Love ’em or hate ’em, those electric scooters zipping around downtown are the future.

Pedestrians and motorists may scream. City officials may confiscate them by the dozens. But the fact is that young people, especially younger women, are more comfortable on the scoots than on a bike.

You don’t break a sweat, your clothes don’t get ruffled, and you can ride in heels.

There are, of course, valid concerns about safety, but the Municipal Transportation Agency has already signaled a willingness to permit 2,500 of the two-wheelers on the streets.

A spokesman for Spin, one of the electric scooter outfits, says initial reports show that 20 percent of all rides begin and end at a transit hub.

That means a lot of riders are getting off Muni or BART, then hopping a scooter for the final leg of the trip — or vice versa, starting their trip on two wheels and rolling to a bus stop or transit station.

These scooter people are clearly onto something. The things are cheap and efficient, and as long as riders play by the rules and stay off the sidewalks, everyone should be happy.

So don’t be surprised if you see me tooling along on one soon.

DACA dilemma: Thanks to a pair of California Republican congressmen, the GOP leadership suddenly finds itself with an immigration problem — and the outcome could lead to the return of Nancy Pelosi as speaker of the House.

In the name of self-preservation, Republican Reps. Jeff Denham of Turlock (Stanislaus County) and David Valadao of Hanford (Kings County) are trying to force the House to take up legislation on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program — DACA — which keeps undocumented immigrants who arrived here as minors from being deported.

Denham and Valadao both face tight races in districts that are leaning more Democratic, and being seen as anti-“Dreamer” could be a liability. So they’ve rebelled against GOP leaders, who want nothing to do with a DACA bill that could disappoint their hard-line base and discourage GOP turnout in November.

Now, whether a

DACA bill passes is of little import to Denham and Valadao. The main thing is to be able to say they voted for it, so it does not become an issue in their districts this fall.

GOP leaders could block the play, but it would come at a risk — the possibility they’d be giving Democrats two of the 23 seats they need to flip to retake the House.

And the prospect they’d once again have to refer to Pelosi as “Madam Speaker.”

The Duke: One of California’s most productive governors died this month. George Deukmejian got as much done as Jerry Brown or Ronald Reagan, but he was so self-effacing no one knew.

Let me give you a couple of examples. In 1986, he signed California’s landmark divestment law, pulling state money out of companies doing business with South Africa. It was the start of a pressure tactic that eventually helped to topple the apartheid government there.

After the deadly Stockton school shooting in 1989, George and I drove down together to attend the funeral, where he openly cried. Two weeks later, he signed Mike Roos’ bill to ban assault weapons in California over the opposition of the National Rifle Association.

And, finally, in return for my delivering the needed votes on one of his early budgets, George signed off on the first use of public money for AIDS research, authorizing $50 million for UCSF Medical Center.

People often wondered what it was that allowed us to work together. It was a simpler time back then, and George was a simple guy. At lunchtime, he could often be found sitting alone in the Capitol basement cafeteria, eating a tuna sandwich.

I would often join him. And we paid for it ourselves.

His memorial will be held June 9 in Long Beach, where he lived much of his life. The man deserves a robust turnout.

Movie time: “Breaking In.” The only notable star in this low-budget thriller is Gabrielle Union, who plays a mother with two youngsters whose nest is invaded by bad guys. Think “Home Alone” for grown-ups.

It’s a relief to see real action and dramatic tension on the screen instead computer-generated special effects. See it before it leaves — it’s too good to stay for too long.

Fan mail: My column last week telling Democrats that bashing President Trump is bad strategy for the midterm elections really struck a chord.

Reaction was pretty evenly split between “finally, a sensible Democrat!” and “just WTF is the matter with you?”

One reader made a good point about Trump bashing that I need to keep in mind: “The only thing we have left is making fun of him. Please don’t ask them (Democrats) to stop. It’s the only thing that keeps us sane.”

RIP Fido: Perusing The Chronicle the other day, I came across the new obituary page for pets. What a marvelous idea, and what great reading! It’s the one obituary page where I know I’m not going to come across my friends.

And you gotta love the names. Tommy, Katie, Tiger and Missy — sounds like a Nob Hill birthday party.

Want to sound off? Email: wbrown@sfchronicle.com