SAN FRANCISCO – Bernard Curran, a former San Francisco Senior Building Inspector, was sentenced today to serve a year and a day in prison in connection with charges that he accepted cash payments and charitable donations from developers and property owners whose projects Curran had responsibility for approving, announced United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Robert K. Tripp. The sentence was handed down by United States Senior District Judge Susan Illston.

Curran, 62, of San Francisco, pleaded guilty to the charges on December 9, 2022. According to his plea agreement, Curran acknowledged that he was a Building Inspector for the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection (“DBI”) in 2005, and in approximately 2009, was promoted to Senior Building Inspector. As a Senior Building Inspector, Curran was responsible for conducting physical inspections of buildings and construction sites in San Francisco to verify that construction or renovation work had been completed according to approved permits and plans. Curran admitted that after he became a Senior Building Inspector, he received improper financial benefits in connection with his employment.

“San Francisco government officials must always work with the public’s best interest in mind and rebuff invitations for corrupt personal gain,” said U.S. Attorney Ramsey. “Curran is not the first, and he will not be the last, defendant sentenced in rooting out corruption in San Francisco. Today’s sentence makes clear that officials who abuse the public trust will serve time in federal custody.”

“Bernard Curran chose to line his own pockets instead of performing his duties with integrity,” said Special Agent In Charge Robert K. Tripp. “That’s not a small lapse: building inspectors ensure our new construction is safe, and play a key role in creating new housing and businesses that make San Francisco a vibrant place to live and work. Curran’s time in prison should be a stark warning to all that if you’re a public servant who takes a bribe, you will be held to account.”

According to his plea agreement, Curran admitted that he received cash payments from a San Francisco developer “in connection with and as rewards for” the inspections that he conducted or for the approvals that Curran granted as an inspector. In addition, Curran admitted that he accepted what amounted to a $260,000 interest-free loan from the same developer, $30,000 of which was never paid back. Curran admitted that he understood the developer never required the outstanding $30,000 balance to be repaid, “in part due to our friendship, but also in connection with and as a reward for conducting past and future inspections,” on the developer’s projects. Further, Curran admitted that in 2021, the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office investigated potential conflicts of interest related to his employment and, in response, Curran falsely certified that the loan he received was not from the developer, but rather was from a relative and had been issued at a 6% interest rate. Curran admitted that he submitted this false statement in an effort to deceive the City officials.

In addition to the improper gifts from the developer, Curran also admitted in his plea agreement that he accepted illegal gifts from co-defendant Rodrigo Santos. Santos, a licensed civil engineer, worked with project owners and contractors seeking building permits in San Francisco. Curran admitted that between May of 2017 and April of 2020, Santos asked some of his San Francisco clients to make “charitable” donations in connection with inspections that Curran conducted. Specifically, Curran was a volunteer for, and supporter of, a non-profit organization and Santos instructed his clients to write checks for the organization. Curran admitted that on several occasions Santos discussed with Curran the checks that his clients donated while also asking for official action to be taken on specific projects. Curran admitted that the government could prove that between May of 2017 and April of 2019, Santos’s clients wrote $9,600 in donations from 13 clients and that Curran took at least one official action for all 13 of the donors.

On November 28, 2022, Curran was charged by superseding information with two counts of accepting illegal gratuities, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 666(a)(1)(B). Curran pleaded guilty to both counts.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Illston sentenced Curran to two years of supervised release following his prison term. The court set a further hearing on September 8, 2023, to determine the amount of restitution that Curran must pay to DBI to compensate the agency for the costs of an internal audit of projects that Curran inspected. DBI initiated the audit after the charges in this case

The case is being prosecuted by the Special Prosecutions Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The case is being investigated by the FBI and the IRS-CI.

