Petrelis Files

BAR Fires Political Gossip Columnist

In a message dated 8/26/2005 2:48:42 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time, M Petrelis writes:

Former aide to Supervisor Chris Daly and current Bay Area Reporter political gossip columnist Bill Barnes has been spilling buckets of positive ink lately for Treasurer Jose Cisneros and his race to keep his office.

Just this week, Barnes wrote that, as a member of the Democratic County Central Committee, he voted to endorse Cisneros.

But what he hasn't written about is his $100 donation to Cisneros in May.

I think reporters, editors and columnists should all participate in civic life, and that includes making donations to politicians, even ones they write about.

However, what I don't support is failure to continually disclose such contributions, especially in print, so readers know of the journalist's biases.

That lack of disclosure seems part of the BAR's ethical guidelines.

When founding publisher Bob Ross was alive and ex-police commissioner Wayne Friday served as the political editor and gossip writer, both hid their donations from readers.

One only knew about their political contributions by checking campaign disclosure web sites.

In order to help persuade the BAR to show some ethical backbone and transparency, I've searched the city and state campaign finance disclosure sites to learn how much, when and to whom Barnes has made donations, which follow.

The BAR has a journalistic responsibility to print this information, just so readers know who Barnes supports with money.
^^^

Bill Barnes' local donations:

Cisneros For Treasurer
$100
05/31/2005

Bustos For Supervisor
$100
10/05/2004

Committee To Elect Michael O'connor
$100
08/15/2004

Bill Barnes For District 5
$250
06/30/2004

Susan Leal For Mayor
$250
02/26/2003

Radulovich For Supervisor
$200
09/30/2002

Matt Gonzalez For Supervisor District 5
$100
10/05/2000

Committee To Re-Elect Terence Hallinan District Attorney
$75
12/13/1999


Bill Barnes' state donations:

BARNES, BILL FOR DISTRICT 5, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117
SAN FRANCISCO DEMOCRATIC COUNTY CENTRAL COMMITTEE, ID#742051
$565.78
4/28/2005

BARNES III WILLIAM, NONE, NOT EMPLOYED, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117-3216
ALICE B. TOKLAS LESBIAN/GAY DEMOCRATIC CLUB PAC, ID#842018
$100.00
10/7/2004

BARNES WILLIAM H. III, CITY & COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO, LEGISLATIVE ASSISTANT, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117
DEMOCRATIC STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF CALIFORNIA, ID#741666
$130.00
3/25/2003

BARNES WILLIAM III, CITY & COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO, LEGISLATIVE AIDE, BOARD OF SUP, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117-3216
SAN FRANCISCO DEMOCRATIC COUNTY CENTRAL COMMITTEE, ID#742051
$100.00
5/24/2002

BARNES III WILLIAM MR., SUPERVISOR CHRIS DALY, LEGISLATIVE AIDE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117-3216
BRITT FOR ASSEMBLY, HARRY, ID#1236000
State Assembly 13
$100.00
1/13/2002
- - -

San Francisco Sentinel

August 29, 2005


Right now I’m out on the playa at Burning Man, but last week I promised to write a column and I want to keep my word. Here goes.


Late Friday afternoon before I left town, Publisher Tom Horn and Editor Cynthia Laird informed me I would no longer be the political columnist. Although Tom, Cynthia and I had earlier discussed my service on the Democratic County Central Committee and decided it wouldn’t pose a conflict, after I cast endorsement votes, Tom said it does create a conflict. Although this view differs from our original agreement, I respect that the publisher has reached a new conclusion. My understanding is that the paper will devote more of its political space to focus on marriage equality.


Twice in my short time in San Francisco, I’ve been asked to fill some pretty big shoes in the LGBT community. When Mayor Willie Brown named me to succeed Dick Pabich as the City’s AIDS policy adviser, and when Tom Horn and Cynthia Laird asked to write a column in the space that had contained Wayne Friday’s words, I was honored. The LGBT community is stronger when we recognize those who have gone before us, building upon their efforts and adding our own voices. I want to thank everyone in the BAR family, especially the reporters who track down stories and the unsung heroes who
design and distribute the paper. I also want to thank the BAR and all the readers who’ve given a young gay black man the opportunity to share some of my thoughts about politics. I know I see the world through a different set of eyes because of my life, and I hope people find some value in that.


