City leaders make use of time off
By: Joshua Sabatini
Examiner Staff Writer
September 8, 2009
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| Supervisor David Chiu visited China during the legislative recess. (Examiner file photo) |
SAN FRANCISCO — Some ventured far and some traveled closer to home, but all 11 members of the Board of Supervisors took advantage of their summer break to step out of the political spotlight.
Tuesday is the board’s last day of the official legislative summer recess, a 21-day period in which supervisors are rarely seen at City Hall, if at all, and the hallways are relatively quiet.
Supervisors said the time off is a chance to reconnect with constituents, spend time with and visit family, rest up and prepare for when the legislative process inevitably ramps up again.
By the sound of it, many will return refreshed. Some jetted off to Cape Cod, Mass., Mexico, Los Angeles or China. Others took shorter trips to California locales like Sacramento or Stinson Beach.
Some kept within reach of their constituents. Others seemingly went off the grid.
Board President David Chiu’s cell phone message said he would be out of town for recess and not checking messages. Chiu, who visited family on the East Coast before traveling to China, where he remains, referred calls to his office staff.
Supervisor Bevan Dufty, who spent two weeks visiting Provincetown, Mass., said he remained in contact with constituents. Technology, Dufty said, allows one to remain accessible while “still doing your job.”
Several supervisors opted for the shorter trips, with some including a fair share of summertime fun. Supervisor Eric Mar enjoyed a soak in a mineral bath during a visit to Calistoga and a bike ride along a river in Sacramento.
Supervisor John Avalos mostly stuck around The City, but he did spend a few days in Los Angeles visiting his father. He also went body surfing at Huntington Beach and, back home, went deep-sea fishing for a day with his office staff. The seas were kind to him: Avalos caught a bunch of rock fish and later cooked them up and made fish tacos, which, he said, he shared with some neighbors.
Supervisor David Campos, who is warring with Mayor Gavin Newsom about immigration issues, visited Cancun, Mexico, and then spent time in Los Angeles.
Campos said there’s nothing wrong with taking a few weeks off. “It’s a good balance,” he said, noting that being a supervisor is an “intense” full-time job.
The legislative recess officially runs from Aug. 19 to Tuesday, although business doesn’t really get going until the first full board meeting Sept. 15.
jsabatini@sfexaminer.com