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„Ich weiß, das ist Haarspalterei, aber wenn du Pop’s eine Kneipe nennst, ist das eine Art Beleidigung für Kneipen“, sagt mir Tom Tierney am Telefon. Wir sprechen über die Kneipe, deren Miteigentümer er seit 2014 ist, ein Ort mit einem langen Erbe, das bis ins Jahr 1937 zurückreicht. „Weil Kneipen ihren eigenen Platz in San Francisco und in Amerika haben“, fährt er fort, „ Ich betrachte uns als Nachbarschaftsbar.“

Was genau ist eine Kneipe? Als jemand, der einen guten Teil seiner 20-jährigen Karriere damit verbracht hat, über sie zu schreiben, glaube ich nicht, dass ich es Ihnen genau sagen kann. Sogar die Wikipedia-Definition davon ist Wischiwaschi. Genauso wie man die Bedeutung von „cool“ erklärt, ist es unmöglich, eindeutig zu definieren, was eine Spelunke ist. Man erkennt nur einen, wenn man ihn sieht.

Was ist also der Unterschied zwischen einer Kneipe und einer Nachbarschaftsbar? Nun, ich denke, das hängt einfach von der Nachbarschaft ab. Und in San Francisco kann das alles bedeuten.

Pop ist in der Luft

Das erste Mal, dass ich zu Pop’s ging, war wahrscheinlich 2004 oder 2005. Ein paar von uns gingen durch Valencia und versuchten herauszufinden, in welcher Missionsbar wir unsere erbärmlichen Einnahmen ausgeben sollten, als mein Freund sagte: „Ich weiß! Lass uns zu Pops gehen! Es ist wirklich schick und wirklich billig, und sie geben sich irgendwie keine Gedanken über irgendetwas.“ Zu diesem Zeitpunkt hatten wir anderen noch nichts davon gehört, aber es klang genau nach der Art von Ort, den wir liebten, also stapften wir die 24th Street hinunter, vorbei an Panaderías, Waschsalons, Kirchen, Juweliergeschäften und Nagelstudios.

Anita Ellis von Bernal Heights schneidet am Donnerstagabend, dem 2. Februar 2023, eine Orangenschale in Scheiben, um einen Negroni in der Pop’s Bar im Mission District abzurunden.

Kevin Kelleher & Emily Trinh/ Special für SFGATE

Zweite Kopien von Fotostreifen säumen die Wände in Pop’s Bar im Mission District von San Francisco, 2. Februar 2023.

Kevin Kelleher & Emily Trinh/ Special für SFGATE

Die Pop’s Bar im Mission District von San Francisco zieht an jedem Abend der Woche ein buntes Publikum an. 5. Februar 2023.

Kevin Kelleher & Emily Trinh/ Special für SFGATE

DJ Matty Holt (@sterling45s) legt am Donnerstagabend, den 2. Februar 2023, klassischen Soul für ein besonderes Set in der Pop’s Bar auf. Sehen Sie sich seine Residency-Oldies-Sets jeden Dienstag von 18 bis 21 Uhr in der Bar Mission District in der 24th Street an.

Kevin Kelleher & Emily Trinh/ Special für SFGATE

Im Uhrzeigersinn von oben links: Barkeeperin Anita Ellis schneidet eine Orangenschale in Scheiben, um einen Negroni zu krönen; zusätzliche Fotokabinenbilder; DJ Matty Holt (@sterling45s) spielt an einem Donnerstagabend klassischen Soul für ein besonderes Set in der Pop’s Bar; Kunden an der Bar. (Kevin Kelleher & Emily Trinh/Special für SFGATE)
Im Uhrzeigersinn von oben links: Barkeeperin Anita Ellis schneidet eine Orangenschale in Scheiben, um einen Negroni zu krönen; zusätzliche Fotokabinenbilder; DJ Matty Holt (@sterling45s) spielt an einem Donnerstagabend klassischen Soul für ein besonderes Set in der Pop’s Bar; Kunden an der Bar. (Kevin Kelleher & Emily Trinh/Special für SFGATE)

Wir waren ein Haufen College-Kids und frischgebackene Absolventen, hauptsächlich Weiße, manche Schwarze, manche Asiaten. Die Mission war billig, zentral, warm (für San Francisco) und voller Bars und Taquerias. Und obwohl es größtenteils noch ein Latino-Viertel war, war es auch unser neues Viertel. Und wir haben es geliebt. Für uns fühlte es sich so an, als würde an einem Ort eine wunderbare Mischung von Kulturen passieren.

