Exactly two years ago, SEIU-USWW, the service workers union that represents janitors, security guards and others, organized a demonstration outside the Oakland Police Officers Association building, on Fifth Street, and demanded the immediate defunding of the Oakland Police Department. It was the heyday of the post George-Floyd anti-police movement. The union’s vice president, Sanjay Garla, called “on the city of Oakland to defund its police department,” Channel 4 News reported.

I’m not sure where Carroll Fife thinks she’s going to find the money to build her “social housing,” but I have a sneaky feeling it’s going to come from you and me.

Our Recording Secretary, Jack Saunders, has reported extensively on this topic on our Facebook page, and he’s done a great job. But I wanted to add my perspective now that I’ve had a few days to think about it.

An op-ed piece in yesterday’s San Francisco Chronicle highlights an important point that tends to be obscured by all the political chatter these days. “…[T]here’s little coordination of policy in San Francisco. By contrast, in cities that had had success fighting drug addiction, the courts, the police, defense attorneys, politicians and business leaders got on the same page.”

We didn’t do well in Tuesday’s election. In fact, we got our asses kicked. Of the five endorsements we issued, three of our candidates went down to defeat: Anne Marie Shubert for Attorney-General, Jimmie Wilson for Alameda County District Attorney, and Gregory Ahern for Alameda County Sheriff. Meanwhile, we urged a “No” Vote on Proposition C, which won by a huge majority. As for Governor, we—the Board—split, with two votes for Michael Shellenberger, and one (me) for Gavin Newsom. Newsom won walking away.