Petrelis Files

Forums to Pick New Boss:
S.F.P.D. 3 v. EQCA Zero

This is a very telling commentary on one thing that is very right about the San Francisco Police Department and also what is terribly askew at Equality California.

Because of recent political musical chairs at City Hall and the District Attorney's office, the city needs to hire a new chief of police, since George Gascon stepped down as chief and accepted an appointment to serve as the DA.

To better deliver community- and citywide- buy-in when a new top cop is chosen by Mayor Ed Lee, the police commission is holding three fully-open town hall meetings across the city to get as much public input as possible. Two of the meetings have already taken place, but the third and final meeting is coming up in a few days.

This Thursday, from 6 pm to 8 pm, the commission meets at the gay community center on Market and Octavia Streets, and all topics will be addressed not just issues of import to our community and a new head of the department. If you can't make the February 24 meeting, there is also the chance to address the commission at any of their regular hearings about what you want from a new chief.

Compare this municipally-mandated and ethically-required public engagement to hire a new police boss with the elitist, closed-door approach of Equality California to choose a new executive director and official representative for all of the state's gays.

As I blogged here and here and here, the self-appointed leaders of EQCA and the straight head-hunting firm they're hire to find the new director for us, have and will not be holding any such town hall forums.

At the end of February, the score for the San Francisco police department's number of town halls solely about a new chief stands at three, and the score for Equality California holding comparable forum is zero.

Should the out-of-touch and democracy-challenged board, staff and private consultants at EQCA need a model to emulate to pull themselves out of their tight-knit, closed circle of pals and bring in some fresh ideas and new voices, then can look to the local police commission.