{"id":2559,"date":"2011-01-06T11:46:52","date_gmt":"2011-01-06T19:46:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/?p=2559"},"modified":"2011-01-06T15:53:07","modified_gmt":"2011-01-06T23:53:07","slug":"swan-song-on-the-eve-of-mayoral-transition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/2559\/swan-song-on-the-eve-of-mayoral-transition\/","title":{"rendered":"Swan Song on the Eve of Mayoral Transition"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

Julian Davis. Photo by Grace Kao.<\/p><\/div>\n

By Julian Davis<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

January 6, 2011<\/p>\n

Even as Supervisor Daly intoned how much things had improved since progressives opened the doors of City Hall ten years ago, the institutional actors they had come to challenge had the last laugh Tuesday evening with characters old and new playing their roles to perfection at the final regularly scheduled meeting of the termed out Board of Supervisors. The mayoral succession drama lasted well into the night breaking finally after 10pm with a continuance until a special meeting on Friday.<\/p>\n

Somehow, to the surprise of many baffled on-lookers, City Administrator Ed Lee is now poised to be San Francisco\u2019s next mayor. How and why did this transpire? What are the consequences for San Francisco politics?<\/p>\n

\"\"

City Administrator Ed Lee<\/p><\/div>\n

Perhaps the most profound aspect of the outcome of the board\u2019s mayoral succession vote is that, despite all the talk and intentions about an open and transparent process, back room dealing is still the primary modus operandi at City Hall in San Francisco. This couldn\u2019t have been more apparent than when Supervisor Bevan Dufty announced his support for Sherriff Michael Hennessy but abstained from voting for a few rounds to see how the votes were landing and then promptly absconded to the Mayor\u2019s office.<\/p>\n

Dufty, a declared mayoral candidate actually said \u201cI may not be the smartest Supervisor\u2026\u201d before requesting to recess the meeting while he literally walked into the backroom for 20 minutes and emerged converted to the cause of Ed Lee. If Supervisor John Avalos had not requested a second recess after the board reconvened, Ed Lee might be Mayor already. During the second recess, Avalos and Supervisor David Campos negotiated a continuance until Friday.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Supervisor Bevan Dufty<\/p><\/div>\n

While Dufty can pretend that his brain is no more powerful than that of Forest Gump, it is this kind of political wheeling and dealing that makes most common people sick to their stomach and uninterested in actively participating in the political process. Earlier in the evening, while the four outgoing Supervisors said their goodbyes and received a combination of sincere and half-hearted honors from their colleagues, Bevan Dufty admitted what everybody already knows, that he has been a constant swing vote. But with the way the voting process had been laid out and in the fast moving political eddies of the successor mayor tidal pool there simply wasn\u2019t enough time to \u201chold out\u201d effectively, so Dufty was forced to unceremoniously flip-flop instead.<\/p>\n

So who was in the backroom Tuesday night? There were a number of power brokers who were not literally in room 200 during the fateful vote but who were in the proverbial \u201cbackroom.\u201d To start with, it\u2019s pretty clear that the Newsom regime has no intention of losing its grip on local power.<\/p>\n

The Board meeting ensued in the public shadow of Newsom\u2019s delay of his swearing in as Lieutenant Governor. In a stunning act of political irresponsibility and blatant admission of the irrelevancy of his new office, Newsom has decided to let Republican Abel Maldonado remain Lieutenant Governor for the time being while he broodingly remains in the Mayor\u2019s office, hatching schemes about who can be found to replace him despite an ostensible progressive majority on the Board of Supervisors.<\/p>\n

Dufty\u2019s delay was in fact a well-orchestrated mechanism to flush out who among the potential successor mayors had progressive support so that any objectionable results could be nipped in the bud before they came to fruition. Unfortunately, most of the progressives took the bait by putting the bulk of their support behind Sherriff Michael Hennessy<\/a>. Mayor Newsom tagged Sherriff Hennessy as an acceptable interim caretaker pick along with Ed Lee and PUC general manager Ed Harrington.<\/p>\n

By nomination time, Sheriff Hennessy was the flavor of the month because he has solid relationships with progressives and the progressive Supervisors felt that by selecting someone on Newsom\u2019s in list they could disarm the effect of Newsom\u2019s unseemly delay and give him a good reason to skip town.<\/p>\n

