Story Archives

by Joe B.

It was Saturday, June, 22, 2002. I’m suppose to be at Coalition On Homelessness on 468 Turk Street by 10 or 10:30am, the laundry and shower took longer than anticipated.

I arrive 10:45am with a camera missing whatever meeting for brainstorming and a ride to 24th and Church Street to hand out flyers about Supervisor Gavin Newsome.

Newsome’s plan taking 85% of General Assistance monies from houseless and working poor leaving $59 with no guarantee that the monies taken will go to non profits and services for houseless or working poor people.

Noe Valley [pronounced No-E]

Two of Poor’s Interns are there then I realized I didn’t have the anti-home displacement sign.

It’s decided I’ll meet the two folks at 24th and Church near or on Poe which was fine except I don’t use Muni much it seemed another way to get lost yet again.

After rushing home, get the sign, ride muni to Castro street and exit to catch a 24 or 48 bus.

Luckily a nice lady took pity on me and tells me when to leave the transit system.

A 24 Noe bus is here like clockwork and I’m on it.

Its a down cast gray cloudless sky matched gray of federal and government buildings and I do not really want to do this today.

If the sun does break out because of the weather ealier a lot of people will not want to come out ‘kinda just stay in and enjoy the air conditioning, look at tv, dvd’s, listen to cd’s, radio, or under cover with loved ones or alone and stuff like that.

Small dribbles of drizzles are falling so on goes my hooded sweat shirt.

I look, walk, while breathing in the vibrancy of Castro and Noe Valley area; even though the sky is gray the mood, people, stores, cafe’s made the those clouds seem to have a backlight glow.

I went into a Starbucks, bought a White Chocolate with cream and in the mix of feeling lost, assignment not begun and not a picture taken it felt good to just sit, have a warm sweet drink in this little area I’ve rarely visit but will make a special effort for longs ones next time.

This Newsome Plan is an updated to cut general assistance cash payments to $59 dollars or less its call a “Care Not Cash Plan”
which is really
“Creating Crisis Program” for working poor and houseless.

No safety net nothing but hard, broken glass and rusty steel to fall on make becoming homeless easier to fall into and harder to get out of.

It is not known where the houseless, working poor’s money will be slotted for non profits helping those suffering or services that were created specifically for that need but it is known where these monies are taken from:

The very persons who are in the most dire need of it.

So, Newsome is at it again with his how many point plan which seems not to help but further burden those with less placing them in jail.

This Kennedyesqe helmet haired, youthfull exterior hides a shadowy interior.

I don’t want to give this guy any publicity good or bad it should be a balanced portrait.

That what Kapond would advise in his investigative reporter’s wisdom.

Kaponda would say “Don’t judge the man, find out about him from policies of his past, talk to frienes and acquaintances of his before judgement.

I’d like to do that only in the past we know what happens when a powerfull charismatic speaker or group comes together.

Before we know it laws are passed some marking others for slow or lingering death I’d rather be wrong now than than right later for not saying what I think; here is my personal opinion.

I could be wrong but I think Mr. G. Newsome is using distress over the homeless, working poor, to be the next Mayor.

Kapond would say “Gather the evidence, make sure of your facts, look through the transcripts of his political history, how he voted on which issues, then he can be judged fairly.”

That makes logical sense to me but all the time I’m seeing this guy and its always something negative.

I don’t want to jump the gun but I this guy seems too perfect for his own good and up to no good, he has a one dimentional mindset where homeless people are concerned.
If I’m wrong pull my coat if I’m right say “Joe you hit the nail on the head.” Right now the shit is hitting the fan in slow motion and I don’t want to be manure splattered. If this guy Newsome is gonna do what I think he’ll do... he should be out of office, not be Mayor, cool his heels, and not have any chance of even being head dog catcher because he might not like certain kinds of dogs.

Dark Mark, Darth Vader, without a mask, or whatever Dark Star he’s from he should not be rewarded for riding on the backs of houseless and working poor.

Good guy or bad you readers have all kinds of proof watching him.

I’m apolitical myself but email me stuff or tell me things.

Gotta go, hope things work out for us. Bye.

PS sorry, no literary work for now.

HouseCare-Pro Price range:
$25 per day or 100 a week for
1 bdrm. Apt, small House.
4 to 3 bedrooms, $50 to $100 a week,
$5,000 a week for 20 to 40 rm. Homes.
$25,000 by the week or $100,000 for
50 to 100 rm Mansions
Prices are negotiable.
Non drinker, smoker, drugs (unless its aspirin & vitamins)
Not a party animal, Boredom, works me.

For Joe only my snail mail:
PO Box 1230 #645
Market St. San Francisco, CA 94102
Email: askjoe@poormagazine.org

by Joe. B

Read any steamy or technical books lately?

The Anarchist’s Cook Book may set off alarms and I’m wondering if Tom Clancy’s Techno-thrillers are off limits now?

This morning something on KPFA radio was talking about our trusted, beloved, ultimately honest and true FBI.

F.B.I.[Federal Bureau Of Investigation]

You know, the ones that pegged Martin Luther King as "One Of The Most Dangerous Men Alive."

He preached, taught, marched, and died so all people have an equal say and chance in life.

Since September, 11, 2001 America has changed, we’re weary, watchful, some people abroad or in America would say... Scared.

Nearly everything about
an interview with Debra C. Stone, Deputy Director Of The American Library Association Office Of Intellectual Freedom gave me a scary piece of reality.

Its insidious in what Our Friendly Law Enforcement can and will do.

I dread going on line or borrowing books from my local library.

Here is a bit what Ms. Stone said.

"The guidelines are not new, there has been a long history where the FBI has sought information from libraries in pursuit of foreign agents.

