State Candidates
Governor
Delaine Eastin is an experienced, confident, compassionate, and effective candidate who absolutely supports the values of the SF Berniecrats and is a woman. She has a proven a proven history of standing up to Republican governor Pete Wilson and suing his ass, then using the win to dramatically reduce class sizes across the state. She delivers on her promises, and promises to bring SB562 through the finish line. She has been a champion for public school teachers (our members who have been a lifelong public school teachers say that she was a dream come true!) She has vowed to not take any corporate contributions to her campaign. We are extremely proud to make our endorsement for Delaine. Let’s make her the first female governor of California!
Lieutenant Governor
Gayle McLaughlin is the co-founder of the Richmond Progressive Alliance (RPA), and served as the Mayor of Richmond 2006-2014, and its city council in 2004 and 2014. Gayle is a movement builder. She has led the fight against Chevron and it’s corporate money, and has fought for rent control in Richmond. Through the RPA, a coalition of progressive across party lines – progressive Dems, Greens and independents that vow to not take any corporate money – Gayle has helped get many other progressives get elected into office. She was endorsed by Bernie Sanders himself back in 2014 for her city council race.
Secretary of State
Michael Feinstein (NOT related to Dianne Feinstein!) has a proven track record of building public power to oppose military and corporate interests in CA communities. He understands the necessity for open source but insists on paper ballots and is deeply committed to election integrity. He cofounded the CA Green party and as mayor of Santa Monica was one of the top ranking Green Party officials. This is an opportunity to build further alliances between Berniecrats and Greens across the state.
Controller
No endorsement
State Treasurer
Vivek Viswanathan
Viable candidate who is on the rather more progressive side of the Democratic establishment.
Attorney General
Dave Jones
He’s against the death penalty, whereas Baccera refuses to speak against the death penalty.
Insurance Commissioner
No endorsement
Board of Equalization, District 2
No Endorsement
Federal Races
U.S. Senate
Kevin de León
Viable candidate who supports single payer healthcare in California and the US. The club was very torn between David Hildebrand and Kevin DeLeon. But Hildebrand doesn’t have a real statewide campaign, thus making DeLeon the only viable candidate to replace Feinstein, who reallyneeds to go.
U.S. Congress
District 12 – Stephen Jaffe, Shahid Buttar(choose one on your ballot)
Stephen Jaffewas a legal volunteer for the Bernie Sanders campaign in Nevada during the Democratic primaries, and has fought against dark money in San Francisco by introducing disclosure requirements to the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee (DCCC).
Shahid Buttarhas been a long time activist, artist and media spokesperson around the country in the anti-war movement, immigrants rights movement, and the internet free and privacy movement, working with the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
District 14 – Jackie Speier
State Assembly, District 17
No Endorsement
Phil Ting has been very disingenuous in our demands for Medicare for All. Despite the SB Berniecrats and healthcare allies meeting with him repeatedly, he has done nothing to advocate for Single Payer Healthcare, but claims he is in support of it and says that none of his constituents discussed the issues with him. He has no viable opponent.
State Assembly, District 19
No Endorsement
David Chiu claims he’s in support of repealing Costa Hawkins (a 1995 Realtor’s Association-backed bill to prevent the strengthening of rent control), but he announced his bill he only notified landlord groups and not tenant groups, and after facing protests, immediately said he would compromise at the end of the press conference. This is a microcosm of the kind of politician David Chiu is.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Tony Thurmond
San Francisco
Mayor
#1 Jane Kim
#2 Amy Farah Weiss
#3 Mark Leno
Jane Kimhas lead the fight for a $15 minimum wage in SF, for Free City College for all SF residents, has negotiated the highest rates of affordable housing in the country, and is currently working on Universal Early Childhood Education for children under 5 years old. She was endorsed by Bernie Sanders himself in 2016 for her State Senate bid.
Amy Farah Weissis the founder of the St Francis Homelessness Challenge, with a focus on improving the conditions of encampent residents and creating safe, organized space for them to live.
