Wayne's world
For what it's worth and to those who have asked, these are my picks for upcoming election:
Mayor: Dennis Herrera
Bevan Dufty (#2)
Sheriff: Chris Cunnie
District Attorney: George Gasc�"n
Remember, vote as you please, but please vote.
Wayne Friday
San Francisco
The state of AIDS in SF
In his "Mayor's race overlooks AIDS" article [October 13], Matthew Bajko informed that the SF AIDS Office is embarking on a $9.5 million expansion and renovation project for its offices. For what? New Gucci desks to match their pumps?
When Sacramento is dismantling its state Office of AIDS, you call a bureaucrat there and get a voice mail that your call "would be answered in the next 24 hours." But after 24 hours the call is still unanswered. The AIDS Drug Assistance Program keeps shrinking its meds list. They keep arguing among ADAP, Medi-Cal and Medicare on who is going to pay for the tab. Ramsell, a private entity that gets a juicy contract from the government, runs ADAP. They have over 500 "volunteers" all around California that take care of all HIV/AIDS patients' enrollment, up to finding the address of an HMO where they are going to bill the Medicare Part D of the program. I said volunteers because these are workers from HIV-related agencies that have to do this job for them. The paid staff of Ramsell in Oakland many times forget these volunteers do not work for them and they don't get an extra penny for what they do.
Housing Opportunities for People With AIDS representatives met with HIV patients last week and the housing situation for HIV tenants is pretty murky. The same abuses from slumlords, attitude of employees in government offices still persist. A man in his 60s did not have housing nor one to help with the application forms.
So the local AIDS Office is telling the HIV community in need, "let them each brioche" with a $9.5 million renovation project in the middle of this economic turmoil.
Jorge Rodriguez-Sanabria
San Francisco