For more than six weeks the Bay Area Reporter editorial board has been meeting with the numerous candidates for mayor. This is the first city election in many years where there is neither an incumbent nor an obvious heir apparent running. We have come away from the process with a number of impressions. First is the depth of the candidate field. Of the nearly 20 candidates on the ballot, we believe that at least six, perhaps more, have the experience, expertise, intelligence, motivation, and vision to serve as a capable mayor.
The city is indeed fortunate to have such a large number of dedicated public servants from which to choose. We were also impressed that every candidate that accepted our invitation to meet with us (and only one did not), and each had a long history of support for the LGBT community and the issues that are most important to us: full equality in the community, including marriage equality; inclusion in all levels of decision making in city government; full transgender rights and inclusion; total intolerance of bigotry or hate whether it be found in government, in the schools, or on the streets. Regardless of who is elected mayor, we will have a friend and ally in Room 200 at City Hall. And while many are qualified, some particularly stand out. These are our recommendations for mayor.
We recommend Bevan Dufty as voters' first choice on Election Day. Dufty, who is gay, served two terms as District 8 supervisor and ran the Office of Neighborhood Services under former Mayor Willie Brown, and knows how San Francisco works. He's developed city budgets and knows that most residents care about their neighborhoods �" streets, Muni, the homeless, parks, and preserving the unique character that is San Francisco.
We're not endorsing Dufty just because he is gay. But political recommendations are part of our responsibility as the leading LGBT newspaper and it would be significant for America's gayest city to have an out mayor. It's important to us that one day San Francisco have a gay mayor and Dufty is as qualified as anyone else in the field. The late Harvey Milk often urged LGBTs to elect their own. We find it curious that Dufty could not secure the top spot from either of the city's LGBT Democratic clubs; the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club left him off entirely.
It's part of why Dufty is running. "I think it does make a difference to have a gay mayor in San Francisco," he told us. "I am going to set the national agenda �" responding to LGBT young adults. There is an agenda I've been part of setting in this city that I'm proud of."
"In a decade where we will be fighting for our rights, it does make a difference," he said.
Dufty is also a parent, which is another important aspect of his life. Gay and lesbian parents are becoming increasingly visible in ways that once didn't seem possible �" on the playground, in parent groups, and at their kids' schools. Dufty's first television ad features him and his daughter Sidney riding on Muni and delivers a heartfelt message about why he wants to be mayor. Sidney, he says, loves riding the Muni Metro and arriving "someplace new."
"I want all of us to see it that way," Dufty says.
When we met with Dufty, he was insistent in talking about the future of the African American community in San Francisco �" and he remains the only major candidate who is doing that. Dufty, whose godmother was Billie Holiday, said that being mayor means making the diversity of San Francisco "real, meaningful, and true." The black community is "in crisis" here, he said, noting the high unemployment rate, among other concerns.
The LGBT community needs someone like Dufty, who is committed to using his personal story to build bridges between the black and LGBT communities. He wants to expand opportunities for city workers, for black-owned businesses, and for LGBT-owned businesses as well.
In terms of public transit, Dufty supports the Central Subway project and thinks it is an important extension for Muni. In fact, if elected, Dufty said he would be a mayor who focuses on getting results, and vowed to improve Muni in part by making connections with bus drivers, encouraging them not to miss work on Mondays, for example, which would save Muni money.
Dufty has an innovative idea about social services and would like to explore so-called wet housing, where chronic, homeless alcoholics can be housed and drink on the premises. A project in Seattle has proven successful and Dufty thinks a similar program might help reduce the millions of dollars the city spends on ambulance runs to the emergency room at San Francisco General Hospital by chronic alcoholics. There are about 225 "high flyers," Dufty said, and the city spends about $60,000 on each of them a year.
Dufty is attuned to the importance of public safety �" in fact, all the mayoral candidates we interviewed pledged to keep Greg Suhr as chief of police �" and he continues to take heat for the decision to end Halloween in the Castro in the wake of several violent incidents. That's the thing with Dufty, if a situation isn't working out, he will make changes.