Its called the library awareness program and it existed for over 30 year.

Where they would approach libraries and seek information and discover whether that they suspected of being foreign agents (suspicious person(s)

And it came to light in the late 80’s."

Almost forgot folks, some literary flux.

Nostalgia

Men must be gone by sunrise, children stay with their mothers.

I stay for ten months!

Black males were a rare sight then.

They call him beauty.

He impregnates many women.

"Will I ever see any of those children again?"

She said a lot more important things then I tripped over the electrical cord knocking it out of cutting off the current.

Part of what I hear is Secret Courts, stealthy home investigations, Secret Courts, expanded monitoring of homes, phones, internet, probably credit card use too.

[If they break into mine I hope they leave a few thousand dollars]

Plugging it quickly the last piece I words I hear is the FBI does not need to show that its target of investigation is actually involved in terrorism or spying targets can include US citizens.

I press the off switch feeling slightly depressed.

Did I need to know the MW’s IG’s [Men-Women In Gray]

Section 215 Old/New Guide Lines of the Department of Justice for the FBI Words of the Statute.

"The agents can seize any tangible thing.
Anyone want to check these and other laws out look for. Bye.
www.viterbo.edu/library/libinternal.htm , www.search.org/policy o

HouseCare-Pro Price range:
$25 per day or 100 a week for
1 bdrm. Apt, small House.
4 to 3 bedrooms, $50 to $100 a week,
$5,000 a week for 20 to 40 rm. Homes.
$25,000 by the week or $100,000 for
50 to 100 rm Mansions
Prices are negotiable.
Non drinker, smoker, drugs (unless its aspirin & vitamins)
Not a party animal, Boredom, works me.

For Joe only my snail mail:
PO Box 1230 #645
Market St. San Francisco, CA 94102
Email: askjoe@poormagazine.org

PS I say confuse ‘em get bunches of books, different subjects
you don’t have to read then just have a bunch say 10 or more a week.
Does one really need credit cards?

Speak in very slow or quickly maybe leave the phone off the hook a lot.

Alternate/Parallel Universes by real
Physicists and other sci tech related research may make a few MIG’s ill.

Just be aware of our friendly neighborhood superpower.

No laws need be broken but show law folks we’re not sheeple to be herded or made to stampede when a few intrusive laws come down the pike.

Its time we learned from our South and Midwest folks common sense survival ways.

What do you think East, South, North, and Westerner’s?

You don’t have to agree with me but think about what’s going on.

by Joe B.

I sent Coalition On Homelessness my thoughts in a letter on The Homeless Court (AB 2899) Ms.C. Migden's office is offering amendments to get the COH to withdraw their opposition... They did not.

I read the COH's email sent to PM now its me for what my thoughts. Here it is.

I tend to get to get right to so here goes.

1) The Separate But Equal Homeless Court. Does this sound vaguely familiar?

2) Three places to set up said Court is another layer of bureaucracy and possibly a drain on a "War On Terrorism" economy.

3)There are few Bargaining Chips working poor and houseless people have as we’ve seen with "Quality Of Life " $100 or $200 infractions become meaner as citations turn into warrants and warrants to jail time for weeks, months, or years.

Thereby creating a near free "Work your time off" labor force in "For Profit Prisons."

4) Alternative Sentencing seems a good idea if job vocational training, retraining, education or trade schools were part of the mix it the person(s) had more choices and not sent back to the same dead-end job/careers they had before.

5) No priority works both ways ‘po folks are on the bottom of society precious time working, saving, money, building families, careers are stalled while they wait in jail.

Some better job can be delayed while a person(s) is waiting using the time to learn a new skill, trade.

A job could also happen. Its just so luck of the draw and iffy.

Joe B.

PS. Please contact C.O.H. and or C. Migden's office.
C.O.H may have Ms. M's phone, email, phone, office, and or fax.

Here is COH's email.

civilrights@sf-homeless-coalition.org

by Joe B.

I saw the 1942 movie "The Magnificent Amberson" staring Joseph Cotton, Tom Holt, Dolores Costello, Agnes Moorhead, and Ann Baxter.

It was right after Citizen Kane, a Mercury Theater Production, and Directed by Orson Welles, Freddie Fleck, Robert Wise and Written by Orson Welles also Producer.

The Magnificent Ambersons takes place in the 19th early 20th century.

A tale of two then young people’s love lives thwarted by unrequited by the spinster elder sister (Moorhead) of Isabel (Costello) who’s loves Eugene.

(Cotton) A wild, impetuous, fresh, upstart who’s work on a new fangled contraption called a horse-less carriage make him the joke of the town.

But her love never dimmed even after she married competent, conservative, safe Wilbur Minafer.

(D. Dillaway) She bare him a son by Wilbur.

The long suffering Fanny (Moorhead) secretly loves Eugene but dare not express it openly.

With planted innuendoes, double messages confusing, frustrating, and angering the son who’s main worry is what neighbors and town folk think and gossip about especially about his sainted and lively still living mother.

The son keeps the two lovers away from each other even going as far as trip to Europe. This college Educated, but provincial and unsophisticated son as his mother lays dying in bed refuses to let Eugene to his only love one last time.

Only as reality intrudes as economic pressures forces him to take a dangerous job driving a dynamite wagon. After a tragic accident he see the errors of his way asking Eugene to forgive his shallow treatment of him and his deceased mother.

To bad old Sam the butler (J. Louis Johnson) couldn’t pull Eugene’s coat to Fannie and George’s work behind the scenes and
tell both of them to elope but then it wouldn’t be a doomed love story, though flaunting some of societies rules and customs could have saved them wrenching heartache and loss.