Mark Lenohas been a pretty decent progressive voice in the State Senate, raising the minimum wage and strengthening renter protections. His endorsements in the past, however, have sometimes been disappointing.
Board of Supervisors
District 8: Rafael Mandelman
He has been a long time progressive ally while on the City College Board of Trustees.
Superior Court Judges
Seat 4: Phoenix Streets
Seat 7: Maria Evangelista
Seat 9: Kwixuan Maloof
Seat 11: Niki Solis
Our criminal justice system is broken. These African American & Latinx Public Defenders are running to challenge the status quo and provide a balance on the bench.
Local Measures
Prop A– Public Utilities Revenue Bonds: Yes. Extends hydroelectric power into SF without PG&E infrastructure.
Prop B– Prohibiting Appointed Commissioners from Running for Office: Yes. It would diminish opportunities for pay-to-play politics and soliciting donations for favors.
Prop C– Additional Tax on Commercial Rents Mostly to Fund Child Care and Education: YES!Provides universal affordable Early Childhood Education to kids 0-5 and increases salaries of childcare workers through a gross receipts tax on large businesses. Authored by Norman Yee and Jane Kim.
Prop D– Additional Tax on Commercial Rents Mostly to Fund Housing and Homelessness Services: No. Also a gross receipts tax measure, generating less revenue. Much of the housing would go to people earning over $100k-$150k/year, and not really enough funding to make a dent in the lack of affordable housing. Most importantly, the measure has a poison pill to kill Prop C if it passes with more votes. Prop C was announced in September 2017, Prop D in February 2018, after the Mayor’s race was in full swing. If Ahsha Safai cared about both children and housing, he could have worked with Jane Kim to combine these measures (which is very common), but he didn’t. This was probably a politically motivated measure to sway the Mayor’s race and put Jane Kim in a difficult position.
Prop E– Prohibiting Tobacco Retailers from Selling Flavored Tobacco Products: Yes. The Tobacco industry is pouring money into the NO campaign.
Prop F– City-Funded Legal Representation for Residential Tenants in Eviction Lawsuits: YES!This measure provides a right to counsel to any tenant served with an eviction notice!
Prop G– Parcel Tax for San Francisco Unified School District: Yes. Teachers need funding. Flat parcel tax on all private land, shops, or homes, with exemption for anyone over 65yo, but no exemptions for low income.
Prop H– Policy for the Use of Tasers by San Francisco Police Officers: No. Takes regulatory power from an appointed government body and gives it to a private corporate entity. Tasers can are deadly weapons, and the measure gives the Use of Force guidelines to the Police Officers Association, which says that verbally resisting arrest can be cause for using tasers. It’s no a deescalation tool, but an “attitude check” weapon that’s used on black and brown bodies.
Prop I– Relocation of Professional Sports Teams: Yes. Even though the measure won’t do anything substantial right now. The Warrior’s stadium is a done deal.
Regional Measures
Regional Measure 3– Bay Area Traffic Relief Plan: No. It’s a regressive way to fund public transit, and 40% of funds go to highway widening, so much of the money really isn’t public transit at all. The folks driving into SF are also predominantly lower income and more communities of color, and would exempt the Golden Gate bridge, which is where all the rich people from Marin come through.
State Measures
Prop 68– California drought, water, parks, climate, coastal protection, and outdoor access for all act of 2018: Yes
Prop 69– Motor vehicle fees and taxes: restriction on expenditures: appropriations limit: Yes. It’s a legislative work-around that allows us to spend gas tax money on public transit and roads even in years of recession, despite the Gann Limit (a ratio of people:dollars that automatically cuts spending in recession years).
Prop 70– Greenhouse gas reduction reserve fund: No. It would require a higher 2/3rds threshold every time money from the cap-and-trade fund would be used. It’s very difficult to get to 2/3rds, so this would weaken our ability to use the money for progressive measures, forcing compromise with Republicans.
Prop 71– Ballot measures: effective date: Yes.Makes it so ballot measures go into effect 5 days after certification of Secretary of State, instead of whenever specified by the measure.
Prop 72– Property tax: new construction exclusion: rain water capture system: Yes.