How I’m Voting and You Can Too – June 2022
These views are mine, and mine alone. They do not represent the views of any organization I work for or am a member of. If you assume my spouse shares all these views, you are wrong and possibly very sexist.
About this guide
I began writing this guide when I realized some people I know weren’t voting because the ballot was too complicated. Now, I study the issues with dorky zeal and offer this guide to the public.
This election is very important.
Please please please please make sure everyone you know gets out and votes NO on the Boudin Recall.
My Picks:
State and Federal Offices
Governor: Luis Rodriguez
Lt Governor: Mohammad Arif
Secretary of State: Shirley Weber
Controller: Ron Galperin
Treasurer: Meghann Adams
Attorney General: Rob Bonta
Insurance Commissioner: Nathalie Hrizi
Board of Equalization, District 2: Sally Lieber
US Senator (term ending January 3, 2029): Alex Padilla
US Senator (term ending January 3, 2023): Alex Padilla
US Representative, District 11: Leave it blank
State Assembly, District 17: Leave it blank
State Assembly, District 19: Leave it blank
Superintendent of Public Instruction: Marco Amaral
San Francisco Offices
City Attorney: Leave it blank
Local Propositions
Prop A: Muni Bond: Yes
Prop B: Building Inspection Commission: Yes
Prop C: Recall Timelines and Vacancy Appointments: YES!
Prop D: Office of Victim and Witness Rights; Legal Services for Domestic Violence Victims: No
Prop E: Behested Payments: Yes
Prop F: Refuse Collection and Disposal: Yes
Prop G: Public Health Emergency Leave: Yes
Prop H: Recall Measure Regarding Chesa Boudin: NO NO NO.
Bonus pick, Alameda County
Alameda County Superintendent of Public Schools: Alysse Castro
Four Hills, Four Towers, One Coyote
acrylic on heart sculpture, 6’ x 5’ x 40”
Yes, the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation commissioned me to paint another heart sculpture with a San Francisco landscape. My first heart, “Four Hills, Four Towers, Flowing Fog, Native Flowers” is on display in Union Square but may be removed any day now. This new heart will live in the Bank of America building employee cafeteria. Stay tuned for a post with more details.
As always:
VOTE. Not voting is actually a vote for, “I don’t care, be corrupt, put money in your pockets and screw the people.”
IGNORE the advertising. Paid political advertising will always be misleading, by design. Throw those mailers straight into the recycling bin. Ignore promoted posts on social media.
MAKE SURE YOUR FRIENDS VOTE. We can expect a low turnout for this election, that means every vote is so much more important. Send some texts, make some calls. Don’t let your friends miss out on this one.
This election is very important
Four Hills, Four Towers, One Coyote
acrylic on heart sculpture, 6’ x 5’ x 40”, 2022
This is the other side of my latest heart sculpture painting which includes the Filbert steps leading up to Coit Tower.
The attempt to recall Chesa Boudin is driven by throwback conservative Republican fear-based nonsense. We need to reject it.
So many elections.
We just had an election in April, and one before that in February, and one before that in September. This has been caused by two things: reactionary conservative recall campaigns and special elections triggered by officials playing musical chairs to replace people who were arrested for corruption. Thankfully, we have ballot measures that will help lesson corruption and make recalls a bit less likely.
This election is the most important one of the year for San Francisco. I opposed the school board recall, but I can understand how people could be frustrated with the budget problems at the school district. The campaign to recall Chesa Boudin is fully unhinged from reality. We need to rally to firmly to shut it down.
The articles and endorsements I link to below get into some of the details about the truth about Boudin’s term and the way that the recall campaign is disingenuously twisting the facts and lying. This article in SFGate, “The California crime discourse is all wrong,” provides important context comparing the results of progressive prosecutors with the rising murder rates where the lead prosecutors are reactionaries.
My Reasoning
For many of the state and federal races, I’m leaning on the judgment of the League of Pissed Off Voters who make compelling arguments for when to support the incumbent and when to cast a protest vote for the Peace and Freedom Party candidate. I added comments on some races, otherwise see their voter guide for more details.
State and Federal Offices
Governor: Luis Rodriguez
Gavin Newsom is often fine, but then he refuses to meet with farm workers and vetoes bills to protect their rights.
Lt Governor: Mohammad Arif
Secretary of State: Shirley Weber
Controller: Ron Galperin
Treasurer: Meghann Adams
Attorney General: Rob Bonta
Insurance Commissioner: Nathalie Hrizi
Board of Equalization, District 2: Sally Lieber
US Senator (term ending January 3, 2029): Alex Padilla
US Senator (term ending January 3, 2023): Alex Padilla
US Representative, District 11: Leave it blank
I’ve expressed my anger at Nancy Pelosi before. As the leader of the Democratic party in the House of Representatives for nearly 20 years, Pelosi has spectacularly failed to make the case for even moderately progressive values. She and her husband continue to profit from the stock market while blocking any attempts to put a stop to Congressional insider trading. This is the type of BS that undercuts arguments that the Democratic Party is a less corrupt option nationwide. It’s very frustrating that we don’t get to have real elections for San Francisco’s congressional representative.