This has a parallel to real life only in that the lessons learned by the young man comes too late for the older generation but help him with his own love life. Did I mention that Lucy Morgan, Eugene’s daughter (Baxter) loves the now repentant son?

After the movie I thought about Supervisor Gavin Newsome running for office with his 21 or more points and "Cash Not Care" program of General Assistance money grab. Supposedly to help nudge houseless and working poor into housing as the money from these folks are ear marked to help them with job, career, health and other kinds of services. Yet there is no solid written-in-stone guarantee they will go to support services needed.

His "most of ‘em are on drugs, alchie’s, thinking shows someone who see houseless, working poor single people or families in a one lump, one dimensional setting. He may have one or two roots when going to or coming from work and having a relatively stable economic life style sees only one type of people and has yet to experience other kinds of people in different settings then what he’s conditioned to see.

Problem is being a young man he cannot see, or has blinders on to how the houseless, working poor populations has changed over the years from alcohol, drug, pill popping to people who are non drug and drinker, joint smoker’s.

More and more people are the hard working men and women with families whose incomes have not kept pace with the cost of living.
"Get a job-any-job is and was the cry of those who had cushy careers, jobs but now when they themselves have also fallen down know the truth. There are jobs but minimum to sub-minimum wages is not enough to feed individuals let alone whole families. Quality Of Life infractions place citizens in jails for nearly free built in labor market. I don’t believe Newsome is a card carrying member of The Brother’s and Sister’s of Draconian Dread but his "lets take their money, give ‘em $59 or less to tough love ‘em on their feet admits him into charter membership of the B. A. S. D.D.

I feel that until he meets more of the real people he says he’s trying to help, the quickie into-the-mayor’s-chair must be delayed as long as possible until he learns a bit of history like past pogroms, massacres, racist, sexist, homophobic, and other diseases still afflicting humanity.

Nostalgia

"Fred Julian, you trashed your life down the bowl, had it made, escaped clean, must see The City again-now I’m gone!" Should’ve listened to my old man "Get educated ‘Tommy, then see the world, do I listen, noooo." Sure, my old dad's a college-uni man, can rest easy, land development deals but its not me.
Left Oakland high school. I'm leery of college.

Until he can see all human beings whether they are homeless, working poor, mentally ill, drug, overweight and or alcohol addicted as people with equal rights as he.

I really think he has no calling to ask or demand to make life damaging Initiatives then use them and poor folks as his "Bridge to being the 2nd 21st Mayor of San Francisco.

While there is time all of us must dig as deep and as far into why does this guy does not see jobless, houseless, working poor folks as
not as good as other folks, what is his mindset, has it changed, has it gotten worse? Study this guy, find out about his political views and I mean his real views of his heart not just his video, radio, and crowd pleasing persona.

Is this guy really going to help people in need or be yet another albatross, weighing people down with added penalizing points further drowning people in red tape, circle jerk, low-sub, wage jobs
and no multiple choices of updating work - vocational skills, higher technologies, education to constant cost of living adjusted jobs/careers.

All I’m asking is, if Supervisor Newsome is worth teaching lessons to while he’s elected with on-the-job training.

He wants a better position as Mayor just as houseless, working poor too want to move up to better work and pay but if it don’t work out we’re looking or another job, shelter, SRO, or corner to sleep in.

If Newsome isn’t good at knew his job as Mayor what happen?

Not much because his new job will last a few years and all voters with and without homes or jobs will be stuck and shit out of luck.

Think carefully about this guy, platform, program, rhetoric, and actions.

Hope there’s enough foods for thought. Bye.


HouseCare-Pro Price range:
$25 per day or 100 a week for
1 bdrm. Apt, small House.
4 to 3 bedrooms, $50 to $100 a week,
$5,000 a week for 20 to 40 rm. Homes.
$25,000 by the week or $100,000 for
50 to 100 rm Mansions
Prices are negotiable.
Non drinker, smoker, drugs (unless its aspirin & vitamins)
Not a party animal, Boredom, works me.

For Joe only my snail mail:
PO Box 1230 #645
Market St. San Francisco, CA 94102
Email: askjoe@poormagazine.org

by Lynda Carson

Oakland, Ca-In a shocking revelation during last
nights (Tue-June-25) packed City Council Meeting, it
became apparent that $100,000 (one hundred thousand
dollars) to feed the poor got lost in the shuffle of
budget cuts being voted upon.

Near the begining of June 2002, the Oakland
Independant Support Center which is affiliated with
the Food Bank, was notified that they were not to
receive this years budget allocation of one hundred
thousand dollars to feed the poor in Oakland. No
explanation was offered by City Officials as to where
the money went.

During last nights council meeting several staff and
board members of the non-profit group stepped up to
the podium to address council members and ask what
happened to the money.

Council members proceeded to vote for the proposed
budget cuts despite knowing full well that the money
to feed the poor was missing from the budget
proposals.

Sydny Loggins an Assistant Director of the Oakland
Independant Support Center directly asked the council
members, "wheres the money"; and went on to explain
the hardship to come for the poor if the funding were
not replaced immediately. Council President Ignacio de
la Fuente and the other council members had no idea
why the money was gone, but requested that the staff
look into the matter and get back to them during the
next two weeks with an explanation as to where the
money went.

The Oakland Independant Support Center has been around
for the last 12 years and hands out over 2000 meals
per month to the poor in Oakland. Located downtown
Oakland, they serve the poor two meals per day five
days a week, offer showers and food packages to the
needy. Many of their clients are the mentally ill, and
homeless.

From James Sweeny the Executive Director to Sadie
Anderson a volunteer coordinator and Board Member of
OISC, they expressed alarm about the harm being done
to the poor if the money was not replaced. When I
asked Eva Green a procurement specialist with OISC to
describe the outcome of this fiasco if the money was
not replaced, in a word she said; HUNGRY! We can not
afford to lose that money she says, and that the two
meals a day for the poor are extremely important to
all who have no where else to go to be fed.