The issue is that by accommodating Newsom\u2019s conditions ,the progressives let the hard-core Newsom accommodationists control the dialogue and shape the ultimate outcome. Ed Lee seemingly also fits the bill of someone on Newsom\u2019s in-list with progressive contacts. By accepting this paradigm it became impossible to marshal any resistance to the treachery of Bevan Dufty that delivered Ed Lee\u2019s votes. So the progressives were left pleading for a chance to talk to Ed Lee, conservative Supervisor Sean Elsbernd\u2019s nominee whom they have not yet vetted, before he presumably gets confirmed on Friday. Sheriff Hennessy would make a fine mayor, but sadly he was used by the Newsom Camp to lure progressives into a dire trap.<\/p>\n

In the final analysis however, Bevan Dufty would not be able to work his sinister machinations without the ultimate enabler and progressive turncoat Supervisor David Chiu\u2019s complicity. A man of extraordinary ambition, David Chiu\u2019s unpopularity must stem from his haughty assumption that he is entitled to be Mayor or D.A. after just two years as Board President, a post he almost accidentally achieved when the internal ire of progressive Supervisors Chris Daly and Ross Mirkarimi<\/a> reached unbridgeable heights in 2008.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Board President David Chiu and Supervisor Bevan Dufty.<\/p><\/div>\n

Instead of patiently serving the constituency that elected him, David Chiu is now vying for his political future by making a Faustian pact with the Newsom administration. How far the Harvard-trained attorney is willing to descend is not yet clear, but he has already gone far enough for most progressives. By the end of the week Chiu could be D.A. and Joe Alioto, his foe in 2008, could be District 3 Supervisor, undoubtedly tipping the political scales of the Board of Supervisors decidedly to the right.<\/p>\n

David Chiu\u2019s evolving deal with Newsom is now getting teased out of the shadows. Installing Ed Lee as Mayor is the first piece. David Chiu has been angling for Mayor and D.A. for months. As his chances for the interim appointment faded, he turned his attention to a run for Mayor in the fall<\/a> or a D.A. appointment now. If Ed Lee is selected on Friday, do not be surprised if he endorses David Chiu for Mayor in the fall. Chiu would run with a glut of campaign cash from Rose Pak and Willie Brown (the other players bunkered in the proverbial backroom).<\/p>\n

Or, Mr. Chiu can give up his Mayoral ambition for now and angle for D.A., the full Faustian bargain that may prove once and for all that the man has no shame. From the tea leaves, it is clear that Ed Lee will preserve the status quo in the Mayor\u2019s office and likely retain Newsom Chief of Staff Steve Kawa, the scourge of progressive policy makers. For the deal, David Chiu\u2019s future political career is bank-rolled by the Brown-Pak cash machine ,and potentially attached to the coattails of Lieutenant Governor-elect Newsom.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Newsom Chief of Staff Steve Kawa, a holdover from the Willie Brown administration.<\/p><\/div>\n

Sadly, it was the influence of Rose Pak that prevented David Chiu from joining his progressive colleagues in supporting former Mayor Art Agnos for interim caretaker Mayor. Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi is decidedly vindicated by his steadfast support for Agnos whom the other progressives at varying degrees failed to realize was their best shot at challenging the paradigm Newsom had established for his successor.<\/p>\n

When Agnos was Mayor he made the wise planning decision not to rebuild the Embarcadero freeway<\/a> thus opening up the Ferry Building and the eastern waterfront to Market Street, South Beach and Downtown. The area is now a gem of San Francisco\u2019s attractive atmosphere and aesthetic charm. But the decision was not one that sat well with Rose Pak and the merchants of Chinatown who wished to see the vehicular artery rebuilt to maintain a direct freeway connection to their shops and institutions. Though Chinatown\u2019s business did not ultimately suffer, the episode unleashed an ugly vendetta that was a major factor in Agnos\u2019 failed re-election attempt and has not withered with the passage of two decades.<\/p>\n

