This weekend, our Political Action/Endorsement Committee interviewed campaigns and deliberated initiatives at the local level.
After representatives had the opportunity to share their thoughts and meet with the endorsement committee, we are excited to provide our PAC recommendations below and invite you to vote from December 11 – December 13.
For our thoughts on each measure, please read our PAC statements below the recommendations.
If you have not received an electronic ballot via email by 7pm on Monday, December 11 and believe you are an eligible member, please contact Membership Co-Chairs Mona Barber and Malaika Kirkwood at membership@sfwpc.org
Local Measure Recommendations
General Obligation Bond (Affordable Housing Bond): YES
Minimum Police Department Staffing and Five-Year Annual Funding Requirement: YES
Substance Abuse Screening, Evaluation, and Treatment Requirements for CAAP Assistance: NO
Transfer Tax Exemption Conversion to Residential Use; Office Development Allocations: YES
Police Department Policies and Procedures and Use of Technology: NO
Eighth Grade Algebra and SFUSD Math Curriculum Development: YES
Please read below for our thoughts on our measure recommendations
Statement on Affordable Housing Bond:
The SFWPC PAC recommends a YES vote on the Affordable Housing Bond, as it strongly aligns with our values.
We recognize the urgent need to build more affordable housing in San Francisco, with a focus needed on addressing the current significant lack of dedicated shelter beds and housing for women, family, and seniors. We need more safe spaces for all women to escape sexual exploitation, domestic abuse, and repeat violence on the streets or shelters, while allowing them to remain with their children in housing. We look forward to the opportunities provided by this bond and supporting projects made possible by its passage.
Statement on Minimum Police Staffing:
The SFWPC PAC is recommending a YES vote on this measure.
We recognize that the Police Department is currently under-staffed, which is affecting the Department’s ability to support public safety. This measure enshrines minimum staffing requirements while requiring that they are contingent on finding potential funding sources, which our city needs at a time of budget shortfall. The Fund will support salaries and recruiting efforts by the SFPD, while also being flexible in case of budget emergency. The SFPD has stated that they want to ensure that the department is reflective of the community it serves, and we expect that recruitment efforts would be committed to that endeavor. We advocate that funding allocated to this Fund does NOT come at the expense of social welfare programs, which are also a key component of public health and safety.
Statement on Substance Abuse Screening for CAAP Assistance:
The SFWPC PAC recommends a NO vote on substance abuse screening for CAAP assistance.
We have seen over and over again that tying welfare funds to drug testing simply does not help those battling addiction. Moreover, San Francisco is facing significant budget cuts and we do not have the infrastructure needed to effectively support getting unhoused individuals into drug and mental health treatment. Pushing individuals that are facing the dual crises of being unhoused and battling addiction, as well as possible mental health issues, farther into desperation by taking away their CAAP payments if they do not participate in drug treatment is not a solution. This could be especially devastating for marginalized women, women of color, trans-women, and families, who already face greater disparities and systemic barriers.
We worry that losing any touch points with the social safety net and case workers for individuals in such precarious positions is harmful. While we agree that what SF is doing now is not working, we urge our lawmakers to try new approaches, not ones which have been tried and shown to fail.
Statement on Transfer Tax Exemption:
The SFWPC PAC is recommending a YES vote on this measure with some reservations. We broadly agree with the provisions that would provide short term transfer tax abatement for the conversion of office space to housing within a short time frame under specific guidelines.
However, the provision that would allow the Board of Supervisors to revise or repeal voter-approved transfer taxes in general without first obtaining voter approval gives us significant pause. The will of the voters should be respected.
That said, the need for housing and the revitalization of our downtown core warrants trying something new. While we plan to query and urge Board candidates about their position on repealing voter-approved transfer taxes, the PAC recommends a yes vote on this measure.
Statement on Police Department Policies and Use of Technology:
The SFWPC PAC recommends a NO vote on this measure. We share the concerns of numerous civil rights organizations and community groups in San Francisco with this measure, which would give SFPD officers access to more surveillance technology while simultaneously removing some of the safeguards and oversight that protects San Franciscans’ rights to privacy and safety. We also believe that the changes in use-of-force and vehicle pursuit policies will endanger our community and reduce accountability and transparency. Public safety should not come at the expense of already overly targeted communities of color in our city.
Statement on Eighth Grade Algebra:
We understand it is important for students to have the option to take algebra in 8th grade, in order to prepare for college or university and careers in the STEM field. The students are the future generation of our city and SFUSD should continue to work towards making algebra classes available in the 8th grade.
The PAC does have some concerns about the impact of this policy on educators who are already stretched thin, and on the district, which does not have the resources to retrain hundreds of educators as the policy recommended by this measure would require. However, as a policy statement with no force of law, the PAC committee agrees with the policy of offering Algebra classes for those who want them in 8th grade, improving support to students struggling with math in earlier grades, and is recommending a YES vote.
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