Ms. Green went on to say that she earlier spoke to
Libby Schaff a staffer for Council President de la
Fuente, and wants to believe that the money will come.

During a call to Sadie Anderson of OISC, she believes
that it will be a total disaster if the money is not
replaced. Our clients need food before taking
medications she says, and many of their clients are
mentally disabled. She also expressed concern that
their clients will be forced to steal to make up for
the loss.

In a call to Councilman Dick Spees office, staffer
Shawn O'shea says; this somehow slipped under the
radar screen, and that the money was a part of a
general pool of money lost in the budget cuts. It was
not something that the council members focused on he
went on to say, and that only official quotes from
this office can be offered by Councilman Dick Spees.

According to Councilmember Jane Brunner, she says; she
was surprised by this, and tells me that the city
manager is looking into it. Councilwoman Brunner goes
on to say that she believes there will not be an
interruption in service, and that they will
investigate to find out where the money went. It's
possible that it is grant money coming to an end, she
went on to say.

Nearly half of Oakland city service budgets come from
grant money, and cannot be touched by city officials
who may want to redirect funding to other projects.

Councilwoman Nancy Nadel tells me that it appears to
be a mistake. If so, they do not know how to rectify
it she says. Presently, their not really certain that
the money is gone or where it will come from to
replace the missing money if thats the case, Ms. Nadel
states.Councilwoman Nadel went on to tell me that
there are some serious discussions taking place to
shift money into new programs for community gardens in
an effort to teach people how to grow their own food
in the city parks of Oakland.

In a boost to supporters of the Just Cause Initiative,
Councilmember Nadel also stated that the initiative is
for certain heading to the November ballot, and that
it is merely a formality for the council to vote on it
beforehand. She says; the councils options are limited
to being for the initiative or against it. If they are
concerned enough about it to take action, they may
place a competing initiative upon the ballot that may
be weaker than the one offered by the people of
Oakland. At this point, Councilwoman Nadel went on to
state that she would not be surprised if other
councilmembers come up with their own version of a
"Just Cause Measure", but has not heard of any in the
works.

Whether it's incompetence, negligence, or just a
mistake; wherever the money went to feed the hungry
lets hope that the City of Oakland gets to the bottom
of this mystery as soon as possible before it's a
total disaster.

by Carol Harvey

An outsider's objective first glance might reveal a class war by wealthy Landlords on low-income tenants,  waged on the battleground of San Francisco's tight rental market.  A June 21, 2000 SFBG article states, "In most cities, falling a week or two behind in your rent is a minor problem; in San Francisco, it's a major catastrophe.  With real estate agents shamelessly enticing landlords to empty their buildings and sell for profit, late rent may be enough to land you and your loved ones out on the street."

Lack of affordable housing has defined the Income Gap between rich and poor in the city.

The following series of skirmishes have been conducted between landlords and tenants, and tenant advocates between 2000 and 2002.

Hordes of rich young people have been moving into the city joining the already ensconced super rich with the money to pay high rent and speculate in the real estate market.

A new Economic Elite wants to drive those with lower incomes out of the city.  Willie Brown is quoted on a Geary sidewalk, "People making less than $50,000 a year have no business living in San Francisco."

Starting before 1994, artistic and creative types have left San Francisco in unprecedented droves because they don't make enough to pay the high rents, a major loss for a City historically unsurpassed for cultural creativity and innovation.

Because of real estate speculation, inflated rents in San Francisco do not match the real incomes people earn.  The old rule was that your rent should never be more than a third of your income, but in San Francisco some people's rent takes up all of their paycheck.

In 1994 I took a Grey Line trip to get to know my new City.  The bus driver/tour guide said most San Franciscans live below the poverty line, and the way the survive is to double and triple up in apartments. 

Middle Income earners, as well, are affected by lower wages and higher rents.  People come to RADCO who make more money than RADCO staff.  Fellow nonprofit workers have come for help with rent during shortfalls.

The new "War on Poverty" is a campaign to harass and banish poor people from the city.  Quality of Life crimes are a form of "economic cleansing," driving the homeless to jail, death, or just "somewhere else," like lemmings into The Pacific, or "Fresno."

Ironically, the system doesn't work without poor people.  Capitalism requires a layer of Poor be "crushed" at the bottom of the pile. They can never be eliminated.  Everybody but the Superrich sink down through the pile, including the middle class.  The Rich can't be rich without the Poor being Poor.  The SuperRich and/or Politicians control the Poverty Monster by constantly threatening it with extinction.  The neverending economic cleansing goes on and on. 

On the Rental Battleground where opportunistic landlords speculate in real estate, the middle class become lower class, a paycheck away from homelessness, and the lower class join the burgeoning ranks of families forced out on the street.

Here are a series of Landlord skirmishes to optimize the financial windfalls from rental properties:

1.The People's Budget set up the Eviction Defense Collaborative to provide free legal help to Poor under eviction threat to help them keep their homes.  In a June 21, 2000 SF Bay Guardian article titled, "Mayor, landlords try to kill eviction-defense funding," Cassi Feldman quotes a barrage of landlord e-mails suggesting The Eviction Defense Collaborative be defunded because free legal advice holds tenants in their apartments longer, slows the eviction process, and costs these opportunistic landlords money. 

2.  Landlords struck again through Ellis Act evictions. Ellis Act is a state law that landlords have an unconditional right to "go out of business."  Landlords reclaim properties by threatening to utilize mass tenant Ellis Act evictions to rid themselves of long-term residents paying affordable rents, or convert rental units into condominiums at a much higher re-sale value using loopholes in the condo law.

