Wine Not Whining!!

by TJ Johnston/PNN Community Journalist

To prevent further fatalities of San Francisco's unhoused, Supervisor Gavin Newsom came up with Care Not Cash, a brainstorm based on Rudy Guliani's NYC agenda. That is, leave less money for booze and substitute the rest for shelter and services.

If we are to believe Newsom, the majority of homeless deaths can be attributed to substance abuse (though the City can make no such claim and the correlation of death by intoxication can be easily refuted). Despite the vocal opposition from the poor community and their allies, the measure and message of the Marina's favorite son resonated with 59 per cent of the electorate.

With the passage of Care Not Cash and his handy re-election to the Board of Supervisors, Newsom emerged as a likely heir apparent in next year's mayoral contest. But before we tout this man as Willie Brown's successor (and he would have to face declared candidates Tom Ammiano, Angela Alioto and Tony Hall before ascending), let's explore the humble origins of this civil servant. I found an illuminating anecdote on channel2000.com.

When they were in their early twenties, Newsom and college chum Bill Getty walked into a wine shop. The clerk made a judgment call and based on their baseball caps and sneakers, he directed them to the beer coolers. Newsom and Getty, respectively the sons of a judge and a philanthropist, agreed they suffered age discrimination. Having been profiled as California frat-boys too often, the pair opened up Plump Jack, a shop catering to young oenophiles in the Marina. "The primary reason we started Plump Jack," recalls Newsom, "was that we were sick and tired of the snobbery surrounding the business."

Getty cites the advertising campaigns targeted to drinkers who come of (legal) age as an impediment. "Every new 21-year old is greeted with open arms by trillion dollar advertising campaigns for the apathetic consumption of hard alcohol or drinking light beer with the Swedish bikini team. And yet the one form of alcohol consumption that has proven medical attributes is shrouded in this nonsensical snobbery."

The key to serving this clientele, they found, is cheap wine. Their business, which has since expanded to other wineries and restaurants, has a large selection of below-$10 vintages. Their website also touts a monthly wine club (like Frasier and Niles'!) and free delivery.

So began Newsom's rise. One day, he was just another Joe denied access to his Merlot, a college boy who begged his father to install a tanning booth is his dorm, one who bore the cross of being a handsome white guy. Somehow he surmounted the adversities privilege bring and parlayed it into additional privilege. His tale evokes Gandhi or Rosa Parks, but only with more capital investment.

I invite my fellow low-income connoisseurs to share a Cabernet (Australian vintage, priced at $7.99) and toast Gavin Newsom his victories. There's a special this month: meet me at Plump Jack after you cash that check.