One Final Correction


Last week, two letter writers personally attacked me because of observations I made about Assemblyman Mark Leno. The prior week, a letter from board members of Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club took issue with some comments, but didn’t level personal criticism. One signer told me that the Assemblyman requested folks send the letters. Other folks have reported receiving calls from the Assemblyman related to me and some items in the column.


According to Tom Horn, none of these calls or personal attacks was the basis for ending the column. I would be remiss, however, if I did not correct inaccurate statements made about me just last week. Although some publications let a writer respond to letters to the editor the same time they appear, the first time I saw the text of these letters was in print last week, so this is my first chance to respond.


One letter came from Nanette Lee Miller, (she was the treasurer for the PG&E backed campaign to kill public power, 2001’s No on I). She took issue with my comments about the Plumbers’ Hall evictions, but I’ve already addressed that so I’m not going to revisit it. Ms. Miller also states that I personally attacked Tom Ammiano by describing the problems his bond measure was facing and “without naming names, Mr. Barnes claims there is mounting opposition to Ammiano’s measure,” implying that I was simply making it up.


To name names, opponents include Supervisor Sean Elsbernd (who wrote the official opponent argument), State Senator Carole Migden (who voted no at the Central Committee), the Coalition for San Francisco Neighborhoods and the San Francisco Taxpayers’ Union, a group of real estate interests and
fiscal watchdogs. It’s hard to get two-thirds without opposition -- a well funded No campaign usually kills a bond. That’s a political fact of life, not an attack on Supervisor Ammiano or his generally good works.


Then, Julius Turman wrote that the origins of my report about a political contribution Assemblyman Mark Leno received, and has now returned, from Badlands owner Les Natali “are similarly suspect,” and continues on to say that I had “previously campaigned for Mark Leno’s opponents in both the
Board of Supervisors and Assembly races.” That’s just untrue.


In 1998, when citywide elections were in place, I supported Supervisor Leno’s first election. In 2000, even when I was managing Chris Daly’s campaign, I backed Leno in District 8 for re-election. For what it’s worth, Leno and I endorsed the same candidate to succeed him in 2002 -- BART Director Tom Radulovich. It is true that in March 2002, I supported Harry Britt over Leno, and I’ve got no regrets. Harry Britt ran in 1987 for Congress, in a race that Dick Pabich managed. He was brave enough to fill Harvey Milk’s shoes after Harvey was assassinated and I’m sure if he won, Harry Britt would be doing a great job in Sacramento. That doesn’t mean I haven’t also supported Leno, which I have in the General Election in 2002 and both elections in 2004. I’ve supported Harry Britt in one of one election and
endorsed Mark Leno in five of six elections.


I’ve known Mark Leno since before he was appointed to the Board of Supervisors. He was one of the first people I met when I moved to San Francisco in 1997, when I was 19 and he was an older person I looked up to.


For a time, he was a close personal friend and that meant a lot. In 1999 he appointed me to the San Francisco Youth Commission. I still believe that he might be a decent person. During the last few weeks however, I’ve felt the unbridled power of a powerful state legislator calling on people in our town to attack me because I wrote things he didn’t want in the paper, namely public contribution information from the Secretary of State’s website.


People associated with the Assemblyman have attacked me in print and are privately saying that I crossed the Badlands picket line (simply untrue). I’m sure there are those among the political elite who will believe my departure comes as the result of some of the Assemblyman’s phone calls. Despite all of the other San Franciscans he’s called, the Assemblyman’s never picked up the phone to take issue with me about any of the facts about him in the column. To me, that speaks volumes.


I’m wrapping up this run with my head held high, and I’m still young and trusting enough to believe that the reasons for my departure are completely unrelated to these efforts by a powerful politician. I just hope we get to a day in the LGBT community where all of us spend our energies building the community we envision rather than grasping for that elusive 16th minute of personal fame.