Where are the candidates?

While San Franciscans wait patiently to find out who the candidates for major city offices will be in November 2007, they are overwhelmed with information about candidates for major races in 2008. Not only have TV debates started among the candidates in both parties, but information of all kinds comes pouring in. The Chronicle today reviews the MySpace sites of four of the leading contenders for the presidency. Do voters really need to know that Hillary Clinton's favorite reality show is "American Idol"? Will anyone cast a vote for Mitt Romney because he is an Elvis fan? Are researchers somewhere comparing the number of friends listed for Rudy Giuliani and John Edwards? As a civic organization dedicated to getting out information about candidates and issues in elections, the League may have met its match in MySpace. Did the League ever think of posting the astrological sign of each candidate? Is this going to be the hot topic in 2008? Where do we draw the line and point the voter toward the information that will help in making a decision? Yesterday's problem was a lack of facts, tomorrow's may be a deluge of facts that drown out the very things that matter.

What do other people do?

With Congress on its Memorial Day holiday spreading out across the country to talk to constituents about many issues, including the proposed immigration legislation, it is a good time to think about the issue in broader terms. Americans usually think about this country as a magnet for immigrants from all over, but the worldwide issue is far broader than just immigrants who want to move to the U.S. Next month there will be a global conference on migration in Brussels. The impact of migration on development will be discussed by representatives of 120 states. While we talk about the way immigrants are affecting our city or state, it's useful to remember that we are not the only people trying to adjust to new neighbors. Millions of people around the world are moving from one country to another looking for security for themselves and their families. It is worth looking at some of the reports from the Migration Policy Institute to find out what is going on in other places. The League's Immigration Study will try to assess our options on immigration in the light of the worldwide experience.

Who goes to college?

Immigration is an emotional topic for many Americans and Californians are probably closer to the issue than people in some other states. That's why the National League has organized a study of the issue of Immigration which is being carried out by League chapters across the country. Information about the study and the resources recommended for it are available on the League website. While we are studying the issue, many people are facing the problems associated with immigration, one of which is what happens to children brought to this country by undocumented parents. If these children, many of whom have no memory of any other country, do not get a good education, they are less likely to become productive U.S. citizens. A bill in congress, the DREAM Act introduced by Senators Durbin, Hagel, and Lugar would offer some of these young people a chance to go to state universitites and pay the same tuition as other state residents. This is a contentious issue, as demonstrated in the arguments written for and against it. The state League is trying to reach a consensus on whether we should support this legislation. The League has long supported education for all Americans, and excluding young people because their parents did not enter the country legally, would put them at a great disadvantage. On the other hand, the League also strongly supports the need to obey the law and follow the decisions made by elected representatives. As individuals, probably each of us has opinions on this subject, but reading up on the background and considering the pros and cons of proposed legislation takes time and effort. It's an effort that we owe to the young people of California.

Where will we find the brains?

A recently published report on the number of college graduates available to fill jobs in California is featured in today's SF Chronicle. Although more and more of the jobs in the state require at least a bachelor's degree, California students are not finishing college or going on to graduate school at the rate required to keep the high tech and other information-based industries growing. It's common knowledge that minority students are less likely to complete high school and go on to higher education than other California students. Civic groups need to work with educators to encourage minority students to take a greater interest in their communities and engage in volunteer work. This is one of the best ways to spark self esteem and let young people realize how many opportunities there are in our society. Otherwise the innovation and growth that is needed will come from overseas students and workers, not a bad thing in itself, as Thomas Friedman points out, but not a permanent solution to California's demand for educated workers. Let's encourage our own kids to forge the way toward a lively high-tech future.

Invisible needs

Some problems get a lot of coverage in the media--just think of how much video footage has been used in photographing Delta and Dawn, the two whales who blundered their way to Sacramento. And it's worth paying attention to creatures who need the help of humans to find their path again. But surely we should pay even more attention to the young of our own species--the children of San Francisco who need foster care but are not always able to find it. The S.F. Chronicle today has an editorial highlighting this issue. There are 1800 children in this city who need a foster home, but only 144 homes in which to place them. No matter how willing many people may be to give a home to a foster child, they can't offer help unless they have the money to spend. Raising a child is expensive, but rates for foster care have not been increased to meet the need. Now at last there is a bill in Sacramento, AB324, which would increase the basic rate for foster care by five percent. That would help a lot of people give a lot of shelter, care and love to children who really need it. Just because we don't see their faces on TV or their names in the paper, let's not forget the foster children of San Francisco who need help to find their path to a better life.

I'd rather do it myself

There may not seem to be much connection between local politics and a schoolyard game of marbles but an article in today's New York Times about reviving the traditional games of childhood does offer some insight into city elections. It seems that some parents and educators have noticed that children spend too much of their time interacting with media and not enough time playing with other children so they have started seminars in playing marbles, tag and other such classics of childhood. In the same way, a number of potential voters have noticed that national politicians are spending most of their time raising money for media campaigns and some seem to have forgotten how to interact with interested citizens. Local San Francisco politics hasn't reached that point yet, but as civic organizations increase their effort to reach out to the public through television and the Internet, there is a potential danger that the conversation between citizens and candidates may dwindle away. That's why it is important that the League is committed to holding forums where the general public can pose questions to candidate and receive answers. Politics is not a spectator sport--it is about people interacting with people. Electronic media can help make that interaction easier, but we always want to remember that the most important ingredient of political discourse is the individual voice asking a question and getting an answer.

