SAN FRANCISCO: Interim Mayor Ed Lee Predicted To Easily Win Election

While it may take a day or two for all the ballots to be accounted for in an election that allows "ranked voting," it appears that San Francisco's interim Mayor Ed Lee will win by a massive margin. Lee was appointed to replace former mayor Gavin Newsom and promised at the time that he would not attempt to hold the office. Among Lee's field of 16 opponents is openly gay city supervisor Bevan Dufty, who made national news with his unprecedented use of his young daughter in a campaign ad.

B.A.R. Endorses Bevan Dufty

San Francisco's Bay Area Reporter has endorsed Supervisor Bevan Dufty, who would become the city's first openly gay mayor if elected.

We're not endorsing Dufty just because he is gay. But political recommendations are part of our responsibility as the leading LGBT newspaper and it would be significant for America's gayest city to have an out mayor. It's important to us that one day San Francisco have a gay mayor and Dufty is as qualified as anyone else in the field. The late Harvey Milk often urged LGBTs to elect their own. We find it curious that Dufty could not secure the top spot from either of the city's LGBT Democratic clubs; the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club left him off entirely.

Last week Dufty made national news when he launched an ad campaign featuring his young daughter, the first such political ad from a gay candidate.

Bevan Dufty On MSNBC

Openly gay San Francisco supervisor and mayoral candidate Bevan Dufty appeared on MSNBC today to discuss the mixed reaction to his latest campaign ad, which features his young daughter.

(Via - Think Progress)

New Ad From Bevan Dufty

A cute new ad from openly gay San Francisco mayoral candidate Bevan Dufty includes his young daughter. Via email, my pal Karl Frisch speculates that this might be a first for an LGBT candidate.

SAN FRANCISCO: Victory Fund Endorses Supervisor Bevan Dufty For Mayor

Openly gay San Francisco Supervisor Bevan Dufty has picked up the endorsement of the Victory Fund in his bid to become mayor. That's a critical development for Dufty, who faces a mayoral field cluttered with almost two dozen declared candidates. SF Weekly reports:

The Victory Fund's endorsement signals a huge shift for Dufty's campaign, political consultants said. The group is known for its fund-raising prowess and it has a strong national donor network that helped Annise Parker get elected as the first openly gay mayor in Houston, Texas. And if it can help Houston elect a gay mayor, than San Francisco should be a no-brainer. "He can raise significant money from that community," said Jim Ross, a local campaign consultant. "This is really good." Ross pointed out that Dufty remains one of the most popular politicians, and comes from the largest voting district, which puts him in a strong position. More importantly, he can now access money from LGBT communities across the nation, which will help him make a comeback in this race.

San Francisco's mayor will be chosen by a ranked-choice method: "Under ranked-choice voting, voters list their first, second and third choices. If no candidate wins more than half the vote, last-place candidates are eliminated and second- and third-place votes from those ballots are redistributed until someone wins a majority." Confusing!

RELATED: Longtime SF Mayor Gavin Newsom resigned in January to take office as California Lt. Governor. City Administrator Edwin Lee was then appointed as Newsom's interim replacement. Lee is not running to keep the job.

UNRELATED: In 2008 I was seated next to Bevan Dufty for the San Francisco premiere screening of Milk. And all I could think was how strange it was to be watching a movie about a murdered gay politician while sitting next to the gay politician who now held that same office.

SF LGBT Center In Financial Crisis

San Francisco's LGBT Center is asking the city for a $1M "mortage relief" bailout so that it doesn't go under.

Eight years after opening with great fanfare, San Francisco's city-subsidized, $12.3 million Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center is on the verge of foreclosure - and is asking the cash-strapped city for a $1 million line of credit to help bail it out. And from the looks of things, the center will probably get it. The thinking: The city has already spent about $5.7 million on the building at Market and Octavia streets and needs to "make sure it doesn't go under," said Supervisor David Campos, who along with fellow gay Supervisor Bevan Dufty is seeking approval of a $1 million "mortgage relief" fund. Even that, however, might not be enough to save the center. According to a new report by the Board of Supervisors budget analyst, the center could need even more public funds to cover the nearly $3 million that it still owes on its mortgage. "Clearly, it's unprecedented," Campos said of the bailout proposal. "But I do believe there is something unique about the role the LGBT Center plays - not only in the life of the community, but the entire city."

