Are Tasers in Our Future? Jed Lane looks at the Police Commission – p.2 VOLUME 22 • NUMBER 3 April 2010 Neighborhood School Admissions Policy Determined Are We Losing By Jed Lane Golden Gate n March 10th, 2010 the Board of Education passed Park? the long discussed “new” admissions policy, scrap- Oping what had become a hated and often vilified system that was cobbled together after lawsuits to end Greg Miller – p. 3 exclusions based on racial quotas. For almost a decade, San Francisco’s kids have been assigned to schools based on a diversity index that tried to place kids in schools based on the dogmatic belief that an education in an economically diverse setting is the best thing for all children. Ever since the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, Boathouse at schools have been trying to address society through social Lake Merced engineering while attempting the education of our kids. For over forty years, school boards and administrators have sought Tony Hall gets to the the perfect mix of kids in schools. Unfortunately, they haven’t bottom of it – p. 5 addressed the underlying problem: every public school should be, at minimum, competent. Forty years ago, when SFUSD the school will be siblings of students already enrolled at the started to bus kids from racially segregated underperforming school; the next group will be students that live in low perform- schools on the south east side of the City, until now, when the ing census tract areas - these areas are referred to as CTIP1 and “new” system will give admissions preference to students in are comprised of the lowest 20% of census tracts when mea- underperforming census tracts again along the south eastern sured by scores on standardized tests; the next group will be the students that live in the service area that attended a pre-K Big Guys Play, side of the City, one has to ask why schools on the south east side of the City are still not performing. school in the area; next are the kids that live in the service area Little Guys A brief synopsis of how the assignments will happen soon: but didn’t attend a pre-K in the area; next will be students that Pay Every parent of an incoming kindergartner will be able to rank live in the areas where the schools don’t have the capacity to every school in the City by preference. Most schools will have accommodate all students; and last will be all other students. So far, many in the community have latched onto the CTIP1 Joe O’Donoghue service areas that are to be defined. If the school has enough seats for every applicant, all will be admitted. For any school applicants having access to oversubscribed schools before the – p. 5 that has more applicants than available seats the assignments area’s residents. While it is clear that this is still an attempt to will be done in the following order: the first admissions to deal with the failing schools, the numbers show that very few parents from these schools avail themselves of placing their Cont. p. 6 West of Twin Ruminations FRom a FoRmeR supeRvisoR Peaks Central Dismantling Voter Mandates WATCHING SAUSAGES By Will Durst Council By Quentin Kopp Transit Workers istory shows the vagaries and tto Van Bismarck said, Union, DPW –p. 3 moral weakness of some politi- “Laws are like sausages, Hcal institutions and public Oit is better not to see officials. Particularly in times of stress, them being made.” Sausages? We would have loved to have seen civic affairs generate a cornucopia of some sausages. We would have distortions and thoughtless, even disrespectful, decisions. killed for sausages. As any Wis- I was thinking the other day of the disdain which City Hall Drivers v. consin boy can tell you, sausages often confers upon voter-approved initiatives. On June 6, 1978 cooked indirectly over mesquite Riders San Francisco voters approved an ordinance which reformed coals until crispy blistewred then a corrupt system of issuing taxicab permits in our city. Pre- slathered with Stadium Sauce viously, the San Francisco Police Department processed all George Wooding nestled in butter- grilled buns applications for a permit to operate a taxicab in the City and under a layer of fried onions can –p. 3 County. The Board of Supervisors and Mayor, under the San taste pretty darn yummy. Francisco Municipal Code, set the number of such permits. What we got was cut- rate, irate hot dogs. The ugly spec- That number changed from time to time, but only after a series tacle of Congressional wieners pummeling each other over of disputatious Board of Supervisors committee and Police health care was as appetizing as mixing snail guts and lizard Commission hearings in which taxicab companies argued for tripe and cephalopod eyeballs with sour cream