What's in the paper today?

San Francisco will lose more options for finding out about what is going on in the city and in the world when the SF Chronicle cuts back on its staff, including reporters and managers. Newspaper readership has been declining steadily over the past few years and newspapers are losing money, although it's hard to believe that a paper as heavy as the Sunday Chronicle with its dozens of colorful ad inserts can actually be losing money. It makes you wonder whether the prices they charge advertisers are realistic. However, the company says it can no longer afford to keep as many reporters on the job as it has in the past. This will be a great loss to residents of San Francisco who want to know how their government is working and what is going on in the city, the state, and the world. Even the thriving online sources of news that so many people choose now are often dependent on news from print reporters and commentators. If readers prefer to get their news online, the newspapers ought to figure out a way to sell it to them. They could save thousands of trees and keep the reporters busy with their invaluable job of telling the rest of us what is happening.

Will they, won't they?

San Francisco may or may not become a wireless city anytime soon. Mayor Newsom's plan to offer free or low cost wireless Internet service throughout the city has been two years in the works, but has not reached a resolution yet. The proposal by an Earthlink/Google partnership was accepted by the mayor's team but is now stalled in the Board of Supervisors Budget and Finance committee. Some supervisors, including Chris Daly and Ross Mirkarimi would like to investigate the possibility of offering a municipally-owned system. The League has been following the arguments on this issue, because of its importance in helping all citizens get access to government and other public information. As more and more government and corporate information migrates to the Internet, it becomes more difficult for ordinary citizens to make good decisions without having online access. SPUR and some other community groups support the Google/Earthlink proposal. The League remains committed to studying and keeping abreast of developments. If the Supervisors do not approve the present plan, it may go on the ballot for decision in November, so voters will have to reach a decision about what kind of system they want for the city.

Best of intentions

The front page story in today's SF Chronicle about teachers who distort the results of California's standardized by helping students with answers or by changing answers to make them correct, highlights a problem that cuts across many areas of life today. Most educators agree that a single test gives very limited information about a student's knowledge or skills. Only a long-term assessment can hope to gauge a student's real education, but as a society we hate to wait for long term measurements, so we rely on a one-shot test. More than that, we count on the individual's test score, added to the scores of other students in the school, to tell us how well the teachers are doing their jobs and how well the school as a whole is performing. Some of the "cheating" teachers were no doubt trying to change the answers to give a more realistic picture of how well the students are learning; others, no doubt, were more concerned with saving their jobs. We'll never know the motives of each individual. Discovering the truth in the schools, the country, or the world is an ongoing and difficult job. Distorting test results to influence the actions of the department of education is not so different from distorting intelligence reports to influence the actions of the United Nations, or distorting battle reports to influence voters. Civic minded people have to keep a watchful eye on the actions of all influential groups. With the help of the media and our own skeptical minds, we have to look beyond the reports to see what is really going on. Who was it who said, "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty"? It's also the price of maintaining a livable community for ourselves and our children.

Deciding on the Very Day

The League office in San Francisco handles dozens of telephone calls every fall from people asking about when they have to register to vote. In a city with many new voters and a population that moves frequently, the deadline for registration is a hot topic. This isn't true everywhere. Seven states allow voters to register on election day, as an op-ed piece in today's NY Times describes. Voter turnout in these states averages ten percent higher than in the country overall. As the authors of this piece argue, most citizens today have ID that makes it easy for them to establish their credentials for voting. Voter fraud is often cited as the reason for demanding early registration, but voter fraud has seldom been a problem. These days civic organizations and government agencies work hard to encourage people to get out and vote, but the turnout in the U.S. is lower than in many other countries. Having to register ahead of time is surely a part of this. The League and other groups might well turn their efforts to making same-day registration the law in California. People who vote have a sense of ownership and take more interest in what the government is doing. This is what makes a democracy strong.

Will our votes be counted?

California Secretary of State Debra Bowen has announced the start of a new study to test voting machines. The question of whether, or which, voting machines can be trusted has made many California voters distrustful of all voting machine changes. For this study, Bowen has asked researchers at the University of California to study the software used in voting machines and test whether the machines are vulnerable to hacking. The basic function of all voting machines is to record each vote correctly and tally all the votes accurately. If these functions can be perverted by hackers, the machines lose all their value. What could be more discouraging to voters than to believe their vote may not count? The study, which is supposed to be finished by the end of July, comes late in a busy election cycle. Many county officials, looking at a presidential primary election looming in February, are concerned that there will not be time to make decisions about purchasing and installing machines in time. This is an issue of importance to all concerned citizens and one that the League has taken on as an important function. The Action Committee of the San Francisco League is following this issue closely and will report to members on the findings of the study and the actions of the Department of Elections.