3.  The struggle to own a home in a tight rental market has created a situation where groups of people buy a home and create (TICs) or Tenancies in Common. Group landlords then attempt to evict those already in residence by Owner Move-Ins (OMI's) displacing tenants paying affordable rents.

4.  Landlords have created a new way to gouge renters and undermine rent control through Capital Improvement passthroughs.  Prop H was passed in 2001, diverting capital improvement costs from landlord to tenants.  Grandfathered capital improvements have jumped rents astronomically at Lombard Place forcing tenants to their knees financially.  Retired residents in their 60s and 70s are forced back to work for the rest of their lives.

Housing Activists have met Profiteering Landlords with a number of alternative blocking mechanisms or possible solutions to the housing problem.

In 1998, Riva Enteen of the Lawyer's Guild and Rebecca Vilkomerson of Homeless Prenatal noted a surplus in the City Budget. They said,  'Let's use the surplus for unmet needs of poor and working people in the City'.  Stated Enteen, 'They were saying we have to save that money for a rainy day, and we were saying 'For our constituents, it's already raining'."  Enteen and Vilkomerson proposed The People's Budget .

In the year 2000 to 2001, The People's Budget proposed:

Housing $42,242,030

1. Preservation and Creation of Affordable Housing (partially funded 1999-2000)  $36,000,000

Allocate funds to the San Francisco Housing Trust Fund for the new construction, acquisition and rehabilitation, or preservation of affordable housing.

2. Move-in Costs  $2,000,000

Assist homeless and near homeless families and individuals with security deposits and initial rent.

3. Funding for Eviction Representation   $338,000

Provide no-cost legal representation to extremely low-income tenants, and low- or no-cost legal representation to other low-income tenants facing eviction in San Francisco.

4. Back Rent Assistance (partially funded 1999-2000)  $2,000,000

Provide financial assistance to tenants who face short-term financial difficulties that jeopardize their ability to stay in their homes.

5. Emergency Funds for Homeless Seniors and Disabled Persons  $960,000

Assist a minimum of 100 homeless seniors and persons with disabilities to live independently within the community, not "housed" at Laguna Honda or SF General.

6. Affordable Housing Advocacy at the State Level  $15,000

Retain two Sacramento tenant lobbyists to advocate for affordable housing and to push for state measures to address our Cityís housing and homelessness crisis.

7. Low-Income Housing Preservation Fund  $750,000

Replace lost federal subsidy dollars for undocumented families living in affordable housing who face eviction.

8. Supplemental Funding for the Eviction Defense Collaborative for Cantonese Language Services     $25,000

Provide tenant counseling to Cantonese households facing eviction as a first step toward removing the language barrier that impairs their ability to understand and exercise their rights.

9. Move-in Costs for Homeless Families   $100,000

Assist homeless and near homeless individuals and families with security deposits and initial rent.

10. Housing Advocate for Latino Families   $54,030

Hire a Housing Advocate/Social Worker to work with Latino families that have been evicted or are at risk of eviction.

Activists promoting the People's Budget also started the Eviction Defense Collaborative to give legal help to low income renters facing possible illegal evictions.

In 2000, individuals promoting The People's Budget proposed RADCO as a vehicle to help tenants stay in their affordable housing by providing an interest-free loan of one month's back rent.  RADCO'S purpose is to preserve affordable housing by keeping people in their apartments providing back rent during one emergency.  

Originally, RADCO was started as a way to preserve rent control by preventing a unit from flying up to market value if the tenant is forced to leave. 

Now, RADCO has had to expand its program to extend funds to impoverished SRO tenants.  Though RADCo receives requests for rental assistance from every section of the city, the bulk of RADCo recipients are low-income dwellers of The Tenderloin and Bayview Hunter's Point.

Yvonne Cudny of RADCO stated she thinks the housing situation is improving.  A lot of people, especially among nonprofits are excited about Community Land Trusts, a low cost method of affording a house, or a group of people owning a dwelling in common, not the land underneath it which is purchased by a Trust and held in perpetuity.  People in the housing community, nonprofits and artists are purchasing housing on land that will never ever become private property.  Yvone states they can buy affordable dwellings with yards; get mortgages, make repairs, or live collectively with a group.  CLT's may be an fair alternative to Tenancies in Common.

James Tracy of the Coalition on Homelessness' Right To A Roof and others in the housing community have led a promotional campaign for the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund, garnering strong local support. for the Fund which proposes the use of surplus interest from Federal Taxes.

In the wake of 9/11/2001, the People are suffering more severe financial hardship than ever before.  However, the Superrich continue to "Capitalize."  According to Riva Enteen, "The budget is not in as good shape as it was the previous four years, but "in this year's People's Budget we included San Francisco's top ten billionaires living in our midst including The Fischers of the Gap, The Gettys and Levi-Strauss, who are worth $21.5 billion.  There are certainly people in San Francisco for whom the economy is doing quite well.  We advocate for progressive tax reform  to improve the budget situation."  Mayor Brown and the Supervisors are responsible to go after the wealthy for their corporate taxes, but they are not motivated to do so "because the Wealthy pay for their campaigns."

by Joe B.

Just when I think we human’s are stepping out of the collective mud of sloth and misery I see an email on bum-fighting on the internet.

Checking it out there men, women with most of their teeth gone looking like walking wounded physical wreckage.

Looking up its website I saw some of its questions like:


Can I order by phone?

What is the delivery time on orders?

Is it safe to order over the Internet?

How long is the video?

The Answer is 57 minutes.

As you can see the website is popular and people enjoy watching
Other people beat each other to bloody pulps.

I want to know if these folks are getting paid with more than food.

