By NICHOLAS KUSNETZ
The District 9 Supe had a busy week, touching on immigrants’ rights, cuts to children’s programs, and even a certain psychoactive substance.
Yes, David Campos did get up during Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting to support Tom Ammiano’s statewide measure to legalize pot. Stoners may be rejoicing, but the move is more about generating cash through taxes and improving regulation, Campos said, all the while suppressing a smile.
To be fair, his grin emerged only when he looked up from time to time and made (bloodshot-free) eye contact with his colleagues. “When we’re facing a financial crisis I think we need to put every option on the table so I think it is important for San Francisco to take the lead on this issue.”
The Board sided with Campos 8-3 and decided not to pass on grass. Even the nation’s Attorney General loosened up a bit on marijuana this week.
Moving on, Campos took the lead in calling on the Feds to appoint a new U.S. Attorney for Northern California to replace Joseph Russoniello, who Campos says has pushed an anti-immigrant agenda.
“An affront to one group is an affront to all of us,” Campos said, noting support from a diverse set of immigrant and legal rights groups.
The resolution got seven of eleven possible votes, but procedure required unanimity, the city attorney said. So, the board voted to waive a procedural requirement and voted again. Minutes later the measure passed with the same seven votes.
At Thursday’s Rules Committee meeting Campos was the swing vote in rejecting a labor union pick to sit on the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District Board. See Fog City Journal for more.
And finally, what would a week in the life of Campos be these days without a visit to the Budget and Finance Committee. In a continuation of budget cut presentations, the acting director of the Department of Children, Youth, and their Families put up its proposed $6 million in cuts to children’s programs that would hit the Mission hard. Campos questioned why programs in the Mission are being cut even as violence in the neighborhood has jumped in recent months.
“If there is a shooting in the Mission over the weekend, I have seen it, the police department and the city will not hesitate to send additional resources to the mission district,” he said. “When those shootings happen, I do not hear DCYF or [Juvenile Probation Department] saying, what else can we do? Or if you are saying it, maybe I need to hear more closely.”
He won’t let the issue drop and plans to hold hearings on how the cuts will affect violence prevention.