A nonpartisan election guide featuring text and audio summaries of all San Francisco ballot measures and candidate profiles for local races for the March 5, 2024, election.
City Hall
Proposition C — Real Estate Transfer Tax Exemption and Office Space Allocation
Proposition C would change San Francisco’s tax policy to allow a one-time transfer tax exemption for owners of properties converted from commercial to residential use the first time they are sold following conversion, as long as the change of use is approved before Jan. 1, 2030.
City Hall
Proposition D — Changes to Local Ethics Laws
Proposition D would amend the city’s Campaign and Governmental Conduct Code by expanding the kinds of gifts that city officials are prohibited from accepting. It also expands existing rules to bar people who have tried to influence city officials in the past or who have business with city departments from giving gifts.
City Hall
Proposition E — Police Department Policies and Procedures
Proposition E is a package of policy changes that would allow the San Francisco Police Department to engage in more high-speed chases, permit drone use in pursuits and grant the department the ability to install new security cameras in public spaces and test new surveillance technology on the public with less oversight from independent bodies.
City Hall
Proposition F — Illegal Substance Dependence Screening and Treatment for Recipients of City Public Assistance
Proposition F asks voters whether the city should be allowed to screen single adult welfare recipients for drug dependency and require those identified as suffering from substance use disorder to enter treatment to continue receiving cash assistance through the County Adult Assistance Program.
City Hall
Proposition G — Offering Algebra 1 to Eighth Graders
Proposition G is a non-binding policy statement urging the San Francisco Unified School District to offer Algebra 1 courses to middle school students by the eighth grade and develop a coherent math curriculum for all grade levels, especially in elementary and middle school.
City Hall
Sturm Discusses Reporting on Overdoses on KALW’s ‘Your Call’
Sylvie Sturm appeared on KALW’s “Your Call” with host Rose Aguilar for last week’s Media Roundtable to talk about her reporting on San Francisco’s opioid crisis and recent rise in deaths, what the city and nonprofits are doing to address it, and how initiatives might be funded.
From the Newsroom
Reporter’s Notebook: When Family Court Fails
I’ve been a print reporter for decades, but my venture into audio journalism this past year as a contributor to the San Francisco Public Press’ “Civic” podcast and radio show has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my career. Through this work, I get to take a deep dive into issues that have a huge impact on people’s lives and to explore with you how systemic change can happen.
Most recently, the radio team has been developing a series about the way family courts handle allegations of abuse. And in a nutshell, what I’ve learned is not good.
Now we’re about to release our third episode of a four-part series on abuse allegations and family courts. This episode is about the industry built around defending people accused of child abuse. It ramped up about 40 years ago with one man’s pseudo psychological theory called parental alienation syndrome.
Bay Area
Public Records Referenced in Oct. 4 Berkeley Encampment Sweep Article
1-Redacted_Incident-Report-22-46598Download
2-RE_-Campers-parked-for-weeks-across-the-streetDownload
3-Memorandum-to-City-Manager-on-Harrison-Corridor-9.26.22Download
4-RE_-Eighth-Street-Campers-UpdateDownload
5-RE_-Camelia-Street-encampmentDownload
6-Follow-up-Report-on-Harrison-Encampments-29Download
News
Public Press Featured in The Giving List Book
We are delighted to be featured in the new Bay Area edition of The Giving List Book, an anthology featuring effective nonprofit organizations across many sectors. The profile mentions our impact and how NewsMatch — a national campaign to increase support for nonprofit newsrooms — will match year-end donations to the San Francisco Public Press, and triple-match donations from first-time supporters.
Elections
Proposition O — Additional Parcel Tax for City College
Proposition O, also called the San Francisco Workforce Education and Reinvestment in Community Success Act, is a proposed parcel tax to generate funding for a variety of services and programs at the City College of San Francisco. This proposed tax would begin in 2023 and continue through 2043, generating an estimated $37 million annually — though that number would increase over time as the tax is adjusted for inflation.