This year's mayor's race is an opportunity to usher in new leadership and bring about change. We believe Bevan Dufty is the best candidate for the job.
Dennis Herrera, second choice
City Attorney Dennis Herrera is another candidate for mayor who would bring our values to Room 200. We can't say enough about his steadfast support of �" and litigation on behalf of �" same-sex marriage. From the moment in 2004 when then-Mayor Gavin Newsom decided to throw caution to the wind and ordered city officials to marry same-sex couples, Herrera and his top-notch legal team faced opposition from the state and the homophobes.
Herrera never wavered, going so far as to travel to San Diego to personally lobby Republican Mayor Jerry Sanders to have his city join with many others in filing an amicus brief on behalf of marriage equality. He has been elected citywide and before serving as city attorney was a member of the Police Commission. He, too, knows about balancing a budget and overseeing a large department. Because the city attorney's office represents the city, he is intimately familiar with every city department, board, and commission. He has detailed position papers on virtually every issue, and we agree with many of them.
Herrera believes it's crucial to ensure economic opportunity for all levels on the socio-economic scale. He has called for a tax summit to reform city taxes. And he proposes a revolving loan fund to help small businesses that conforms to the city's local hire ordinance.
But last month, Herrera threw a curveball into the mayor's race when he suddenly came out against the Central Subway, a $1.5 billion project that is an extension of Muni's T Line that will provide rail service to Chinatown, one of the most densely populated neighborhoods. Herrera cites cost overruns and other issues raised in a civil grand jury report, but these have been known for years.
Most significantly, Herrera's newfound opposition to the project could place millions of dollars in federal funding �" and the jobs that it will generate �" in jeopardy, and this money can't be used for other local projects, including Muni. In short, Herrera is wrong on this one and it's a mistake to use the Central Subway issue as a wedge near the end of the mayor's race. If he is elected, we expect him to have the leadership to see the project through like other big infrastructure projects such as the Golden Gate Bridge, the Market Street subway, or BART.
Herrera has the endorsement of the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club and has broad support among LGBT community members. He would be an effective mayor and we endorse him as our second choice.
Ed Lee, third choice
Rounding out our ranked choice endorsements for mayor is Ed Lee, who is now serving in that capacity after he was appointed by the Board of Supervisors in January. Lee for months said he wasn't interested in running for the job, then changed his mind and jumped into the race a few days before the filing deadline.
In the last nine months, Lee has done a commendable job. He balanced the city's budget without drastic cuts to vital programs and he has brought a temperament to Room 200 that seems to be having a calming effect in city government. Lee is used to implementing policy he is given, as he did for years as city administrator, but during his stint as interim mayor he has shown an ability to forge his own policy ideas.
Lee has been very visible; his first day on the job he showed up unannounced at the opening of the LGBT History Museum in the Castro. He noticed the event was taking place and made it a point to be there. He was the first mayor to attend the annual Trans March that kicked off Pride weekend. As a young attorney at the Asian Law Caucus years ago, Lee fought discrimination in city government and was the executive director of the Human Rights Commission. He has always been right on our issues, even when it hasn't always been easy for him. And he can use his political capital to continue working with the LGBT community as it continues efforts to reach out to communities of color, particularly among Asian Americans.
Lee is friends with former Mayor Willie Brown and Chinese community leader Rose Pak, but he told us that as much as he values their opinions, he seeks out others. "I get everybody's opinions," he told us. "I get advice from many people."
Lee is committed to the Central Subway project and said the city can manage the project. Work at San Francisco General Hospital, he said, is on time and within the budget.
In short, Lee is a solid choice and has proven he can serve as San Francisco's mayor.
George Gascón for DA
It was a surprise to many when Gavin Newsom appointed San Francisco Police Chief George Gascón as district attorney to fill the vacancy created by Kamala Harris's election as state attorney general. Gascón has proven himself as an exceptional administrator in his nine months on the job and is our recommendation for voters on November 8 as he seeks a full four-year term.
