Just the Facts

PROBLEM:

  • San Francisco is the only city in California that allows a minority of Supervisors or the Mayor to throw anything on the ballot without a public process.

  • San Francisco also requires 80% fewer signatures than the state standard.

  • San Francisco regularly has 3-4x as many ballot measures as other cities. In November 2024, San Francisco voters faced 15 ballot measures, compared with one in San Jose and three in Oakland.

YES ON D: EMPOWER VOTERS OVER SPECIAL INTERESTS. 

SOLUTION:

  • For board-led initiatives, Prop D requires a majority of Supervisors and a public vote before placing something on the ballot.

  • For citizens' initiatives, Prop D requires a modest 8% of signatures to ensure measures have community support and the time to be reviewed before they appear on the ballot. The state standard for signatures is 10% and is what cities like Oakland require.

  • Prop D removes the unilateral power of the Mayor ensures a fair balance of power.

PROBLEM:

  • San Francisco pays out $6 billion a year in contracts with no system to measure results or hold businesses and nonprofits accountable. The result is wasted resources and rampant corruption.

  • Over the years, the City has created 39 waivers allowing certain purchases to bypass contracting rules — When the only way to move quickly is to waive your own rules, the rules are broken.

YES ON E: END CORRUPT CITY CONTRACTING.

SOLUTION:

  • Prop E empowers the City Administrator to standardize and modernize purchasing laws to eliminate corruption and wasted taxpayer money.

  • Prop E updates the dollar threshold that triggers Board of Supervisors approval to account for inflation – the existing threshold has not been updated in decades.

PROBLEM:

  • San Francisco’s fragmented permitting system means more than 10 departments can play a role in approving a project, often with conflicting rules and requirements.

  • Commission seats have long been handed out as rewards, with no accountability to voters. Despite a record of violence against women, William Palmer has remained in a position of leadership, unable to be removed without a lengthy misconduct process.

YES ON F: MAKE CITY DEPARTMENTS ACCOUNTABLE.

SOLUTION:

  • Prop F allows department reorganization (subject to Board approval) to deliver faster permitting and better core services.

  • Prop F lets the appointing authority (which can be the Mayor, the Board of Supervisors, or other officials) remove commissioners who don’t show up, don’t do the work, or are corrupt. Prop F doesn’t eliminate a single commission, and watchdog entities including the Ethics Commission remain independent.