Before entering politics , Peskin was an environmental activist and water-rights negotiator for a non-profit organization which brokered passage and use rights for tribal lands . He first came to public notice as president of the Telegraph Hill Dwellers , where he co-led the effort to save the Colombo building ( it was going to be made a Chinatown branch of City College ) . He is a member of the South End Rowing Club and an avid outdoorsman , having hiked the John Muir Trail in 2006 and 2007 . Peskin can be seen most mornings in his Speedo swimming in the San Francisco Bay . He reassured San Franciscans after the 2007 Cosco Busan oil spill that the water was safe by stripping down to his Speedo and going for a dip in front of a local television news crew
Cosco Busan oil spill
Cosco Busan oil spill
Aaron Peskin