Mayor London Breed lately introduced that she had accepted help with automotive repairs from former Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru, who resigned this month after his arrest in a federal corruption investigation. Breed’s automotive is sufficiently old to vote — and apparently nonetheless not working correctly — and she or he has been shut pals with Nuru for many years. Nonetheless, it was a mistake for the mayor to just accept the reward and let a long-standing private relationship distract from her skilled duties as San Francisco’s chief govt.
The mayor has clearly acknowledged the error; as she stated, she is a human being, and human beings make errors. Most voters appear to know that and recognize her openness and contrition.
The identical, sadly, can’t be stated for Supervisor Hillary Ronen and the small group of political figures who’ve been making an attempt to tear down Breed since earlier than she grew to become mayor. Sensing a possibility to assault her, they instantly proclaimed themselves guardians in opposition to civic corruption. And Ronen virtually instantly declared that Breed ought to resign. This was laughable on its face and drenched with hypocrisy when subjected to even passing scrutiny.
Former mayor and supervisor and present enterprise capitalist Mark Farrell confronted a $191,000 Ethics Commission fine after his 2010 supervisorial marketing campaign was charged with coordinating with an unbiased expenditure marketing campaign that was not unbiased in any respect. (The advantageous was decreased after Farrell sued.) Did Ronen name on Farrell to resign? Did she bemoan corruption in metropolis authorities on that event? No, she helped appoint Farrell mayor.
Former Supervisor John Avalos was fined $12,000 by the Ethics Fee on fees that his mayoral marketing campaign misreported over $26,000 and failed to take care of correct data for over $391,000. He additionally had an extramarital affair with an aide (talking of an inappropriate overlap of private {and professional} relationships). When the affair got here to mild in 2014, Avalos stated, “I felt it was most acceptable for her to find employment outside this office,” suggesting the aide misplaced her job for relationship her boss, i.e. him. Did Ronen name for Avalos’ resignation? Did she query his health for workplace? No — in actual fact, she is working on a slate with him as I write this.
However certainly Ronen has proven purity in her personal affairs? Once more, no. The supervisor continued fundraising for a poll measure after she had determined to withdraw it, deceptive supporters into pondering the marketing campaign was nonetheless occurring. And in 2018, she led an effort to appropriate extra city funds to the Public Defender’s Workplace unit that her husband manages.
These are just a few of many examples of the double customary some politicians apply to the mayor on one hand and to their pals and allies on the opposite. Sadly, African American leaders typically face such a double customary.
When state Treasurer Fiona Ma and San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo endorsed Michael Bloomberg for president, for instance, loads of individuals might have disagreed with their selection, however nobody questioned their character. But when Breed and the African American mayor of Stockton, Michael Tubbs, endorsed Bloomberg, the distressingly frequent response on social media and elsewhere was, in essence, “How a lot did Bloomberg pay them? What did they get for this?”
There’s a informal, virtually accepted racism in continuously suggesting black leaders are corrupt. It’s unsuitable, and it’s far too prevalent.
Now shouldn’t be the time for racial stereotypes or politically motivated hyperventilating in San Francisco. We now have far an excessive amount of of each in our nationwide discourse. Now could be the time for introspection, collaboration and a give attention to the substantive points we face.
Malia Cohen is a member of the state Board of Equalization and a former San Francisco supervisor.
Author: ” — www.sfchronicle.com “