(San Francisco + Election eve)
I went to city hall. San Francisco's city hall. I needed to figure out how I can vote in person in the city I'm registered as a permanent absentee. I walked through the Civic Center farmers market*, and then past the City's fake farm installation outfitted of circular bails of hay, tagged for school children field trips, past the plaza where the political homeless used to camp out, and into City Hall.
Nobody asks for my ID. I fill out a form, explained my situation and they just hand me another form, this time on pink paper. I scribbled my name once again, and they handed me a ballot I could fill out there or take home and mail later. Everything about it screamed fraud friendly. Intentionally
This is the same week that the more "progressive" members of San Francisco's Board of Supervisors passed a prohibition legislation against new restaurants and bars in North Beach. The law, originally a straight up ban on liquor sales was written by Aaron Peskin (who is termed out in January and will likely look for higher office like Feinstein, Pelosi, etc.) to target a number of historical locations, including a vacancy I have in a building I own with my mother, which has been a bar/restaurant since 1860. We may lose the property as a result. It's not illegal in San Francisco for us to rent it to anything these assholes don't deem neighborhood serving, and our tenant would have to do a certain percentage of business from the neighborhood, serve the neighborhood, and force us to turn down anyone who doesn't meet their approval. It's basically a form of silent eminent domain, and we're trying to fight it, but how? Also, so much for the free market. Best part? We contact our own district Supervisor who happened to be up for reelection, thinking he might help us, and it turns out his family owned the building back when Harvey Milk hung out there, back during it's speakeasy days even...and the fucker still voted for this legislation.
*I'll buy anything unusual or miniature...blue potatoes, baby eggplants, cranberry beans, some other stuff I never did figure out what to do with or how you cook Turns out you just show up, fill out of
Last night was the Day of the Dead parade thing... I can't bring myself to call it Dia de los Muertos, rather then it's gringo name, because I seriously didn't see a single Mexican, or Latin family in the entire bunch. Okay wait, there was this lost looking church group holding votive candles who seemed to be doing a seance around a puddle of water. I'm certain there were others there somewhere, drowned out by an event that's become another Critical Mass, Burning Man, Cacophony Societal gentrification parade, but I didn't see 'em. Do they realize they're celebrating the death of distinct culture? Not joining in with an ethnic custom but appropriating it entirely. Probably not. It's nice to see people dress up like skulls, there were some amazing outfits and people looked happy at least. Maybe I'm just bitter that you can't actually eat a sugar skull, but it all strikes me as a bit profound.... especially framed by tomorrow/today's election.
Nobody asks for my ID. I fill out a form, explained my situation and they just hand me another form, this time on pink paper. I scribbled my name once again, and they handed me a ballot I could fill out there or take home and mail later. Everything about it screamed fraud friendly. Intentionally
This is the same week that the more "progressive" members of San Francisco's Board of Supervisors passed a prohibition legislation against new restaurants and bars in North Beach. The law, originally a straight up ban on liquor sales was written by Aaron Peskin (who is termed out in January and will likely look for higher office like Feinstein, Pelosi, etc.) to target a number of historical locations, including a vacancy I have in a building I own with my mother, which has been a bar/restaurant since 1860. We may lose the property as a result. It's not illegal in San Francisco for us to rent it to anything these assholes don't deem neighborhood serving, and our tenant would have to do a certain percentage of business from the neighborhood, serve the neighborhood, and force us to turn down anyone who doesn't meet their approval. It's basically a form of silent eminent domain, and we're trying to fight it, but how? Also, so much for the free market. Best part? We contact our own district Supervisor who happened to be up for reelection, thinking he might help us, and it turns out his family owned the building back when Harvey Milk hung out there, back during it's speakeasy days even...and the fucker still voted for this legislation.
*I'll buy anything unusual or miniature...blue potatoes, baby eggplants, cranberry beans, some other stuff I never did figure out what to do with or how you cook Turns out you just show up, fill out of
Last night was the Day of the Dead parade thing... I can't bring myself to call it Dia de los Muertos, rather then it's gringo name, because I seriously didn't see a single Mexican, or Latin family in the entire bunch. Okay wait, there was this lost looking church group holding votive candles who seemed to be doing a seance around a puddle of water. I'm certain there were others there somewhere, drowned out by an event that's become another Critical Mass, Burning Man, Cacophony Societal gentrification parade, but I didn't see 'em. Do they realize they're celebrating the death of distinct culture? Not joining in with an ethnic custom but appropriating it entirely. Probably not. It's nice to see people dress up like skulls, there were some amazing outfits and people looked happy at least. Maybe I'm just bitter that you can't actually eat a sugar skull, but it all strikes me as a bit profound.... especially framed by tomorrow/today's election.