Newsom first captured the attention of voters with a ballot initiative last fall that he called "Care, Not Cash." Overwhelmingly approved by voters, but now hung up in the courts, it would drastically slash General Assistance payments to the homeless and give them vouchers for services instead. Opponents say those services are already stretched too thin.

This year, Newsom followed up with a ballot initiative to ban begging in many parts of the city — near any bank ATM, for example — and outlaw aggressive panhandling everywhere.

Gonzales wants, among other things, to boost the minimum wage to $8.50. ...When it comes to governing a city, his goals to reduce patronage in City Hall, help small business and improve financing of public works projects are in line with the San Francisco mainstream, he said.

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....Gonzalez did not announce his candidacy until August and, like his opponents, had trouble capturing the attention of voters amid the hoopla of the gubernatorial recall race. But a grass-roots movement on his behalf flourished, as volunteers strapped Gonzalez signs to their bikes and vans, and musicians and artists all over town held last-minute fund-raisers for him.

The wild card got in," San Francisco State political science professor Richard DeLeon said of Gonzalez. The Newsom camp "didn't even prepare for that." "It's going to be very interesting," he added. "I think there's great potential, especially on the college campuses, and Gonzalez really seems to be tapping that source of energy. That can make a huge difference."

We especially liked this:

Other Green Party positions — support for gay marriage and opposition to the death penalty — are shared by any viable candidate in San Francisco, Newsom included.

[link via Smythes World]

Martha at Demisemiblog is following the campaign and just contributed and volunteered for Gonzales. She'll tell you why.