Quick, think of San Francisco's out gay District 9 member of the Board of Supervisors David Campos', pictured, signature piece of LGBT legislation passed in his first four years in office. Yeah, I can't think of anything either.
When it comes to a piece of non-LGBT legislation he's pushed through the board's approval process, what readily comes to mind is the soon to launch free transit for economically disadvantaged youths on Muni, a program I strongly support.
But what exactly is the Campos record on creating affordable housing for low and moderate income gays or any gay matter of substance? Wish I can rattle off a long list from memory, but I'm hard-pressed to think of signature efforts or laws he's responsible for.
Campos wants to replace out gay Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, who is termed out from the state legislature in 2014, and just as he succeeded Ammiano on the board Campos wants to repeat that line of succession at the state level.
With so little to point to in terms of widely known signature gay accomplished in his first board term, Campos needs to quickly change that dynamic.
At today's board meeting, Campos will proposed the name of San Francisco International Airport to Harvey Milk International Airport. Ostensibly, this is about another in an endless series of branding opportunities for the legacy of Milk, a man who well deserves many of the memorializing already in place in San Francisco.
But the real objective of the Campos name change is an opportunity to brand himself with the Milk legacy and finally have a signature piece of gay-related legislation to his name. When Campos introduces his legislation today, it will be the opening bid in his campaign for assembly.
The widespread attention Campos is receiving today across the mainstream media, the blogosphere and among LGBT people across the country with money to donate to gay candidates, is accomplishing an important task for Campos - raising his profile.
Personally, I wish Campos were today proposing naming an affordable housing complex (ready-for-occupancy) for LGBT people, or something else of direct benefit to the daily needs of the city's LGBT community.
Never doubt the lengths an ambitious LGBT politician in San Francisco will go to in order to wrap themselves in Milk's legacy, as they work toward moving up the political ladder.
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