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| Home Front: Politix |
| More surprises from Mayor Gavin Newsom |
| 2009-11-16 |
| Mayor Gavin Newsom is deluged with requests to appear at events, and his staff gives him a list of recommended shindigs to stop by and others to brush off. But Newsom is full of surprises these days, his guest appearances included. (Witness the appearance at a reading at the Bayanihan Community Center on Mission Street last weekend.) Thursday night's gala at the Opera House honoring Rev. Cecil Williams' 45th anniversary at Glide Memorial was a must-attend for the mayor. And he was there - for five minutes, long enough to rush in the side door, greet Williams, pose for a couple of photos, ignore reporters and rush back out. We tried to ask him what his plans are for the rest of his term, hoping he'd give some indication of big initiatives he'll unveil or whether the rumored shake-up of his staff is true. He refused to say and darted for a side door. Unfortunately for him, it was locked. "How do you get out of here?" he asked before finding an open door and disappearing. And yet he told Examiner columnist Ken Garcia the notion he's been ducking the press since dropping out of the governor's race Oct. 30 and disappearing to Hawaii without telling his staff is "delusional." Hmmm... Wednesday night, he surprised organizers of "Call to Hope," a fundraiser at the St. Francis Yacht Club to benefit A Good Idea, a nonprofit that's trying to build a residential high school for homeless teens in the city. His staff had told the group Newsom couldn't attend - but the mayor isn't telling his staff much about his plans these days. Jared Paul, founder of A Good Idea, said Newsom arrived alone - without even his security staff - and stayed for about an hour. "He seemed really, I don't know, like he was in different spirits," Paul said. "In a good mood, but just kind of maybe a little humbled or something." Officially, the mayor has no public appearances for this weekend, next week or anytime in the future. But clearly, he's going to keep us guessing so let us know if you see him! |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 His job is to make the Board of Supes look relatively sane by comparison. Not working, is it? |
| Posted by: mojo 2009-11-16 10:08 |