Strong Presence of Lesbian and Gay Political Power at Goodbye Party for Laura Spanjian

State Senator Mark Leno with Laura Spanjian

There was a strong presence of lesbian and gay political power at the goodbye party for Laura Spanjian of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (PUC) on April 8 at Don Ramon’s Restaurant. Not since the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club’s large meetings during the times of Mayor Willie Brown had Don Ramon’s seen so many lesbians and gays in positions in power enjoying quesadillas and margaritas with their straight allies and co-workers.

Spanjian’s family and friends joined together with her charming partner Susan Christian and her PUC co-workers, her supervisor campaign staff and volunteers, and various LGBT and non-LGBT activists. It was a tribute to Spanjian that the restaurant was packed with people who mingled and politicked, and then were attentive when the speeches started. Spanjian has been receiving a lot of attention lately because of her run for San Francisco District 8 City Supervisor, and some consultants gave her a chance of winning due to the ranked choice voting system. Her new job takes her to Houston to work for the newly-elected lesbian mayor Anise Parker. And Spanjian is also moving for love since her partner lives in Houston.

The honors for Laura began when San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom’s chief of staff Steve Kawa took some time away from running The City to proclaim “Laura Spanjian Day” in San Francisco. Kawa, with his lover and two children, was an inspiration to Mayor Newsom for the surprise same-sex marriages at City Hall. Spanjian was also honored with plaques from her co-workers at the PUC, who spoke about dams, water, and reclaimed grease and sewage, and then CA State Senator Mark Leno had some complimentary things to say when he gave her a large framed state proclamation.

Spanjian’s expertise in the greening of San Francisco as the Associate General Manager for External Affairs at the PUC has led her to the new job in Houston, a city that wants to catch up with other locales in recycling and energy conservation. Spanjian also worked for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) and before that she worked as a legislative aide to lesbian Supervisor Leslie Katz.

Former lesbian San Francisco City Supervisors Roberta Achtenberg and Susan Leal spoke fondly at the microphone about Spanjian, and Leal told some funny work stories from the days when she was PUC General Manager and Spanjian’s boss.

Roberta Achtenberg with Laura Spanjian

Among the lesbian and gay guests were PUC Secretary Michael Housh, a longtime activist at the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club and an important aide to legislator John Burton. He was also the campaign manager and aide for Supervisor Tom Ammiano. Former Supervisors Leal and Katz worked with Ammiano to pass the first domestic partners law in San Francisco. Paul Hogarth, the attorney for the Tenderloin Housing Clinic, was seated near the front of the event. He is also a marriage equality activist and managing director of beyondchron.com. A former aide to Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, Catherine Dodd socialized at the event. She is a now Deputy Chief of Staff to Mayor Gavin Newsom and she is active as an RN in national and local health issues. The PUC’s gay General Manager Ed Harrington was out of town, but all of the other ranking PUC managers attended the sad and happy occasion.

Activist/philanthropist Jody Cole and her partner Katherine Cole of Wild Rainbow African Safaris were there happily sporting Dallas Cowboy jerseys. And Pam David, who worked for San Francisco Mayor Art Agnos and is now the executive director of the Walter & Elise Haas Fund, made the rounds.

The exertion of lesbian and gay power that started with Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin with their Daughters of Bilitis, and The Society of Individual Rights in the ’50s and ’60s, and with the Tavern Guild and Jose Sarria running for supervisor in 1961, to Harvey Milk’s election in 1977, all culminated in events like the one for Laura Spanjian. The lesbian and gay presence was strong and the political descendents of the founders are accepted for their professionalism and experience.

The event ended with hugs and handshakes and messages of good will for Spanjian.

Election Tension Mounts in the Castro

Magnet, the Castro’s medical and cultural center in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco, hosted a District 8 supervisor debate on Oct. 27, 2009. There was anticipation and tension in the air in the space that Mayor Willie Brown described as beautifully designed as the W Hotel, for an election that is happening November 2010. The district’s Supervisor Bevan Dufty will be stepping down due to term limits but some intense political junkies would have you believe that it is happening next week. A party to promote marriage equality in Maine and a Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club meeting occurring at the same time as the debate did not affect the popularity of the event.