Art Agnos was San Francisco\u2019s last progressive Mayor. He led the city through the crisis of the Loma Prieta earthquake. His compassion for the homeless was another major factor that cost him his re-election and he was succeeded by a series of elitists (Jordon, Brown, and Newsom) who regularly put the interest of the rich and well-healed above those of the poor and of everyday people. That he was unable to garner enough support from the progressives to pressure Chiu into going along with his colleagues on the board is more a testament to the fractious nature of the progressive bloc than his foreshortened tenure as Mayor.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Former Mayor Art Agnos.<\/p><\/div>\n

Inexplicably, progressive stalwart John Avalos voted no on Art Agnos on multiple rounds of voting after representing to people that Agnos would have his support. The reasons for this are still unclear. Once Hennessy did not have 6 votes, Avalos was free to vote for Agnos on the same round but failed to do so. Others, like Supervisors David Campos and Eric Mar, were more astute.<\/p>\n

Ultimately though Agnos could not get 6 votes without the support of David Chiu. So, instead of backing Agnos, Avalos and Campos decided to back Hennessy and were unfortunately left requesting face time with Sean Elsbernd\u2019s nominee Ed Lee before David Chiu orchestrates his ascension on Friday. They would have been denied even this minor courtesy but for the mercy of Supervisor Maxwell who joined the progressive bloc and graciously stayed the execution for a few days. Were it not for this last minute continuance that passed 6-5, Ed Lee would have been approved without being vetted by the progressives on the board at all. They will now presumably have a chance to court Lee despite his utter lack of need for their support.<\/p>\n

This is how a small slice of the \u201cprogressive” Asian-American community lined up in coalition with the Newsom regime and the board\u2019s conservatives to hand the keys of the city over to our personable City Administrator who, despite some progressive history, has absolutely no accountability to the broader progressive movement at this time and can be counted on to preserve the status quo in Room 200 for the next year.<\/p>\n

David Chiu\u2019s failed bid to quash the continuance until Friday is what has progressives acknowledging his hypocrisy and betrayal. Why would a man who had preached prudence, patience, restraint and fidelity to the law for the last month suddenly turn around and try to ram an unvetted nominee through the selection process at the 11th hour unless he had made an unsavory deal with the other side?<\/p>\n

In fact, little is remembered or known about Ed Lee among many progressives outside of the Asian-American community. This is largely because his potential nomination was kept under the radar so effectively that progressives did not have a chance to vet Lee before declaring on Tuesday that they would probably support him if they had a chance to talk to him first.<\/p>\n

In fact some of the most blatant ethical violations of the Brown era occurred in Ed Lee\u2019s DPW where he allowed the unbridled electioneering and corrupt political practices of his No. 2, Willie Brown prot\u00e9g\u00e9 Mohammed Nuru, to persist without regulation. Nuru was infamous for misappropriating city funds and for simply ignoring rules for the proper use of public resources. Nuru\u2019s “clean up” crews ran rough shod over the homeless but were popular with merchants and homeowners who could be counted on to rally to his defense. Nuru was Ed Lee\u2019s top aide but many believed that in fact Nuru held the real power in DPW because of his unchecked abuses.<\/p>\n

Apparently, this history was enough to convince Supervisor Eric Mar to hold off on Lee on the first round of voting despite his long relationship with him born of progressive Asian-American political circles. Ultimately though, sensing a shift to Lee in the wake of Dufty\u2019s chicanery, Mar followed David Chiu into the abyss. But this should not be a fait accompli. In a world in which Faustian bargains reach the light of day in enough time for the demos to react it should be possible for David Chiu to resurrect himself and reverse the potential disaster that awaits if he signs the final contract on Friday.<\/p>\n

\"\"

The smell of sulfur made Daly's eyes water.<\/p><\/div>\n

Supervisor Mar is unlikely to reverse his support for Lee if Chiu does not. As conservative Carmen Chu has already pledged her support for Ed Lee, Mar would then be the only Chinese-American on the board to oppose the rise of the first Chinese-American Mayor of San Francisco \u2013 not a likely scenario. So, David Chiu is critical.<\/p>\n

But the consequences are too dire and the outcomes too foreboding for the board\u2019s progressives to accept the fate of Ed Lee\u2019s mayoralty without an effort before Friday to reverse the tide. There is a reason that long time progressive stalwart Chris Daly became apoplectic at the end of Tuesday\u2019s board meeting and stormed off stage in frustration only to return to the audience section of the board chamber for the final act.<\/p>\n

