San Francisco's slate of mayoral candidates is frequently very colorful (including perennial candidate "Starchild"), and only infrequently naked. Even less frequently are candidates naked in public, although guitar-playing is common.
Sources reported on December 21 that a warrant had been issued for the arrest of Grasshopper Alec Kaplan, a candidate in the most recent election. Grasshopper failed to appear to answer charges that he had played his guitar in the nude while sitting on top of his van outside the San Mateo County Events Center. Grasshopper was in San Mateo on October 21 for the county's Democratic presidential straw poll.
According to a San Mateo deputy district attorney, Grasshopper told police that "he was from San Francisco and that he was extremely hot and he just got naked. He said that type of action is encouraged in San Francisco." I can tell you that it is tolerated, depending on the circumstances, but is not encouraged.
He had a good explanation for failing to appear in court last week, as it turned out. Grasshopper, who in addition to being a politician is a homeless taxi driver, was already in jail in San Francisco for charges of battery and false imprisonment of a passenger. (That type of action is also not encouraged.) He is serving a nine-month sentence for that and could get another six for the naked strumming.
