It's mayoral election time in SF and for the first time in many years there's a challengers to the Democrats. Not surprisingly, this being San Francisco, the challenger, Matt Gonzalez of the Green party, is from even further left (or at least presents himself as) than the Democrat, Gavin Newsom. The classic Buffalo Springfield's lyrics are quite appropriate in the Mission today:
What a field-day for the heat
A thousand people in the street
Singing songs and carrying signs
Mostly say, hooray for our side
And, apart from the "heat" part, since it's neither hot nor are the cops out in force, it's a classic San Francisco self-congratulatory celebration. Not that there's anything wrong with it, but maybe some of these signs--and at least one of the several Gonzalez-elegizing guitar-toting troubadours who were walking through the Mission--could have been better placed in parts of the city that Gonzalez is not sure to win.
Frankly, I'm pretty happy about it, too. Both of the candidates are young, smart and reasonable. I think that Gonzalez is more reasonable Newsom in enough things that I'm voting for him, but I think the city wins in the long run with either one.
