By Tim Redmond
I’m glad to read in the Chron that Christine Soto-DeBerry likes her job, and is willing to defend her boss against charges that he’s flouting the needs of Latino business leaders, but her descrition of her responsibilities in the Newsom administration was a little weird:
“Being a Latino, a minority, in this administration, that has not been my experience,” Soto-DeBerry said. “I am essentially second in command, which speaks volumes about (Newsom). I have been very humbled by the opportunity, and a lot of advocates are grateful to have a Latina in a high post in the administration that they can reach out to.”
“Essentially second in command?” Does that mean that Steve Kawa isn’t the chief of staff anymore and Soto-DeBerry reports directly to Newsom? Or does it mean that in the Newsom administration, she and Kawa are running things anyway because the “First in Command” is never around?
By the way: The complaint small business owners had was not that Newsom didn’t hire or promote Latinos in his administration. The problem is that Newsom is planning to fire the popular Christopher Iglesias, director of the Human Rights Commission, and they fear that the HRC won’t be as vigorous about helping minority businesses get city contracts.