You might also try the Richmond Review....3932 Geary Street, 831-0463.
Here's a little report on the SFSOS Richmond District meeting of the
candidates for District 1 Supervisor Monday PM. First of all, the SFSOS
organization is a front for the Democratic Party and Gavin Newsom.
Bruce, the SFSOS organizer, refused to include me in the discussion even
though I told him I was a candidate two week prior. Bruce told me the
meeting was going to focus on education when we spoke so I brought a
number of articles that outlined how Public School Teachers were
overpaid, that "Free" education has lowered literacy, the private
schools were serving the poorest people in Africa and India better than
the public schools, and a quote from John Stuart Mill (1859) stating
that Public Schools were nothing more than propaganda machines. One of
the first speakers was Rabbi Shimon Margolin, from the Russian Speaking
Jewish Community, spoke about the school system. He compared the SFUSD
to communist Russia in the 1970s and 1980s. "This social engineering
that goes on with the schools reminds me of the worst of the country I
came from," said Margolin. "It's just like Russia under the communist
regime."
He said the Diversity Index is the problem because it prioritizes
abstract values over the values of the parents so I also gave him an
article about how the Pope says that with education, there is nothing
more important than the involvement of parents. The article also
questions why the Public Schools are so afraid of the influence of
parents. The Rabbi was most appreciative.
I left before the Supervisor candidates started to speak as I wanted to
be home in time to tuck the little children into bed. After all, there
are priorities.
Here's a summary of the meeting from the SFSOS email
The candidates were polite and brief. Leanna Dawydiak and Lillian Sing
made campaign promises to locate their main offices, if elected, in the
Richmond District. David Heller said something needs to be done about
the traffic problems, crime and graffiti, both along Geary and
throughout the district. Matt Tuchow said we need to prioritize positive
results over political squabbles. "We need action, not talk," he said.
Jake McGoldrick, known for his long-winded speeches, admitted he had
trouble staying under the three minute time period that speakers were
given, the same amount that folks get during public comment at city
hall.
Meeting Results
We asked attendees to give us feedback on the most important issues and
which candidates they like. It's an imperfect poll (e.g. some candidates
brought extended family to sway the results), but here's what they told
us:
Candidates:
30% support Matt Tuchow
30% support Leanna Dawdiak
21% support Lillian Sing
10% support David Heller
9% support Jake McGoldrick
Issues: Of those who responded:
88% favor parents having more control in sending their children to
neighborhood schools
72% support Mayor Gavin Newsom
48% would like more housing in District 1
We asked people if they preferred trimming expenses or raising revenues
to preserve city services. Of those who responded:
Cut Expenses 59%
Raise Revenues 31%
Both 10%
We asked them to rank some of the issues:
#1: Affordable Housing
#2: Parental Choice in Schools
#3: Traffic and Pedestrian Safety
#4: Clean Streets and Parks
#5: Gang Violence
Mike