Gonzalez Rebuffs Chronicle's Attempt to Get Him in Mayor's RaceRandy Shawbyline‚ Jul. 31‚ 2007Despite a last-ditch effort by the San Francisco Chronicle to get him in the race, Matt Gonzalez ended months of speculation last night to announce that he would not run for Mayor. Last week, the Chronicle ran front-page stories sharply criticizing Mayor Gavin Newsom on two “hot button” political issues - safety in Golden Gate Park, and homelessness. Although the paper could have waited to run its expose until after the August 10 mayoral filing deadline, it instead seemed to invite a mayoral challenge by accusing Newsom of ignoring the proliferation of needles in the supposedly child-friendly Park. Even more uncharacteristically, the Chronicle coverage ignored the Mayor’s success housing homeless people and accused him of maintaining a “Camp Agnos”-type environment on the city’s Westside. Now that Matt Gonzalez did not jump for the bait, will the Chronicle resume its staunch pro-Newsom coverage? |