Stairway to Theatre of the Absurd

The stairs on the Polk Street side of San Francisco's City Hall are the staging ground for every kind of political demonstration imaginable.



On Monday afternoon, it was the Bicycle Coalition people who were justifiably up in arms about foot-dragging by the MTA and the Department of Public Works in coming up with an environmental impact review two years after a judge demanded one before more bike lanes could be installed on city streets.



Tuesday morning saw supporters of the "Clean Energy Act" assemble. This is basically an attempted power grab from the ancient utility monopoly, Pacific Gas & Electric, for a municipal power system which has been the idee fixe of "Bay Guardian" publisher Bruce Brugmann (below) for decades...



The initiative has little chance of success since the rich, corrupt old power structure of San Francisco owns most of the PG&E stock, and they are not about to have their steady stream of income denied without a fight.



Plus, though Mayor Gavin Newsom goes on and on about being a "green" and "environmental" mayor, he is also very much a puppet of that same power structure, so nothing will be changing during his tenure.



Sharing sidewalk and stair space with the "Clean Energy" folks were a large group from the SEIU union...



...which tend to have entertaining protests that include bands and balloons.



The strangest sight of the week was the young man above who was screaming Monday afternoon all by himself at the mayor's balcony, telling the world he was delivering a subpoena to the mayor's office to expose all the corruption in high places. He sounded like a leftist blogger who hadn't taken their medication, and he had a voice that carried all the way across Civic Center Plaza.



Coincidentally, I was on a 47 bus South of Market the next day and the same lunatic got on the bus and immediately approached a young woman who was sitting down. "What is your name, pretty girl?" "Will you give me your email address, pretty girl?" "Can I sit next to you, pretty girl?" The foolish young woman said it was okay, and I decided to flee rather than intervene.