Magnet director Steve Gibson welcomed the guests who had packed the space and described the debate ground rules, and then each candidate spoke about their backgrounds and goals if elected.
Then there was a Q&A and a reception for one-on-one opportunities with the four announced candidates.

Attorney and Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club president Rafael Mandelman spoke first about who he is, why he is running, and what the district’s citizens and he can do together. He spoke about being afraid to be near gay Supervisor Harry Britt when he was a City Hall intern because he thought it would make him gay. This is a not an isolated fear. A lesbian couple with a feminist farm in the Deep South, on a fundraising tour through San Francisco, said that backward ministers told people that if women or girls rode past their farm they would become lesbians. He also spoke about his positions on the Board of Appeals and the Democratic Central Committee. And he stressed a need for a progressive coalition to better solve problems and serve citizens. He stated a need to help out children and finished by playfully calling the other three candidates “kids.”

Assistant District Attorney Rebecca Prozan started her presentation by saying that she is humbled and honored to be considered for the district supervisor seat. She spoke about working for Mayor Willie Brown as his LGBT liaison, and how she was able to obtain funding for the community that included money for Magnet. Prozan spoke about having the experience for the supervisor job and that she recognized the need to oversee and enhance funding for HIV/AIDS and childrens’ health programs. She emphasized that her day job of helping victims get justice prepares her for the public safety needs of the district.

Deputy City Attorney Scott Wiener began his presentation with a swipe at the mostly progressive board of supervisors by saying that he would not be “ideological.” That is the word that San Francisco dailies use when the board votes on international issues. Wiener’s said that his job gives him insight to how city departments operate and that he has ideas of how to improve their efficiency. He also spoke about his presidency of the Eureka Valley Improvement Association, his co-founding of the Castro Community on Patrol, and his former position as chair of the Democratic Central Committee as a source of perspective that would make him a good choice for supervisor.

PUC Assistant General Manager Laura Spanjian, the only non-attorney candidate, started her by saying that she did not need a microphone and that her loud voice is something she was known for in high school. She then complimented Magnet by letting the audience know that the medical center is one of the top 6 in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control. Spanjian said that she learned a lot from working for lesbian Supervisor Leslie Katz, working for MUNI just as it went into a meltdown, and then on to the PUC during its multi-billion dollar water and sewer projects. She stressed that she would be a 24-hour supervisor who could be counted on to solve constituents’ problems. She also spoke about her position on the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund board and an advisory board for the newly re-opened Eureka Valley/Harvey Milk Library.

During the Q&A some of the districts’ major issues were discussed. All four candidates agreed with Supervisor Dufty’s closing down of the Halloween Castro that drew hundreds of thousands of mostly non-costumed throngs and Assemblyman Tom Ammiano’s marijuana legislation. Except for Wiener, they agreed with Supervisor David Campos’ legislation to resist the apprehension of undocumented youth who are not convicted of a crime. Mandelman waved the progressive flag to denounce the owner of Whole Foods for his distain for workers’ guaranteed health care plans and unions during a discussion of incoming Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s outlets to District 8.

There was a congeniality among the candidates that could spread to their supporters. Ranked choice voting makes it advantageous to keep the lid down hard on conflicts, since even moderate voters could hand over one vote to a progressive and the other way around. There has been one surprise election victory because of this dynamic, and it could happen again.

Harvey Milk’s name was mentioned because the District 8 seat was mentioned as a legacy seat. This journalist knew Milk well and we discussed politics and community service over dinner at the Sausage Factory. All four candidates sounded like they understood that constituents expect attention to their needs, which is what Milk worked at day and night. But Milk did not have to deal with handheld phones that can take incriminating pictures and videos, political junkies with no life who follow the online 24-hour news frenzy, and unhappy café types and the gay far right that can pick apart and even distort altruistic civil servants’ best work and send it out instantly on blogs.

