Mark Sanchez has the floor

The Nov. 15 SFUSD Board of Education meeting was exceptionally stressful. It took place simultaneously with all-night negotiations that were a last-ditch and ultimately successful effort to stave off a looming strike against SFUSD by the SEIU, expected to start on Nov. 17.

The meeting was marked by a heated exchange between BOE members Mark Sanchez and Eddie Chin. At least it's been described as a heated exchange. It was undeniably a tirade by Sanchez and a spluttering, outraged effort by Chin to defend himself.

BOE President Eric Mar sounded like he was trying to maintain civility at first, but ended up firmly shushing Chin and letting Sanchez hold forth unchecked, while Dan Kelly made low-volume but indignant attempts to object.

Given the stress everyone was under I would be inclined to say "let's just put it all behind us" — except that distorted accounts of the exchange are still circulating elsewhere.

So, with thanks to Hansel's Secretarial School (summer 1971), I decided to acquire a tape and transcribe the exchange. Here it is.

continue reading...

[All seven BOE members are present. I've done my best to identify all speakers accurately. As far as I can tell, Norman Yee didn't speak during this exchange. There are no audible female voices.

The transcription begins as Mark Sanchez has voiced his distaste for a proposal to schedule professional development days on the possible first two days of the strike.]

Sanchez: I’m disgusted by some of these board members up here. I really am.
Eddie Chin: Excuse me ...
Sanchez: I didn’t say your name, but I could.
Chin: Commissioner Mar ...
Dan Kelly: Commissioner Mar ...
Eric Mar: There’s a couple of objections from Commissioner Chin and Commissioner Kelly. Go ahead (apparently to Chin and Kelly).
Pause
Chin: Well ...
Sanchez: I didn’t say your name. I just said some of the board members.
Chin: I didn’t say your name either.
Sanchez: I didn’t say specific board members.
Chin: I didn’t say anything ...
Sanchez: But if you’d like, I could.
Chin: No, I didn’t say anything either.
Sanchez: Can I continue?
Mar: Civility, board members. Commissioner Sanchez, please continue.
Sanchez: Thank you. But the worst of it is — and this is what people fail to see — some people on the board — and I’m — if you could hear what I hear with these people in a closed-door session you’d just be out of your mind — is that this absolutely throws gasoline on the fire...
Chin: Mr. Chair, would you please...
Mar: Yes...
Sanchez: ...this absolutely throws gasoline on the fire.
Chin (apparently to Mar): Would you please comment — remind the commissioner to be civil?
Mar: I think he’s giving his opinion about ...
Sanchez: I’m not — I can characterize our meetings in closed-door. I certainly can.
Mar: Please continue, Commissioner Sanchez.
Sanchez: I have not said anything specific about closed-door meetings...
Chin: All right.
Sanchez: ...but if you had to be in these meetings with me...
Mar: Listen, one person at a time, so — one person at a time.
Sanchez: ...you’d be saying the same things I am right now. It is incredible the things people say in these closed-door sessions about you guys, the labor. Um
Kelly: Commissioner Mar...
Sanchez: Now...
Mar: Commissioner, um (unintelligible)...
Sanchez: Let me finish; let me finish.
Kelly: I’m going to ask you to ...
Mar: Commissioner Kelly, go ahead.
Kelly: I’m going to ask you to request that Commissioner Sanchez refrain from inflammatory comments and from ... (drowned out by Sanchez)
Sanchez: (over several other board members’ voices) I’m talking about inflaming the issue here — the gasoline that you are throwing on the fire right now — that you are throwing on the fire right now is what I’m talking about. That is inflammatory. We have — we are in this position right now with people at this late hour ...
Chin: Commissioner Mar ...
Sanchez: ... because of the actions of this board and our staff. That’s the bottom line. What’s going to happen is that not only ...
Chin: That’s wrong. That’s terribly wrong.
Sanchez: Well, can I continue?
Chin: (unintelligible)
Sanchez: Well ...
Mar: Turn on your microphone — turn your microphone on, Eddie
Kelly: Commissioner. Mar, would you please rein in this discussion?
Chin: (unintelligible) ... uncivility on the board.
Sanchez: (Chin is continuing to speak) You can share your opinion — you can share your opinion after I speak. You can share your opinion after I speak.
Chin: (unintelligible) You are the one &mdash you’re the one that is insulting the members (continues, unintelligibly).
Mar: (Speaking over Chin) Commissioner Chin, let’s — let’s stop this right now. Commissioner Chin, can you please stop this? Commissioner Chin, let’s let Commissioner Sanchez just finish his comments and then you will have your chance to speak (Chin is speaking all the while, drowned out by Mar).
Sanchez: You have a right ...
Mar: Commissioner Sanchez, please finish your comments.
Sanchez: You have a right to your opinion. I did not say your name, but you’re welcome to say my name.
Chin: You are so pigheaded — look at you.
Mar: Please don’t get into one on one. Just finish your comments.
Sanchez: Well, if I’m not interrupted, I’ll continue.
Mar: Finish your comments.
Sanchez: OK, all right, but what I see is happening (Chin has been speaking all the while)...
Chin: You understand that, right?
Mar: Please. Please let him finish.
Sanchez: Can I finish? OK
(Chin continues to speak)
Mar (presumably to Chin): Please stop badgering Commissioner Sanchez. I do think that that is very low, what you’re doing, and civility is — you’re hitting a low level as well. Please finish, Commissioner Sanchez.
Sanchez: God, Bill O’Reilly’s in the house. What’s happening — what’s happening is that if this happens is that the teachers who are not on strike, who are not going on strike, are going to feel inflamed and they’re more apt to go on strike later on down the line. Not only that, if the teachers do not cross this line, then SEIU is more likely to be going on strike with the teachers later on down the line. That’s what’s happening. We do not have to be in this position right now. We did not have to get to this point, but we did. And it’s people on the board, it’s their fault and it’s our staff’s fault. That’s what’s happening. That’s my opinion and that’s where it stands.
Mar: Commissioner Chin — Commissioner Chin — go ahead.
Pause
Mar: Commissioner Kelly.
Pause
Mar: But you had requested to speak earlier. Are you just giving up your time to speak, then?
Kelly: I don’t think I requested to speak. I had a different ...
Mar: I thought I heard (unintelligible)...
Kelly: Commissioner Mar, I asked that you restrain Commissioner Sanchez from his inflammatory comments, and I made that request. You didn’t do it, and instead you -- instead you ...
Mar: My opinion is that there were inflammatory comments coming from both sides. and I thought that ...
Kelly: You – you attempted to rein in Commissioner Chin, rather than Commissioner Sanchez, who was
Mar: I was trying to let him finish his thoughts so that
Kelly: I understand. I’m not defending Commissioner Chin. I’m not defending Commissioner Chin.
Mar: Let’s try to keep civility here, Commissioner Kelly.
Kelly: I think you granted me the floor. I think you interrupted me when I was using it.
Mar: Thank you for speaking. Now go ahead, Commissioner Kelly.
Kelly: I’m finished.
Mar: Thank you.

[discussion moves on to business.]

— Caroline