Tomorrow's Riots...Today!

If you've ever been in San Francisco during a "protest," you know what a hassle that can be. Even though virtually the entire region is left-liberal, the professional protester class goes out of its way to inconvenience and antagonize the populace through the ever-popular "riot/march on Market Street" (SF's main downtown artery, for you out-of-towners). This month, it looks like there are a number of potential riots or at least casus belli for a call to "shut SF down" (Maaaaannnnn!). If you are planning a trip to SF, you should know when is a good time to be here, and when you should leave the streets to the usual rabble of nose-ringed pol-sci majors. For your convenience, I have listed some below:

1.) The Bum Riot: Mayor to Introduce 2 Plans For Sit/Lie Law

It could soon be illegal to sit or lie on public sidewalks anywhere in San Francisco, a law Mayor Gavin Newsom says would make city life safer for pedestrians and merchants, but that homeless advocates and others say would amount to profiling against the poor.

Newsom will introduce two separate versions of a sit/lie law today at the Board of Supervisors. One version would prohibit sitting or lying on public sidewalks in about 20 commercial corridors throughout the city and is modeled on a similar law in Seattle that was upheld as constitutional by the U.S. Court of Appeals.

The other would prevent the behavior everywhere, including in residential neighborhoods, and is believed to be a first nationwide.

"He's not wedded to any particular approach," said the mayor's spokesman, Tony Winnicker. "Obviously, we do want one to pass the board, and we're introducing them with the hope and expectation the board will pass a meaningful sit/lie ordinance."

Police Chief George Gascón has been pushing for a sit/lie ordinance in the Haight after learning of bands of thugs blocking sidewalks and bullying merchants, pedestrians and neighborhood residents.

SF is famous for its sprawling homelessness problem, but it's even worse in The Haight, which has long cultivated a louche reputation and frank open air drug scene. Also, some people think the sight of hippies squatting in the gutter is a vital part of the neighborhood's history, sort of like Civil War re-enactors, I guess. By the magic alchemy of progressive governance, everyone in the City hates the homeless (who would be better described as "The Drunk" and "The Crazy"), but nothing can be done about them, because there is the inevitable lobbying group ready to decry "police state tactics." Expect more of the same.

2.) The Public-Sector Union Riot: 15,000 SF Workers Face Lay-Offs, Shorter Weeks

More than 15,000 San Francisco city workers across all departments will receive layoff notices Friday, and most of them will have the option of being rehired to work a shorter week, Mayor Gavin Newsom said Tuesday.

Newsom's controversial plan to help reduce the city's $522 million budget deficit for the 2010-11 fiscal year would shift the majority of the city's 26,000 workers from a 40-hour week to 37 1/2 hours, cutting their paychecks by 6.25 percent.

The plan is expected to save $100 million - half in the city's general operating fund and half in money-generating departments including the port and airport - but is being decried by unions and some supervisors as a slap at the rank and file.

...

The mayor's proposal would affect most job classifications including librarians, gardeners, secretaries, clerks, street cleaners, janitors and more. The vast majority would be rehired at the reduced schedule within 60 days and would continue working as normal in the meantime.

The plan wouldn't affect police officers, firefighters, deputy sheriffs, Muni operators or attorneys for a variety of reasons, including that some of those groups have mandatory staffing levels or work hours inscribed in their deals with the city.

Newsom stressed those groups would be asked to take 6.25 percent wage cuts, though that would require agreements from those unions.

It's either that or lose the jobs entirely, folks. Get a clue.

3.) The Bicycle Riot: SFPD To End Critical Mass?

SFPD's new chief, George Gascon, is reportedly considering putting an end to Critical Mass, the group cycling event that occurs the last Friday of every month.

Participants have, on rare occasions, engaged in vandalism of cars — but those incidents don't compare in number with those in which vehicles damage cyclists' persons or property. The real headache of Critical Mass comes from complaints from drivers and residents whose travels are slowed by the event, as SFPD acknowledges.

The police are now just looking into the issue, but they could opt to follow New York City's lead: A judge there ruled last month that more than 50 cyclists riding together must get a permit.

SF may be the only major city with a regularly scheduled, monthly riot, that being the Critical Mass "ride" on the last Friday of the month. The cute utopian idea is that hundreds of bicyclers take to the streets to show us all that we don't need cars to commute. The reality is the "ride" is little more than an excuse to block traffic and act like assholes. If the City ends Critical Mass (which has been going on for over 15 years!), that would certainly be a change for the better. However, the last person to try this was Mayor Willie Brown over 10 years ago. The result was a an entertaining Friday night battle between cops and bicyclists that ultimately worked out in the bicycles favor.

4.) the Student-Teacher Riot: Schools In State Fired Up Over Day of Action

March 4th has gone viral.

The upcoming Day of Action to Defend Public Education - rallies, marches, teach-ins, even political theater - began as an idea on the UC Berkeley campus last fall and has caught fire up and down California, from elementary school to graduate school, and across two dozen states.

On the surface, Thursday's Day of Action seems likely to be an unprecedented show of unity among public education advocates at all levels who are angry that politicians and university officials with fingers on purse strings are letting the system decay.

"Everybody's coming together," said Callie Maidhof, a student at UC Berkeley, where students have protested tuition hikes, budget cuts and layoffs since last fall.

This has actually been the subject of a special pre-riot, so expect plenty of fireworks on March 4. Lots of events are planned for San Francisco State (my alma mater!), which has a proud history of violent student activism and quisling administrative responses. The sad thing is the students, who don't understand the extent to which their tuitions are subsidized by the taxpayers (why do you think tuition is so low??), and also don't understand the extent to which they are "idealistic" cannon fodder for professors trying to protect their jobs and status.