Danilo Di Luca Chris Daly Word Association Game

Italian Cyclist Danilo Di Luca tested positive for CERA this week, another in a long line of fallen heroes in cycling. San Francisco Supervisor Chris Daly has announced that his wife and children are now living at a new house he has purchased in Fairfield, California, 60 miles away from San Francisco.

SAT style word association.

Danilo Di Luca is to Doper as Chris Daly is to
A) Asshole
B) Turd
C) Moron
D) Hypocrite

Answer: While many would argue that any of those terms apply, the answer is D. We all knew had varying levels of A/B/C but even though we had a sinking feeling that Di Luca might be doped to the eyeballs, we weren't sure, and we weren't sure that Daly had a big stinking pile of hypocrisy but there was no clear evidence.

I - and many of San Francisco's residents - took great deals of umbrage with many of Daly's pet projects, his ranting in Supervisors meetings, and generally poor decorum. On the one hand he was a sure vote on reasonable progressive initiatives like fighting back on Newsom's budget that cut deeply to many programs valued by the whole city (primarily MUNI - facing service cuts and a 33% fare increase) yet provided raises for the SFPD and SFFD. Don't get me wrong, cops and firemen do important things, but if the whole world is facing paycuts, the PD and FD shouldn't be immune.

On the other hand, Daly has come up with all sorts of crazy initiatives. His recent attempt to modify rent control was effectively a taking, aimed at the "big bad landlords" but would radically change the rules of the game on some pretty small time landlords. If someone loses their job, helping that person out may very well be a priority for a just society, but not borne by a single citizen. Note - I am a renter and I was "effectively" evicted when our rent was raised 40% in one month (no rent protection for single family homes). While my wife was pregnant no less, so I am hardly unsympathetic to the plight of renters (we are still renting by the way).

The extreme irony in this is that Daly bought not one - but two! - houses in Fairfield, and will be renting one out, not subject to the ex-post-facto penalties he is trying to place upon not only big bad landlords like Citi, but also on the prototypical old school SF landlord - someone owning a 2 unit building, living in one, and renting the other out. Or did Daly never see Pacific Heights? Will Daly be showing up at Fairfield's city council meeting and asking for the same restrictions on landlords there?

The correlation between Di Luca and Daly does not end there. In Italia, the tifosi are rallying around there man, as if he is being persecuted. The hardest of the hard core Daly supporters are doing the same, for example over at Fog City Journal. The folks over at Daily Kos, who worked their asses off to elect Obama, then put him under a microscope immediately would be ashamed. If I worked to elect this guy I would be quite angry, frankly.

The whole thing is weak. The grandparents have been there forever - that's where Sarah grew up. His family unit appears to be functioning, so the topic of moving to Fairfield had to have been on the docket before the last D6 election. At that point, decide if you are going to move, and if so, DON'T RUN FOR RE-ELECTION, and move! Otherwise, decide you love LIVING in the city, and want to re-shape it to your predilictions and then stay here! As soon as he's termed out, one would assume that since his family is so important that he will move to Fairfield. Talk about lame duck. If your heart isn't in it - resign and let someone with some skin in the game take over.

I've toyed with walking around D8 with a petition and getting my name on the ballot for 2010. I would have done it by now except that there is the chance that we will run for the hills ourselves. We have the Alioto-Pier style Wine Country Second Home already. But we haven't moved there because we just like San Francisco so darn much that as much fun as I have trying to keep Redwood trees from dying and planting tomatoes, I prefer to be in San Francisco. I probably won't run because even campaigning would be rough with an 18 month old and an apolitical fulltime job, when you aren't a part of the city political system. But I sure as heck wouldn't run unless I was 100% committed to suffering the consequences of my work should I end up winning.

Peace out.

Postscript from Fog City Commenter H. Brown

Chris came by after work yesterday and listened to the Giants (we won and Cain got his 12th) and put a dent in a 5th of Seagram’s with Luke Thomas. I’ll put a piece about it on my blast list later. It was a good time. He pedaled off to do the last half hour of Pirate Cat radio which was also good.

How much Seagram's would put Daly over the BUI limit?