Pelosi steers clear of politics, mostly, at St. Anthony’s shift

The San Francisco Democrat joined her husband, children and grandchildren at St. Anthony’s Dining Room, carrying hot meals to some of the 3,500 diners who fill the Tenderloin hall every day.

[...] the busy lunchtime at St. Anthony’s was neither the time nor the place, she told reporters as she finished the first part of her shift.

In a letter to Democratic House members Wednesday, Pelosi said she plans to push back hard against any efforts by Trump and Republican leaders in Congress to make drastic changes in areas such as Medicare, the Veterans Affairs department and economic policy.

Trump’s proposal to put billions of dollars into building and upgrading roads, dams, airports and other parts of the nation’s fraying physical framework, she said, requires a bill that “puts good-paying jobs for workers first — not one that is a corporate tax break disguised as an infrastructure bill.”

Opposition to Trump’s proposal to keep federal money from cities that have declared themselves sanctuaries for immigrants won’t just be from San Francisco, either.

In an interview with Politico on Monday, Pelosi said that standing up to Trump could give the Democrats a much-needed boost in the 2018 elections.

[...] this month’s Democratic election disaster, which left Republicans in command not only of the presidency but also of Congress, has plenty of Democrats grumbling that major changes are needed and soon.

Rep. Tim Ryan, a 43-year-old Ohio congressman, will be challenging the 76-year-old Pelosi in the Democratic leadership election Wednesday.

Wednesday’s stint as a volunteer at St. Anthony’s carried on a tradition for Pelosi, who with her family has been making an annual holiday stop since the 1980s.

The congresswoman also talked about the changes she’s seen in the guests at the dining room, which serves a no-questions-asked hot meal every day of the year.