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I Left My Muck in San Francisco
It's clear that the world has its share of corrupt politicians. What's not clear, however, is whether or not Ed Jew, a San Francisco supervisor, can be counted as one.
That is not to say that Jew is not corrupt. Jew is accused of extorting $40,000 in cash from a local tapioca shop that he promised to help with permit problems. In actuality, the $40,000 came from the FBI, after the tapioca store owners reported the situation. That led to an FBI raid of his properties, an arrest warrant and an indictment.
Still, Ed Jew might not be a corrupt politician, because he might technically not be a politician. Yes, Jew ran for office in the fourth district of San Francisco. And yes, he is scheduled to serve until November (despite his legal troubles, Jew is keeping his seat). But Jew has never actually lived in the fourth district. In fact, Jew doesn’t even live in San Francisco.
The truth came out when local reporters began looking into the FBI raids of Jew’s properties. When journalists went to ask Jew’s neighbors what they thought of him, the neighbors answered that they didn’t know him. In fact, they'd never seen him in the neighborhood. Jew’s house, which belongs to his father, is entirely empty. As an FBI agent’s affidavit attests, the house is virtually deserted -- there aren’t even water or utility bills to be paid. Meanwhile, Jew has been living with his wife in Burlingame, a city just south of San Francisco; their neighbors say they see the couple leaving for work early every morning.
Nevertheless, Jew still maintains he's a San Francisco resident. When asked about having no running water in his home, Jew told the press that he showers in the flower shop that he owns. But as the San Francisco Bay Guardian pointed out, the flower shop doesn’t have running water either. Local blog SFist has had a field day with its exhaustive “Oh no, Ed Jew!” coverage.
Politician or not, Jew finally turned himself into his local police. His local Burlingame police. So much for San Francisco.
Ed. Note: Thanks to reader DM for the local tip.
Comments (46)
JM wrote on June 16, 2007 12:11 PM:
bzzd wrote on June 16, 2007 12:18 PM:Who replaces him? Solomon Asian?
First, Abramoff; then Ed Jew? What will the gentiles think of us?
Update: sorry I was just advised Abramoff is not asian.
bzzd wrote on June 16, 2007 12:19 PM:First, Abramoff; then Ed Jew? What will the country think of us?
Update: sorry I was just advised Abramoff is not asian.
Springboard wrote on June 16, 2007 12:20 PM:Mayor Gavin Newsom may be using this as a means to lever out a few other problem supervisors. Once Ed Jew leaves, Newsom may put the city asessor into Ed's former spot, and then ask a pesky guy--and frequent FOX interviewee as "wacky SF liberal" strawman--Sandoval--to go be asessor...and replacing Sandoval with a less wacky guy.
Pretty good deal all around, frankly--if it works--and is more than just City gossip-- Newsom's a political genius.
Hank Essay wrote on June 16, 2007 12:21 PM:This is very bad for the Jews.
kazoonheight wrote on June 16, 2007 12:32 PM:-
which only goes to show only hugh can prevent florist friars
Anonymous wrote on June 16, 2007 12:41 PM:Springboard, Newsom's hardly a political genius. He's a photogenic glad-handler in the model of Redford's role in 'The Candidate." He stands for nothing, and has few allies apart from the downtown lobbies. Of course, that's where the money is, and he's their boy. He will win easy re-election by default because it looks like no one will run against him. (Matt Gonzalez has been dicking around with an art career -- hey, Matt, put down the Mod-Podge and get back in the ring!).
Jew was a long-time Repub who registered and ran as a Dem because GOPers fare poorly in S.F. You can take the boy out of the country...
Is the JADL looking into this?
Anonymous wrote on June 16, 2007 12:47 PM:First, I live in the Bay Area, and your account is somewhat incomplete. You should check out beyondchron.org to get some of the full story.
He does have running water for his flower shop-the thing is, though, it's not paid under it. He owns residential units right next to the flower shop. So, he apparently uses from that.
That brings up another question, though. Why is he using water from his residential units? Should he being paying residential costs rather than commercial costs? Is it legal or not legal for him to do this?
Also, the $40,000 is somewhat dubious, because this is the only incident that has ever been reported. No one else has come up to say whether he has done similar things in the past.
However, I do believe the story of him not living in his District maybe true. Sure, he owns a house there-but he's not living in it.
I would say the story is currently quite embarassing, but I'm willing to wait and see what happens.
benjoya wrote on June 16, 2007 12:49 PM:gesundheit!
Bob Who wrote on June 16, 2007 12:58 PM:Jews need water !!!
someparisian wrote on June 16, 2007 1:00 PM:Posted by: benjoya
"gesundheit!"
You win.
Anyway, maybe it's meant to be pronounced "yoo"? Just guessing.