\"\"

An apoplectic Supervisor Chris Daly.<\/p><\/div>\n

After accusing David Chiu of the biggest fumble in the history of progressive politics<\/a>, Daly\u2019s voice could be heard interrupting the cheerful comments of conservative Supervisor Alioto-Pier who seemed delighted at the prospect of the City\u2019s chief bureaucrat getting the appointment over the objections of her long-time nemesis. As Daly hollered \u201cyou represent the rich,\u201d Sherriff Hennessy, hardly the Sheriff of Nottingham, looked on ignoring Alioto-Pier\u2019s anxious attempts to silence Daly with the threat of arrest.<\/p>\n

Robin Hood must leave the board after 10 years representing District 6, but he won\u2019t be leaving San Francisco. And while we can all acknowledge that his protestations may at times employ means both ineffective and self-destructive, there can be no questioning the righteous content of his convictions.<\/p>\n

The appointment of Ed Lee without a doubt preserves the status quo grip of the City\u2019s power elites on the office of San Francisco Mayor. At this time, in 2011, the progressives should be realizing our dream of capturing the Mayor\u2019s office after 7 years of King John under the gilded dome. We are far from that goal and have already compromised tremendously after it was clear that we would be unable to appoint anyone with ambition to remain in office. However, there is a limit to how much we can compromise. The nominee of the conservatives should not be allowed to get the interim mayor appointment.<\/p>\n

Rather than acquiesce, Supervisors John Avalos, David Campos, and Ross Mirkarimi ought to have a sincere intervention with David Chiu \u2013 one that is more sophisticated than the chest pounding and haunting of Mr. Daly and yet obviously stronger than the mere requests for courtesy that ensued before the clock was paused on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n

The Supervisors should seriously consider pressuring Chiu into making an about face and rejoining his brethren before he jumps off the deep end. There is still time for David Chiu to save his soul, and if he were to step away from the brink, many of us would be willing to forgive his improprieties.<\/p>\n

