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Treasurer Expands SF Govt Records Access for the Public

Let's applaud Jose Cisneros, San Francisco's treasurer and an out gay politician, for moving quickly to expand sunshine at his office. His site lacked an addy for where to send public records requests, and I want to obtain his monthly work calendars, so I tweeted my request to Cisneros.

Asked him to add a sunshine addy to his taxpayer-funded web site and it was done fast. One small step in our constant push for easier and expanded access to our govt records created with our public dollars. Thanks, Jose!

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UN's Iran Report's One LGBT Human Rights Citation

The Special Rapporteur of the United Nations for Human Rights in Iran is Ahmed Shaheed and his just-released report has received much mainstream media attention none of which mentioned the resounding omission of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons and human rights violations they suffer.

There is a single citation contained here, http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/70/411, and bears scrutiny. Of 291 recommendations, twelve were about LGBT categories for 2.9 percentage of the total recommendations. The number of recommendations accepted by Iran zero in absolute and percent figures.

In 26-pages, the atrocities of Iran's execution machine with 694 reported hangings from January 1 through September 15, and horrendous human rights record across the board and particularly violations against women and girls, are documented and deserve all the attention the receive from the special rapporteur.

However, it's my view that a full-page could and should have been included about the abysmal state of LGBT citizens in Iran and violations of human rights protections. Sadly, the UN has missed a valuable opportunity to include our human rights concerns among others inside Iran in this worthwhile report. 

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Mirkarimi's Plan After Losing His Election?

In recent days, beleaguered and controversial sheriff of San Francisco, Ross Mirkarimi, opened a small storefront office on 24th and Capp Streets in the Mission.

I stopped there today, chatted with the manager Tom Taylor, seen in the video in a Reelect Ross tee shirt, and the devil himself came strolling up.

Mirkarimi had an Associated Press wire photographer with him and another man who wouldn't give me his name or shake my hand, along with his wife Eliana Lopez.

Here's the video of our exchange shot around 12:30 pm on Wednesday, Oct 28th:

SF Elections Certifies Me as Eligible Write-In Candidate

More than the required number of signatures from registered voters were turned in to the San Francisco Department of Elections by yours truly last week. Their site has updated the list of all eligible write-in mayoral candidates and I'm on it. Remember to connect the arrow on your ballot after writing-in my name in the appropriate slot. Here are pics snapped by my friend and longtime community documentarian Bill Wilson, of my visit to the Elections office.

 My nomination papers are inspected for all the legally required info from candidates.

Shaking hands with Walter after my papers were accepted and stamped as filed.

Another worker gives me a handshake.

2-Bdrm Mission Apt Rent Lowered 26% for Open House

Remember my post of October 15th, all about the managing agent for where Mike and I live informing us that the owner originally wanted $4500 for the two-bedroom unit above us and since lowered her asking price down to $3950? I have an update.

Mike searched Craigslist for our address and found an ad from the listing agent hired by the management company, stating the apartment was now priced at $3295, and that there's an open house to show the unit to prospective renters.

We're curious why it's listed as a one-bedroom when all units comfortably contain two bedrooms, when the living room is used as a bedroom still leaving the den/TV room as shared space.

Is there any lesson to be drawn from this one unit in the San Francisco Mission, about how a landlord wanted $4500 only to drop the asking price down by 26% to $3290? Not sure there's a larger point to be made about the state of affordable rental housing here.

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D.A. Gascon is Still Violating the SF Sunshine Law

I've lost track of how many complaints I brought to the Sunshine Ordinance Task Force and appearances before them regarding District Attorney George Gascon's longstanding refusal to keep a simple daily work calendar as required by that pesky problem known as the law. Here is what San Francisco's statute lays out regarding the DA and calendars:

SEC. 67.29-5.  CALENDARS OF CERTAIN OFFICIALS.

"(a)   The Mayor, City Attorney, Treasurer, Assessor-Recorder, District Attorney, Public Defender, Sheriff, every member of the Board of Supervisors, and every Department Head shall keep or cause to be kept a daily calendar wherein is recorded the time and place of each meeting or event attended by that official, either in person or by teleconference or other electronic means, with the exclusion of purely personal or social events at which no City business is discussed and that do not take place at City Offices or at the offices or residences of people who do substantial business with or are otherwise substantially financially affected by actions of the City. For meetings not otherwise publicly recorded, the calendar shall include a general statement of issues discussed. Such calendars shall be public records and shall be available to any requester three business days subsequent to the calendar entry date."

