Three of the city’s top officials are running unopposed in November: District Attorney George Gascón, City Attorney Dennis Herrera and Treasurer José Cisneros.
Category: San Francisco 2015 Nonpartisan Election Guide
San Francisco 2015 Nonpartisan Election Guide
Propositions A to K, Mayor, Supervisor District 3, Sheriff, Community College and Uncontested
All told, hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars are on the line on the November 2015 ballot. Excluding Proposition D — the Mission Rock waterfront development — if all measures were approved, the cost of city government would increase by at least about $7.6 million in the first year the new regulations kicked in. Conversely, if Proposition D passed, City Hall would earn a $100 million windfall in initial fees once the Mission Rock project began, in addition to $25 million in annual tax revenue.
And if this year mirrors previous off-year elections, then a minority of San Franciscans will decide the outcome. When Barack Obama ran for re-election in 2012, almost 73 percent of city voters hit the polls — but without the graviatational pull of a presidential competition, the city’s voter turnout has been dismally low. In 2013, only 29 percent of registered voters cast ballots; it was 53 percent last year.
The fewer people vote, the more each vote counts. Not registered yet? You have until Oct. 19 to register for the Nov. 3, 2015, elections. Register online or at any public library, Department of Motor Vehicles or U.S. Post Office.
In a rush? See the bottom of this page for highlights of some of the important issues on this year’s ballot.
Highlights on this year’s ballot
- Maybe you think City Hall should build more affordable housing and help middle-income earners buy their first homes? Proposition A would borrow $310 million to do just that. And Proposition K might make it easier for those homes to be built on city-owned land.
- Perhaps you like the idea of a new mini shopping center on the waterfront, featuring a 23-story mixture of office space and mostly market-rate homes? That project cannot move forward unless you say “yes” to Proposition D.
- Or maybe you are distressed at the breakneck pace of luxury housing construction, especially in the Mission District, where much of the city’s building boom has concentrated? Proposition I would temporary halt nearly all new, unpermitted, market-rate housing in that neighborhood, giving city officials and community groups time to figure out how to build more low- to middle-income units.
- Do you think the city’s bed-and-breakfast industry should remain largely unregulated, so that some people can continue using it as their main income — setting aside thousands of homes for tourists, rather than permanent residents? Proposition F would likely shrink that industry.
- Or maybe you are worried that San Francisco’s burning real-estate market might be too hot for your favorite decades-old bookstore to weather? Proposition J would create a new, potentially massive city fund to help longtime businesses keep paying their rents.
- Meanwhile, the ballot’s other measures tweak key aspects of City Hall’s machinery: government transparency, lobbyist accountability and city workers’ paid parental leave.
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Posted inEducation, San Francisco 2015 Nonpartisan Election Guide
Candidates: Community College Board
Three candidates are challenging incumbent Trustee Alex Randolph for a seat on the Community College Board: Wendy Aragon, Tom Temprano and Jason Zeng.
Posted inImmigration, Law & Justice, Public Safety, San Francisco 2015 Nonpartisan Election Guide
Candidates: Sheriff
Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi is facing two challengers in his bid for re-election: Vicki Hennessy, who spent three decades in the department and served as interim sheriff in 2012 (after Mayor Ed Lee suspended Mirkarimi over a domestic-violence case involving the new sheriff and his wife) and John Robinson, a retired sheriff’s commander.
Posted inCity Hall, Elections, Housing, San Francisco 2015 Nonpartisan Election Guide
Candidates: District 3 Supervisor
District 3 supervisorial seat on Nov. 3: incumbent Julie Christensen, former supervisor Aaron Peskin and Chinatown organizer Wilma Pang. Who are they and what are their priorities?
Posted inCity Hall, Elections, Housing, Labor, San Francisco 2015 Nonpartisan Election Guide
Candidates: Mayor
Mayor Ed Lee is running for a second four-year term without any prominent, powerful or well-financed opposition. But five eclectic challengers hope the city’s ranked-choice ballot will deliver a surprise victory to one of them.
Posted inCity Hall, Elections, Housing, San Francisco 2015 Nonpartisan Election Guide
Proposition A: Affordable Housing Bond
Proposition A would create a fund with up to $310 million for helping people remain in, and move to, San Francisco if they otherwise could not afford to do so.
Posted inCity Hall, Elections, Labor, San Francisco 2015 Nonpartisan Election Guide
Proposition B: Paid Parental Leave for City Employees
Proposition B would increase paid parental leave for qualified city government workers.
Posted inElections, News, Open Government, San Francisco 2015 Nonpartisan Election Guide
Proposition C: Registering Lobbyists
Proposition C would require more people to register as official lobbyists if their behaviors merited that title, potentially increasing transparency in government.
Posted inArts & Culture, Climate Change, Environment, Housing, Neighborhoods, News, San Francisco 2015 Nonpartisan Election Guide
Proposition D: Mission Rock Waterfront Development
Proposition D would make it possible for the Mission Rock waterfront development to move forward in the Mission Bay neighborhood.
Posted inElections, Open Government, San Francisco 2015 Nonpartisan Election Guide
Proposition E: Requirements for Public Meetings
Proposition E would give members of the public more access to, and control over, the meetings of San Francisco government’s “policy bodies,” which direct City Hall’s political agendas.