This article is from Power Play, a twice-weekly newsletter rounding up the latest City Hall and local politics gossip. To sign up, visit The Standard’s newsletter page.
In late February, the California Democratic Party wound itself into knots deciding which of the eight leading candidates to endorse in the gubernatorial contest. Now, with disgraced ex-congressman Eric Swalwell very much out of the race, efforts are percolating to reconvene the Dems for one last go-round at an endorsement vote.
California Democratic Party executive committee member Christine Pelosi told Power Play she was approached by a “variety of campaigns” in the hopes she’d give her Jane Hancock to a petition demanding a new vote. She declined.
The petition pushers’ logic goes like this: With Democrats across the state and country united behind removing Swalwell from political life, can’t state Dems harness that same unity to coalesce behind a candidate for the primary? Especially as the split-seven-ways ticket risks allowing a Republican (opens in new tab) like Fox News host Steve Hilton the opportunity to reach the governor’s office.
California Democratic Party chair Rusty Hicks declined to comment on any overtures being made by people inside the party.
Pelosi isn’t convinced. “There’s a difference between indicating that we have to stand with survivors and then turning that into saying we’re going to coalesce around a particular person,” she said. “I just don’t see that happening.”
The Democratic Party’s roughly 400-person executive board meets three times a year, and it would take the vote of 100 members and three statewide officers to convene a meeting, according to party bylaws. Pelosi said that’s a long shot. (The next meeting isn’t scheduled yet but will take place after the June primary.) And while Swalwell received the most support during February’s party convention, it was only 24%. Even if all that backing transferred to the next runner-up, Betty Yee, who netted 17%, that’s leagues away from the 60% threshold needed for an endorsement.
“Frankly,” Pelosi said, “I don’t think there’s a consensus candidate right now. — Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez
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SCHAAFTED: The Bay Area Council, which lobbies for policies embraced by the business community, is celebrating the appointment of two-term Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf as president and CEO (opens in new tab). But Power Play has learned that another familiar political player was under consideration: London Breed.
Sources with knowledge of the Bay Area Council’s outreach confirmed that the former San Francisco mayor was approached about the position, though she apparently declined to apply. It’s unclear how Breed’s candidacy would’ve impacted Schaaf’s chances of leading an organization known for promoting denser housing and robust transit funding. Both former mayors made these issues top priorities of their administrations.
The council itself was mum on whether it actively recruited Breed, with spokesperson Rufus Jeffris saying, “The recruitment process was confidential.” Breed declined to comment. If you, dear reader, heard any other interesting names that were in the mix, we’re all ears. — J.F.R.
DEM WORRIES: Workers at the Department of Emergency Management are raising concerns about the city’s public-safety staff in light of a handful of layoffs at the agency. DEM, which coordinates the response to emergencies like blackouts or tsunami warnings, was not spared in the 127 layoffs Mayor Daniel Lurie announced April 6.
Cuts at the DEM include a watch center position, an important job for keeping city officials informed of emergencies and sending alerts when something bad is going down. The watch center staff has some overlapping responsibilities with 911 dispatch and on-call agency employees, according to DEM.
Two staffers from DEM’s Division of Emergency Services — the division coordinator and the assistant deputy director — also got axed. In total, the department saw six layoffs.
Current and former employees said that while the layoffs don’t gut the city’s public-safety response, they do put a strain on the staff. The watch center, for instance, was in touch with Pacific Gas & Electric during the December blackouts, relaying information to the mayor and Board of Supervisors about the effects of the outage and the estimated time of power restoration. The team also helps on big events, like when the business summit APEC comes to town or for the forthcoming FIFA World Cup events.
“It’s a risk to the public,” said one former employee. “With short staffing, you’re wondering how this is going to impact long-term operations.”
DEM spokesperson Jackie Thornhill said, “Our proposed budget protects DEM’s core operational services, preserving emergency preparedness and response by consolidating administrative functions, eliminating redundancies, and prioritizing operational coordination.” — Gabe Greschler
NEW CHAPTER: One of the loudest parent voices in the San Francisco Unified School District is putting down the bullhorn. Meredith Dodson is stepping down from her executive role at SF Parents, the organization she founded, though she will remain active in the group’s political arm, SF Parents Action, which handles endorsements.
“Six years in, and I’m more hopeful about SF Parents than ever,” Dodson said. “I’m moving into a deeper focus on our political and elections work.”
Dodson confirmed she is not running for the school board and said she wants to spend more time with her family.
Dodson launched SF Parents during the pandemic amid widespread frustration with SFUSD’s remote learning policy. The group went on to play a key role in supporting the 2022 school board recall and is now a major moderate force in SFUSD politics, often countering the progressive views of the United Educators of San Francisco, the city’s powerful teachers union.
SF Parents is beginning a search (opens in new tab) for a new executive director. It operates with an annual budget of about $1 million, backed by major donors that include Crankstart, the foundation of Michael Moritz, chairman of The Standard. — Han Li
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