Gascón impressed us when he was hired as police chief. From his many years of experience in the Los Angeles Police Department, where he was a top administrator, and as police chief of Mesa, Arizona, Gascón has shown an ability to reach out to all communities, including LGBTs, in both his running of the department and in communicating with the public. He has continued those efforts as district attorney.
He has created neighborhood courts where non-violent, low-level crimes can be handled in a way that takes them out of the criminal justice system and includes trained arbitrators in a confidential setting. The victim is invited. There are no lawyers, although a prosecutor is supervising the cases. While in a limited number of locations now, Gascón plans to expand them throughout the city. It's the type of alternative program that fits San Francisco values and saves resources for more serious crimes that the DA's office prosecutes.
On the death penalty, Gascón told us that he does not believe in it. It's not necessarily a good law enforcement tool, he told us, and cited issues such as wrongful convictions and the high cost of keeping a prisoner on death row. And while he said it is state law now, it is doubtful that a San Francisco jury would ever convict in a capital case; he has also pledged to work to repeal it.
Gascón has been aggressive in prosecuting hate crimes, and equally assertive in urging people to report them. "Egregious behavior and hate are unacceptable in our community," he told us. "No one should be fearful walking [on a] street."
The DA is aware that his move from the police department to his new office can cause conflicts when dealing with officer-involved incidents. But he told us that he has created a trial integrity unit and is holding police accountable. Asked if there was a conflict, he said, "I'd say the opposite." He discussed the development of policies to provide information to prosecutors and judges regarding officers because a more formal structure is needed.
In his brief tenure as DA Gascón has provided leadership that is in tune with San Franciscans, including the LGBT community. He is committed to public safety and supports reforms of the criminal justice system. In short, he is a DA that fits well with the city and he has our support.
Mirkarimi for sheriff
San Francisco Sheriff Mike Hennessey is retiring after 30 years on the job and with a reputation as the most progressive sheriff in the country. Jail is no place anyone wants to be, but when people are in custody in San Francisco they have access to educational and counseling programs that are rare inside a locked facility. While rehabilitation is often touted as a goal of incarceration, the reality in most jails and prisons is the exact opposite.
San Francisco is different.
And among the candidates vying to replace Hennessey, Ross Mirkarimi stands out as the one best suited to continuing the county's innovative programs. Mirkarimi, now in his second term as a San Francisco supervisor representing the Haight-Ashbury and Western Addition, is also endorsed by Hennessey.
One of the most critical issues facing San Francisco �" and every other county in the state �" is realignment, which started October 1. Spurred by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, the state must release some 30,000 prison parolees statewide to reduce overcrowding. All the candidates for sheriff agree that San Francisco can expect to receive approximately 700 prisoners, although it's important to understand they won't all be arriving at once. The other important factor is that the county's jails do have space for these prisoners. The parolees that are being released have non-serious, non-violent, and non-sexual offenses.
Mirkarimi, as chair of the Board of Supervisors public safety committee, has been intimately involved with the sheriff's department and the chief probation officer, the two agencies that will deal directly with realignment issues. It is largely due to Hennessey's innovations in jail programs and services that San Francisco has options for dealing with these state prison inmates. Decisions on where these prisoners will be placed will be made on a case-by-case basis.
Mirkarimi sees realignment as a tipping point. If it's done well it may provide options for a smoother re-entry into society for those convicted of crimes once they complete their sentences. He also said that it will force the various law enforcement agencies to work together.
Mirkarimi describes himself as pragmatic and during his time on the board fought to bring community policing to the Western Addition. "I wanted the police to get out of their cars," he said, "and walk the streets."
He does not anticipate any major shake-ups in the sheriff's department if he wins and wants to identify areas where deputy sheriffs could augment security duties with the police at special events, which would save the city money as they aren't paid at the same level.
