Play the New SF Game! All MUNI Riders Can Win!

I think this is brilliant. From the brand new site, "Where's Gavin?"
And thanks to Greg of the much beloved N-Judah Chronicles for posting this first.

I wonder if any of us can actually win this game? I sure could use a free Fast Pass.

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We’re looking for Mayor Gavin Newsom. Have you seen him? We know he talks a good game on Muni and transit in our fair city, the City and County of San Francisco. But why doesn’t he also walk the walk? His advocacy and leadership for Muni has been noticeably absent even though, deep in his heart, he must know that the truly green choice is non-car transportation. So what are we to do? Apparently he has the lock on the capitulating Supes and just doesn’t get it:

When asked what he thinks about the fact that Muni riders are paying more than drivers in this budget (estimates say the ratio is 4 to 1), Newsom responded that’s only true “when the budget is taken out of context” and argued that over the years “it’s been fairly balanced.”

In order to make this mistake, he must be a car guy. But there is some hope! We only have this clue from the Chronicle:

He also rides Muni incognito, disguised in a baseball cap, and walks when he can, said his spokesman Nathan Ballard.

But going incognito means we can’t find him. So can you help us find him? Only you, the riders of our beloved San Francisco Municipal Railway, can find Gavin going incognito. And to get you excited, check out the sidebar to see what prizes you could win! The deep and resounding question of our time is not “Where’s Waldo?” It’s “Where’s Gavin?”

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I'm still sick but this game did brighten my day a bit. Now off for some more tea. I stole the graphic off of the Where's Gavin site because it's better than the only photo I've got of him.

While You Were Out

Dear Gavin,

I hope you had fun in Washington DC yesterday, meeting with all of those important people in our nation's capital. Are they helping you out with your gubernatorial campaign? How was the Victory Garden Tour at the White House?

Well, I just wanted to keep you up to date with some things you might have missed out on since you're not in town too much these days. Even though your schedule says you're in your office today, I didn't see you when I was outside City Hall this morning.

Maybe you didn't realize this, but today there was a press conference on the steps of City Hall by homeless mothers. Apparently, homeless mothers in the community have been trying to meet you for over two years to talk about housing and issues that affect their families, but somehow you're never available to meet with them...

Here are some of the kids that your mayorship affects with the city's lack of transitional and low income housing for families...

Little kids living in one room SROs in Chinatown (7 people living in one room? That's insane.)

Mothers worried about how they'll survive each day.

People holding up a banner that reads "housing is a right, not a privilege."

Rachel and Lisa from helpamotherout.org were there. They have a diaper drive to help mothers who need the basics and can't get them because there aren't enough services. Did you know that there isn't even ONE diaper bank in the entire city of San Francisco?

Lisa, Rachel and I had to leave after the press conference to meet with K and bring her some diapers, formula, blankets and other items for the baby. But another concerned mom from Badgermama went up to your offices with the rest of the crowd and here is what she reported about being outside of your office for an hour:

I went up to the Mayor's Office with about 20 people. They kicked us out of the office and said that the one woman who can access the mayor's schedule was in a meeting. We waited in the hall outside the Mayor's office for over an hour.

Finally a guy came out and all he did was take a phone number down and promise that someone would call the coalition to make an appointment. Everyone had to leave, the children were restless, the ABC reporter split off some of the most involved folks to get them to go with him and a cameraman to someone's apartment in Chinatown where 7 people live in 1 room.

I played with children in the hallway so that moms could talk to the cameras some more...

So there you go, Gavin... just a little recap of the stuff going on right outside your door, fyi.

UPDATE 7:44pm: Here is the news segment that aired on KGO tonight.

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On an entirely different note...

Kelly! These animals were a HUGE HIT!!! The kids LOVE them! Thank you so much!!! They told me to say thank you! They immediately started playing and hugging them. So adorable. You knew exactly what to get.

xoxo

julie

Twitter This, Gavin

From yesterday's SFist:

"While Gavin Newsom tours California to tout his successes as mayor of San Francisco -- not to mention spending the weekend at the insider-baseball-y Democratic Convention in Sacramento, along with practically every other SF progressive and wonk -- he hasn't solved San Francisco's ails as thoroughly as he might want you to think he has...."

"While finding anything about homelessness on Newsom's site has proven fruitless, the San Francisco mayor talks about 'care not cash,' saying the numbers have improved. But 'care not cash' just isn't working, at least in this case. Yes, K has a social worker, but it sure doesn't sound adequate to keep her family on its feet. (She doesn't even have a way to keep milk/formula for her baby!)"

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Yep, that's right. While Mayor Newsom managed to Twitter up $15,ooo for his gubernatorial campaign last week, you've got to wonder what exactly he did for this city that proves he's ready to govern the state. Jerry Brown, are you reading?

San Francisco is sorely lacking in shelters for battered women, which is an entirely different type of resource than a regular shelter. Facilities and programs for abused women and their families in dire need are few and far between here in San Francisco. Had the situation been otherwise, I would have never met K and her family.

Thank you, SFist, for getting out there and saying what needs to be said about what's not getting done in this city to help the people who need it the most. I was too busy trying to help K and the kids to twitter in my donation.

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ps.: Oh, and Gavin, if you'd like to meet this mom and her kids to discuss how well your "care not cash" promise is working here in your city, I'd be happy to set up a meeting between your people and K's people. Email me. I'm not on Twitter.

pss.: And one more thing, Gavin, I know your Russian Hill penthouse is up for sale ($2,995,000). If you're traveling a lot for your campaign, I know a little family that could use a nice place to live until room in a shelter becomes available.