While we quibble about who will be mayor of San Francisco, the Cali Republic wrestles with budget problems.

Shortfall in Car Tax to Hit Home: Local governments this week will receive two-thirds less from the state than anticipated. Officials may resort to higher taxes, lawsuits.

"As a consequence, local governments across the state likely will have to begin cutting programs ranging from fire coverage to libraries, government officials say."

Below is a sad but true statement of the importance of San Francisco politics from SFGate.com, San Franciscans ready to pick next mayor, OUTSIDE LOOKING IN: Suburbanites see city as political funhouse

A telling quote from the story:

"For the rest of the Bay Area, San Francisco's election has been an engaging spectator sport -- fun to watch, even an opportunity to root.

But the race for mayor is an event that many of the region's residents and governmental leaders say will have minimal impact beyond the city's borders.

"San Francisco provides us with entertainment, but other than that, it's not terribly relevant," said Contra Costa County Supervisor Mark DeSaulnier, owner of TR's Bar & Grill in Concord.

The city is increasingly isolated as its politics have become more insular and moved further to the left.

"San Francisco is not the heart of the Bay Area, politically," said Larry Tramutola, whose Oakland political consulting firm has done work at the local level in every county in the Bay Area.

The city is increasingly isolated as its politics have become more insular and moved further to the left.

"San Francisco is not the heart of the Bay Area, politically," said Larry Tramutola, whose Oakland political consulting firm has done work at the local level in every county in the Bay Area."

The city has voted itself into irrelevancy.

People are speculating that the Demos are throwing in the towel to Bush for the 2004 presidential election, because Al Gore is supposedly going to endorse Howard Dean tomorrow.

These same people say that the Demos are conceding the race to Bush, so they can concentrate on getting Hilary Clinton into the White House in 2008. Supposedly Hilary beats any democrat including Dean when pollsters ask who do you want to be next president.

I'm taking a writing class tomorrow night by Linda Seger, who has published a bunch of books on screenwriting and creating characters. I love taking a writing class from an author before buying their books. You get to see if you like them and what they have to say, and if you do, you buy their books. If not, you pass.

Here are some books Seger has written:

Making a Good Script Great

Advanced Screenwriting: Raising Your Script to the Academy Award Level

Creating Unforgettable Characters