Endorsement season begins! Can you feel it in the air?
Democratic Clubs all across the City are preparing for the November 3, 2015 election. The San Francisco District 11 Democratic Club is no exception. We have scheduled all our initial endorsement interviews with the executive board on Saturday, August 22 at the Ingleside Police Station Community Room in Balboa Park. The proponents and opponents of the five ballot measures will present and answer questions between approximately 12 and 2:30. Candidates are booked from 3:00 through 5:00pm. (Schedule subject to change) If you fall into this category and have not yet booked a time, please text 415-531-9743 or email [email protected]. All candidates and proposition representatives must submit a response to the appropriate questionnaire by August 20th, 2015. (Download the Ballot Measure Questionnaire or the Candidate Questionnaire)
So far, there are eleven measures that are qualified for the ballot:
- Measure A: General Obligation Bond Election - Affordable Housing
- Measure B: Enhancement of Paid Parental Leave for City Employees
- Measure C: Expenditure Lobbyists Ordinance
- Measure D: Mission Rock Development
- Measure E: Requirements For Public Meetings of Local Policy Bodies
- Measure F: Short-Term Residential Rentals
- Measure G: Disclosures Regarding Renewable Energy
- Measure H: Clean Energy Right to Know Act
- Measure I: Mission District Housing Moratorium
- Measure J: Establishing the Legacy Business Historic Preservation Fund
- Measure K: Surplus City Property Ordinance
And, candidates for six citywide offices will also appear on the ballot in District 11:
- Mayor: Kent Graham, Herrera Francisco, Edwin M. Lee, Reed Martin, Stuart Schuffman, Amy Farah Weiss
- City Attorney: Dennis Herrera
- District Attorney: George Gascon
- Sheriff: Vicki Hennessy, Ross Mirkarimi, John Robinson
- Treasurer: Jose Cisneros
- Member, Community College Board: Wendy Aragon, Alex Randolph, Tom Temprano
After the endorsement interviews, the eboard will issue their recommendations to the general membership. Members will vote on endorsements at the Membership Endorsement Meeting on Wednesday, Sept 9, 2015 at Henry's Hunan, 4753 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94112 at 6:30pm.
Membership Meeting, April 8 2015
Come join us on Wednesday, April 8, 2015 at 6:30pm for a Membership Meeting at the Ingleside Police Station Community Room in Balboa Park. Come on by for some snacks and political discussions on important issues facing our district. Click here for a map and to RSVP.
First on the agenda is a presentation of the Prop 13 Split Role Project. Evolve-CA, is a non-profit that seeks to address the political third rail of Prop 13. For anyone not alive in 1976, Proposition 13 was a so called tax relief initiative that helped the elderly stay in their homes despite rising home values and consequent property taxes. The problem is that it was not finely crafted or narrowly tailored to protect the homes of low-income or fixed income residents. Their plan for Proposition 13 is to split the residential tax relief from the corporate tax relief. Corporations have received the bulk of the tax savings, not elderly. The tax savings undercut funding for public schools, libraries and other public institutions. We all know the result of that. Evolve is collecting endorsements from as many elected officials as possible and speaking to local political clubs regarding their push for a Prop 13 split role.
Second, we have scheduled proponents and opponents of the anti-airbnb ballot initiative in San Francisco. A representative from sharebettersf.com and a representative from airbnb will discuss the initiative and take your questions. The proposition seeks to further regulate short-term residential rentals to tourists, like those offered by Airbnb beyond the Board of Supervisors regulations set forth in 2014. Cluck here for more information on the current regulations and the proposed regulations.
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Third, we will have a representative from CA DISCLOSE to discuss the status of Senate Bill 52 and the current Assembly Bill 700. These bills will create transparency for political ads and require the top three funders of ballot measure ads to be shown clearly and unambiguously on the ads themselves. Most importantly, it requires that the funders disclosed on ads be the original sources of the contributions to the committee that paid for the ad, even if funders try to hide behind multiple layers of committees or organizations. In other words, there will be no more "People for a Better Tomorrow" or other such deceptive euphemisms for committees to obfuscate the actual sources of funding. SB52 sailed through the senate and more than 400 organizations and 80,000 voters have endorsed this as fundamental to voter rights. |
Last, but not least, Sheriff Mirkarimi will give us an update on his initiatives to combat recidivism and promote rehabilitation. His efforts, in the face of State mandated realignment, has conrtributed to the low jail population. The Sheriff's Department manages six county jails across San Francisco and the Peninsula.
