End the Patronage! Stop the Corruption! What San Francisco Lost in the 2003 Mayor’s Race
The following is an essay I wrote about my involvement in the 2003 campaign to elect Matt Gonzalez Mayor of San Francisco. It originally appeared in the book “Go Matt GO” by Nicole Roberts. This story remains prescient today, as our city is still plagued by the devastatingly corrosive effects of pay-to-play politics.
“Our city has at its foundation compassion, it has respect for diversity, it respects immigrants, it respects working-class people,” said candidate Matt Gonzalez. He was running for Mayor of San Francisco, America’s Left Coast City. It was the Fall of 2003, and local residents were embroiled in an exciting and high stakes battle for The City’s top job. Activism in San Francisco was alive and well, with many protesters focused on stopping the United States invasion of Iraq. There were massive demonstrations of over 100,000 participants that rivaled those in Washington D.C. and New York. Some observers say that the outpouring of peace activism helped lay the groundwork for a stunning mayoral campaign that made national — indeed International — headlines.
The theme of his populist campaign was “Our ideas are better.” Said candidate Gonzalez: “We’re going to need a mayor who really understands that there is an ideological battle in this city about the future.” A Green Party member, Matt Gonzalez stood proudly on progressive principles. He said we need to articulate them in a way that appeals to people. “We have the best solutions,” Gonzalez would say, “We just haven’t convinced everyone yet.”
I first met Matt in the Fall of 2000. He was running for Supervisor of District 5, which includes the legendary Haight-Ashbury neighborhood. At the age of 28, I was about to rekindle the activism of my younger days by organizing with the Green Party. Matt had previously run for District Attorney, but was relatively new to electoral politics. He registered with the Green Party when he made the run-off in his race for Supervisor. I began to walk precincts and phone bank to help elect him. Matt won this race in a landslide victory, despite skepticism from those who thought it was a mistake for Matt to leave the Democratic Party. It was on the campaign trail that I met my husband, Dr. John-Marc Chandonia.
Matt had launched a series of monthly art parties at his government offices to showcase local talent and help them sell their work. The gatherings provided citizens with the opportunity to enjoy the grandeur of San Francisco’s historic City Hall. The scheduling demands of my job had prevented me from attending these lively soirees., but one Friday in late summer I was finally able to attend. This occasion was particularly timely. It was early August — just one week before the filing deadline to declare one’s candidacy for San Francisco Mayor.
As expected, the party was packed with activists, politicians, and a few reporters in the mix. I was chatting up fellow Green Kim Knox about the possibility of running for Congress, telling her my ideas about taxpayer justice and media democracy. Matt was wandering around, looking stately in his suit. He mouthed the words “Hi Erika” a few times from across the room. After the party, I headed to a MUNI transit station with Kim, and she mentioned that Matt was considering getting into the race for Mayor. “He has a toe in. He was working the room,” she said. I was in disbelief. We Greens knew Matt would make a great mayor, but he had repeatedly stated he had no intentions of running in 2003.
Then again, a politician has the right to change his mind!
I had been disappointed with the way much of the local media had always dismissed the Board of Supervisors, and particularly Matt, as misguided and too far left. Ever since the slate of independent, liberal candidates were elected in 2000, coverage of them from the Hearst-owned San Francisco Chronicle was largely negative. Columnists such as Ken Garcia and Debra Saunders accused the Supervisors of defying the “will of the voters” for their handling of a controversial ballot measure called Care Not Cash, which was passed by the voters but struck down by the courts. The supervisors did pass a slightly amended version of the measure, but the press mostly ignored this fact.
Some reporters, however, did give Matt favorable coverage. One example of this was Adriel Hampton, Political Editor and Columnist for the San Francisco Examiner. His column “The Body Politic” always included interesting tidbits not found elsewhere. While some other journalists only pay attention to elite organizations, Adriel had his finger on the pulse of The City’s grassroots politics.