Like many non-profits, the SF LGBT Center has seen a dramatic decline in donations from foundations and individuals.

Real Bad Does Real Good

Grass Roots Gay Rights West, the non-profit group that produces Folsom Street Fair's Real Bad party, has presented $150,000 to the beneficiaries of this year's event. That's openly gay SF Supervisor (and mayoral candidate) Bevan Dufty on the right, wearing a suit. Behind Dufty is my dear friend Leif Wauters, last year's party honcho.

Four selected LGBT health and community service organizations are sharing the funds raised, which include 100 percent of the money collected from general admission ticket sales. The beneficiary organizations are Dimensions Clinic, which offers medical and mental health services to queer, transgender, and questioning youth, ages 12 to 25; Maitri, one of San Francisco’s most respected and valued resources in providing care to people severely debilitated by AIDS; openhouse, a housing, services, and advocacy organization with a goal to ensure safe housing and support services that are sensitive to the needs of LGBT seniors; and Visual Aid, a nonprofit organization founded to help preserve, present, and promote the work of Bay Area professional artists living with HIV/AIDS, Breast Cancer, and other life-threatening illnesses.

To date the Real Bad parties have donated over $1 million to LGBT-related and other deserving groups. As I've said here before, Real Bad is among the top three most fun and best-run gay events in the nation, along with Miami's Winter Party and NYC's Pier Dance. All three are volunteer staffed. This is not a coincidence.

Openly Gay SF Supervisor Bevan Dufty To Run For Mayor In 2011

San Francisco City Supervisor Bevan Dufty has announced his bid to become San Francisco's first openly gay mayor. Via the Bay Area Reporter:

Supervisor Bevan Dufty, who will be termed out of his District 8 seat in January 2011, will officially declare his candidacy to be San Francisco's next mayor when he pulls papers to enter the race this morning, Thursday, September 24. He is the first person to do so for an election that is more than two years away. Dufty, 54, has made no secret of his desire to succeed Mayor Gavin Newsom, who will be termed out of office in January 2012. Should he be elected, Dufty would be the first openly gay person to be San Francisco's mayor. "Having worked 16 years in city government I have a lot of experience in addressing the day-to-day needs of people in our city," Dufty told the Bay Area Reporter during an exclusive interview at his Lower Haight home Sunday, September 20. "I am excited about being a leader of city government and creating a dynamism and responsiveness that will make people proud of their city."

Dufty's campaign will be run by Steve Hildebrand, Barack Obama's 2008 deputy campaign manager. Hildebrand has been extremely critical of Obama in recent weeks.

RELATED: I first met Dufty at last year's premiere of Milk and found it fascinating to sit behind him watching a movie about the murder of the man who had the job Dufty now holds.

Gay SF Supervisor Bevan Dufty Introduces Resolution Condemning Church Vandalism

Yesterday openly gay San Francisco Supervisor Bevan Dufty introduced a resolution that condemns the vandalism of the Most Holy Redeemer Church.

WHEREAS, Most Holy Redeemer Church, a Catholic community established in 1900 and located within the heart of San Francisco's Castro District, is widely known as a Gay-friendly parish; and

WHEREAS, For over 20 years the community of Most Holy Redeemer Church has sustained an active AIDS support group providing direct care to persons with HIV disease and assistance to those who love and care for them; and

WHEREAS, Most Holy Redeemer Church established a Peace and Social Justice Group to reflect upon and address issues of justice both inside and outside the church, particularly in response to sexism, homophobia, racism, and the willful failure to protect the poor and underserved; and

WHEREAS, The Community Life Committee of Most Holy Redeemer is made up of various organizations in the parish that form the faith and build a deeper sense of community for all ages and interest groups in the parish and the extended local community regardless of religious affiliation; therefore, now be it

RESOLVED, That the Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco does hereby condemn the recent intimidation of Most Holy Redeemer Church and its parishoners through acts of vandalism, specifically the defacing of its exterior with spray-painted graffiti that included the names of church leaders and the depictions of swastikas; and therefore, be

FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco commends the significant accomplishments and contributions made by the faith community of Most Holy Redeemer Church to the City of St. Francis.

Hey Catholic League, hey Bill Donahue, looky here! Gay leadership in the city government IS condemning acts of vandalism against the church. Will you notice and acknowledge Bevan Dufty's action?