Oct 10/30/09 12:51 PM

New polluting plant for Bay View?

(Plan to triple rock crusher pushed)

(10-30-09)

        Happy day before Halloween boys and girls.     There was a real monster being born
before this Wednesday's Budget and Finance committee and I don't believe any of the
supervisors (Avalos, Mirkarimi and Chu) or the supe from the monster's birthplace
district (Maxwell) recognized what was happening before them.

        I'm talking about Item #2 on the committee agenda on 10-28-09.      One of those many
items where it seems I'm the only one with a clue.     Really.    Not that these girl
and guy supes are dumb.    It's just that there was one person in the audience (Richard
Robinson) and the supes always let their attention wander when they see an empty
chamber.

        And Brad Benson is a master at screwing up a presentation on purpose.    He whines
about the microphones and drones in monotone before endless redundant bullet-pointed
power point nonsense.     Know what he was trying to mask and succeeded (at least for
Wednesday)?

        The City wants to triple the size of a polluting, rock crushing monstrosity pouring
tons of asbestos-laden debris from the Lennar projects  ...  wants to not only triple
the size of the ancient City batch concrete/asphalt plant and, of course they want to
privatize it.

        Not content with simply having Pelosi and Feinstein and Leno and Newsom steal the land
out from under the black population (OK, they paid $1)  ...  not content with stealing
the land, they want to add air born pollutants to a population that has already been
being poisoned for decades.

        Yeah, triple the size of the plant and Benson kind of non chalantly tossed off that
they'd already issued the RFP (Request for Proposals) with a select body of bidders
before coming to the Board.      What a load of shit.    Actually, the poor population
there already has a shit-processing plant and a fossil fuel field of poison emitting
generators.

        I saw another hearing that included this subject a month or so back and the question of
whether they'd be crushing serpentine rock did arise.     Not sure, but I think it was
Benson who said that they'd be certain to have every truck bringing in old concrete and
rock  ...  promised to make them dump each load so that it can be closely inspected and
if it contains serpentine (source of natural asbestos – kills your lungs just as good
as the aritificial variety)  ... if it contains serpentine they'll make em load it back
on the truck and send it out of town.     How often you figure that's gonna happen?

        Naw, I know the way these guys think.     They (Lennar) plan to to pulverize all the
serpentine rock they mine from their 15,000 unit village, crush it at the formerly City
plant that they now control through a subsidiary and recycle it back into the
subsurface road and also sidewalks (they've been fined for this at some of their other
sites around the country).     Then, they'll use the newly privatized plant's asphalt
capacity to do the final paving on the roads and, damn, will someone clean up
financially while the locals only have to breathe triple the normal deadly fumes.  
Who cares?

        Only saving grace from the meeting was that the committee decided not to send it on to
the Full Board with approval.    Avalos continued it to the call of the chair and
hopefully these questions will come up then.    After all the years of trying to get
rid of polluting plants in the Bay View why in the hell would you want to expand one?  
  If the City really needs a plant, share the pain.    Put the new one in Sea Cliff or
perhaps on Marina Green.

Got Hep C?

        If you do or know someone who does whom you love or at least care about, go to
pottalktv.org this evening at 8pm and every night at 8pm Pacific Standard time and
watch Tony De Renzo trace his second treatment for the disease.

        Tony had a year's treatment around 3 years back and that one was one shot (to the
stomach) a week and kept him sick for 3 days.    This treatment is every night and
lasts 2 years.     I'll be there for tonight's opening and I'm certain for many
sessions thereafter.

        The hope is that people will post to the chat board or phone (415) 318-0688 with
suggestions and insight.

Again:  pottalktv.org

District 6 supervisor race

        I went to City Hall yesterday on my way to get some 2 buck Chuck and challenge a late
transfer citation and ended up voting and filing initial candidacy papers at Elections
Department and the Ethics Commission.    They make it too easy and tempting for guys
like me.     I mean, all laid out.     I was just going to pick up a Voter Information
pamphlet for next Tuesday's election (Vote No, Yes, No, No, Yes – sounds like blind
date getting better – I love pnemonics)  ...  it was just after 8am and I was the only
one voting and it was, as always, inspiring and I went into the Elections Department
and there was a pile of pamphlets in 3 languages on one side of the counter and a
candidate sign-up sheet alongside.

        So, old habits die hard and before you knew it I'd signed up.     Elsbernd wanted me to
run in D-2 with Reilly and Veronese but I told him that I prefer the OK Corral to Polo
stables.

My personal choices in D-6 remain Jim Meko 1st and Debra Walker 2nd.     I hope to add a
bit of levity to the campaign.

Go Phillies!

Go Niners!

Adachi for Mayor!

h.