A little peek into the “glamour” of being mayor of America’s Finest City. You have to be pretty tough to weather the storm sometimes. Some examples over the past two days.
Yesterday afternoon, while getting a hot cup of coffee at a Starbucks in North Park, the mayor encountered a very chatty and inquisitive young man (picture Jeff Spicoli from “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”) who wanted to know why he wasn’t at work. As the result of the conversation, it quickly became clear that the young man had no idea that the mayor was well, the mayor. When asked what he did, Jerry told him that he was in fact the mayor. The young man responded with astonishment and doubt. He proceeded to quiz Jerry for five minutes with “questions that only the mayor would be able to answer.” My personal favorite? “Do you know Scott Peters?”
You get to attend a lot of events when you’re mayor. Some are fun, some aren’t and some are more colorful than others. Last night, the mayor and his wife attended the launch party for the new Bloomingdale’s store that will soon open in Fashion Valley. The party was held at the swank new “Confidential” restaurant in the Gaslamp Quarter. So, who do you think greeted the A List guests? The president of Bloomingdales? Not exactly. A (overweight) homeless man dressed in nothing but a Speedo and a smile dancing to the rhythms of his jukebox. HOT!
Every Friday morning, our staff briefs the mayor on events that will occur over the following week. Sometimes staffers can get a little mouthy. Like this morning, when the mayor was informed that he would be attending an event at which the dress was “80’s retro.” When the mayor asked how he should dress, one of the mouthiest of the staffers (me) responded “just go as you are.”