Are these people getting residual checks or cash if they become favorites of web or video hits probably not.

What about contracts and their full knowlege of what can happen to them?

There is something wrong, a rot from a gangrene wound when people either volunteer, film, and make profit off the least of us mentally, physically for financial gain.

For some of the people who watch and buy this misery served up for a cheap thrill think:
It could be your friends, relatives, or you on that PC, CD, or video tape but for fortune, luck, and providence.

Remember Rome with its bread and circus gladiator, beasts against citizen’s?

Well this is another crack in this so called great nation and it is up to citizen’s to give this sad, tawdry, show the boot.

BIRD VIEW

Second Mutation

Invisible radiation change their tiny brains to higher intelligence, also gained immortality too.

Today their natural mutation allows them to use telepathy, telekinesis, and powers of suggestion.

Human’s think they’re in control.

First you talk, then, make fun, make laws, now televised on video, CD’s and DVD’s what do you think is the next step… Death Matches?

I don’t know about any of you readers but this does not look or sound like a harmless sport or good clean fun but further proof of people making money off of human suffering.

Don't give me that"Since The Dawn Of Time Crap"

The meaning of evolution is to change our ways and better or situations both physically and mentally rising above the slime and muck.

Even if we are related to tapeworks and fruit flies its no excuse for this crud.

If I’m wrong I apologize if former fight bums or their friends got out of this situation tell your stories it is time for your input.

Please don’t stay mute until death occurs or it already has that must be revealed too.

That’s it That’s all from me… Bye.


HouseCare-Pro Price range:
$25 per day or 100 a week for
1 bdrm. Apt, small House.
4 to 3 bedrooms, $50 to $100 a week,
$5,000 a week for 20 to 40 rm. Homes.
$25,000 by the week or $100,000 for
50 to 100 rm Mansions
Prices are negotiable.
Non drinker, smoker, drugs (unless its aspirin & vitamins)
Not a party animal, Boredom, works me.

For Joe only my snail mail:
PO Box 1230 #645
Market St. San Francisco, CA 94102
Email: askjoe@poormagazine.org

by Joe B.

Ok, It’s the fourth of July Independence Day, not to be confused with a movie of the same name.

So far I think we have most of our rights intact, there is one more I personally would like to have and its beyond the pursuit of happiness.

The choice of living longer or death in our control.

Its one thing to praise the lord, seek heaven when all of us had little choice when our ticket is punched. But when it becomes blindly clear that human science, technology plus the Eternal’s command that we have free will then everything about life and death changes drastically.

Human’s should live and die as they chose especially if living now means as long as possible and in better health than ever.

For everyone sooner or later will make this ultimate choice.

I’ll make this short; Almighty God was never the problem its how God is interpreted by individuals that’s the problem.

I don’t know about you folks out there bur for me I want a second better shot in life and if that means plunking down a few thousand dollars for whole body freezing or head only

I’m going for it because I’m betting on both God and Humanity to break our death cycle and return to life everlasting.

So folks have a great Fourth of July and may you test your freedom to the limits of possibility. Bye…


HouseCare-Pro Price range:
$25 per day or 100 a week for
1 bdrm. Apt, small House.
4 to 3 bedrooms, $50 to $100 a week,
$5,000 a week for 20 to 40 rm. Homes.
$25,000 by the week or $100,000 for
50 to 100 rm Mansions
Prices are negotiable.
Non drinker, smoker, drugs (unless its aspirin & vitamins)
Not a party animal, Boredom, works me.

For Joe only my snail mail:
PO Box 1230 #645
Market St. San Francisco, CA 94102
Email: askjoe@poormagazine.org

by Joe B.

After washing, rinsing cups and coffee machine this lively Monday,July,8,2002.

[Yeah, that’s one of my early chores to make coffee, set it on the conference room table, sometimes vacuum both PC or nerve center of POOR Magazine before composing my column].

In a past life as a woman did I mistreat a few men or as a man brake a few female hearts; which it spiritual terms is a serious if not the worst crime psychically committed?

If my work is only vacuuming and making coffee it may mean my Karma has gone full circle and I'm even.

I dread what happens to child molesters, rapists, and killers if the wheel of Karma really is a fact of life after death cycle.

Laugh, giggle, joke, and chuckle boys, girls, men, and women yuck it up.

Is it completely out of your systems?

Now I understand why women get "Punch, slap, stomp, beat down, guys angryat doing it while other person(s) not handicapped, mentally unable, or otherwise impaired to make there own hyper nerve stimulus jump-start brew.

I don’t like coffee; tea, hot chocolate or white mocha is my speed.

I will drink it once or twice if no one else does because the stuff should not be wasted even if I have an aversion to it.

Once in a while color pictures are taken then scanned in but what really sends shivers of my spine is… T-R-A-N-S-C-R-I-P-T-I-O-N.

I use to fall for the "Its only half an hour Joe."

Three to five hours later at night at 7 or 8 pm I’m still at it in a quiet controlled fume.

I’ve since learned not to ask how much time because most reporters have little or no concept of time especially when they are not doing the transcribing but when they do it’s a shock to them at how long it takes typing out their own interviews – instant Karma is what I call when that happens.
BIRDS VIEW

Human destructive capacities are traits not uncommon to birds or cats.

"Let the H’s think they’re in charge, stumble on discoveries placed in their minds.

The hidden control continues.

Speaking of Karma current Supervisor Gavin Newsom looks to have not done to bad in family, friends, and business dealings all well and good however his "Cash Not Care" sound bites to ‘Help working poor and Houseless folk by taking away what little money from General Assistance or G.A.

Is Social Security Income or S.S.I. Next?

