Sam Spade's San Francisco

The City Council of Highland, California unanimously passed a resolution which states, in part, "the City of Highland will not spend public money going to the City of San Francisco. We will not spend one dime of public money."

Highland is a town of about 50,000 in San Bernardino County, which is on the other side of and well beyond Los Angeles.

How much money could we possibly lose by this Southern California desert town boycotting us? The real losers will be Highland's municipal department heads who will be unable to attend any of the many seminars and workshops for local government officials that are hosted in San Francisco. If they want to attend, they will have to pay for it themselves. It seems to me that the Highland City Council is slicing off their noses to spite their faces.

Highland City Council member Larry McCallon said, ""We realize that in the rest of the country, California is known as the land of kooks and nuts because of what happens in San Francisco. We wanted to let the rest of the country know that California, and specifically Highland, supports our military, that San Francisco does not speak for California."

My gut-level reaction is one of sympathy for the poor people of Highland. For some reason of local intrigue, the people of Highland have been duped into electing some of the local loud-mouth buffoons onto their city council.

Larry McCallon is a member of Immanuel Baptist Church, retired owner of "McCleaners" and is past president of the local chamber of commerce. I imagine that McCallon is also an experienced hunter, just like Vice President Cheney. Cheney shot his lawyer and the Highland City Council are shooting their department heads.

The poor people of Highland. Look at what kind of city council they have.

I think of our own Board of Supervisors in comparison and I am very impressed with the intelligence and dedication of our Board members. I think of our mayor, Gavin Newsom, who is a fourth-generation San Franciscan and one of the most remarkable and impressive public figures in America. San Francisco is lucky to have Gavin as a native son.

I think of the amazing city staff we have ... Dennis Herrera, our City Attorney, who stood up and continues to stand solidly behind the marriage equality movement and our civil rights. I think of Heather Fong and Joanne Hayes-White, two remarkable women who head the San Francisco Police Department and the San Francisco Fire Department.

In my mind's eye I see Mark Leno, a former member of our Board of Supervisors who is now one of our State Assembly members and is the champion and hero of the marriage equality and queer civil rights movement in California. I also think of Dr. Leland Yee, also a former San Francisco Board of Supervisors member, who is now Speaker Pro Tempore of the California State Assembly.

My mind takes me back on a journey and I remember Harvey Milk very distinctly. I remember that is was San Francisco Board of Supervisors President Diane Feinstein who discovered the bodies of Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone, a man who was a future-thinking and deeply compassionate man.

Then I think again about the people of Highland. They sure got the short end of the stick.

I believe the City of San Francisco should invite the principal department heads of the City of Highland to come to San Francisco and spend a few days meeting our department heads. Imagine how it might benefit their city attorney to spend some time with Dennis Herrera, or their police chief riding along with Chief Heather Fong, and their fire chief to learn from the remarkable San Francisco Fire Department and Chief Joanne Hayes-White.

San Francisco has always been a welcome haven for people of every and any description who need a place to be free. If we can impart our fierce love of freedom to Highland's department heads, maybe they can take that precious lesson back with them and work toward getting a better and more qualified city council in office.

Mayor Newsom offered this comment: "I always distinguish the leadership from the people. I imagine the people of Highland are good people, even though they have some errant leaders right now on this issue."

I could have guessed that Gavin Newsom would have reacted that way. There is something instinctive and very deep in the hearts of true San Franciscans that causes us not only to love this magnificent City with a full heart, but which also causes us to welcome everybody with open arms. In San Francisco we accept everyone and we reject nobody.

In the eyes of the oppressors we are "kooks and nuts", but in the eyes of love, we are the stuff of which home is made. Perhaps this is the finest example of just how far ahead San Francisco is from the rest of the world.

No city on earth has ever come closer to being a real Shangri-La than the City and County of San Francisco!

Happy Valentines Day to my City! I love you!