State Assembly, District 17: Leave it blank
We just voted on this and Haney won by a landslide which means he gave up his Board of Supervisors seat so London Breed replaced him with a guy whose last job was lying for the SFPD. Campos isn’t campaigning, so Haney will win this again.
State Assembly, District 19: Leave it blank
Phil Ting is running unopposed. I’m still pissed at him for trying to deprive the school district of state funds because they were being more COVID-cautious than he wanted.
Superintendent of Public Instruction: Marco Amaral
San Francisco Offices
City Attorney: Leave it blank
David Chiu is another political appointee running unopposed. Blech.
Local Propositions
Prop A: Muni Bond: Yes
The League of Pissed Off Voters has no endorsement here as they criticize some SFMTA management issues, but I think the general direction of the agency in speeding up bus routes and protecting pedestrians has been pretty good. A bigger budget will allow more improvements and better transit increases ridership and is a good investment.
Prop B: Building Inspection Commission: Yes
Some good tweaks to the appointment process and structure that should lead to better oversite and less corruption.
Prop C: Recall Timelines and Vacancy Appointments: YES!
The recall has become a tool for some nasty political shenanigans. This measure puts some bigger hurdles to get recall on the ballot and, if recalls are successful, keeps the replacement appointees from running in the next election.
Prop D: Office of Victim and Witness Rights; Legal Services for Domestic Violence Victims: No
The District Attorney’s office already has a program to protect domestic violence victims which could be given more funding. This prop would create a totally new department that would need funding and that no one asked for. It was put on the ballot by Marina supervisor Catherine Stefani seemingly as an oblique attack against Boudin. It’s some nonsense. Vote no.
Prop E: Behested Payments: Yes
Right now, if a vendor is trying to get a contract with the city, a supervisor isn’t allow to ask for a campaign donation, but they CAN ask them to make donations to a nonprofit of their choice. The nonprofit could then use the money as a slush fund to pass the favor on. This is how some of our recent corruption scandals have unfolded. Prop E puts in a layer of defense against that corruption. The League of Women Voters ballot guide assures us that, “The impact on nonprofit partnerships and donations was discussed extensively in multiple public meetings and these concerns were refuted. Officials would be allowed to fundraise for an ‘interested party’ nonprofit, meaning that officials could not solicit payments from the nonprofit, but officials could solicit payments to the nonprofit.”
Prop F: Refuse Collection and Disposal: Yes
Like Prop B, this measure tweaks the board structure and adds a rate payer advocate to oversee how rates are set for garbage collection. This is important after the corruption scandal involving the city’s waste management vendor, Recology.
Prop G: Public Health Emergency Leave: Yes
This would require employers with more than 100 employees to provide some emergency paid health leave. This will help keep people with COVID or monkeypox or a cold from going to work sick and infecting others. It’s also obviously the decent thing to do.
Prop H: Recall Measure Regarding Chesa Boudin: NO NO NO.
The campaign to recall Chesa Boudin began right after he was elected. It’s driven in part by the venture capitalists and tech moguls who don’t want their companies to be held accountable for wage theft (the most common property crime) and by those who don’t want police officers to be held accountable. With Boudin, we finally have a district attorney who is willing to press charges against officers who brutalize or kill civilians. With all the news of the incompetence of police in Texas, you may not of heard about how the SFPD killed another two people last week. If I see someone being assaulted, I’d like to be able to call the police without worrying that they are going to kill the victim!
There’s so much about this that makes me want to go on a long rant - Boudin is actually trying to lessen recidivism with diversion programs, he is increasing access to victim services, he is working with federal agencies to bust crime networks while the SFPD refuse to do so, he is fighting for Door Dash and Burger King workers who are owed wages, etc… - but so many other local publications have taken the time to explain why we should all vote NO on Prop H.
Even the SF Chronicle, which is normally happy to print fear-mongering articles that repeat lies by the SFPD and disgruntled disgraced former prosecutors writes, “Chesa Boudin is many things. Incompetent isn’t one of them. Vote no on recall.” Mission Local has, “The case for recalling DA Chesa Boudin: There isn’t one. But that hardly matters.” The Examiner, “Editorial: Prop. H will punish Boudin, but it won’t solve San Francisco’s real problems.”
One of the few local publications to endorse this recall is the SF Standard. Alec Karakatsanis systematically debunked the lies in their article and the Bold Italic wrote, “We Need to Talk About How Dangerous This Reported Piece on DA Chesa Boudin Is to San Francisco.”
Bonus pick, Alameda County
Alameda County Superintendent of Public Schools: Alysse Castro
I’ve done work for the Alameda County Office of Education as part of the innovative Integrated Learning Specialist Program where we trained teachers to use the arts to deepen learning in all subjects while addressing issues of social justice and racism. Karen Monroe, having promised to protect that program, instead killed it squandering the office’s investment and years of community-building. Monroe has also supported the closure of schools in Oakland that serve Black and Brown students. People I know, trust, and fully respect tell me that Alysse Castro is the real deal and will be an exemplary leader.