Please note the budget discussion is postponed until our September meeting.
S.F D11 Democratic Club members seek to become delegates to California Democratic Party
Five members of the San Francisco District 11 Democratic Club are candidates to become delegates to the California Democratic Party. Rosario Cervantes (Excelsior), Jose Torres (Mission Terrace), Gabriel Medina (Ingleside), Brigitte Davila (Mission Terrace) and Alex Walker (Mission Terrace) are seeking delegate positions. Delegates attend the state conventions and vote on ballot measure and candidate endorsements We have not had this kind of interest by club members in many years and it presents a great opportunity for neighbors to advocate for the Democratic Party to be responsive to the needs of everyday voters.
A little bit about our members running for delegate positions:
- Rosario Cervantes: Rosario is a longtime of the Excelsior district. She will be a fierce advocate for the average resident and will push the party towards policies that champion clean energy, consumer protection, affordable housing, health care and access to education. She is an active member of the Labor Council, the District 11 Democratic Club and the Latino Democratic Club. She currently serves as president of the board of Coleman Advocates for Youth & Children. You can vote for Rosario on Saturday, January 10, 2015 at the African Americam Art & Culture Complex at 762 Fulton Street, San Francisco, CA 94102.
- Joe Torres: Neighbors might remember Jose "Joe" Torres as Uncle Sam, a role he reprises every 4th of July at the Mission Terrace 4th of July Parade and Picnic. But Joe has long been involved in politics starting with Bobby Kennedy in 1968 and on through the Obama campaigns. He is a member of several Democratic Clubs including the D11 Dems. Jose will advocate for equity for all and support of democratic values. You can vote for Joe on Sunday, January 11, 2015 at 11:30 am at the Pacelli Event Center at 145 Lake Merced Blvd, Daly City, CA 94015.
- Gabriel Medina: Born and raised in San Francisco, Gabriel is concerned about policies that have pushed families out, made homeownership unattainable, and closed our longtime community businesses. He wants the Democratic Party to be responsive to its base. Gabriel is active in local politics and serves as president of the S.F. Latino Democratic Club. You can vote for Gabriel on Sunday, January 11, 2015 at 11:30 am at the Pacelli Event Center at 145 Lake Merced Blvd, Daly City, CA 94015.
- Brigitte Davila: A resident of Mission Terrace and currently serving as president of the District 11 Democratic Club, Brigitte recently won a position as trustee of the City College Board in the last general election. She is a tireless advocate for accesible quality public education at all levels, with a particular emphasis on higher education. She is running to ensure that the Democratic Party further policies that support access to education, affordable housing, voting, civil rights and, generally to ensure socio-economic justice for all residents. She recently won a citywide race for a seat on the CCSF Board of Trustees. You can vote for Brigitte on Sunday, January 11, 2015 at 11:30 am at the Pacelli Event Center at 145 Lake Merced Blvd, Daly City, CA 94015.
- Alex Walker: Another resident of Mission Terrace is an incumbent delegate running to retain his seat and his office on the delegate AD 19 Executive Board. Alex is active in the LGBT, Progressive and Environmental Caucuses as well as on the Voter Services Committee and in the California Young Democrats. He serves as PAC Chair of the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club and is active with SF Young Democrats, Irish American Democratic Club and others. You can vote for Alex on Sunday, January 11, 2015 at 11:30 am at the Pacelli Event Center at 145 Lake Merced Blvd, Daly City, CA 94015.
- Leah LaCroix: Leah is our newest member and will be the youngest delegate. She held a position on the Youth Commission and is an advocate for transportation that serves the residents of San Francisco. You can vote for Alex on Sunday, January 11, 2015 at 11:30 am at the Pacelli Event Center at 145 Lake Merced Blvd, Daly City, CA 94015.
Join us for our Holday Party on December 7, 2014
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Join us for our Annual Holiday Party
Please join members (and those who love them) on Sunday, December 7 from 2 to 5:00 pm (or whenever). We'll have our usual signature holiday cocktail and plenty of homemade tamales and lots of other tasty goodies and beverages. This may be your only holiday party where you can "talk politics" all you want without getting in trouble. RSVP here
Please bring an unwrapped toy for a child aged 2 to 12 for the San Francisco Firefighters Toy Drive. Click the link to find suggestions for toys and more about the firefighter's toy program.
Members can make Santa's elves happy by renewing their membership for 2015.