This may explain why Adriel got the scoop. Indeed, the following Thursday, the San Francisco Examiner screamed with the now-famous headline: “Gonzalez In.” It was the last possible day to file papers to run for Mayor of San Francisco, and Matt Gonzalez took full advantage. At 4:45 PM, he was reportedly greeted by spontaneous applause as he walked into the Department of Elections office to turn in his completed documents. All of the other eight candidates had announced months earlier. Some, such as front-runner Gavin Newsom and liberal stalwart Tom Ammiano, had declared their candidacies more than a year earlier. Former Supervisor Angela Alioto, a widely recognized liberal, was also in the race.
I jumped up and down — literally — when I saw the headline announcing Matt’s candidacy. “Finally!” I thought. “Finally someone to end the ultra-corrupt fat-cat cronyism that has run this town for far too long.” I immediately sent an email to the campaign, pledging my support by stating simply “Just tell me how high to jump.” Not surprisingly, there were many others equally enthused by Matt’s candidacy.
Some observers said that it was a lackluster race prior to Matt’s entry, despite the multitude of candidates. At the time, the infamous California Recall was dominating political discourse, and hanging over The City like a big dark cloud. San Francisco is a heavily Democratic Party town, and a lot of folks here were dreading the prospect of a Republican taking over the Governor’s Office. They felt the Recall was a thinly veiled attempt by the right wing to grab power in the country’s most populous state. Some Democrats even urged those of us organizing for various mayoral candidates to drop what we were doing, and instead spend our time fighting to save Governor Gray Davis.
Reactions to Matt’s entry into the mayor’s race were strong from all sides. The ensuing political storm so shook the city that Hampton described it as an “earthquake.” The San Francisco Chronicle’s City Hall Reporter Rachel Gordon referred to the situation as a “frenzy” on the local television program “This Week in Northern California.” “Gonzalez Crashes the Mayor’s Race” read the cover headline in San Francisco Magazine, a glossy lifestyle publication for our city’s moneyed elite. Matt also got a front-page mention in the now-defunct newspaper The Independent.
Stunned by Matt’s entry, some supporters of other candidates viewed it as a betrayal. Even some journalists were outraged. Joan Walsh, who erroneously reported that Matt had previously endorsed Tom Ammiano, referred to Matt’s entry as a “fist to the solar plexus” for Tom. Others thought it was a stab in the back. There were even whispers of homophobia, coming from a few queer backers of Tom. Angela Alioto, who later endorsed Newsom, was reportedly fuming over Matt’s entry while insisting his candidacy wouldn’t affect her standing at the polls.
But some progressives, even a few Greens, were skeptical of Matt’s intentions. When the active membership gathered at the local Green Party office for the endorsement meeting, it was standing room only. There were over 100 people packed into the modest space South of Market. After three hours of discussion, we were unable to reach consensus. Most Greens happily supported Matt, but others hesitated for various reasons. There was loyalty to Tom Ammiano, and some folks wished Matt would have sought more input from them before deciding to run. Others thought it was a bad move strategically, fearing that Matt’s candidacy would divide the activist community at a critical juncture.
Looking back at the incredible grassroots energy sparked by the campaign, it is confounding to consider the initial skepticism and infighting. I always believed the naysayers were underestimating Matt. He was clearly the best candidate, with the freshest ideas. In the end, it was vindicating to see him come so close to beating anointed front-runner Gavin Newsom.
Shortly after Matt announced he was running, his campaign had its first mobilization. We gathered at a makeshift campaign office at the locally-owned Horseshoe Cafe in Lower Haight. I arrived at 10 AM sharp. There were about twenty of us there, and we couldn’t wait to get started. Matt spoke briefly to the crowd of supporters, and then approached me to say he had heard I was running for Congress. I told him I had decided not to, and we had a pleasant little exchange. Next, John-Marc and I headed to Valencia Street to talk to voters.
Unbeknownst to us, that first campaign event was witnessed by SF Weekly Columnist Matt Smith, who wrote about it in a piece called “The Chick Factor.” The column humorously praised the physical appearance of the women in attendance at the Horseshoe, and concluded that Gonzalez had a ready-made constituency of hetero single gals. Enamored by our good looks, Smith wrote that we “wouldn’t have been out of place in a liquor ad.” Jokes about the column lingered, and rumors began to swirl about straight guys flocking to the campaign to meet potential mates.