Bob Who wrote on June 16, 2007 1:01 PM:If Lisa Black married Ed Jew.... She be Lisa Black Jew ...
krog wrote on June 16, 2007 1:15 PM:I'm Stopping now !!!
This is SNL material.
Anonymous wrote on June 16, 2007 1:22 PM:His name may be Jew, but he's definitely a Wang, too, and a big one.
No, I have no shame.
cv wrote on June 16, 2007 1:34 PM:Jew is obviously the English transliteration of the Chinese name, but I've always wondered why not use "Ju," which seems a less freighted word.
EH wrote on June 16, 2007 2:09 PM:"However, I do believe the story of him not living in his District maybe true."
Ya think?
gregor wrote on June 16, 2007 2:54 PM:Reminds me of a friend's supervisor curiously asking him if the Indian person by the last name of Dickshit who had just sent her a resume was for real.
And of course there were the brothers Ashit and Nishit we used to call Oh Shit and No Shit.
Anonymous wrote on June 16, 2007 3:48 PM:Jew is obviously the English transliteration of the Chinese name, but I've always wondered why not use "Ju,"
It wouldn't sound the same.
"chew" might have been less polarizing.
Yup wrote on June 16, 2007 3:51 PM:I'm a native San Franciscan. Jew is a political junkie who was wily and lucky enough to have manipulated a process the city recently adopted for electing district supervisors. In order to save money in runoff elections, voters nowadays choose 3 candidates, and the system crunches numbers that all but insures a clear cut winner is announced. Turnout in his district was very low, and even then he barely squeaked in.
San Francisco politics has historically been a snake pit. For the past few decades it has also been a lunatic asylum. Jew was just bright enough to have risen to an executive position within the city's GOP (whose numbers are in the endangered species range). But the simple fact remains that Jew is simply not that bright a guy. I think he's guilty of corruption, for which I lack any sympathy whatsoever. If convicted, he should do hard time. But he was doomed the minute he took office under the false pretense of being a resident of his district. I don't doubt that every member of the board of supervisors knew that fact, or the mayor, either. He was headed for an ignominious fall the second he took his oath of office. Unfortunately for him and his family, before that happened he tried to shake down the wrong people, and was busted.
Phil wrote on June 16, 2007 4:07 PM:I was wondering if you guys would ever pick this up, since it's a pretty local story.
He appears to be guilty of extortion in this case, and the lack of care he took in commiting this crime makes one wonder what a common practice criminal acts are for him.
It didn't occur to him that the tapioca drink purveyor might contact the police or FBI when Ed Jew asked him for large sums of influence cash.
But then, woops, he lied about his residency. I'm not afraid to say he's guilty of that, because he avoided every opportunity to prove otherwise to the city attorney.
Mooser wrote on June 16, 2007 4:32 PM:Yup, I think the whole thing is simply an outbreak of anti-Semetism!Everybody's always trying to get the Jew!
Yoyo wrote on June 16, 2007 4:37 PM:Jew was very recently the vice chairman of the local Republican Party:
Now, how did this guy get elected?
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/06/10/EDGCUQBP7F1.DTL&feed=rss.news
Ed Jew ignores city attorney's probe deadline
Juanito wrote on June 16, 2007 4:44 PM:http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/06/16/MNG59QGLC71.DTL
Mooser: "anti-semetism," or anti-semenism?
Jack wrote on June 16, 2007 4:47 PM:TAPIOCA STORE? WTF IS THAT?
Corruption is only corruption if your enemies control the guys with badges and are willing to let them go after you. "Honest politician" is an oxymoron in this country and most others. Just like "honest bureaucrat."
OkieFromMuskogee wrote on June 16, 2007 5:25 PM:Jack, don't be so cynical. Of course there are honest politicians.
An honest politician is one who, when you buy him, he STAYS bought.
Steve5117 wrote on June 16, 2007 5:31 PM:Flash N,C. disbars Nifong, Duke rape prosecuter
Austin Cooper wrote on June 16, 2007 5:42 PM:People here in San Francisco aren't that concerned about the politics of Jew's apparent behavior -- though we appreciate it as theater -- and (to echo another SF Resident above) what we're mainly saying is *how could someone be so arrogant or so stupid*?
(Well... we were already kind of saying that about *another* recent piece of theater out here, "The Mayor, The Mistress, and Her Husband (The Good Friend)".)
People become politicians (rarely is it ever the other way around, because politics is often not a 're-humanizing' process). They bring their frailties with them. Jew had a desire to 'be somebody', and the moment he thought he was, he apparently wanted to be paid to provide political influence.