I wonder if Newsom’s hypothetical last life was less lush, did he do something noble, self sacrificing in a long ago war, give up school, his dearest dream for younger siblings or simply be an infant, toddler, young child, or adult that lost her or his life and in this life was rewarded for not having a chance in that last life?

I’m just wondering it there is a bit of self loathing carried over for that short life?

Its conjecture sure but why would a guy given so much not have learned during childhood school days, elementary, high school, college, university, or just life in general the universal "But for the grace, providence, fortune, luck, fate, it could be me, on the street; stoned, drunk in an alley, birth defected in brain body or both, HIV-AIDS ridden and given a shortened span of life."

Although science and the human body have found ways to live with HIV many people still had problems with people who remain health with the desease frozen in its tracks.

If he doesn’t even think "There for the grace of God"

I worry why he wants so bad to be mayor, is he thinking that post as a stepping to a more powerful position?

We already have a non voted-in Selected President causing havoc domestically because within him and a few others church and state have commingled setting a bad precedent not for being religious but using official power to rubberstamp their beliefs into dangerous dogmatic laws.

These mandates or laws slow, retard, or stop ongoing research and development of technology and science slowing many quality-of-life improvement kinds of applied technologies.

It seems strange that both men of power and position instead of being leaders trying to pierce gray fog bringing light and knowledge they create more smoke and shadow leading people in to heavier over cast curtains of heavy clouds and fogging up many lives wanting to live in bright sun near cloudless blue skies.

Tell me if I’m wrong folks, if right-how to escape from this new "Dark Age"
leadership… Bye.

HouseCare-Pro Price range:
$25 per day or 100 a week for
1 bdrm. Apt, small House.
4 to 3 bedrooms, $50 to $100 a week,
$5,000 a week for 20 to 40 rm. Homes.
$25,000 by the week or $100,000 for
50 to 100 rm Mansions
Prices are negotiable.
Non drinker, smoker, drugs (unless its aspirin & vitamins)
Not a party animal, Boredom, works me.

For Joe only my snail mail:
PO Box 1230 #645
Market St. San Francisco, CA 94102
Email: askjoe@poormagazine.org

by Ed Willard

It was an uncomfortably hot Saturday morning in June as I walked up 7th St in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco, towards the offices of People Organized To Win Employment Rights (POWER). About to enter the building, I pulled up short when I heard my name being called,

"Heats ‘goin kick our asses today, Ed". It was my homeless friend, Joey who had set up a sort of flea market of goods for sale at the entrance to the adjacent alley.

"Oh man, you got that right, Joey! How you doin’ today?

"Not too bad but I do hear there’s a chance our GA benefits will be cut. You know anything about that?

"In fact I’m just now meeting with other POWER members to talk about that, so I don’t have much time but just briefly, yeah, there’s a member of the San Francisco board of Supervisors who is trying to push through a proposal that’ll hurt folks on GA. I’ll get back with you later with more news, Joey. Hey, maybe you can even help out, huh?"

"Yeah maybe, Ed, I’ll be here".

Upstairs, 7 other POWER members were already assembled and we spent 40 minutes locking brains to come up with a way to interfere with Gavin Newsome's kickoff campaign to collect the 15,000 signatures needed to get his measures to slash GA benefits onto November's ballot. As an organization that has been fighting to get better conditions for folks receiving assistance here in SF, POWER seemed a natural to fight Supervisor Newsome’s campaign. After our short meeting we descended the stairs back out into the hot street to walk the short distance over to Local 88 on Market St.

We arrived at a scene of hustle and bustle. A channel 5 news van was parked outside and the entrance to the upstairs meeting hall was a mob of people. Showing up dressed as we were, we supplied a sharp contrast to this young republican looking crowd. At least four of us had worn our POWER T-shirts, I had mine on under my leather jacket, and when I arrived, director of POWER, Steve Williams quickly took me aside. "Ed, we need a spy up there in the meeting!" As the only white boy amongst us, I was elected. Quickly I pulled my long scraggly hair back into a pony tail and, despite the heat, zipped up my jacket, hiding the T-shirt with the picture of the angry African-American woman with raised fist. Nervously looking around for any possible security, I entered the building and climbed the long flight of stairs. Suddenly my hair, clothes and everything about me seemed grungy and I had to forcefully dismiss from my mind the sure conviction that I'd be recognized, challenged and ejected any second.

When I arrived at the top of the stairs I spotted a table set up in the lobby for volunteer sign up, but after a moment's scrutiny I saw that people were passing by this freely into the main hall and I did the same. The scene was disheartening. A LOT of people, (I estimated 150), had turned out for this thing! Nervously I began to mingle, walking around the perimeter of the big hall and soon I got the information I was looking for. Posted on the wall roughly in the four corners of the room were big pieces of butcher paper with locations, (Cala Foods at 18th and Castro, Safeway at the Marina, etc.). I jotted these down. Soon a man acting as MC grabbed a microphone and began addressing the crowd, introducing speakers, first a doctor from the Haight Ashbury Free Clinic followed by Newsome himself. It didn't take me long to get the picture. This guy was supplying credibility to Newsome's main justification for cutting the GA cash, ground that former SF politicians and lawmakers have tread, ad nauseam: People on welfare can't be trusted with cash, they'll just use it for drugs. The doctor told his story about how, ".........just when we'd be starting to get somewhere with people, the 1st or the 15th, (checkdays), would roll around and we'd lose them........." Then Newsome was up and he got out his violin to tell the "heartrending" story of the long struggle he had with his conscience before finally................ reluctantly............. coming to the conclusion that the only humane solution was to take the cash out of GA recipients hands. Gagging, I hurried out of the place.

