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Newsom pitches idea of an open office
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Washington, D.C., Mayor Adrian Fenty, left, shows New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg his bullpen-style office suite. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is planning a similar approach for a new office layout at City Hall.
SAN FRANCISCO (Map, News) - Mayor Gavin Newsom is literally restructuring his office, with plans to throw city staffers into one room on the second floor of City Hall, the latest confirmed change being made for his upcoming second term in office.
An open office, otherwise known as a bullpen, will be created in Room 201, across the hall from Newsom’s office, around the time he is sworn in for his second term on Jan. 8, Newsom’s spokesman Nathan Ballard confirmed Friday.
“The mayor is reinvigorated and wants to shake things up in his new term. He’s going to be bringing in new department heads, changing his structure of his senior staff and this is part of that creative process,” Ballard said of the bullpen.
The bullpen in city government was made famous by New York City’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Bloomberg praised the bullpen concept during his 2002 State of the City address, saying that it was created to “improve efficiency” and foster creativity. The idea comes from the stock-market trading-floor layout in which everyone works together in one big room.
Ballard would not say specifically where Newsom got the idea for his new City Hall office structure, but said “the mayor’s always interested in best practices from other cities,” adding that a bullpen is meant to “reinvigorate policymaking.”
“[Newsom] wants to bring senior staff members from key policy areas he is focusing on and put them all close together and close to the mayor’s office so there can be a better exchange of ideas,” Ballard said.
As to how many cubicles will be put in Room 201 — which is currently used for occasional meetings — and who specifically will be in the bullpen, Ballard would only say those “plans are being developed right now.”
The bullpen will include those policymakers focused on such issues as greening, the environment, transportation and education, he said.
Newsom’s proposal would then differ from Bloomberg’s in that New York City’s mayor himself and his staff actually conduct their business in the bullpen.
Borrowing ideas from other mayors is nothing new or unusual for Newsom. In the summer of 2005, Newsom toured Chicago with Mayor Richard Daley and touted that city’s use of surveillance cameras — which has now been initiated in San Francisco — to combat crime.
Additionally, the Mayor modeled The City’s SF Stat program — which tracks and reports how well city departments are performing — on Baltimore’s CitiStat.
Other changes could be just around the corner. In September, Newsom requested senior staff members and department heads to submit letters of resignation dated for when he is sworn in for his second term. At the time, Newsom said the letters would make it easier for him to make significant changes in his administration.
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Examiner Reader said:
when life first arrived after the big bang theory, the environment was clean as a whistle and the first humans had no technology. look at us now, asking for emission free standards. what on god's green earth is this place we live in now, anyway?
4 agree | 4 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I would love to see the citizens of San Francisco, physically march to city hall and DEMAND that Newsome and Harris step down from office, and DEMAND that the Federal government starts putting those two in Prison, for harboring these illegal alien idiots,and other illegals.This would send a strong messege to other Sanchuary cities,including San Jose as well.If the illgals can march to city hall and comlain,so can the citizens of San Francisco,and send a LOUDER messege!
10 agree | 5 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
willie the brown was ecstatic in the buffet line at the newsom bride event. that big mouth can chomp down good.
4 agree | 5 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
kamala is a problem herself, let alone the sanctuary policies, law, or whatever it is. for someone who dated basic brown when he was sixty and she was just a sweet twenty-nine, her law school education didn't do her much good. we want tough law enforcers, not someone who went down on basic brown because this is what he expects of all women who fornicates with his black and very disgusting, aging body.
8 agree | 5 disagree
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Mark Winshel said:
While due to the extreme amount of media attention that has been focused on the three recent murders, & of which apparent undocumented alien Edwin Ramos is accused, therefore SF for at least a little while has been forced to pretend to do a major rethink of some facets of its sanctuary policy, however since the real reason for its sanctuary policy is NOT humanitarianism but instead to provide the big boys with increased & easier access to low cost undocumented alien slave labor, therefore in spite of any window dressing "reforms" SF might pretend to do, the city's "sanctuary" policy will actually continue pretty much as before. In other words the big boys who make large election campaign contributions to SF City Hall want plenty of & easy access to low cost undocumented alien slave labor, so therefore City Hall is determined to have & continue its Sanctuary Ordinance, & as it pretends the reason for the Sanctuary ordinance is supposedly because of humanitarian concerns.
7 agree | 5 disagree
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Rejoh said:
Can you imagine, Willie Brown, at the cattle ranch in his Wilkes furnished suit, applying mosquito repellent along with the other guests while sitting on a hay bale waiting for the chuck wagon dinner. No wonder the press isn't invited.
8 agree | 7 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Gavin's an expert on Bottoms Up, with his bottom up. LOL!
9 agree | 6 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Great leadership once again by SF bur..rats. Newsance refers the matter of cooperation with ICE, a significant issue, to the Sheriff's mouthpiece, but she says they're already in compliance and no further comment. In other words ..'Stick It'. This is Progressive SF government at its best! Put the City in Receivership, like they did in DC, clean house of incompetent affirmatively hired bureacrats, and contract out to the private sector as much as possible. The result will be better service and millions saved.