One early fixture in the campaign was Matt’s fellow Supervisor Chris Daly, who endorsed him right away. Daly was a fiery young legislator, famous for his high-profile feuds with incumbent Mayor Willie Brown. He was similar to Matt on the issues, but a devoted Democrat. A great public speaker with a loyal local following, Chris was often sent to rally the troops of “Matt for Mayor” volunteers. He continued to serve this role throughout the campaign, and proved especially valuable toward the end when an ill and exhausted Gonzalez developed laryngitis.
While local political nerds buzzed about whose campaign would draw the most volunteers, we demonstrated our competitiveness right out of the gate. For our second mobilization, about 80 people gathered in the barren basement at the Horseshoe. We went around the room introducing ourselves, and talked about why we thought Matt could win.
I teamed up with Micheas Herman for an ambitious attempt at door-knocking in a Western Addition neighborhood precinct. We were well-received, though most folks weren’t thinking about the race for mayor yet. I heard some good rants against the Recall. Folks were friendly and generally pro-Matt. Some were enthusiastic supporters, such as one young woman who said, “Nothing’s going to change if we don’t do something!”
That day, I met a resident of one of the area’s nicest homes, who relayed an important message to me as he held a baby in his arms. The owner of a construction company, he had been told by the current administration that he must come up with $5000 in campaign contributions if he wanted the opportunity to bid on airport reconstruction contracts. His story was a bona fide example of pay-to-play politics. It was precisely this kind of corruption that had so many citizens frustrated with termed-out incumbent Mayor Willie Brown.
Ending the improprieties of the Brown years was a key issue in Matt’s campaign. “Are you willing to weed out patronage and corruption that costs the city money?” he would ask. The question was often repeated on the campaign trail. As President of the Board of Supervisors, Matt helped close a $350 million budget shortfall without making drastic cuts or raising taxes. When he appointed Supervisor Chris Daly Chair of the Budget Committee, the local big business community freaked out. “Oh no! The communists are in charge of the budget,” titans of industry would complain. But Matt’s policies were fiscally sound; his impressive performance on the Board had surprised many, and proven his detractors wrong. I enjoyed telling folks how the ever-gridlocked legislators in Sacramento could take a lesson from Matt’s ability to work with others and get things done.
Along with the constant volunteer mobilizations came house parties, which were aimed at raising money and introducing new people to Matt. A staple of the campaign throughout, they were all fabulous, as populist organizers know how to entertain. It was at a Sunday night party at the home of Maureen DeBoer, Co-Chair of the Feminist Issues Group (FIG), when Matt’s Campaign Manager approached John-Marc and I and asked us to organize voters in District 2. It was Gavin Newsom’s home district - the richest and whitest in the city - with the highest voter turnout.
Campaigning in District 2 was fun, though the first time was tenuous. The sudden wind gusts kept blowing my voter registration forms everywhere, and people had to stop their luxury cars while I walked out into the street to pick them up. The next time was much better. John-Marc would pass out literature in front of Whole Foods while I became a human billboard, holding up signs that said “Matt Gonzalez for Mayor.” Voters seemed impressed by our motivation. I spoke with a couple on Union Street who found me so convincing they wanted to go to City Hall and vote right away.
The saying goes that campaigns are won with shoe leather, but not all of my time was spent on the streets. There was much fun to be had. Matt’s official kick-off was quite a party. Around 600 revelers showed up before the night was over, as person after person took to the microphone to praise Matt. Gonzalez laid out his vision for our city. His good friend and fellow attorney Whitney Leigh summed it all up in his quote for a KRON-TV story: “Since Matt’s gotten into the race, everything has changed. People are no longer getting the sense that this is going to be a coronation.”
Police accountability being a key issue for many San Franciscans, Gonzalez helped put Proposition H on the ballot to reform the Police Commission. It was designed to give the Board of Supervisors power to appoint some of the Commissioners, a privilege that was previously reserved for the mayor alone. This was necessary, because the Police Commission had been packed with political cronies who continuously failed to grant hearings on police misconduct, despite numerous complaints from citizens. Newsom was against Proposition H, as were his police union backers.