Damals waren wir zu jung oder zu naiv, oder wir hatten einfach nicht die Rahmenbedingungen, um zu erkennen, dass wir etwas vorantreiben, das die Mission für immer verändern würde. Wir waren die Vorboten der Gentrifizierung. Das Wort war noch nicht Teil unseres Lexikons – das sollte ein paar Jahre später passieren. Aber als kleine Kinder, die sich oft etwas mehr leisten konnten, haben wir die Mieten in die Höhe getrieben und damit begonnen, was letztendlich dazu führte, dass sich die Mission sehr schnell änderte, wobei der Anteil der Latino-Bewohner zwischen 2000 und 2020 von 50,1 % auf 34,7 % sank.

Aber all das hatten wir nicht im Entferntesten im Sinn, als wir an diesem Abend zum ersten Mal das Pop’s betraten. Es war genau so, wie mein Freund es beschrieben hat: schick und super billig, und niemand schien tatsächlich einen Scheiß darauf zu geben. Es war auch laut und roch schlecht, und es war voller Skater, Graffiti-Writer und Menschen, die in der Gegend aufgewachsen waren. Es war eine typische Kneipe. Und aus der Nachbarschaft, schätze ich. Es war perfekt.

Graffiti an den Wänden der Toiletten in Pop’s Bar in der 24th Street im Mission District, gesehen am Donnerstag, 2. Februar 2023.

Kevin Kelleher & Emily Trinh/ Special für SFGATE

An diesem Abend gingen meine damalige Freundin und ich in die Fotokabine und fanden eine Brieftasche mit 1.000 Dollar darin. Wir gingen um die Bar herum und versuchten, den Führerschein einem Gesicht in der Menge zuzuordnen. Als wir ihn gefunden hatten, war er so erleichtert, wie man sich fühlt, wenn man feststellt, dass man eine ernsthafte Katastrophe nur knapp abgewendet hat. Anscheinend war es sein ganzes Geld für Miete und Rechnungen für den Monat – damals hätte es locker die Miete für mein riesiges 700-Dollar-Zimmer gedeckt – und so kaufte er uns einen Drink, um sich zu bedanken, und hieß uns in seiner Lieblingsbar willkommen.

Es war im Laufe der Jahre die Lieblingsbar vieler Leute, und obwohl sie es seit den reißenden Tagen der 2000er Jahre ein wenig aufgeräumt haben – hauptsächlich nur, um coole historische Sachen aufzuhängen und diesen schrecklichen Geruch loszuwerden – ist Pop’s immer noch eine fantastische Bar in einem der besten Viertel der Welt. Und ich behaupte, es ist auch immer noch ein Tauchgang.

Jahrzehntelange Getränke

Heute gehört die Bar Tom Tierney und Michael Kraus. (Vielleicht erinnern Sie sich an sie aus meinem Artikel über Madrone.) Aber im Laufe der Jahre gab es viele verschiedene Besitzer, und jeder brachte seine eigene Persönlichkeit in die Bar ein.

„Mein Lieblingsbesitzer ist Jack O’Connor“, erklärt Tierney. Ich kann ihn fast durch das Telefon lächeln hören. „Er war Teil der Beatnik-Szene. Und was ich wirklich an ihm mochte, war, dass er ein Spieler war. Er war ein Trinker. Er war ein Weltkriegsveteran. Und er war eine angesehene Katze in dieser Umgebung, und deshalb rede ich wirklich gerne über ihn.“

Der Besitzer der Pop’s Bar, Tom Tierney, hängt am Donnerstag, den 2. Februar 2023, mit dem Publikum am Donnerstagabend an seinem historischen Ort in der 24th Street im Mission District ab.