I think the Public would *like* to believe that public service isn't an automatic license to steal; but every Ed Jew, or Duke Cunningham or Mark Foley or Tom DeLay or [Please Fill In The Next Republican's Name Here] who is exposed as dishonest doesn't help the perception that to *be* a politician means we wouldn't trust them for five minutes alone in a room with our children (Mark Foley, particularly).
Meanwhile, it's not the same as a season pass to ACT -- but it'll do.
Code = Waste; as in, situations like this are a waste on so many levels it's not funny.
this guy wrote on June 16, 2007 7:35 PM:Jack -
tapioca stores are fairly common here in SF (asian thing). in fact, local blog sfist.com started a bit of a controversy by nick naming Jew "Tapioca Ed." See, apparently that's racist since Jew is Chinese and tapioca shops predominantly serve the asian community.
i will ditto austin cooper above and say that pretty much everyone in san francisco is following every little twist and turn of this case and the hook is always the stupid factor. that and the guy just can't shut up. showering at his flower shop!!
moron wrote on June 16, 2007 9:47 PM:This is what comes of letting a Jew participate in politics.
JNagarya wrote on June 16, 2007 10:24 PM:DIRTY JEW !!
Everything non-racist said about him proves him a Republican: stupid extortionate politician who steals water from a tenant and lives elsehwhere than where he claims.
"Duke" Cunningham doesn't live in San Diego; he lives in prison.
"Abraham Lincoln didn't die in vain. He died in Washington, DC." -- Firesign Theatre
SC = sleep. As in, A Republican who isn't a criminal is asleep.
Nancy Irving wrote on June 16, 2007 10:42 PM:I think it's the same name that's transliterated as "Chu" or "Cho" on the east coast.
When I moved to CA years ago, I thought this was funny too. There's a car dealer here with the same name, and his license-plate holders say "C. Louie Jew." For the longest time I thought this was some kind of strange racial slur.
Malcolm wrote on June 16, 2007 10:44 PM:For an outlander, this is a weird story; thanks very much for all of the clarifying info. One question: what kind of tapioca are the SF Asians eating? Is it old fashioned tapioca pudding or something more exotic and Asian? As a tapioca lover who will be visiting SF next month, I'd love to know where the best tapioca is to be had. Thanks.
Sweet Melissa wrote on June 16, 2007 10:55 PM:Just because the Mayor might benefit from getting to appoint Jew's replacement doesn't mean that the Mayor had anything to with creating the fiasco. That's like saying the Friends of Sunset Park engineered the bribe so they could get a donation. Or like saying bloggers took furniture out of Jew's house so we could have something to write about. Wait. That last one was actually true. In our defense, there wasn't much to take.
this guy wrote on June 16, 2007 10:56 PM:malcolm-
i can't answer your tapioca questions, but to find a good one i'd search yelp.com. just search put 'tapioca' in the search box and you'll probably get what you need.
enjoy the city. don't spend 8 hours in line for the cable car at the foot of Powell street. instead, look at a map and find a stop at the other end of the line and ride it from there. no lines. and please, if you go to fisherman's wharf or pier 39, remember, that's not san francisco, that's one big tacky souvenier shop.
and don't bother visiting burlingame - it's not that interesting, Jew or no Jew.
this guy wrote on June 16, 2007 11:07 PM:malcolm -
here's another idea on the tapioca front. the place ed jew extorted money from is called Quickly. (just looked 'em up on google for an address and it turns out it's the largest chain of tapioca stores in the world.)
they have two san francisco locations. one will be out of the way for you as tourist so go to the one in China Town which is near downtown. China Town is worth a visit anyways. here it is:
Quickly
1170 Powell Street, San Francisco, CA
(Cross Jackson Street)
and while you're there, stroll over and see where District 4 Supervisor Ed Jew showers: 118 Waverly Place at Clay St. it's only a couple blocks....
EH wrote on June 17, 2007 1:11 AM:The tapioca or "Bubble Tea" is indeed an Asian beverage popular with all kinds. It's usually some kind of fruit juice or coffee/tea type beverage with a bunch of 1/2" tapioca balls in it. It comes in a cup similar to keg cups and uses a large straw to get the tapioca.
Yup wrote on June 17, 2007 1:11 AM:"Just because the Mayor might benefit from getting to appoint Jew's replacement doesn't mean that the Mayor had anything to with creating the fiasco".
As I wrote upthread, Jew was in over his head from the git-go.
There's a reason the likes of Phil Burton (who Tip O'Neil just barely edged out for the Speakership), Dianne Feinstein, Barbara Boxer, and Nancy Pelosi ascended the political ladders they did during the past thirty-odd years. San Francisco politics? Well, "if you can make it there you can make it anywhere".
