Special election idea for S.F. mayor fizzling

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 3/17/10 | Phillip Matier, Andrew Ross

[SmithL]

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's idea of holding a special election to name his successor if he's elected lieutenant governor appears to be DOA.

Newsom doesn't have the six votes on the Board of Supervisors needed to place a charter amendment on the November ballot to require an election, and there doesn't appear to be much interest downtown for an expensive and rushed petition to get the 47,000 signatures needed to go around the supes.

San Francisco Chamber of Commerce Vice President Jim Lazarus, who met with the mayor last week to talk about a charter change, said he doesn't see anyone committing the $200,000 or so that it would take to gather the signatures by the July deadline.

Under current law, the supervisors pick the mayor's replacement in the event of a vacancy - and most of them see no reason to make a change, especially because a special election would cost about $3.5 million.

Even Supervisor Chris Daly, who hinted he might support a charter change if it also included special elections to fill vacated supervisorial seats, said qualifying a measure for the ballot would be tough sledding.

All of which leaves Newsom back where he started - thinking about delaying his swearing-in (if he wins) until Jan. 8, after the new board takes office, in the hope that the new crew is more in line with his thinking than the current board.

Mega-Meg: Former eBay exec Meg Whitman's unprecedented rocket rise in the polls appears to be fueled by two propellants: money and women.

Newcomer Whitman's out-of-the-gate $40 million radio and TV blitz has not only left Republican rival Steve Poizner in the dust (she's ahead 63 to 14 percent in the latest Field Poll) - she's also surging ahead of Democrat Jerry Brown, 46 to 43 percent.

[SmithL]

No special election for the "Special" city?

[Dilbert San Diego]

We saw how much he cares about legal procedures and small d “democratic” process with the homosexual marriage issue. They just do whathever the heck they feel like doing.

[mlocher]

The current law seems to be working. Why do an end-around to bypass it? I guess Herr Mayor does not like the person who the board would probably elect. When you can’t get your way, the liberal way is to spend other people’s money to try to get your way.