By no stretch of the imagination has Emperor Gascon met the spirit or letter of this law. My latest request for his calendars for August and September, produced responsive records showing a willful and continuing pattern of ignoring his legal duties as an elected official.

Let's go over a few of his daily calendars in the comments.

A typical day for Gascon includes putting his mug before cameras and media folks. On September 9th, his only duty on behalf of taxpayers was to run his mouth with Univision. I guess for the rest of the day he was plotting his reelection campaign strategy. As with too many San Francisco elected offices, the DA is up before the voters this year and faces not a single serious or alternative challenger.

One of Gascon's favorite entries, over his tenure as DA, is this: "ALL DAY. DA to conduct meetings in office." Why bother with deets like who was at the meetings, what was discussed and length of their running time? That would mean adhering to the full meaning of the sunshine law.

At the last two SOTF meetings where my complaint was heard, DA spokesman Alex Bastian, who is always woefully unprepared with written documents and deets, again said their office had been in contact with the City Attorney about this matter and changes in how the DA keeps his calendar had been implemented.

No, Bastian said, the alleged changes had not been memorialized in a memo or email between the DA and CA but we just has to believe him that Gascon is acting legally. The SOTF members, as in the past, weren't buying the b.s. Bastian was repeating from previous hearings.

This is my favorite work day for Gascon. Not even an "all-day office meetings" entry. His entire business hour work day is blank. However, ever the ambitious political animal with a hungry eye on running for California attorney general and needing to keep his face and name before voters, he appeared at a neighborhood association meeting.

Press interviews and news conferences and appearances before voters and speaking engagements around town and the nation, all are the most listed events on Gascon's alleged work calendar. 

So much for a DA delivering the goods to taxpayers with genuine sunshine principles the order of the day. 

Post-op Slimming & Write-in 4 SF Mayor: Video Report

This past Tuesday, Oct. 20th, marked six-weeks since I had my stomach bypass surgery, and I've shot a video about some of the changes for me. Might give you a few insights how I've safely shed 45-pounds, feel energetic, wearing smaller sized clothes and running as a write-in candidate for mayor of San Francisco. Check this out:

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Sup. Christensen's $100K Slush Fund: How Money was Spent

In less than 12-hours, the City Controller's office responded to my public records request for the district office allocations, slush fund in my view, of each member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

Every supervisor annually receives $100,000 in taxpayer fund to sprinkle around on small projects. These figures are for FY 14/15.

Do you approve of where your supervisor spent her or his money? Regardless of where you reside, your thoughts about any of the supervisors' allocations?

Let's follow the money. Click to enlarge:

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Mayor's Vatican Junket = SFPD's $11,380 Protection Costs

My public records request to the San Francisco police department last week, for names of personnel who traveled out of town, and the reason why, from January 2013 through the end of September.

Responsive records show a total of $325,508 was spent over all for taxpayer money reimbursed to police personnel, but what stood out were the blank columns for names of officers who provided protection for Mayor Ed Lee when jetting off around state, country and globe-trotting.

Total costs of protecting the mayor came to $67,925.

There are thrity-seven listings for mayoral trips and the most expense tab for us was $11,380 to give Ed Lee security during his junket to Vatican City in July to meet with Catholic leaders about climate change.

You can read the document where the figures came from here.

How to Write-In Petrelis 4 Mayor Campaign Video

This week, I took the final steps necessary to become a qualified write-in candidate for mayor of San Francisco. Enough valid signatures on my nominating papers were submitted to and verified by the Department of Elections. I had to swear fidelity to the national and state constitutions and to faithfully carry out my duties, if elected mayor.

Whether you're a mail-in voter or someone who casts a ballot at a polling station on Election Day, using a pen or market, you need to write my name on the write-in line for first choice in the mayoral race section of your ballot.

IMPORTANT INFO: You need to connect the arrow pointing to my name that you've written in. The image below gives you a visual reminder of how to properly cast your vote for me.

Check out my video and I hope to receive your vote for mayor of San Francisco this election season.