What Gavin told me

Back to the census story, briefly. I made up for being slighted by pissing off everybody -- the Mayor's staff, a Supervisor, and the Mayor himself -- on Tuesday morning. Or at least trying real hard to do that.

"No other Mayor has done more for the black community."

I got that nugget after I read to the Mayor a quote from the publisher of SF's only black newspaper, after the Mayor's Office scheduled a press conference in the Fillmore District, talking about black people, without -- so they all said, anyway -- telling people in the Fillmore District. Which means, without telling black people.

The publisher said something along the lines of, "Gavin Newsom doesn't care about us. Gavin Newsom only cares about money. His interests are big interests."

So the conference ends and it's quote time. While the other press hacks are swarming around and asking Gavin about the Olympic torch, I snake over to Sup. Ross and give him the quote. He gives me a one-sentence answer and then we have the eye-lock silence for 10-15 seconds. I prod a little more and I get some good stuff out of him.

"(The census) won't do a damn thing about black flight," he said. "This (the press conference) is just sugarcoating it." Ok, now we're talking.

So finally everyone else is done with Gavin, and I have my moment. I don't open my mouth before Nathan Ballard swoops in to eavesdrop, but I read it, Gavin asks who said it, I tell him and he laughs. Puts a hand on my shoulder, tries to dismiss it. He's good, that one. Gavin goes off to list all of the things done recently that "disproportionately" aided SF's black community.

Gavin Newsom: SF's first black mayor? (Sorry, Willie).