After the California Recall vote was finally over, Matt’s campaign was gathering real momentum. By the time we opened our new campaign headquarters at 13th Street and Duboce, Gonzalez was showing some real promise for making the run-off. I could feel the energy. The ever-packed house parties, concerts, poetry readings and art auctions were getting even bigger. The yellow and black window signs began popping up everywhere, even in the more conservative districts. I would often get positive comments on my “Matt for Mayor” campaign buttons. “Right on!” said one neighbor as I walked by; others would give a thumbs up. As Election Day approached, it was looking more and more like Matt’s once-dismissed candidacy had the edge. I even overheard some folks talking about casting votes for Gonzalez when I was out to dinner one night. Weeks later at a different restaurant, the server saw my button and expressed her support.
I was quite proud of my alma matter, San Francisco State University (SFSU), which proved to be a bastion of support for Matt. This was thanks in part to the tireless efforts of the Campus Greens, and Academy Award-winning filmmaker Michael Moore. Moore was on a book tour for “Dude, Where’s My Country” when he spoke in the gymnasium at SFSU. The tickets were snatched up well in advance, and I could only get into the “overflow room,” a theater on campus where we watched the main event on a big screen. With thousands of people who couldn’t get into either the gym or the theater still waiting outside, Mike was welcomed with a thunderous standing ovation. Full of humor and optimism, Moore announced his endorsement of Matt Gonzalez for Mayor of San Francisco.
But along with our success, the mounting endorsements and an army of volunteers, there came the mud-slinging. I learned not to believe everything written in Letters-to-the-Editor sections of newspapers. This was after discovering that a woman employed to do publicity for the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, while not revealing her true identity, wrote a letter to the San Francisco Examiner accusing Matt’s campaign of illegally posting signs during a festival in Cole Valley. She claimed the signs were posted on a specific business, but conversations with said business-owner revealed the allegation to be utterly false. The letter purported to be from a concerned citizen. I soon realized this was a common tactic used by paid politicos looking to score points.
As for anointed front-runner Gavin Newsom, he seemed to miss one key aspect regarding the shadow of corruption that followed his relationship with then-Mayor Brown. The shadow had been cast not by Brown’s endorsement, but by Newsom’s seven-year voting record on the Board of Supervisors, in which he had voted with Brown over 90% of the time — all the while claiming independence. Newsom found the corruption-by-association charges unfair, and would counter by pointing out that Matt was endorsed by powerful city players such as permit expediter Walter Wong and builder Joe O’Donohue. The key difference here was that Matt had never voted to unjustly protect the interests of these well-known individuals. Newsom also ducked questions about a pending appointment to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), which was tainted by cronyism. The potential Commissioner eventually withdrew his name from consideration, thereby helping Newsom avoid the issue.
The day before the November election, I ran into Gavin Newsom at a BART station. Standing alone, he came into view when I reached the top of the escalator. He saw the Gonzalez buttons on my jacket and simply said “I see you’ve already made up your mind.” I responded, “Yes, good morning. Good luck.” Candidate Newsom laughed and said “Thank you very much. Take care.”
Matt’s Victory Party for the general election was held at the hip 111 Minna Gallery — the same place he held his official campaign kick-off. The large space was absolutely packed from wall-to-wall. Matt’s speech was triumphant, as was the euphoric crowd. John-Marc and I walked outside, where there was a mob of press surrounding Gonzalez. It was quite a site to behold. Supervisor Aaron Peskin had shown up, as had labor organizer and fellow Green Ron Dicks, who looked my way and said “We’re going all the way!”
The next day, e-mails were sent to volunteers on the Gonzalez campaign’s list serve, telling us to gather that evening at campaign headquarters. I was tired, but couldn’t stay away from the action. People said “We’re gonna win this race,” as we discussed how to move forward going into the December run-off. During the strategy session, we were summoned to back up Gonzalez at an endorsement meeting for the Labor Council. We gathered up some signs & literature and walked over, en masse, to Market Street. We were holding our Gonzalez signs and passing out literature in the hall. Chris Daly was there, along with some other politicians and news cameras.
