Three of those former employees said supervisors often made the decision about which medical information was withheld.

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The County Board of Supervisors, which is split three-to-two in favour of the new airport, is frequently paralysed by airport-related bickering.

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The last time, a decade ago, that international supervisors looked at bank capital, it took three years to put into law in Europe changes that American regulators applied in three months.

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For example, three talented friends of mine remain in their corporate jobs, despite feeling thwarted by supervisors, because they are afraid of losing the medical coverage that their spouses badly need.

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Only in the final three weeks did things heat up, when Tom Ammiano, president of the board of supervisors, as San Francisco's city council is called, launched a campaign to persuade voters to write his name on their ballot sheets, since it was too late for him to enter as an official candidate.

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