Opinion by Eric Jaye | Special to The Examiner : sfexaminer – excerpt (includes audio track)
Why is the moderate political coalition in San Francisco suddenly organizing against more effective city government? The answer shows just how toxic our politics has become.
In the last week, you might have received an email or seen press reports about Supervisor Connie Chan “holding up” $27 million in funds for police overtime. As chair of the Budget Committee, this is within her power to review and consider a supplemental budget request from the mayor.
Her choice to exercise that right brought howls of outrage from the broad ecosystem of political organizations, blogs and online press outlets supporting the mayor and the moderate coalition.
In the past, the moderates in San Francisco embraced oversight and accountability — and in the past there was a general consensus that political gamesmanship needed to end where public safety began.
But as demonstrated by this most recent political battle, those old rules are changing.
A quick review of data from the U.S. Department of Justice shows a long term and dramatic drop in recorded arrests per San Francisco officer (the efficiency, if you will, of each sworn officer) and highlights the need for thoughtful oversight and stronger leadership…(more