Patrick Siegman – California issues

Correction: I meant, "Prop C is exactly…", not "Prop A".

Endorsement: With Project 2025 threats looming, Prop O boosts S.F.’s commitment to reproductive rights Proposition O adds safeguards to reproductive health in San Francisco should national threats reach our borders.

"Prop O will not provide San Franciscans with complete reproductive immunity should Project 2025’s plans become realized — there is no such protection — but it’s an incremental step toward shielding our rights from such an assault."

Yes on Prop O.
www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/edit...

“This measure promises to build a more resilient and transparent tax system in San Francisco, while providing tax relief to small businesses that have struggled to recover from the pandemic. The measure would be fiscally neutral...”

Yes on Prop M.
www.spur.org/voter-guide/...

"Prop. L would provide ~$25 million in critically needed, ongoing funding for transit operations, starting as early as 2025."

Multiple studies have found that ridehailing cars have seriously worsened congestion. Taxing them is a smart and just way to fund transit.
www.spur.org/voter-guide/...

Prop K will "increase access to shared public amenities; encourage walking, biking, and transit...and proactively address sea level rise and coastal erosion in a fiscally, socially, and environmentally responsible manner."

Yes on Prop K!
www.spur.org/voter-guide/...

"Bringing back promises we couldn’t afford to keep only hurts employees in the long run. The worst thing you can do to a hardworking city employee is to run their retirement lifeline into insolvency."

Vote no on Prop H. 6/6

"And so, it’s with great consternation we see that — even as San Francisco grapples with a $780 million deficit and the gutting of its downtown tax base — there are three pension benefit expansion measures on the November ballot." /5

"When the stock market collapsed in 2008, the investments that were supposed to pay for retiree benefits couldn’t float the bills — ultimately leading to $5.8 billion in unfunded liabilities that city residents were on the hook for." /4

"The details were wonky but important. San Francisco made too many promises to workers it couldn’t keep." /3

"it wasn’t that long ago here in San Francisco that pension reform was probably the hottest topic in the hot 2011 mayoral election for Gavin Newsom’s open seat." /2

Endorsement: Prop H won’t protect firefighters, but it will put S.F.’s already precarious finances at risk Unfunded pension liability isn’t an issue that screams political sex appeal. That doesn’t mean we can afford to take it lightly.

"Amid all of our problems, the last thing San Francisco needs is unfunded pension liabilities strangling our budget. Every dollar diverted is a dollar less for services and current city workers."

Agreed. Vote no Prop H. 🧵/1
www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/edit...

Endorsement: Prop G has a great idea at its core. That idea is already happening without a ballot measure The policy on affordable housing at the center of Prop G is a good idea. But it’s already happening in S.F. We don’t need a ballot measure.

“That may sound finicky, but we aren’t going to get better governance in San Francisco without changes to the way we do business. Rejecting Prop G would be a start.”

Agreed. I’m a big supporter of affordable housing, but budget set-asides are bad policy. 4/4
www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/edit...

Endorsement: Prop G has a great idea at its core. That idea is already happening without a ballot measure The policy on affordable housing at the center of Prop G is a good idea. But it’s already happening in S.F. We don’t need a ballot measure.

“Yes, the city needs to invest in keeping its seniors, families and people with disabilities housed. We can and should demand public officials independently and competently implement meaningful policies to do so without having to beg voters for validation.” /3

That report further noted that leaders need to learn to manage the city’s money responsibly year to year, not by public fiat.” /2

Endorsement: Prop G has a great idea at its core. That idea is already happening without a ballot measure The policy on affordable housing at the center of Prop G is a good idea. But it’s already happening in S.F. We don’t need a ballot measure.

“A recent 46-page San Francisco civil grand jury report detailed how a “legislative fetish” by city leaders for placing set-asides like Prop G on the ballot handcuffs the ability of lawmakers to be flexible during the budget process.” 🧵/1

www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/edit...

Prop F repeats a failed strategy that “proved monstrously expensive and was abandoned several years later amid a growing pension crisis — echoing the results of similar police DROP programs across the country, including San Diego and Los Angeles.”

No on Prop F.
www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/pres...

Prop E "could have been enacted legislatively rather than through the ballot box. Additionally, it’s unclear whether the measure would result in a meaningful reform of the city’s commissions...due to the lack of a mechanism to ensure timely action..."