9 agree | 8 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
what really is going to improve the quality of life in sf is....less laws and more business I mean if sam wants us happy then make sam happy or the franciscans are gonna be to stoned and broke to be happy
7 agree | 6 disagree
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Joe Schmucko said:
The federal government should not have to "ask" SF city officials to stop undermining federal law. They should DEMAND that SF comply with the law IMMEDIATELY or the city risk loss of ALL federal funding for starters. They should then investigate to see if there is a conspiracy on the part of city officials to violate the law and prosecute accordingly. This is NOT about some issue like fuel emissions standards or some mundane bureaucratic issue. This is about foreign nationals breaking the law and murdering US citizens. The time to play games on this issue is over.
17 agree | 7 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Sanctuary in the most zoo-like city on north america isn't wanted by anyone the cities double standards are erodeing more than bridges as it distances itself from it's protectors the holier than thou approach is drowning it with unsurrmountable debts that is has failed to make timely prayers payers for ( it's economy based on penny wise pound foolish reasoning has lost to communism and socialism ) the wild west saloons are open 24/7 if you really want a dancing girl with a beer at 5AM in 1888
7 agree | 6 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
as they say in the hollywood movies about politicians -- they're all a bunch of whores. ask their moms and dads about their sonny boys and girls. they'll say anything, do everything to get there. this is why i'm running for office. my name is bind yee. remember that name. a lot of chuckles.
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Peter said:
What's with this stuff that Gav has been doing Chris Moscone for like a really long time? They've been lovers forever. Talk about being disingenuous. They ought to come out of the closet and get married. Real hypocracy!
12 agree | 7 disagree
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heartbroken in SF said:
toby keith?! jesus what an utterly shameless attempt to pander to central valley voters for the governors race. his handlers are the most shallow, cynical people in the city. gavin and his swarmy crew care about nothing but how far and high they can ride their charade. good luck fellas, just please take you show out of our town. we actually care about stuff here.
10 agree | 9 disagree
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You're Joking, Right? said:
Alioto-Pier, Mirkarimi or any of the other supes as Mayor? You're joking, right? The Board of Supervisors are an ineffectual bunch of dilletantes who reign over the respective districts like their own personal fiefdoms, barely disguise their contempt for their ostensible constituents and fritter away their tax-payer funded salaries of almost $100,000 per year passing stupid, non-binding resolutions demanding Bush's impeachment and outlawing plastic shopping bags. Newsom's a tragedy as mayor - any of the Supes would be an abomination.
12 agree | 9 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Your 'article' assumes Newsom will not be recalled by the legal voters of SF. The drumbeat is getting louder and louder for a resignation or face a recall. Let's see who gets the BOS presidency in the next election before making this assumption.
10 agree | 8 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
As far as I can tell, even with his "star" status, Newsom has been a wholly adequate mayor. Peel away the "star" status and what do you have?
9 agree | 10 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Wow poor man did'nt see him with any illegals??? Wonder why?
9 agree | 8 disagree
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jeff said:
Wow, Examiner, thanks for this? Now I know why the murder rate is so high, Muni is a disaster, and rents are so high. Really enlightening, enterprising journalism going on here.
7 agree | 9 disagree
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L. Amiot said:
Newsom said, “We are offering different perspective, more bottom-up approach to problems." No kidding. He's an expert on Bottoms Up. Focus on local issues, not Sacramento, Mr. Newsom. That is why you were relected as Mayor of San Francisco. Or, was a run for Governor your plan all along?
13 agree | 9 disagree
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Rich A said:
Not bad, since most of those patrol cars had more then 100,000 miles, and made it to the scene! the PD used to get new cars after 80,000 Now this mayor wants more money from the PD. Unmarked vehicles, maybe he will order some, since the PD haven't ordered any, but C/Vics and only 4 per year in the last 7 years. God bless those that made it there...
10 agree | 11 disagree
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Rich A said:
I don't mind giving money to the homeless, but give them a job, you want to clean up the city, give them each, just one block to keep clean, they have all day to do the job, then the city would be alittle cleaner and they will feel good helping the city
13 agree | 9 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Mayor Newsom isn't fit to run a hot dog stand. He cheats on his bestfriends wife and has the city financially in a hole. And he wants to run a state? But of Course I'm sure the Pacific Height(Elites) will find a way to get him elected.
15 agree | 9 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Try working for the City and you'll see what an abysmal failure this smiling, shirking, miserable womanizer and substance abuser the Mayor really is. He is an emabarrassment to this great City and to politcs as a whole.
17 agree | 10 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Mayor Newsom has been intimate with his best friend's wife and initiated the current same-sex marriage circumstances and he entertains being governor. I believe Newsom is an "Only in San Francsico" story. While anything is possible, all this might play just fine locally but I suspect it will be a different story statewide in California.
13 agree | 9 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Are you kidding me? The streets of this beautiful city are teeming with homeless. There's a budget deficit even though this area has so many tech jobs and high property values. And talk about his so-called personal life, which he can't seem to keep personal. What a joke. Except its not.