Kevin Kelleher & Emily Trinh/ Special für SFGATE

Als Tierney und Krouse anfingen, sich mit der Geschichte der Bar zu beschäftigen, schien es zunächst so, als ob Pop’s Bar 1947 von Jack O’Connor, Kanonier aus dem Zweiten Weltkrieg, eröffnet wurde, der aus dem Südpazifik nach Hause zurückkehrte. Die Geschichte war, dass sein Vater ihm half, die Bar zu eröffnen, daher der Name Pop’s. Aber sie wurden schließlich als falsch erwiesen.

Eines Tages schlenderte ein Mann namens Brian Saxsenmeier in die Bar und erzählte den Leuten dort, dass sein Großvater, Carl Joseph Saxsenmeier, alias Pops, der wahre Pops sei. Nach einer Suche in Aufzeichnungen stellte sich heraus, dass diese Geschichte wahr war, sodass die Zeitachse der Bar um ein Jahrzehnt zurückgeschoben wurde. In diesem Moment scheint die Bar 1937 von Saxsenmeier eröffnet worden zu sein. Gerüchten zufolge führte er vor 1937 ein Geschäft namens Clubhouse und war während der Prohibition Schmuggler.

Der Grund, warum ich „in diesem Moment“ sage, ist, dass es anscheinend immer mehr über die Vergangenheit der Bar zu erfahren gibt. Wie Tierney sagt: „Jemand könnte morgen in meinen Laden kommen und mir viel mehr Geschichte erzählen.“ So wie es aussieht, ist dies das, was sie über die Geschichte des Besitzes und der Standorte der Bar wissen. Viele dieser Informationen stammen aus der Legacy Business-Anwendung, die im September 2022 genehmigt wurde:

1937: Pop’s Club House öffnete um 2820 oder 2830 24th St. Carl Joseph Saxsenmeier, auch bekannt als Pops, war der Gründer der Bar.

1941: Pop’s Club House wurde an Jack Pryal verkauft.

1947-1951: Jerry O’Connor (das zweite „Pops“) und Jack O’Connor (sein Sohn) gehörten der Bar. Jack heiratete und verkaufte die Bar; Dann ließ er sich scheiden und eröffnete das New Hearth (eine Bar, die jetzt The Hearth heißt) am 4701 Geary Blvd.

Ein Porträt des einzigen Pops (ca. Anfang der 1940er Jahre) hängt hoch oben an der Wand neben dem Eingang der historischen Bar und ist eine Hommage an den ursprünglichen Besitzer, wie am Donnerstag, dem 2. Februar 2023, zu sehen war.

Kevin Kelleher & Emily Trinh/ Special für SFGATE

1951-1957: Charlie Leahy war der Besitzer von Pop’s Club House. Er verkaufte die Bar, als er die Tochter der Besitzer des St. Francis Fountain heiratete.

1958-1967: Während dieser Zeit gab es drei Besitzer von Pop’s Club House: Buff „Red“ Volkmeir, Walt Brennan (Großonkel von Gavin Newsom) und Albert Beurgelson. Brennan war Gastgeber für Baseballfans vor und nach den Spielen der SF Seals, die in der 16th Street und im Potrero-Stadion stattfanden, wo jetzt ein Safeway steht.

1967: Bob und Connie Griffin wurden zusammen mit Jacqueline Griffin die Eigentümer.

1970: Die Griffins verlegten Pop’s Club House den Block hinunter an seinen jetzigen Standort in der 24th St. 2800 und benannten es in “Pop’s Bar” um. Sie brachten die klassische Leuchtreklame mit.

1982-1985: Die Familie Castillo übernahm den Besitz von Pop’s Bar.

1985-1994: Bradlee J. Fitzgerald war der Eigentümer des Unternehmens. Er war Motorradfahrer, und es wird gemunkelt, dass sie innen einen Schießstand hatten und früher auf Heuballen geschossen haben.

1994-2003: Frances Prieto war die Besitzerin, und die Bar diente hauptsächlich der Latino-Community.

2003-2014: Malia Spanyol und Harmony Urmston besaßen Pop’s Bar. Es richtete sich unter anderem an Lesben, Skater, Graffiti-Writer und Punks.

2014: Eigentümer wurden Tom Tierney und Michael Krouse.