Mirkarimi is a staunch ally of the LGBT community ("I'm straight but I'm not narrow," he said) and has always been with us on our issues, including trans and HIV/AIDS matters. He pledged to continue to enhance treatment of transgender prisoners and ensure that they are in a well structured and safe environment. He would use the bully pulpit to advocate for reform of the state's three-strikes law so that it would not apply to non-violent felonies.
We endorse Ross Mirkarimi for sheriff and believe he will continue San Francisco's progressive approach to running the jail.
Ballot measure endorsements
San Francisco Propositions
Proposition A. School Bonds. YES.
This authorizes the issuance of $531 million of General Obligation bonds to be used for school construction, repairs and related equipment purchases.
Proposition B. Road Repaving and Street Safety Bonds. YES.
This authorizes the issuance of $248 million in General Obligation bonds to make necessary capital improvements to streets and roadways. It will pay for needed street repaving as well as pedestrian and bike improvements. It is a needed investment in the city's infrastructure.
Propositions C: Pension and Health Benefit Reform for Municipal Employees: YES.
Failure to adopt city employee retirement benefit reform will sooner rather than later make it impossible for the city to deliver necessary services. Costs are increasing at an alarming rate. Proposition C is a sensible reform measure that will save taxpayers $1.3 billion over the next decade while providing a safety net for hard-working lower wage city employees by keeping contributions to benefit plans at current levels for those making less than $50,000 a year. It is a consensus measure negotiated by the mayor, Board of Supervisors, public employee unions, and other stakeholders.
Proposition D: City Pension Benefits: NO.
This competing measure to Proposition C does not address health benefit reform as does Prop C. It was put on the ballot as a result of a signature drive led by Public Defender and candidate for mayor Jeff Adachi. It was not the result of compromise and consensus, as was Prop C, and is actively opposed by the mayor, the Board of Supervisors, public employee unions and other stakeholders. It contains provisions that make it vulnerable to legal challenge and if adopted over Prop C would likely result in no reform at all. Vote YES on Prop C and NO on Prop D.
Proposition E: Amending or Repealing Legislative Initiative Ordinances and Declarations of Policy: YES.
San Francisco voters are often called on to vote on as many as 20 ballot measures submitted to them each election. About 20 percent of those measures are put on the ballot by the mayor or any four members of the Board of Supervisors, often without any real analysis or thought and generally at the last minute. If adopted, they cannot be modified in any way without returning to the voters, even to correct an obvious mistake. This measure, proposed by Supervisor Scott Wiener, would allow the Board of Supervisors and mayor to amend or repeal these measures after a certain period and with a super-majority vote of the Board of Supervisors. This makes common sense and is a necessary reform in the much over-used initiative process. This proposition does NOT apply to initiatives put on the ballot by voter signature.
Proposition F: Campaign Consultant Ordinance: YES.
Lobbyists are required to register and to make certain public disclosures, such as amounts of political contributions. These rules have not applied to campaign consultants who play as important a role in the political process as lobbyists. Prop F is a transparency measure that applies similar registration and disclosure requirements to campaign consultants as apply to lobbyists. It also makes technical changes in the 1997 ballot initiative regulating local political consultants. It would allow future changes to the ordinance to be made by a super-majority of the Ethics Commission and the Board of Supervisors, without the necessity of going back to the voters.
Proposition G: Sales Tax: YES.
The 1 percent sales tax imposed by the state Legislature expired July 1. Proposition G increases the city sales tax by one-half percent but only if the 1 percent tax that expired is not reimposed. The money is earmarked for public safety programs and for services for seniors and children.
Proposition H: School District Student Assignment. NO.
This declaration of policy initiative was put on the ballot by signature petition. It calls on the school board to revise its policies to make assigning students to the school closest to where they live the number one priority. This is an example of the abuse of the voter initiative process. Running the city's schools is the responsibility of the elected members of the school board who should be able to consider all relevant factors, such as diversity and racial and ethnic balance, in making assignment decisions.