16 agree | 11 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
We all have to do everything in our power to ensure this idiot does not get elected.
15 agree | 10 disagree
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L. Amiot said:
He has failed as a Mayor. Why not try another job that proves the Peter Principle of working at a level above competency. His narcissism has absolutely no bounds. Gosh, without Daddy's money, Gavin would probably be bartending on Union Street and spreading STD's.
15 agree | 9 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
God help us.
13 agree | 9 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
The jerk completely forget that he was elected to focus on SF not "something much bigger than who’s up and who’s down at City Hall" Resign and start running for governor now and let us have someone to run SF.
14 agree | 11 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I had posted a comment regarding reducing the number of SF Board of Supervisors as a start. But somehow the post is no longer there. So here it is again. Eliminate some positions at the Board. there is no need for 11 Board members plus a mayor to run this City. And the excuse that SF is a "City/County" wont fly. We only need about 5 people to efectivly run this town.
16 agree | 11 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Can one say Rebulicans? They will have a field day with this loser if he runs.
13 agree | 10 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Why no photo of the ex-con MORON who was arrested? Laughable. Never, never trust an ex-con.
42 agree | 37 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
We, the voters, need to develop & place on the ballot via an initiative some sort of State Constitutional mandate that funds paid into any City, County, or the State Treasury be used for specific budgets. The State until recently, as we all recall, had been diverting "transportation funds from transportation taxes" to NONtransportation budget items. i.e. funds diverted to the pork projects of slick and manipulative politicians. If the Mayor cannot do his job on his own, he should resign. The so called public "services" have obviously been damaged by taking funds from the departments w/o alerting the public.
61 agree | 39 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Well thanks to this article for telling everyone in the world where we can find Newsom's car at 9am. Let's hope there are more acts of vandalism.
31 agree | 28 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
When facing a 220 million dollar shortfall the mayor should be the first one to sacrifice and set a good example but obviously he just wants to put the blame some place else and call it politically motivated. Well gee, when the residents in your city are calling for you to set a good example and not hire your buddies to senior positions which pull money from already cash strapped programs I do not think that is politically motivated. Democrats are just as corrupt as Republicans.
42 agree | 47 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
So the price tag for a homeless czar is the same as paying 311 homeless CAAP recipients $59/mo for a year or 53 housed CAAP recipients $345/mo. Running guvmint like a bidness, huh?
56 agree | 40 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Yep, I'm afraid we must live with the fact we put Mayor Newsom in office and must now endure this mayor for 4 more years.
50 agree | 44 disagree
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fred said:
who is stupider -him or us for electing him in the first place? How do we get this idiot out of office?
58 agree | 42 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
These salaries are outrageous for government service.
58 agree | 51 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Can't that Mayor do ANYthing himself?
48 agree | 35 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
i saw the resulting arrest. There was some 'resistance' that's certain. And there were about ten cop cars and a couple unmarked ones all over the place. It was like they thought they'd caught a terrorist!!!! Go sfpd!!!
89 agree | 80 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
But if the cops actually saw the person doing it like they did in this story I'll bet they would respond exactly the same way -- even if it had been the vehicle or home of any "anonymous taxpayer."
98 agree | 71 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
The only reason the cops did anything is because this is Newsom's car. Had it been the vehicle or home of any anonymous taxpayer, the cops would have laughed at requests to investigate--do you think this is an episode of Dragnet or something?--and gone back to eating their donuts.
86 agree | 45 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
It’s amazing how a story about a parolee vandalizing Newsom's car and resisting arrest devolves into people berating him for things that have nothing to do with the story, and embellishing it with expressions of jealousy about SF cloaked in disparaging comments. Of course if this happened to any of you it would be a huge issue and you’d be happy to see the guy arrested and charged with a felony.
76 agree | 79 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Mr. Burgos, who is probably a bi-polar street person needs an ACLU attorney who could plead the San Francisco twinkie defense previously used by Dan White. Frisco unfortunately has earned the reputation for being the weirdest city in America and not wholesome & family friendly. How sad.
89 agree | 71 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
If the damage is over $400, it is a felony. This amount is a drop in the bucket and anyone who's had so much as parking lot dings can tell you what a body shop charges for repairs.
86 agree | 50 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
A felony for vandalism? Is that because it was Newsom's car? Welcome to the city.
74 agree | 77 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
After Gavin spent all this time campaigning for same-sex marriage, why is he marrying a woman? If he thinks marrying another man is the same as marrying a woman, he should practice what he preaches...
72 agree | 81 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Settling "homeless" people in full-service centers is arguably a "different" approach to this on-going problem. I'm not sure how that necessarily equates to "courageous." Other cities/states were already in the forefront when it came to same-sex marriage before our mayor endorsed it. Our State Supreme Court invalidated the mayor's decision and will, if history proves true, line up against same-sex marriage, too. So it would seem while the mayor's decision might leave him with a black eye for not correctly reading the political winds in California, it likely ingratiated him to a considerable portion of the gay community, which is a major voting block in San Francisco. "courageous?" maybe, politicaly smart, absolutely.
86 agree | 101 disagree
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