This is an archive of a past election. See http://www.smartvoter.org/ca/sf/ for current information. |
League of Women Voters of California
| ||||
| ||||
Political Philosophy for Steve Williams
Candidate for |
||||
|
Law Above Politics I am running for City Attorney to change the direction of the office, which, I believe, is unduly influenced by monied and connected interests in San Francisco - hence, "Law Above Politics." I made this declaration when I first filed my intent to run before the incumbent withdrew from the race. It is interesting, now that the incumbent has withdrawn from the race, that each of the other candidates has copied my original campaign theme of reform. The City Attorney's office should be committed to providing the highest quality and timely legal services to all of the elected and appointed officials of the City and County of San Francisco. However, emphasis must be placed on the ethical provision of said legal services and advice without regard to political influence. Protecting the public's interest in the integrity of government is the heart of the office. All action or inaction by the office must reflect this paramount obligation. The City Attorney should be the people's lawyer, not the privileged people's lawyer. The contributions flowing into my opponents' campaigns confirm that my opponents represent more of the same - money and privilege in politics and City Hall. Major issues Some of the major issues are:
The City Attorney's office can and should be:
1. an advocate for tenants' rights, taking immediate action against landlords who violate the City's ordinances,
2. be a public advocate for consumers moving to enforce the Raker Act for the benefit of the City's residents,
3. requiring the Refuse Collection and Disposal Board to comply with the Charter provision and other agreements limiting Nor-Cal's profit margin to the eight and one quarter percent and do environmental review,
4. end the use of the redevelopment authority as a "candy store" for developers who are enabled to ignore the City's General Plan and codes, as well as skirt the State Redevelopment law; and
5. vigorously and whole-heartedly enforce CEQA and other environmental protections afforded by law rather than merely paying lip service to said requirements and issuing, as matter of course, negative declarations and exemptions from environmental safeguards. The City Attorney's Duties The City Attorney is the second most important elected City official in San Francisco. As such, the office advises every City department, including the Office of the Mayor. In addition, the City Attorney's office writes all City contracts and oversees the selection process of all bids and proposals. Finally, it is the Office of the City Attorney which litigates on behalf of the City, both defending lawsuits and prosecuting civil actions. The duties of the Office of City Attorney are spelled out in the San Francisco Charter. How the Office goes about meeting its responsibilities is what will define its "mission." The City Attorney should be committed to providing the highest quality and timely legal services to the City, its departments and all of the elected officials. Emphasis must be placed on the ethical provision of said legal services and advice must be given without regard to political influence. The "client" is the public entity (the City) and ultimately the public itself. All action or inaction by the Office must reflect this paramount obligation. The Office's current organizational approach is through four "teams" - litigation, administration, general law, and claims and investigations. At this time, I see no reason to alter that structure; however, I will reevaluate the organizational structure after some time in office, perhaps with an eye toward creating a public interest team. I believe that the specific organizational structure is not paramount in determining the Office's direction. I believe that it will be the direction that comes from the City Attorney that will define the way the Office approaches governance. A New Dynamic The following examples illustrate why a new approach - a new dynamic - is needed in City Hall:
Steve Williams |
Next Page:
Additional Endorsements
Candidate Page
|| Feedback to Candidate
|| This Contest
November 2001 Home (Ballot Lookup)
|| About Smart Voter
Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 12, 2001 18:39
Smart Voter <http://www.smartvoter.org/>
Copyright ©
League of Women Voters of California Education Fund http://ca.lwv.org
The League of Women Voters neither supports nor
opposes candidates for public office or political parties.