Outside I received pats on the back for my successful spy mission. We started to plan how best to split up to go out to the different signature locations. By this time our group had been joined by a couple of members from the Coalition on Homelessness and the press had started to notice us. The different news stations interviewed POWER members Larry Latimore, Willie Garner and Jason Negron. The next day Larry's interview was aired on TV supplying an opposite viewpoint to Newsome's lies, chiefly that ...........NOWHERE........... in Newsome's proposal is there any guarantee of the housing or services that the thing is purporting that it will give to people in exchange for the cash they are getting now.

Newsome’s propaganda would have the public seeing it like this: Most everyone getting General Assistance is a totally irresponsible chronic drug user that can't be trusted to make a decision on her/his own. Since the city is giving people a handout, it can do so in any form it sees fit. An essential condition this flawed viewpoint ignores is that everyone receiving the GA stipend has to WORK for the money, sweeping the streets or cleaning city buses. Over the last couple of years, due precisely to the work of POWER and other advocacy/activist groups the situation with workfare has changed but before this, and going back nearly 20 years all the way to the institution of workfare under Mayor Feinstein, the city had, year in and year out, from two to three thousand workfare workers doing identical jobs as city hired workers who were being paid union scale, (14 to 23 dollars per hour). ALL FOR MINIMUM WAGE, saving the city a whopping 30 million a year. All this by a bunch of irresponsible drug addicts who, (if we listen to Newsome), barely know how enough to get their own shoes tied right.

So just who is this guy, Gavin Newsome? Let’s get a little background on him. Earlier in the year this City Supervisor introduced a number of measures to be voted on by the Board. These measures constitute an all-out-attack on San Francisco's poor and homeless. If it became law, one of these would make panhandling on median strips illegal and punishable by a five hundred dollar fine. The same would go for urinating or defecating in public, (this when there are increasingly fewer and fewer public restrooms in the city).

But Newsome's most poisonous attack comes in the form of a slash to City and County of San Francisco welfare benefits. Currently those of us receiving General Assistance get about 320 dollars per month. If Newsome's proposal becomes law this cash will be cut to 59 dollars and the rest will be issued in the form of vouchers for services. The biggest chunk of these would be in the form of a housing voucher. This is a re-visiting of ground that other San Francisco politicians and bureaucrats have stomped over on a number of occasions. In the summer of '99 bureaucrat, Earl Rynerson introduced the infamous Prop E in a bid to get the laws changed so that 85% of the GA checks would be reduced to vouchers. At that time these vouchers would have made it possible for a person to get into one of the downtown flea bag, single room occupancy, (SRO), hotels for a couple of weeks per month. These SRO's were then and still are now, rat infested and the hangout of drug users and criminals. Even back in '99 there was a serious shortage of rooms in them, a situation which has worsened considerably now since 7 of these hotels have been destroyed by fire. When no rooms are available the only use for one of Newsome's vouchers would be at one of the city's shelters which are currently FREE!! No, you didn't read it wrong.................... if Newsome's plan becomes law, the city will be handing GA folks a voucher worth about 200 bucks with the right hand, only to snatch it back with the left, and anyone who's stayed in one of these shelters sure knows they aren't worth 200 dollars a month! Of course, the idea behind this nastiness is to make things extremely difficult for the poor so that folks will go elsewhere and the streets will be "cleaned up" for the attraction of tourists and the mega-bucks profit of downtown, big business interests.

When POWER found out about Newsome's plans we launched a counter attack. Through these efforts we were able to win over to our side the support of the three Supervisors on the committee who would be voting on the measures. In conjunction with the Coalition on Homelessness, Poor Magazine and other advocacy groups we also organized a press conference where we made public Newsome's plans. The effect of all of this was that, a few days before the public meeting, (held at City Hall), where public comment would be heard and the proposal voted on by the Supervisors, chicken-shit-Newsome, smelling defeat, withdrew it.

Newsome, who's been given the handle "pretty boy" because he's a tall, slim, glamour boy who gets written up regularly in the San Francisco society columns, is Willie Brown's hand picked successor for San Francisco's Mayor, (Brown has aspirations for higher office, probably Sacramento where he can move "up" to doing his insidious damage to the people on a statewide level). Newsome was Brown's appointee for Supervisor in 1997, (when a seat was vacated by State Assemblyman Kevin Shelly). He comes from silver spoon kind of old money wealth and has the support of others of the same ilk, (most notably billionaire Gordon Getty who's son Billy, Newsome is known to pal around with). Now, with the support of the Brown democratic machine Newsome is following in Willie Brown's footsteps, launching an offensive against the homeless that has enough of the earmarks of nastiness to put it on par with the mayor's long and vile record of similar crimes against the poor and working class.

Newsome recently took a trip to New York City to study Mayor Guiliani's homeless plan, one facet of which is it's use of homeless people as dirt cheap labor that gets farmed out to corporations such as Toyota and Citibank. If Newsome and like minded individuals, (namely Mayor Brown and George Smith, director of the Mayor's Dept. of Homelessness), have their way, San Francisco's homeless will continue to live in shelters while doing slave labor to benefit downtown interests, while his measures that criminalize normal human behavior, (sleeping and the performance of bodily functions), will give the police force carte blanche to "sweep' the streets often enough to give the impression that something is being done about the homeless problem, (exactly the "solution" that Guiliani's plan has accomplished in NYC).

Finishing writing this, I think back to this morning, the heat and my friend, Joey. Being homeless is no picnic, even on the warm days. A thought rolls through my mind, "Why, oh, why, is it that snakes like Newsome spend so much money on campaigns to take away what little some of us have when these same dollars could be put into affordable housing, living wage job programs and the like?"

For information on how you can get involved to help us fight Newsome’s campaign, contact: Jason Negron at POWER. (415) 864-8372