Die Pops von heute

„Aber an wen richtet sich Pop’s heute?“ Ich habe Tierney gefragt.

„Wir haben alles, jeden Lebensbereich. Es hängt wirklich davon ab, zu welcher Tageszeit man auftaucht“, erklärt er. „Wir haben um 6 Uhr morgens Ärzte und Krankenschwestern und Arbeiter. Dasselbe gilt für die Happy Hour. Wir haben Elektriker, Klempner, Anwälte, Graffiti-Künstler, Leute aus der Dienstleistungsbranche. Du kannst einen Dartpfeil werfen und fast jede Karriere treffen, und ich wette, sie tauchen in meiner Bar auf.“

Es gibt einen guten Grund, warum so viele Ärzte und Krankenschwestern um 6 Uhr morgens bei Pop’s landen. Das San Francisco General Hospital ist nur ein paar Blocks entfernt, und diejenigen, die von der Friedhofsschicht kommen, wollen oft einen Drink. Als das Pop’s-Team dies erkannte, entschied es sich ziemlich clever, im Jahr 2015 im Morgengrauen mit der Eröffnung zu beginnen. Die Änderung hat erheblich zum finanziellen Erfolg des Unternehmens beigetragen.

Die Michelada des Pops, gesehen am 2. Februar 2023.

Kevin Kelleher & Emily Trinh/ Special für SFGATE

Als jemand, der seit einem Jahrzehnt in SF als Barkeeper tätig ist, klingt das für mich nach einer höllischen Veränderung, aber für jeden Juckreiz gibt es einen Kratzer. „Der Barkeeper am frühen Morgen ist eine besondere Art von Barkeeper“, erläutert Tierney. „Die Leute, die in den Frühschichten arbeiten, sind Leute, die sie arbeiten wollen. Sie mögen die Morgenzeit. Sie mögen die Atmosphäre.“

Aber selbst diese absurd frühe Schicht war von der Pandemie betroffen. Glücklicherweise hat Pop’s seine morgendliche Kundschaft langsam wieder aufgebaut. Und wie so viele andere Barbesitzer, mit denen ich in dieser Kolumne gesprochen habe, schreibt Tierney seinen Kunden das Überleben der Bar bis zum Schlimmsten zu.

„Ohne unseren treuen Kundenstamm wären wir nichts“, stellt er klar. „Da es Pop schon so lange gibt, hat Pop’s für viele Menschen eine besondere Bedeutung. Und ich denke, deshalb haben uns die Leute wirklich unterstützt, als wir unsere Outdoor-Drinks und ein Getränkefenster gemacht haben.“

Pop’s Bar steht am 2. Februar 2023 an der Ecke 24th Street und York Street im Mission District von San Francisco.

Kevin Kelleher & Emily Trinh/ Special für SFGATE

Tierney hat jedoch eine Meinung zur Pandemie, von der ich noch nichts gehört habe – „Ich werde Folgendes sagen: Die Pandemie war schrecklich, aber ich hatte eine wirklich gute Zeit bei dem Versuch, das Geschäft zu retten. Alles, was Sie wirklich tun könnten, ist, Dinge gegen die Wand zu werfen, um zu sehen, ob sie funktionieren. Es war irgendwie befreiend.“

Ich denke, jede Leuchtreklame hat einen Silberstreif am Horizont.

Weitere Kneipen in San Francisco

The post San Francisco’s Pop’s sparks debate on the time period ‘dive bar’ appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman on October 25 kicked off his reelection campaign at a birthday event at Poesia in the Castro. (He turned 48 just days beforehand.) Now in year three of his first term, he is busier than ever, with his dedicated, hard-working staff—Legislative Aides Tom Temprano, Jacob Bintliff, George Kolombatovich, and Jackie Thornhill—juggling day-to-day operations with him as he stretches out his already packed personal schedule to include fundraising, media outreach, and other efforts necessary for the reelection campaign.

As a disclaimer, our own team here at the San Francisco Bay Times has long known and admired Supervisor Mandelman, who is a former columnist for the paper. With us he was both professional and genuinely considerate. His leadership skills were evident, yet he never demeaned or diminished the talents of others. In that regard and more, he is in our view one of the best, caring team players we have ever seen hold office in San Francisco. He also remains the city’s only openly LGBTQ supervisor.

