Tim Redmond

The conservatives in San Francisco used to blame Chesa Boudin for pretty much everything that went wrong in the city. Boudin, of course, was the district attorney who took a reform approach to criminal justice—and just happened to take office in the midst of a global pandemic. Then-Mayor London Breed blamed Boudin for creating a lawless city. The newspapers and TV stations blamed him for every single crime that anyone ever committed.

The campaign for a public bank in San Francisco moved a big step forward this week when the Board of Supes Rules Committee voted unanimously to advance a City Charter amendment by Sup. Cheyanne Chen to create a Municipal Finance Corporation and after three years, a public bank. The move comes just as Sup. Jackie Fielder, who made this a signature campaign issue, is returning from a medical leave. Sup.

Last week was Demonstration Week, when labor and community groups came together under the banner of the People’s Budget Coalition to demand an end to Mayor Daniel Lurie’s brutal proposed cuts, which will cost thousands of jobs and eliminate vital services. Anya Worley-Ziegman, the coalition coordinator, put it clearly at a large and boisterous rally on the steps of City Hall: Budgets are about making choices, and setting priorities. It’s not about a lack of money, it’s about where that money goes.