Gonzalez spoke openly and calmly, touting a recently passed ballot initiative he had authored to raise the minimum wage. The crowd seemed sympathetic, except for some police and fire union members. They questioned Gonzalez about the voter-approved pay-raise for Supervisors, and appointments Daly made to the PUC while serving as Acting Mayor. Gonzalez answered all questions directly, honestly and frankly. When Gavin Newsom took the microphone, he was clearly fired up. Immediately his theme was clear: bash the Green Party. “I stood four square with you against this Recall….” he said. “But my opponent, he supported that other guy…” I was disgusted by the Green-baiting, especially since Newsom had never attempted to engage us in meaningful dialogue over issues. I was standing in the back of the large hall, and every word Newsom said made me lean increasingly forward with the “Matt Gonzalez for Mayor” sign I was holding up. Newsom, to no one’s surprise, did not directly answer the questions asked of him, which were about the anti-panhandling initiative (Proposition M) that Newsom authored. Doctors and nurses were featured in campaign ads for the measure, but apparently the healthcare unions had not been consulted about the issue. The air in the room was thick, especially during the question and answer sessions. The forum got heated at times, with chatter erupting from the crowd. It was at one of these moments that I first uttered what was to become my rallying cry for the rest of the campaign: “End the patronage.”
As we returned to headquarters, the deluge started. People were filing in, ready, willing, and able to commit time and what little money most of them had to the effort to elect Matt Gonzalez Mayor of San Francisco. The mood, heightened by a keg of beer and the sounds of Matt’s brother’s band playing, was ecstatic. That night, after a long bus ride home, I went to bed thinking there is no greater high than that of a vigorous campaign.
Given the divisive nature of the general election, a group of the “Anybody-But-Newsom” camp got together to organize a fundraiser for whoever made the run-off. It was yet another packed event, referred to as “the first big kumbaya” by the Chronicle’s Rachel Gordon. Dedicated field organizer Richard Marquez showed up and led us all in a chant, “Win Matt WIN!” What followed was considered one of Matt’s most humble stump speeches. He spoke of his work as a public defender, and about how the city’s most vulnerable citizens would suffer under a Newsom administration.
In the weeks before the run-off, Matt’s campaign had more steam than a boiling teakettle. I called a friend I hadn’t seen in months to catch up, and our excitement over the Mayor’s race grew to a fever pitch! We wound up yelling “Gonzalez!” to each other on the phone. The buzz surrounding the campaign had been turned up to a deafening roar. The race was making national headlines, and the Democratic Party was very afraid of losing one of its biggest strongholds.
Our mobilizations grew so large that the headquarters had to keep expanding to accommodate all of the volunteers. Longtime community organizer Christina Olague emceed many of the weekend morning rallies. Meanwhile, the list of high-profile endorsements continued to grow. Actor Danny Glover, who grew up in San Francisco’s Fillmore District, became very active in the campaign’s final week. Benjamin Bratt, whose sister was volunteering for the campaign, gave his endorsement, as did fictitious president Martin Sheen. Former Mayor Art Agnos, who some said was the last progressive to hold the job, also backed Matt. Art was a Democrat, but he eloquently praised the Green Party in his speeches. He would wear a green shirt or jacket and say that he was “comfortable in Green.”
The campaign became a way of meeting new people; I regularly conversed with strangers, often while riding mass transit. Every day I gave away another campaign button, as I always wore at least two. Folks I spoke with had real economic concerns. They were young adults who had grown up in the Bay Area, but were afraid of being pushed out due to the skyrocketing housing costs. They knew we needed innovative solutions to solve this problem, and that Gonzalez had smart
ideas, such as community land trusts, that could fill the bill.
Perhaps the most touching moment of the campaign arrived courtesy of “Queers for Matt,” led by Dr. Paul Quick and Michael Alterman, during a rally at Harvey Milk Plaza. The gathering place was named after the late San Francisco Supervisor and legendary gay rights activist, Harvey Milk. With over a hundred locals assembled, Matt was presented with Milk’s old bullhorn. Harvey had scratched the initials HM into it. The torch was being passed.
We campaigned in every neighborhood, including the diverse community of Bay View Hunters Point. Willie Ratcliffe, Publisher of the award-winning newspaper the San Francisco Bay View, endorsed Matt. We had a rally on West Portal Avenue, which was located District 7 where I lived. About fifty of us gathered on a street corner to show our support for Gonzalez, and I spotted some of my elderly neighbors holding up “Matt Gonzalez for Mayor” signs.
