elections

The 2011 Nonpartisan Voter Guide  is a succinct, printable listing of S.F. mayoral candidate positions and quotes on more than two-dozen key policy issues and ballot initiatives, including pensions, taxes, transportation and homelessness. The research and survey were conducted by University of California’s Hastings College of the Law and the San Francisco Public Press. The voter guide was produced by Newsdesk.org.

Supervisors approved the selection and nomination process for Mayor Gavin Newsom’s successor and decided to hold a series of public meetings to solicit input.

By Bernice Yeung, Newsdesk.org/The Public Press

Although development is a perennially hot-button topic in San Francisco due to concerns about gentrification, Proposition D, which would facilitate Pier 70 revitalization, is a seemingly controversy-free measure that has garnered wide support from neighborhood groups, environmentalists, city officials and developers.

By Matthew Hirsch, Newsdesk.org/The Public Press

	View our annotated Flickr collection to see how pro-Propositon A activists are spinning the issue in campaign fliers.

The proponents of Proposition A want voters to believe that the Nov. 4 election is a matter of life or death for San Francisco's main public hospital.

The measure has an enormous list of supporters, including elected officials, newspapers, community groups, and the local Democratic, Republican and Green parties. The campaign ads also feature long endorsement lists and descriptions of health care specialists who provide essential medical services.

However, these ads misrepresent some of the facts. And they appeal to the lowest common denominator in politics -- quality health care, something everybody supports -- without taking on more difficult questions raised by the campaign.