City officials comply with Newsom's demand for resignation letters

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 9/14/7 | Cecilia M. Vega

[SmithL]

From short and sweet, to long-winded overtures, the letters have been pouring in following Mayor Gavin Newsom's edict this week that hundreds of city officials hand in their resignations by the end of the day today.

Many letters consist of a single, get-right-to-the-point sentence: "I hereby tender my resignation." Others read more like resumes than resignation letters, with officials attempting to make their case to stay on the job. And some are just plain comical.

"As my work here in San Francisco began with your call, it will continue with your call, until such time as you find my vision for the Juvenile Probation Department to be myopic, obscured or beyond 20-20 correction," Chief Probation Officer Bill Siffermann wrote.

Nearly 400 city department heads, senior staffers in the mayor's office and mayoral appointees to city boards and commissions were asked by the mayor to submit open letters of resignation because he said he wants the option of starting his second term with a "clean slate." Newsom is running for re-election in November, but faces no serious political threat in the race.

In all, about 130 people have turned in letters, according to records obtained by The Chronicle under the city's public records law.

"Those who I thought would comply are complying, those that aren't, I'm not surprised," Newsom said Thursday.

[Paleo Conservative]

So will they be sent to reeducation camps?

[Red Badger]

Putin on the Bay?..............Putin it in writing.............

[Old Professer]

Just following Putin’s lead?

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=atwvhhHXZtGs&refer=home

[Cicero]

Gavin Newsom appears to be the mayor San Francisco deserves.

I can’t work up much sympathy for 95% of the people who run the city, either. They wanted a Stalinist regime, and now they have it.

[rawhide]

I hereby submit my resignation, effective no earlier than January 1, 2093.
(That ought to get me through to my golden years)

[Bonaparte]

This is the beginning of the end for SF, a beautiful town that will soon become the biggest eyesore on the west coast.

By the August deadline, nobody of any stature was willing to run against Newsom. He and the Board now have a clear field to put through the constuction of innumerable super highrises, none of which comply with mandated seismic safety standards. The number of cars in SF will increase by about a third (100,000) with little or no provision for additional parking. And when the big one hits, those buildings will come down.

The best thing that could happen to SF would be a 7.2 shaker right now, before the developers can finish construction. That's what it would take to wake people up.

[TChris]

Why, this is a scandal of epic proportions! How dare he fire people who work for him!

*Paging Alberto Gonzales. Mr. Gonzales, please pick up a white courtesy phone. Paging Alberto Gonzales.*

[Bonaparte]

"Gavin Newsom appears to be the mayor San Francisco deserves."

I can't disagree with that.

DiVincenzo was the last one asked to run who could have beaten Newsom. Had she filed candidacy, she could have easily beaten him in debate and taken 30% of his voter base from Pacific Heights, Cathedral Heights and the Avenues. These people are extremely disaffected on the highrise issue. That would have done the job and he'd be out. Now there's nothing to stop him and Supervisors from destroying that town. The only ones I have any sympathy for are those few voices that were crying in the wilderness about this issue and, of course, all the innocent kids who will die when those buildings come down.