One of my favorite Left Coast Conservatives is Cinnamon Stillwell, who has another guest op-ed in The San Francisco Chronicle's online edition. It's titled "San Francisco: Nanny State U.S.A." The SF Board of Supervisors is considering a smoking ban that extends to OUTDOOR city-owned public spaces. (Hey, indoor bans are fine with me - I know, I'm a heretic. But outside? C'mon!).

As Stillwell details, The Supes (or is that The Stupes?) are also looking at policing cyber-arcades; mandating certain types of water bowls and amounts of food for backyard dogs; and may eventually adopt a law mandating that grocery stores charge customers 17 cents per bag, paper or plastic. Then there's the citywide vote on a handgun ban, planned for November. Mayor Gavin Newsom, who came into office looking like a moderate D who was committed to re-shaping failed homeless programs, of course then made his huge pander leftward on gay marriage.

Now, writes Stillwell, he seems to have "faded into the woodwork," while The Stupes move ever leftward. Which is saying a lot, because the board's now-former President, as a grand parting gesture, turned loose in his office a graffiti artist who tagged the walls with the words, "Smash The State."

One other thing, Stillwell notes - with a population of under 800,000, 11 supes are too many for SF. I agree: there should be no more than 7 or 8. At $110,000 each per year, the extra money could be put into, oh, I dunno, something really esoteric like a few more cops.

Posted by Matt Rosenberg at February 10, 2005 07:02 PM

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