Shortly after the campaign kick-off event, he generously took time for an interview.

San Francisco Bay Times: Did you always desire a career in politics, and specifically politics here in San Francisco? If not, what led to that decision?

Supervisor Rafael Mandelman: For as long as I can remember, I have always been fascinated by politics and government.  When other boys in my elementary and middle schools were obsessing about sports, I was avidly following elections, picking favorite Congresspeople, arguing with adults about various political issues. Following my freshman year of high school, I applied to intern in various local governmental offices and ended up spending the summer working for Doris Ward, who would become the first African American woman president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. So, it’s maybe not entirely surprising that as an adult I sought out opportunities to engage in local politics, volunteering on campaigns, serving on the boards of various community organizations and local Democratic Clubs and on City commissions, and ultimately running for and winning election to the City College Board of Trustees and now the Board of Supervisors.   

San Francisco Bay Times: Instead of running for the State Assembly or perhaps another open seat this time around, you chose to run for reelection to the Board of Supervisors. What led to that decision?

Supervisor Rafael Mandelman: Being District 8 Supervisor is the best job I’ve ever had. I have the opportunity to work on solutions to our City’s biggest challenges like homelessness, public safety, and climate change. But I also get to help my constituents with their day-to-day concerns—getting speed bumps installed on a dangerous street or helping an entrepreneur secure permits and open a new neighborhood small business.

A little over three years into my first term, I feel like I am just getting the hang of being a good Supervisor and have a lot that I would still like to accomplish. But San Francisco still has big challenges, and during my second term I hope to use that experience to have a bigger impact on the issues that affect the lives of District 8 residents and all San Franciscans: homelessness and especially unsheltered homelessness, mental illness and addiction, public safety, and public transportation, to name a few.

San Francisco Bay Times: You are perhaps one of the most skilled politicians in the state to bridge the often wide and contentious divide between so-called moderates and progressives. Previously, you were even a President of the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club who also was loyal to the Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club and served as President of the Noe Valley Democratic Club and the District 8 Democratic Club. What have you done to cultivate this skill and what would you like to see happen such that Democrats could better come together over shared goals in San Francisco?

Supervisor Rafael Mandelman: Political insiders in San Francisco perseverate on the progressive-moderate divide. In my experience, most people have a mix of views, some more conservative and some more liberal depending on the moment and the particular issue. So, I try to focus less on the labels and more on representing the values of my constituents. I do think of myself as a progressive, but I also strongly believe that the most important task for progressives in local government is not just to stake out the leftwardmost positions, but rather to demonstrate that progressive government can be effective government: that we can show compassion to our unhoused neighbors without giving up the ability to use and be proud of our shared public spaces, that we can reform our criminal justice system and dramatically reduce rates of incarceration and also tackle the outrageous and unacceptable levels of retail theft and other property crime in the City, and that we can protect the character of our neighborhoods while still making spaces for new residents looking for an affordable home. 

San Francisco Bay Times: Whom do you admire in politics?

Supervisor Rafael Mandelman: I love Barack Obama, always will. 

San Francisco Bay Times: So many of our longtime friends, neighbors, and coworkers have moved out of the Castro in recent years. In July of this year, it was reported that the “San Francisco exodus” is over, but it doesn’t seem like that in the Castro. The loss of such individuals, and particularly LGBTQ community members, is felt by many. What steps are you and others taking to help retain the unique character and history of the ever-evolving Castro, while helping to make it a welcoming place to live for LGBTQ individuals and others?

Supervisor Rafael Mandelman: The Castro has been recognized worldwide for half a century as a symbol of LGBTQ liberation and an enclave for LGBTQ people like Harvey Milk to find safety, acceptance, and chosen family. Unfortunately, many of Harvey’s contemporaries—the folks who lived through and helped make the social revolutions of the seventies, eighties, and nineties—have by now been priced out of the Castro or are hanging on by their fingernails to a rent-controlled unit that is their only tenuous protection from exile from San Francisco in their golden years.

