by Brian Leubitz [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

Shocking news out of San Francisco, Gavin Newsom is setting up an exploratory committee to run for Governor! Not shocked? Well, I guess that's to be expected. Interestingly, this was the first year that Gavin took the stage at SF Pride and was actively involved. In previous years, he would hang out in the background. But, good on him for stepping up this year.  From the LA Times:

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who built a national reputation pushing cutting-edge -- and controversial -- policies on same-sex marriage, healthcare and other issues, today launched an exploratory bid for governor.

His move placed the 40-year-old, two-term mayor out in front of a large Democratic field eyeing the race to succeed Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is barred by term limits from running again in 2010. Newsom said he expected to decide by year's end whether to proceed with a full-fledged candidacy. (LAT 7/01/08)

I must admit that I am a bit surprised about the timing. He was slightly less obvious about his ambition than Jerry Brown, who practically begged for votes based on his experience. Get ready for a long battle, folks.

by Brian Leubitz [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

Yesterday, I sat down for a discussion with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom to discuss his take on some of the issues that he's dealing with right now.  When I sat down with him at his desk.

You can hear the discussion right now on BlogTalkRadio, or you can catch the podcast.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom greeted bloggers today during the general session of the California State Democratic Convention. It was a friendly chit chat with folks from Calitics and the California Majority Report, but the real intrigue was behind the scenes. I've heard rumblings that the Mayor was seen meeting with high-level California Teachers Association figures earlier today. Something tells me they weren't talking about school lunches.

Speaking of not school lunches, former Controller Steve Westly was also seen entering a closed-doors private sit-down with Attorney General Jerry Brown.

by Brian Leubitz [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

San Francisco mayor announced yesterday that SF will be suing the state over Medi-Cal reimbursements.  Just so you know, under the new fee schedule primary care providers would get either $18 or $24 per visit. That's hardly enough to make it worth hiring somebody to fill out the forms, let alone pay rent, buy equipment, etc. Of course, part of this is a failure at the state level for allowing these cuts, part of this is a federal problem, with federal rates too low. But, to be clear here, the federal government provides a 1:1 match for increased reimbursements, so we are leaving a lot on the table here.

Hanh Quach at Health Access says that she likes the start, but more can be done:

It's nice that there is a high-profile ally who will shed light on budget cuts--he predicts that these cuts will have a big impact on San Francisco--a county that comparatively spends more on health care than others. If that's the impact in SF, how much worse will it be in the rest of the state?

read more »

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

This summer is looking to be a "blockbuster" budget-showdown, with the Democrats insisting on new taxes and a Republican caucus whosenear entire membership has signed a 'no tax pledge,' writes DanielWeintraub in today's Sacramento Bee. Weintraub is optimistic that sucha confrontation will we good for the state, and let's hope he's right.For the record: Weintraub says a modest tax increase coupled withserious spending cuts are probably in the cards.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom (above) is definitely looking at aGubernatorial bid in 2010, aides confirmed to the Chronicle thisweekend. He's already hiring consultants and posting on blogs. But someworry that the "San Francisco Values" label could be a liability —although it didn't stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming Speaker.

More than one commentator has suggested John McCain might be cleaver and promise Arnold an ambassador position inorder to make California competitive, and the Los Angeles Times lendscredence to this claim today. Like we said before, if McCain could finda position the Governor is actually qualified for, maybe we could talk.But besides, all signs point to California becoming more blue, not less.

There's more...

by Brian Leubitz [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

by Bob Brigham [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

While San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom stepped up, others ducked. The lapse of time between the Cosco Busan oil spill being declared a "42 gallon spill" and a "58,000 gallon spill" isn't the only timeline scandal. I was at the joint command press conference later in the day where the fact it took 26 hours from the time of the collision until the Captain was tested for alcohol kept coming up. The snickers from the press (which included 18 TV cameras) made it clear that "he had left the ship" was an answer that begs many, many questions.

The press conference was at Fort Mason, following it I walked the two mile stretch of the Embarcadero down to where I took the first shots of it hitting SF yesterday. Everywhere, you could see it in the water. Accountability time.