heidhues 11.5.2022

Election day is only three days away and on a rainy Saturday the supporters gathered one last time to preserve JFK Promenade.

The People in San Francisco who are working to preserve less than three miles of space as a car free oasis in Golden Gate Park and along the Pacific Ocean at The Great Walkway have waged a 2 1/2 year struggle.

Now the battle is reaching its judgment day as the voters of San Francisco will decide. Those who want these areas where people can mingle and not fear the automobile have to fight back against an entrenched community of motorists. In addition the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco has poured its vast resources to destroy JFK Promenade and The Great Walkway.

After the JFK Promenade event Liz and I went into the De Young to check out the action and despite the false cries of Museum management that car free areas negatively impact attendance we found large throngs of visitors.

The crowds were attending the various exhibits and the Museum Cafe was totally packed with lunchtime diners. Including Liz and me.

Lee Heidhues 11.5.2022

Lost in the reporting about interim DA Brooke Jenkins  illegal handling of criminal files is the specific case being prosecuted.

Troy McAlister is the parolee who ran down and killed two women on New Year’s eve 2021. This incident became a linchpin for the Recall of District Attorney Chesa Boudin.  For the next 18 months this crime was a main cudgel swung to politically lynch the Progressive DA on June 7, 2022.

Brooke Jenkins had no involvement in this prosecution when she worked for Chesa Boudin. Yet, after handing in her resignation in October 2021 and before exiting her job, she transmitted crucial files to Don duBain at his personal email. He, too, resigned from Chesa Boudin’s staff and went to work on the Recall.

The reason Jenkins and duBain took the McAlister case files as they walked out the door is painfully obvious. They planned to use these protected criminal case files to destroy Chesa Boudin.

Brooke Jenkins and Don duBain did just exactly that.

Following is a statement released by the San Francisco Public Defender on November 4, 2022.

SAN FRANCISCO – This week, Mission Local reported that days before Brooke Jenkins and Don du Bain were slated to leave the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office in October 2021, Jenkins improperly sent records to du Bain’s personal email which pertain to Troy McAlister, including his rap sheet. Jenkins and duBain never worked on Mr. McAlister’s pending case, but referenced information contained in those materials as the two campaigned for the recall of their former boss, Chesa Boudin. Today, Deputy Public Defender Scott Grant, who represents Mr. McAlister, issued the following statement:

“As Troy McAlister’s attorney, I am extremely disturbed that Brooke Jenkins improperly disclosed confidential information pertaining to Mr. McAlister, including his rap sheet, which is subject to stringent confidentiality requirements in our criminal system. Neither Ms. Jenkins nor Mr. du Bain ever appeared on the Troy McAlister case, were assigned to the case, or were supervisors of the prosecutor on the case. I have no reason to think that Ms. Jenkins and Mr. du Bain had any legitimate basis to access the records, not to mention disseminate those records outside of confidential channels.

Our criminal legal system gives law enforcement and prosecutors exceptional powers, including access to incredibly sensitive information. Our system justifies this power by requiring that the information will only be used for legitimate prosecutorial reasons, not personal or political reasons. When prosecutors use information for personal or political reasons, it destroys all trust that the prosecutor can carry out their public duties in an unbiased and ethical manner.

Mr. McAlister has already been used as a political pawn, and this revelation just makes clearer that his case has become about politics.

We are exploring all of the options available to address the violation of Mr. McAlister’s rights, including the possibility of filing a motion for the court to disqualify the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office from the prosecution.”

Statement from Troy McAlister’s Public Defender on the DA Sharing of Confidential Case Files

Attached is one of the original reports about the Incident.

https://www.sfchronicle.com/crime/article/SF-driver-accused-of-killing-two-women-is-15840271.php

Top photo – San Francisco police investigate the scene of a fatal hit-and-run on Second Street just north of Mission Street on Thursday. Parolee Troy Ramon McAlister, 45, has been accused of killing two pedestrians. 1.1.2021

 

 

Lee Heidhues 11.2.2022

Predictably, the Apologists for the interim 153K “Volunteer” DA are in full throttle dismissing as so much sour grapes her incompetence, lack of ethics and, now, illegal actions.

London Breed is going to reap a political whirlwind for appointing this unqualified Political Hack who she thought would cover her own wrongdoing.

Both London Breed and Brooke Jenkins deserve to be tossed from office. NOW!!!

By the Way. Joe Eskenazi is the Mission Local reporter who broke this story. The same reporter who broke the story on the illegal residency of Leanna Louie in D4 (a close  associate of Brooke in the political lynching of Chesa Boudin). Within days Louie’s candidacy was halted by an Order of the San Francisco Superior Court. That was a marker for the troubled interim DA.

Leanna Louie’s illegal behavior, brought to light by Joe Eskenazi, is a Marker for the interim DA. She’s skating on thin legal ice.

Even her benefactor and protector, the equally compromised London Breed, will not be able to save Brooke Jenkins.

 

Excerpted from Mission Local 11.2.2022

In a potential violation of state law, then-Assistant District Attorney Brooke Jenkins last year sent sensitive files from the DA’s office to a fellow district attorney’s personal email account — and subsequently used the materials in the political campaign to oust DA Chesa Boudin.

Multiple calls, texts, and emails to Jenkins and her office made over the course of just shy of 24 hours have not been returned. 

Mission Local shared the details of the situation — but not the names of the individuals involved — with San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe. He was unambiguous in his assessment. 

“In our office,” he said, “this would be a firing offense.” He added: “It is a misdemeanor offense to share a rap sheet for any purpose other than doing the prosecution.” 

Former Los Angeles DA Gil Garcetti concurred. “You should not be sending police reports or rap sheets to anyone who does not have a direct interest in the particular case,” he said. “If you cannot articulate a reason to get a rap sheet, you should not have it.” 

The email, since obtained by Mission Local, was sent from Jenkins’ work account  to fellow Assistant District Attorney Don Du Bain on Oct. 9, 2021 — after both Jenkins and Du Bain had given notice and an interoffice email was circulated announcing their pending goodbye party. Both left the office on Oct. 16 of last year according to Department of Human Resources records.

The subject line of Jenkins’ email was “Troy McAllister Police reports.” It contained three police reports regarding the serial offender who, while driving intoxicated on Dec. 31, 2020, struck and killed two pedestrians. All three police reports were unredacted and — significantly — one contained a lengthy, unredacted rap sheet for McAllister dating back to 1993.