Our organizing maintained momentum through Thanksgiving weekend, when a group of us stood in the middle of shopping district Union Square and chanted “Matt for Mayor.” We later joined up with Matt and went strolling through historic North Beach.
Our last mobilization in District 2 was fantastic, complete with a mock cable car motor coach covered with “Matt Gonzalez for Mayor” signs. We heard brief speeches from Supervisors Chris Daly and Aaron Peskin. After that, about fifty of us walked through the Marina with our campaign materials yelling “District 2 for Matt!” I had my favorite rallying cry: “End the patronage! Stop the corruption! Vote Gonzalez!”
During the five weeks leading up to the run-off, there were a series of one-on-one debates between the two candidates. Newsom had agreed to four debates, but there were only three. The fourth was cancelled due to a dispute over format. The first debate was broadcast on public radio, and the third one was broadcast on television. The one in-between was not broadcast, but was reportedly the most dramatic. Observers characterized it as dueling political rallies, with each candidate having their cadre of supporters in attendance. Matt, an Ivy League debate champion, was calm yet passionate as he articulated his positions. The ever-slick Newsom was also a formidable debater, and anyone listening could tell he was quite well coached. The debates all had one thing in common: the rules seemed too constricting. People on both sides wanted to let the candidates speak freely without interference. The lively debates epitomized the intense interest in the election, which was perhaps the best thing of all. The citizenry was engaged. People seemed to realize that, despite disagreements on policy issues, both candidates were smart, articulate, and committed.
Less than a week before the election, Matt and Gavin were interviewed together for a one-hour program on cable access. The show was hosted by local Republican Arthur Bruzzone, and was quite entertaining. Poor Arthur couldn’t quite understand the difference between the two candidates! He did seem to think that they were both too young to run The City. By the end, the discussion practically turned into a debate over the very issues that seemed to drive the campaigns: patronage and homelessness.
The campaign’s last weekend mobilization was the most incredible political rally I have ever seen. Supervisor Chris Daly proved his chops once again with a rousing speech. The crowd of Gonzalez supporters, in just three short months, had grown from twenty to nearly one-thousand people. We were all on our feet as Chris shouted “Whose city?” To which the crowd would answer “Our city!” This mantra was to be repeated endlessly at the election night victory party.
The day of the election, December 9, 2003, it was rainy and mild in The City. Despite the inclement weather, the energy on the streets was off the charts. That night, the victory party was raging: live bands, DJs, big screens, drinks, food, and balloons ready to drop. We knew we would be behind in the beginning, as the first numbers reported would be the absentee results. How much would we be behind? How big of a spread could we beat? As the polls closed, those of us heavily involved in the campaign were in the staff offices at headquarters staring at computer screens. The first numbers to come in were Newsom: 65% and Gonzalez 35%. We remained confident we would make up the difference, but, as the press reported the next day, we waited in vain for good news that never came. With 100% of precincts reporting, we had just over 47% to Newsom’s 53%.
The crowd remained energetic. Chris Daly gave another great speech, in which he said something that summed up the campaign, “On a rainy day in December, a sleeping giant awoke in San Francisco.” It was unfortunate that the Los Angeles Times chose a different quote - one that made Chris sound ever-so-slightly like mafia don: “If he {Newsom} tries to give tax breaks to big businesses, if he puts dirty diesel buses on our streets…we’re going to take his legs out.”
The press was amazed by the thousands of people who came to the election night party, and by our triumphant mood despite the fact that we didn’t win. KTVU-TV’s Rita Williams said she had never seen anything like it in twenty-five years of political reporting. “It’s hard to imagine what this party would be like if they had actually won,” she said.
Matt’s speech that night was extremely gracious. As he took the stage, the still-elated crowd would not stop cheering long enough to let him speak. “Whose City? Our City!” we shouted non-stop. When he finally did speak, Matt mapped out a strategy for moving forward with Mayor-Elect Newsom. “When he’s wrong, we’re going to oppose him. But when he is right, we’re going to get behind him.” He also praised his supporters, saying he enjoyed the sleep-deprived months he had spent with us all. He closed by saying “You’re all so beautiful.” The best thing is, after months of campaigning for Matt, that is exactly how we all felt.