Election Tension Mounts in the Castro

Magnet, the Castro’s medical and cultural center in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco, hosted a District 8 supervisor debate on Oct. 27, 2009. There was anticipation and tension in the air in the space that Mayor Willie Brown described as beautifully designed as the W Hotel, for an election that is happening November 2010. The district’s Supervisor Bevan Dufty will be stepping down due to term limits but some intense political junkies would have you believe that it is happening next week. A party to promote marriage equality in Maine and a Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club meeting occurring at the same time as the debate did not affect the popularity of the event.

Magnet director Steve Gibson welcomed the guests who had packed the space and described the debate ground rules, and then each candidate spoke about their backgrounds and goals if elected.
Then there was a Q&A and a reception for one-on-one opportunities with the four announced candidates.

Attorney and Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club president Rafael Mandelman spoke first about who he is, why he is running, and what the district’s citizens and he can do together. He spoke about being afraid to be near gay Supervisor Harry Britt when he was a City Hall intern because he thought it would make him gay. This is a not an isolated fear. A lesbian couple with a feminist farm in the Deep South, on a fundraising tour through San Francisco, said that backward ministers told people that if women or girls rode past their farm they would become lesbians. He also spoke about his positions on the Board of Appeals and the Democratic Central Committee. And he stressed a need for a progressive coalition to better solve problems and serve citizens. He stated a need to help out children and finished by playfully calling the other three candidates “kids.”

Assistant District Attorney Rebecca Prozan started her presentation by saying that she is humbled and honored to be considered for the district supervisor seat. She spoke about working for Mayor Willie Brown as his LGBT liaison, and how she was able to obtain funding for the community that included money for Magnet. Prozan spoke about having the experience for the supervisor job and that she recognized the need to oversee and enhance funding for HIV/AIDS and childrens’ health programs. She emphasized that her day job of helping victims get justice prepares her for the public safety needs of the district.

Deputy City Attorney Scott Wiener began his presentation with a swipe at the mostly progressive board of supervisors by saying that he would not be “ideological.” That is the word that San Francisco dailies use when the board votes on international issues. Wiener’s said that his job gives him insight to how city departments operate and that he has ideas of how to improve their efficiency. He also spoke about his presidency of the Eureka Valley Improvement Association, his co-founding of the Castro Community on Patrol, and his former position as chair of the Democratic Central Committee as a source of perspective that would make him a good choice for supervisor.

PUC Assistant General Manager Laura Spanjian, the only non-attorney candidate, started her by saying that she did not need a microphone and that her loud voice is something she was known for in high school. She then complimented Magnet by letting the audience know that the medical center is one of the top 6 in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control. Spanjian said that she learned a lot from working for lesbian Supervisor Leslie Katz, working for MUNI just as it went into a meltdown, and then on to the PUC during its multi-billion dollar water and sewer projects. She stressed that she would be a 24-hour supervisor who could be counted on to solve constituents’ problems. She also spoke about her position on the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund board and an advisory board for the newly re-opened Eureka Valley/Harvey Milk Library.

During the Q&A some of the districts’ major issues were discussed. All four candidates agreed with Supervisor Dufty’s closing down of the Halloween Castro that drew hundreds of thousands of mostly non-costumed throngs and Assemblyman Tom Ammiano’s marijuana legislation. Except for Wiener, they agreed with Supervisor David Campos’ legislation to resist the apprehension of undocumented youth who are not convicted of a crime. Mandelman waved the progressive flag to denounce the owner of Whole Foods for his distain for workers’ guaranteed health care plans and unions during a discussion of incoming Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s outlets to District 8.

There was a congeniality among the candidates that could spread to their supporters. Ranked choice voting makes it advantageous to keep the lid down hard on conflicts, since even moderate voters could hand over one vote to a progressive and the other way around. There has been one surprise election victory because of this dynamic, and it could happen again.

Harvey Milk’s name was mentioned because the District 8 seat was mentioned as a legacy seat. This journalist knew Milk well and we discussed politics and community service over dinner at the Sausage Factory. All four candidates sounded like they understood that constituents expect attention to their needs, which is what Milk worked at day and night. But Milk did not have to deal with handheld phones that can take incriminating pictures and videos, political junkies with no life who follow the online 24-hour news frenzy, and unhappy café types and the gay far right that can pick apart and even distort altruistic civil servants’ best work and send it out instantly on blogs.