As Supervisor, building and retaining affordable housing for these folks, as well as newcomers to the neighborhood, has been a top priority of mine. I ensured that there was dedicated funding for neighborhoods like the Castro in our 2019 $600 million Affordable Housing Bond, worked with the Mayor to find $12 million to acquire a union hall site at Duboce and Market for a major new affordable development where we will build more than 100 units of LGBTQ-affirming senior affordable housing, and set aside funds to conduct an analysis of ways to preserve and build affordable units in the Castro and other District 8 neighborhoods.

In 2019 I authored legislation creating the Castro LGBTQ+ Cultural District to allow the neighborhood to access critical resources to support queer small businesses, nonprofits, cultural institutions, and people who make the neighborhood the heart of our city’s LGBTQ community.

San Francisco Bay Times: How has the focus of your campaign changed since your last one for Supervisor, in terms of the issues that you are highlighting?

Supervisor Rafael Mandelman: We are still grappling with many of the same issues that San Francisco and District 8 faced in 2018. COVID certainly made some of them worse, although the City’s strong response to that health crisis has given me renewed hope that, if we set our minds to it and find common ground on a path forward, we can actually make progress on seemingly intractable issues like homelessness, mental health, and housing affordability that have been among my highest priorities from my first day in office. 

Crime and safety are growing concerns in my district and citywide. Property crimes like burglary, vandalism, and auto thefts skyrocketed during the pandemic and District 8 neighborhoods were among the hardest hit. I’d hear from neighbors who had their garage broken into and bikes stolen four times in a year and small business owners who had their storefront windows smashed so many times that they were considering closing for good. I strongly support alternatives to policing and incarceration where those alternatives make sense. However, I also do believe in community policing and I believe that public safety requires the detention and effective rehabilitation of serial offenders.

San Francisco Bay Times: Focusing on the current issues highlighted by your campaign, you have been active in addressing homelessness and mental health problems. Without getting into too much detail, please update us on the 17 individuals who were identified last year as being among the most troubled, and troubling, in the Castro. Can you share a few of their particular stories and what happened to them?

Supervisor Rafael Mandelman: My office maintains a list of people in District 8 who present a danger to themselves or others in the community in the hopes of getting more focused and sustained attention on them from the City. We regularly update and share the list with relevant City departments, as individuals on it commit new crimes or get into other trouble. It is enormously frustrating to see the same very sick and/or troublesome people languishing on the streets for months and years.  Unfortunately, that list has now grown to 35 individuals.

HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) prevents us from knowing too much detailed information about public health interventions to help them, so oftentimes we aren’t fully aware of good outcomes like someone being placed in residential drug or mental health treatment programs. But we have heard about at least a few tragic outcomes.

Mary Botts, whom many neighbors referred to as Princess Leia because of the way she would wear her hair up in buns that recalled the Star Wars character, was one such sad story. She could often be found in Jane Warner or Harvey Milk Plaza, in the bus shelters, sometimes lying on the sidewalk outside Hot Cookie, often darting out into traffic and back. Her fear and anxiety were palpable even to a casual observer.

I, and just about every person who encountered Mary, could see that she was struggling. Lots of folks, including my office, tried to get her help. We appealed to City departments to intervene—to come up with a plan, to get her into treatment, to do something.  And I know that the City tried, in the way that the City tries. There was no shortage of City contacts with Mary: HOT (Homeless Outreach Team), EMS (Emergency Medical Services), DPH (Department of Public Health), SFPD (San Francisco Police Department) all engaged with her. But it wasn’t enough.

​​Mary became one of the nearly 700 people who died from an overdose last year. And her passing was all the more infuriating because she didn’t have to die.  I strongly believe that folks like Mary need to be conserved to keep them safe and alive until they are able to take care of themselves.

San Francisco Bay Times: For each of the issues of focus—homelessness/mental health, public safety, affordable housing, the climate crisis, and public transportation—please share your primary goals, providing as much specific information as possible in terms of active legislation and/or planned efforts to remedy these challenging, long-term issues.