Tiaras and blue collars

The pace of change in diplomatic messages was on display yesterday on television sets around the world, as the U.K. presented two public faces. At the White House, Queen Elizabeth, in her traditional tiara, dined with President and Mrs. Bush and offered a toast to the American people and British/American friendship. Meanwhile on YouTube, Tony Blair's latest video gave a similar message of friendship to the new president of France, Nicolas Sarkozy. In sharp contrast to the queen, Blair wore a blue collared sports shirt instead of formal diplomatic clothes. His message was recorded in both English and French and his two-and-a-half minute video has already been viewed by more than 76,000 people. No doubt there is room for many kinds of messages sent through many different channels, allowing ordinary citizens to view their leaders as they practice their diplomatic skills. Which kind of message has more impact? Where will the future take us in political speech? Will the $1000 a plate dinner in an elegant hotel give way to sharp jabbing videos on the home screen? No one knows for sure, but everyone with an interest in public policy has to keep an eye out for changes in how information and ideas are presented and who is listening and watching. The future depends on who understands which way the information winds are blowing.

Bringing them into S.F.

As the city waits eagerly for the freeways over the MacArthur Maze to be repaired, perhaps its a good time to think about how different cities handle their commuters. There is currently an exhibit in New York City of models created by Robert Moses of highway plans for Manhattan--plans that were never carried out. If they had been, elevated highways and tunnels would crisscross the city streets and parking lots would take up land now occupied by skyscrapers and public buildings. Looking back from the 21st century, it is easy to see that planning to rely on automobile transportation would have deprived New York of thousands of jobs and millions of dollars worth of business, making it a far less prosperous city than it is now. California has, for the most part, pursued a car-centered pattern of transportation, but with every passing year, the disadvantages of moving thousands of individuals in small vehicles that have to be stored during the workday is not the most sensible way to transport a city workforce. Even while we cheer the speedy repair of freeways, we ought to keep in mind the importance of overall planning for transportation into and around San Francisco. SPUR and other planning groups spend a great deal of time considering transportation options. The League looks forward to working with them and other groups on this issue through the coming years.

What are women worth?

There's been a new study, reported in the Chronicle today, about how much a stay-at-home mother would earn if she were paid for all the jobs she does. It's one of those stories that makes you sigh, "If only..." but doesn't come to much more. A lot of the figures are questionable--do women really work 91 hours a week? Aren't some of those hours being a "psychologist" meshed into the same time as the hours spent on "laundry" when a good "Let's take the clothes out of the dryer and talk about it" session does double duty? Stay at home moms perfected the multitasking technique years ago, but it is only getting media attention now that men have started doing it. These days new technology allows women to use some of the same multitasking skills at the office while sitting through long, pointless meetings. They have learned how to order groceries on their laptops while the boss drones on.
What has changed as the pool of stay-at-home women has dwindled is the volunteer organizations that depended on their work are having a hard time. Women who used to organize election forums while their toddlers napped have gone back to paid employment and the large pool of unpaid labor that ran many of the country's social and civic programs has dried up. What is the value of volunteer work that women have put in over the years? Someone ought to do a study of that. Now men and women are sharing volunteer work more equally--a move in the right direction. It would be worthwhile for some academics to look at how these volunteer hours contribute to the health, happiness and economy of the country.

Give him a free ride?

Today's Chronicle had an article about the thirteen people who have signed up to run against Gavin Newsom for mayor of San Francisco in November. According to the newspaper, not one of the challengers is well-known enough to have a serious chance of unseating the mayor. So, what do San Franciscans do? Do we decide the mayoral race is not worth our attention and allow Mayor Newsom to slide into another term without breathing hard? Others may do that, but the League has a tradition of taking every race seriously. We intend to use the occasion of the election to raise serious questions about what is going on in the city. Are we completely satisfied with the way the Mayor's office is operating? If not, what issues do we want to raise? No matter how well a politician is doing his or her job, citizens have an obligation to question them at every election and make them demonstrate that their plans will be the ones we want to support. So watch out, Mayor Newsom, no one gets a free ride from the League.

And the winner is...

They don't get as much attention as the Oscars, but the Webby Awards tell us a lot about what people are seeing and listening to on the Internet. Now that most young people get their news and political information online, it's important to know what they're learning. For those of us who have spent most of our lives with print, the websites and podcasts can be eye-openers. Take a look at the winner in political blogs, Truthdig. It's as loaded with print as a Sunday NY Times and filled with a mix of fact and opinion. Lots of working time at the office must be lost in reading all the comments on this page. The winner of the political websites, OpenSecrets.org, is a little more formal in its approach. Here you can find out the name of your Congressperson, the amount of money raised by each of the presidential candidates, and lots of other details about political fundraising.
Where does the League's presentation of facts about government fit into the new picture of political information? The next few years are going to be crucial for us to find a place in the Web world and establishing our credentials with the online generation.