and yellow food Community increasing the number of permits with some members of the dye then serving it on a fungus covered bark chip. And no, I’m public who complained of inadequate taxicab service, while Benefits not talking about the spinach dip at The Olive Garden. cab drivers always opposed any such increase. The Munici- This isn’t a “pox on both their houses” deal either. Like District pal Code did not require a permit owner to actually operate a psychic vultures sensing imminent putrefaction, Republicans taxicab. Rather, the permits were obtained by doctors, lawyers, Is West Portal next? amplified their pontificating protestations to a high-pitched businessmen and women, nurses, accountants and homemak- squeal; piercing enough to annoy canines all across this great –p. 10 ers. Moreover, the law enabled transfer or sale of a taxicab per- Northern Hemisphere of ours. In the throes of a pseudo reli- mit for tens of thousands of dollars more than the simple $50 gious ecstasy, one Texas Republican chummed the waters by application fee to the Police Department. By 1977, taxicab per- calling a Michigan Democrat, “Baby Killer,” on the floor of the mits sold as private property for as much as $60,000. House, frenzying his posse of nitwit accomplices into hurling INSIDE The seeds of the June 6, 1978 initiative, Proposition K, on the N- word, the F- word, half a dozen bricks, a handful of death Letters to the Editor . 2 the Municipal ballot were nourished by the unexpected bank- threats, several mouths full of red hot spittle, gum wrappers, a Sunshine Wins Big . 2 ruptcy of the owner of the Yellow Cab Company, which held jewel encrusted black ceramic bird (the stuff that dreams are Winter at the Farmers Market . 4 over 100 permits. For several years, after discovering that San made of), two faxed nooses and possibly a bullet. Hank Basayne . 6 Francisco law required no actual operation of a taxicab by a The conservative party line claimed their Neanderthals Jack Kaye . 7 permit holder, and countenance of the million dollar busi- were simply playing catch up to the health care proponents’ Police Blotter . 7 ness of selling a governmental permit as a private asset, I had lead mitten handling of the issue, and they suggested Demo- Toxic Sludge Protest . 8 tried to invoke enthusiasm with my colleagues on the Board of crats kill the bill to quell the rising tempers. That’s right. Fan Supervisors to promulgate stiff and fair regulations of the nasty the flames of stupidity then blame the other side for the scorch- Westside Real Estate Report . 9 permit-trading business and its consequences. The Yellow Cab Business Corner . 11 ing climate (different from global warming). If Republican gall Company bankruptcy breathed life into my effort. Twice the were congealable, we could dam the Caribbean. Sharon the Health . 13 Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance with provisions sim- Calendar . 14 And it’s STILL not over. To say the GOP is not taking this ilar to Proposition K, only to suffer frustration with a mayoral defeat lying down is like saying freeze dried mustard clumps Easter at Mt . Davidson . 14 veto which could not be overridden. Movies . 14 make for substandard Q- Tips. Within 10 minutes of the Presi- Thus, in early 1978, the impetus caused then supervisors dent signing the bill, a deluge of 14 state legislatures began to At the Theater . 15 Ron Pelosi, Al Nelder, Lee Dolson, Bob Gonzales and me to Carol Kocivar . .16 challenge the bill’s constitutionality. And you wonder why get- submit such an initiative to the Registrar of Voters as Proposi- ting anything done in this country is like trying to shovel sand Real Travel . 16 tion K. It declared that all taxicab permits are the property of Gardening with Hilary Gordon . 17 with a pitchfork. the people of San Francisco and shall not be sold, assigned or Republicans vowed to go down swinging and they’re Native Garden Tour . 17 transferred, and that the Chief of Police shall have the respon- probably not talking about hiking the Appalachian Trail with Games & Fun . 18 sibility of establishing regulations to ensure prompt, courteous each other’s wives. Let’s be frank: not a single member of the Phyllis Sherman - Phyllis’ Findings . 19 Cont. p. 6 Cont. p. 17 Remember When? . .19 WWW.WESTSIDEOBSERVER.COM MEMBER OF THE SAN FRANCISCO NEIGHBORHOOD NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION Commentary April 2010 Westside Observer Page 2 City the Big Winner As Sunshine Proves Its Value imo Crossman and Allen Grossman are Kthe kind of citizens we admire. These two advo- cates for open government have conducted their own war on backroom deals that has taken years out of their lives —so far at their own expense.