It’s clear that the world has its share of corrupt politicians. What’s not clear, however, is whether or not Ed Jew, a San Francisco supervisor, can be counted as one.
That is not to say that Jew is not corrupt. Jew is accused of extorting $40,000 in cash from a local tapioca shop that he promised to help with permit problems. In actuality, the $40,000 came from the FBI, after the tapioca store owners reported the situation. That led to an FBI raid of his properties, an arrest warrant and an indictment.
Still, Ed Jew might not be a corrupt politician, because he might technically not be a politician. Yes, Jew ran for office in the fourth district of San Francisco. And yes, he is scheduled to serve until November (despite his legal troubles, Jew is keeping his seat). But Jew has never actually lived in the fourth district. In fact, Jew doesn’t even live in San Francisco.
The truth came out when local reporters began looking into the FBI raids of Jew’s properties. When journalists went to ask Jew’s neighbors what they thought of him, the neighbors answered that they didn’t know him. In fact, they’d never seen him in the neighborhood. Jew’s house, which belongs to his father, is entirely empty. As an FBI agent’s affidavit attests, the house is virtually deserted — there aren’t even water or utility bills to be paid. Meanwhile, Jew has been living with his wife in Burlingame, a city just south of San Francisco; their neighbors say they see the couple leaving for work early every morning.
Nevertheless, Jew still maintains he’s a San Francisco resident. When asked about having no running water in his home, Jew told the press that he showers in the flower shop that he owns. But as the San Francisco Bay Guardian pointed out, the flower shop doesn’t have running water either. Local blog SFist has had a field day with its exhaustive “Oh no, Ed Jew!” coverage.
Politician or not, Jew finally turned himself into his local police. His local Burlingame police. So much for San Francisco.
Ed. Note: Thanks to reader DM for the local tip.