Thirty years ago, another district supervisor was even more clueless (and unstable) than Jew. Although he had resigned his seat, he had second thoughts. He honestly believed the mayor had agreed to reappoint him (as was the mayor's prerogative under law). He was at sea where city politics were concerned. Ex-supervisor Dan White was maniacally deluded, and, the day his eyes were opened, he proceeded to assassinate Mayor George Moscone and supervisor Harvey Milk. Milk was the first openly gay elected official in the the country. White, a poster boy of the intolerant, ignorant, Irish Catholic population of San Francisco (from which I spring), confessed he shot White because of a perceived smirk about his situation. Which was bullshit, but that's another story.
The fact is that White- like Jew- was a guy in way over his head where politics and San Francisco was concerned.
After he resigned his seat on the board of Supervisors in 1978, had a handful of White's colleagues (including Feinstein) taken him aside and explained the ABC's of Where It's At, perhaps things may have been different. Likewise, had even a few colleagues of Jew done the same, he may have seen the light, and been persuaded to tender his inevitable resignation. They didn't (I strongly suspect) because the knowledge that he was illegally elected constituted an ace up all their sleeves. He proved an even bigger fool than they had suspected, and so today finds himself in a serious jam.
Sweet Melissa wrote on June 17, 2007 2:05 AM:Yup - while I agree with most of what you wrote here, I think that (a) we don't know whether any private conversations have taken place between other supes and Jew (indeed, most all of them refrained from passing judgment until recently when things got out of hand) and (b) even if no mentoring sessions took place, the fact that Jew has been a misanthrope throughout his time at the board is his own fault. I am not saying I want to be BFF with any of the supes, but if you act with disdain for your colleagues, there can be no wonder why none of them treat you with a kinder, gentler, Spring Fresh Scent. Again, I don't see a conspiracy; just a dude who did a number of stupid things. Alone. Just like he does everything else.
Sweet Melissa wrote on June 17, 2007 2:07 AM:Yup - while I agree with most of what you wrote here, I think that (a) we don't know whether any private conversations have taken place between other supes and Jew (indeed, most all of them refrained from passing judgment until recently when things got out of hand) and (b) even if no mentoring sessions took place, the fact that Jew has been a misanthrope throughout his time at the board is his own fault. I am not saying I want to be BFF with any of the supes, but if you act with disdain for your colleagues, there can be no wonder why none of them treat you with a kinder, gentler, Spring Fresh Scent. Again, I don't see a conspiracy; just a dude who did a number of stupid things. Alone. Just like he does everything else at the Board.
Yup wrote on June 17, 2007 4:05 AM:Melissa: I never said Jew was a misanthrope [noun: a person who dislikes humankind and avoids human society].
He is, however, a criminal fool. A fool whose bad luck saw him busted by the law before he was rousted by his colleagues.
"A political conspiracy among elected officials in San Francisco"?
You've got to be kidding. I never inferred that. The very notion is preposterous.
Still, between the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors, who didn't know that Jew didn't abide at his registered address?
I'll tell you who didn't know.
Not a single one, that's who.
Each was prepared to drop a hammer on Jew, in the blink of an eye, when it suited their political purpose.
They knew. They all knew. But it has nothing to do with "conspiracy".
"It's just Chinatown, Jake".
drational wrote on June 17, 2007 9:07 AM:"The tapioca or "Bubble Tea" is indeed an Asian beverage popular with all kinds. It's usually some kind of fruit juice or coffee/tea type beverage with a bunch of 1/2" tapioca balls in it. It comes in a cup similar to keg cups and uses a large straw to get the tapioca."
Imagine "Thai Iced Tea" with dense, flavorless, Jello Pellets that you suck up through a straw the diameter of your index finger. It's yummy-wierd for the first 4 or 5 tapioca pellets, but after a whole serving (~30 1/2 inch pellets) I feel like my stomach will explode.
Mooser wrote on June 18, 2007 2:56 PM:Mooser: "anti-semetism," or anti-semenism?
Please don't mention "semen" in a thread which has to do with tapioca! I don't want to go there.
Anonymous wrote on June 18, 2007 10:19 PM:You know, Ed Jew is conservative, but what the FBI did to him smells of entrapment.
But to say again, I do believe he's guilty living outside his District; and it's more guilty of that because he lives outside of San Francisco.
Nina wrote on June 19, 2007 2:44 PM:Q: Know what one congressman said to the other in the tapioca shop?
A: Jew Eat?
ulmpefk sxekjpdl wrote on September 5, 2007 5:30 AM:espwxid ivsmgxbnk epjc gibxfyej wcbzuimaq yxjp bezfknpja
ulmpefk sxekjpdl wrote on September 5, 2007 5:31 AM:espwxid ivsmgxbnk epjc gibxfyej wcbzuimaq yxjp bezfknpja