Dan Walters: Gavin Newsom's ploy roils San Francisco politics

Sacramento Bee ^ | 11/16/10 | Dan Walters

[SmithL]

Nature abhors a vacuum and that tenet applies to politics as well as physics, which explains a phenomenon in communities dominated by one political party, such as Democrats in San Francisco or Republicans in Placer County.

Since there are no interparty battles waged in such communities, those in the dominant party fracture along minute shadings of ideological difference, thus filling the vacuum.

What's happening in San Francisco, where all politicians are liberals of one stripe or another, illustrates the syndrome.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom will soon become California's lieutenant governor, but how soon is the issue of an intensifying factional fight.

The state constitution (Article II, Section 20 for those who want to read it themselves) says that the terms of constitutional officers such as lieutenant governor begin on the first Monday in January following their election. That's Jan. 3, 2011, and every other statewide official elected this month plans to be inaugurated that day, including Gov.-elect Jerry Brown.

Newsom, however, appears inclined to delay his swearing-in for about a week, because four new San Francisco supervisors won't take office until Jan. 8 and they are ever-so-slightly less liberal, at least to anyone outside the city, than the supervisors they are replacing.

Thus, the reconstituted board would be more likely to appoint an interim mayor who's more compatible with Newsom, considered to be a moderate by San Francisco standards, . . .

[SmithL]

Only in San Francisco could Gavin "Any Twosome" Newsom be considered a moderate.

[tlb]

The far left in San Francisco opposed Newsom’s candidacy, calling him a stooge of big business. It wasn’t until he pulled the stunt with gay marriage that the far left made an uneasy peace with him.

By San Francisco standards he actually is business friendly. Maybe he figured out a company will only pay taxes if it’s making a profit.

[Gen. Burkhalter]

Lt Gov elect Newsom is clearly pivoting to the center (by CA standards that is) as he is now eyeing a US Senate seat when either Boxer or Feinstein decide to retire or to succeed Gov-elect Moonbeam.