No on Prop E.
www.spur.org/voter-guide/...

Prop E “could have been implemented...by the Board of Supervisors without bringing this measure to the ballot….Voters should not be tasked with unpacking complicated...ballot measures in place of elected officials doing the hard work of legislating change."

No on Prop E
www.spur.org/voter-guide/...

SPUR agrees, saying “we are concerned that the evaluation process for commission changes did not incorporate input from the affected departments, stakeholders, and the general public and could have unanticipated consequences.”

Vote no on Prop D. 2/2
www.spur.org/voter-guide/...

Endorsement: S.F. needs to cut its bloated number of commissions. But Prop D is a first draft, not a solution San Francisco has approximately 135 commissions, boards, and advisory bodies. Prop D would trim to 65. That’s completely arbitrary, and could backfire.

I agree that SF has too many commissions. I really wanted to like Prop D. But as the Chron puts it, “Prop D is a rushed, sloppy effort that experts told us feels more like a ‘first draft’ than a way to create lasting, meaningful reform.”

Vote no on Prop D. 🧵/1
www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/edit...

Why am I being asked to decide on a complex piece of legislation that didn’t need to be on the ballot? Prop A is exactly the kind of measure that our elected representatives can and should, debate and negotiate in a transparent public process.

Vote no on Prop C.
www.spur.org/voter-guide/...

“Designed to help the city recover on myriad fronts, this bond measure would support...street safety, housing for homeless families, high-quality outdoor civic spaces, and the commitment that all people should have fair and just access to...health care.”

Yes on Prop B.
www.spur.org/voter-guide/...

Prop A will “ensure that San Francisco’s public schools can provide safe, modern facilities for students & faculty, improving their daily experience & educational outcomes.”
Yes on Prop A.

www.spur.org/voter-guide/...

Endorsement: S.F. Sheriff’s Office is struggling. Paul Miyamoto can turn things around Is Paul Miyamoto up to the challenge of extricating the San Francisco Sheriff's Office from its staffing crisis? We believe he is.

“Miyamoto does. His 29 years in the department are a tough thing to beat.He’s thoughtful & dedicated, & if he follows through on his commitment to advocate more strongly for his department, we have faith that he’ll move it through the significant challenges ahead”
www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/edit...

Building housing near BART is the best way to make homes abundant & affordable, give people transportation choices, and minimize traffic & pollution. Joe Sangirardi is dedicated to doing that, transforming BART’s vast parking lots into homes for people who need them.

www.joesangirardi.com

Endorsement: CCSF is in trouble. Here are the Chronicle’s four picks for Board of Trustees City College of San Francisco is in trouble. These four candidates for the Board of Trustees can help turn things around.

City College’s current Board majority has neglected the school’s long-term health and threatened it with loss of accreditation. We need better.

“The candidates best positioned to get City College back on the right track are Chisti, Zamora, McCarty and Ferguson.”
www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/edit...

Endorsement: At a perilous time for SFUSD, here are the Chronicle’s four picks for school board SF school district’s challenges require a strong board. Four candidates stand out as having the skills and experience needed.

We need smart, practical leaders who will make the hard choices required to balance the district's budget & avoid a state takeover.

“Amid a strong field, Gupta, Huling, Ray & Alexander are the best candidates to shepherd the district through the challenges ahead”
www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/edit...

Re-Elect Mayor London Breed 2024

Mayor Breed has worked relentlessly to make housing abundant & affordable. Despite endless opposition from SF’s NIMBYs, she’s gotten 1000s of affordable homes built, legalized new apartments in many areas & slashed red tape that blocked good projects.

She’s earned our votes.
www.londonformayor.com

We've tried long sentences for drug users & massive increases in prison spending before. It didn't work. This is more of the same. Prop 36 is the kind of complex issue that should be studied & negotiated at the state legislature, in a transparent process, not at the ballot box.

Vote no on Prop 36.

Endorsement: You’re right to be outraged over street conditions. Prop 36 is a message, not an answer We don’t think Prop 36 will work. But we also can’t deny that California legislators need to hear the message that they have failed on street conditions.

Why are we being asked to vote at the ballot box on complex criminal justice issues? I’m no expert on the best ways to deter crime, rehabilitate addicts, or decide the right level of spending on prisons versus other critical needs, like schools.

🧵/1
www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/edit...