United we sit: An almost full house
at Tuesday’s annual Democratic Party “Unity Luncheon”
held at the Saint Francis Drake Hotel.
Photos by Luke Thomas
By Hope Johnson
April 23, 2009
Good news first.
Paid attendance at Tuesday’s San Francisco Democratic Party luncheon was twice last year’s count, more than the annual event has ever attracted. Positive results are due, in no small part, to a positive change in leadership at the Democratic County Central Committee (DCCC).
Chair Aaron Peskin pledged a more active, influential DCCC. Stay tuned here. Doubling contributors to this event is evidence he’s delivering. According to Peskin, over $50,000 was raised, half the annual budget. Those funds help register more voters and build a stronger party. Over 8000 new voters were registered by the party last year.
On to, off the wall news.
Apparent lack of unity at the infamously titled “Unity Luncheon” is now a favorite butt of online jokes. But, open your mind to party unity achieved by an afternoon of consistently practicing disunity. Unity through disunity. Very San Francisco.
“This is what happens in our party,” said Peskin. “And, in the end, we put aside our differences and unite the way we did this last November to win our country back.”
San Francisco’s own Democratic mayor officially kicked off the disunity, announcing everyone could just go on and count him out of any unity stuff. He’s not been around much lately, but I sort of remember him and I think his name is Waldo, or Gavin, or something.
The San Francisco Building Construction Trades Council (BTC) offered up party divisiveness via an event picket line outside the Sir Francis Drake Hotel, where the lunch was held. Confusion set in as attendees pondering whether to enter the hotel also found it tough going to get a unified answer on the exact issue at protest.
Thou protesteth too much:
Local 38′s Larry Mazzola Jr., pointing his finger 180 degrees in the wrong direction.
 
While a befuddled Supervisor Chris Daly stands strong amidst the commotion.
Wedge opportunist Supervisor Sean Elsbernd revels in his divisive handywork.
Quid pro quo Supervisor Bevan Dufty to Mazzola:
Don’t forget I’m running for mayor!
Picketers wanted to tap that party unity through disunity action, too. Picket signs called for the resignation of Peskin and Supervisor Chris Daly but individual protesters offered a wide range of reasons for that request. FCJ volunteered at the lunch and attendees questioned couldn’t agree on why the construction unions were so upset. The majority believed the protest was over the Board of Supervisor’s refusal to support Local 38′s (surprise!) Larry Mazzola, Jr. for the Golden Gate Bridge District board; while others heard the issue was Peskin’s support for the voter approved Historic Preservation Commisson, established in November.
Even Board of Supes President and luncheon keynote speaker David Chiu had trouble deciphering the exact union complaint. Chiu told FCJ he had a “good conversation” with the picketers. However, his response to FCJ inquiry as to the reason for the protest was, “I don’t know.”
My favorite entry in unity through disunity was submitted by the hotel. Lunch at the event was a lovely cobb salad, served with careful attention that no food items on the same plate touch each other. Each ingredient was placed in its own distinct little pile around the plate, no mixing, no unity! Artsy food disunity. Very San Francisco.
Political Wedgies
Seriously, though, the construction unions’ picket line was successful at physically separating Democratic party members on Tuesday. Stay alert that this power play doesn’t turn into a misplaced psychological belief that progressives are at war with unions in general.
There are six progressives supervisors who are fighting to save union jobs amidst an unprecedented $576 million budget crisis.
By all appearances, including a lack of a strong specific statement on the picketers part, Tuesday’s picket line was less a protest than an attempt to divide the unity shown to date by the six progressive supervisors, who hold a majority on the 11-member board.
It also sets the stage for more tacky smear campaigns. Future candidates with solid labor support credentials will undoubtedly be labeled anti-union by finger pointers with little other substantive evidence for their claims. Wait, we wouldn’t do that in San Francisco, would we? Okay, you’re right, maybe at some of the more conservative local newspapers.
Remember, when you point one finger at someone, three fingers will point back at you.
“Our political opponents are looking to drive a wedge between progressives and labor,” Daly explained to FCJ. “We need to acknowledge that.”
Supervisor Chris Daly
Stay tuned.
Fun Fact
Pirate Cat Radio discusses the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District Board appointment with FCJ here (under Kings of SF podcast for April 17, 2009).
The Hunger Site