Agnos is still the best pick for progressives because he is not the choice of the power-elite, he has not been stamped and approved by the Newsom regime and he has proven over many years that he cares about we care about, shares our sense of justice and equity, and has the experience to lead us through the wreckage of the financial earthquake we are now experiencing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While Dufty can pretend that his brain is no more powerful than that of Forest Gump, it is this kind of political wheeling and dealing that makes most common people sick to their stomach and uninterested in actively participating in the political process. Earlier in the evening while the four outgoing Supervisors said their goodbyes and received a combination of sincere and half-hearted honors from their colleagues, Bevan Dufty admitted what everybody already knows, that he has been a constant swing vote. But with the way the voting process had been laid out and in the fast moving political eddies of the successor mayor tidal pool there simply wasn\u2019t enough time to \u201chold out\u201d effectively so Dufty was forced to unceremoniously flip-flop instead.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1994,"featured_media":2560,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2559","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\nSwan Song on the Eve of Mayoral Transition - Fog City Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/2559\/swan-song-on-the-eve-of-mayoral-transition\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Swan Song on the Eve of Mayoral Transition - Fog City Journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"While Dufty can pretend that his brain is no more powerful than that of Forest Gump, it is this kind of political wheeling and dealing that makes most common people sick to their stomach and uninterested in actively participating in the political process. Earlier in the evening while the four outgoing Supervisors said their goodbyes and received a combination of sincere and half-hearted honors from their colleagues, Bevan Dufty admitted what everybody already knows, that he has been a constant swing vote. But with the way the voting process had been laid out and in the fast moving political eddies of the successor mayor tidal pool there simply wasn\u2019t enough time to \u201chold out\u201d effectively so Dufty was forced to unceremoniously flip-flop instead.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/2559\/swan-song-on-the-eve-of-mayoral-transition\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Fog City Journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/fogcityjournal\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-01-06T19:46:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2011-01-06T23:53:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/plugins\/2011\/01\/julian_davis.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"450\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Julian Davis\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@fogcityjournal\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@fogcityjournal\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Julian Davis\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"13 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/2559\/swan-song-on-the-eve-of-mayoral-transition\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/2559\/swan-song-on-the-eve-of-mayoral-transition\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Julian Davis\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/#\/schema\/person\/a2e7d4b0cd1546f9ef0e64b34065714d\"},\"headline\":\"Swan Song on the Eve of Mayoral Transition\",\"datePublished\":\"2011-01-06T19:46:52+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2011-01-06T23:53:07+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/2559\/swan-song-on-the-eve-of-mayoral-transition\/\"},\"wordCount\":2707,\"commentCount\":13,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/2559\/swan-song-on-the-eve-of-mayoral-transition\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/plugins\/2011\/01\/julian_davis.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Opinion\",\"Politics\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/2559\/swan-song-on-the-eve-of-mayoral-transition\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/2559\/swan-song-on-the-eve-of-mayoral-transition\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/2559\/swan-song-on-the-eve-of-mayoral-transition\/\",\"name\":\"Swan Song on the Eve of Mayoral Transition - Fog City Journal\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/2559\/swan-song-on-the-eve-of-mayoral-transition\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/2559\/swan-song-on-the-eve-of-mayoral-transition\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/plugins\/2011\/01\/julian_davis.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2011-01-06T19:46:52+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2011-01-06T23:53:07+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/2559\/swan-song-on-the-eve-of-mayoral-transition\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/2559\/swan-song-on-the-eve-of-mayoral-transition\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/2559\/swan-song-on-the-eve-of-mayoral-transition\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/plugins\/2011\/01\/julian_davis.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/plugins\/2011\/01\/julian_davis.jpg\",\"width\":\"300\",\"height\":\"450\",\"caption\":\"Julian Davis. 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Earlier in the evening while the four outgoing Supervisors said their goodbyes and received a combination of sincere and half-hearted honors from their colleagues, Bevan Dufty admitted what everybody already knows, that he has been a constant swing vote. But with the way the voting process had been laid out and in the fast moving political eddies of the successor mayor tidal pool there simply wasn\u2019t enough time to \u201chold out\u201d effectively so Dufty was forced to unceremoniously flip-flop instead.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/2559\/swan-song-on-the-eve-of-mayoral-transition\/","og_site_name":"Fog City Journal","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/fogcityjournal\/","article_published_time":"2011-01-06T19:46:52+00:00","article_modified_time":"2011-01-06T23:53:07+00:00","og_image":[{"width":300,"height":450,"url":"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/plugins\/2011\/01\/julian_davis.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Julian Davis","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@fogcityjournal","twitter_site":"@fogcityjournal","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Julian Davis","Est. reading time":"13 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/2559\/swan-song-on-the-eve-of-mayoral-transition\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/2559\/swan-song-on-the-eve-of-mayoral-transition\/"},"author":{"name":"Julian Davis","@id":"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/#\/schema\/person\/a2e7d4b0cd1546f9ef0e64b34065714d"},"headline":"Swan Song on the Eve of Mayoral Transition","datePublished":"2011-01-06T19:46:52+00:00","dateModified":"2011-01-06T23:53:07+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/2559\/swan-song-on-the-eve-of-mayoral-transition\/"},"wordCount":2707,"commentCount":13,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/2559\/swan-song-on-the-eve-of-mayoral-transition\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/plugins\/2011\/01\/julian_davis.jpg","articleSection":["Opinion","Politics"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/2559\/swan-song-on-the-eve-of-mayoral-transition\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/2559\/swan-song-on-the-eve-of-mayoral-transition\/","url":"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/2559\/swan-song-on-the-eve-of-mayoral-transition\/","name":"Swan Song on the Eve of Mayoral Transition - Fog City Journal","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/2559\/swan-song-on-the-eve-of-mayoral-transition\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/2559\/swan-song-on-the-eve-of-mayoral-transition\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/plugins\/2011\/01\/julian_davis.jpg","datePublished":"2011-01-06T19:46:52+00:00","dateModified":"2011-01-06T23:53:07+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/2559\/swan-song-on-the-eve-of-mayoral-transition\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/2559\/swan-song-on-the-eve-of-mayoral-transition\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/2559\/swan-song-on-the-eve-of-mayoral-transition\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/plugins\/2011\/01\/julian_davis.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.fogcityjournal.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/plugins\/2011\/01\/julian_davis.jpg","width":"300","height":"450","caption":"Julian Davis. 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