Supervisor Rafael Mandelman: I’m happy to share some of the work we’ve done and are doing in each of these areas!

Homelessness/Mental Health

• Authored legislation for San Francisco to implement housing conservatorships for unhoused individuals suffering from severe mental illness and substance use disorder and pushed for expansion of the City’s use of its existing conservatorship tools.
• Authored legislation to require the City to provide shelter for any unhoused person willing to accept a safe exit from the street.
• Championed Street Crisis Response Teams to provide alternative non-police response for individuals suffering from mental health crises.
• Convened and Co-Chaired the 2019 Methamphetamine Task Force to propose improvements to City response to rising meth use and overdoses.
• Supported drug sobering centers to provide alternatives to emergency room, jail, or the street for individuals suffering from drug intoxication.

Public Safety

• Opposed budget reductions in police training, academies, and overtime to make sure we are able to maintain and increase the diversity of the Police Department and meet critical staffing needs.
• Supported expansion of community policing efforts like neighborhood foot patrols.
• Worked with neighbors, the Police Department, and the District Attorney to facilitate the arrest and charging of drug dealers, violent offenders, and serial burglars.
• Investigated the Superior Court’s repeated pretrial release of individuals on ankle monitors, even when those individuals have repeatedly violated the terms of prior releases.

Affordable Housing

• Introduced legislation to curb monster homes while allowing fourplexes Citywide to encourage production of more units affordable to everyday San Franciscans.
• Worked with Mayor Breed to acquire a parcel for the development of more than 100 units of permanently affordable LGBTQ-affirming senior housing in District 8.
• Worked to identify existing sites and secure funding for additional permanently affordable developments in District 8.
• Authored legislation to prevent landlords from reducing housing services to longtime tenants.

Climate Crisis

• Authored and passed the City’s declaration of climate emergency.
• Authored and passed legislation requiring that new construction be all-electric to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from buildings (currently 40% of San Francisco’s greenhouse gas emissions).
• Authored legislation establishing new onsite water reuse requirements for large new developments and directing the PUC (Public Utilities Commission) to investigate and report back on additional opportunities for water recycling Citywide.

Public Transportation

• Convened the 2019 Transit Reliability Working Group to identify barriers to Muni service improvements and strategies to overcome them.
• As Chair of the County Transportation Authority and Vice Chair of the Transbay Joint Powers Authority, I worked to secure funding to bring Caltrain and High-Speed Rail to the heart of Downtown.
• Currently working to identify potential new revenue for the Transportation Authority, MTA (Municipal Transportation Agency) and BART to improve reliability of local transportation systems.

San Francisco Bay Times: Your staff is tremendous and has a reputation, as do you, for being incredibly dedicated and hard-working. Are they planning to stay on your team should you be reelected?

Supervisor Rafael Mandelman: I have been enormously fortunate to have a great team working with me these last three years, and I certainly hope they will be with me for a long time.

San Francisco Bay Times: Looking back on your current term as Supervisor, what have been some of the most memorable moments for you?

Supervisor Rafael Mandelman: There has been no shortage of amazing moments, but I think some of the most inspiring arose from the creative ways the community found to celebrate Pride during the pandemic: the lighting of the illuminated pink triangle on Twin Peaks for Pride during that dark first year of the pandemic and then again for the whole month of June this year (thank you, Patrick Carney and Ben Davis); the mass gathering of labor and queer community outside Allen Baird’s home organized by Cleve Jones and the Teamsters during this year’s Pride to let the longtime labor activist and friend of Harvey’s know we had not forgotten him; the screening of LGBTQ films in Oracle Park (congratulations, SF Pride and Frameline!); the grassroots marches led by queer people down Polk Street this year and last (thank you, Alex U. Inn and Juanita MORE!).

San Francisco Bay Times: Please mention anything else that you would like for our readers to know.

Supervisor Rafael Mandelman: Just many, many thanks to the Bay Times for your continued coverage of our diverse community.

https://www.rafaelmandelman.com/

Published on November 4, 2021

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