Joe,

Thanks for picking up the news about the initiative to rename the sewage plant in honor of George W Bush.

The initiative is, at face value, meant to put a period on the end of the Bush administration (the name change will take effect on Inauguration Day). It is also a comment on the initiative process itself. We are making a point of accepting no donations, and are also not hiring petition circulators. The vast majority of initiatives are backed by corporations or interest groups, and are worded such that few people comprehend them.

We think ours, while some may say it's frivolous (they can vote No), is notable for its simplicity. I personally think that the initiative process is best left for simple policy decisions, and that elected representatives should stop using it to dodge making decisions about arcane and poorly understood matters like funding the upgrade to the Hetch Hetchy reservoir.

T Wayne Pickering, Chairman
Presidential Memorial Commission of San Francisco