The Grow SF Report, Vol. 35: Mayor Backs School Board Recall
Plus, Chesa Boudin recall qualifies for ballot and supervisor shades of blue revealed.
What You Need To Know
Here’s what happened around the city for the week of November 7, 2021:
- Mayor Backs School Board Recall
- Boudin Recall Qualifies for Ballot
- The NIMBY Report shows how much housing Dean Preston has opposed
- Supervisors Pass Crime Data Legislation
- Supervisors Reveal Their Shades of Blue
Mayor Backs School Board Recall
Mayor London Breed announced she supports recalling all three school board commissioners eligible for recall — including Faauuga Moliga, the commissioner she appointed to the job in 2018.
Read the point-by-point case for recall, which also shows how each commissioner voted on key issues. Moliga voted with Alison Collins and Gabriella Lopez on every disastrous policy decision that led to enrollment decline, fiscal insolvency, and learning loss among students in Zoom school for many months longer than necessary.
State Senator Scott Wiener also supports the recall of all three commissioners.
The Grow SF PAC has endorsed the school board recall. Visit our affiliated PAC’s voter guide here.
Recall of District Attorney Chesa Boudin Qualifies for Ballot
The campaign to recall District Attorney Chesa Boudin submitted enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot, the Department of Elections announced this week.
The recall will be part of the statewide primary ballot on June 7, 2022.
Recall organizers submitted 83,000 signatures, which was 30,000 more than needed. The number of voters who signed the petition to recall Boudin was more than double the amount of first choice votes he received when elected in 2019.
The San Francisco Chronicle analyzed donations to the recall effort and found that it is not an effort led by out-of-towners, Republicans, and billionaires as recall opponents claim. Here’s the reality check:
More than 80 percent of recall donors are from San Francisco.
Nearly 80 percent of recall donors are Democrats or no party preference.
Of the 600 total recall donors, nearly 500 have given $250 or less.
The NIMBY Report shows how much housing Dean Preston has opposed
The NIMBY Report breaks down, project by project, precisely how much housing Dean Preston has blocked or opposed. The total? 28,708 people’s homes. We desperately need more housing in San Francisco but supervisors like Dean Preston constantly block projects for no good reason.
We need to elect supervisors who want to build more housing so more people can live in San Francisco, and more people can raise kids here. Better yet, we need policies so housing projects don’t even go through our nimby supervisors to begin with.
Solving Crime Requires Transparent Crime Data
Much of the publicly available crime data in San Francisco doesn’t tell the full story, especially when it comes to domestic violence crimes.
There were 131 felony domestic violence cases in the final quarter last year — and 113 were dismissed. Of the 19 cases involving children, 13 were dismissed.
That’s why Supervisor Catherine Stefani passed legislation this week that will force the district attorney’s office and the police department to provide the public with quarterly reports on how often domestic violence offenders are arrested and prosecuted.
Here’s why the legislation was needed: Our district attorney’s office has a data dashboard called “DA Stat.” But it doesn’t mention what happens to cases beyond the initial filing of charges. The public deserves to see sentencing information and final disposition — because it’s the outcome of a case that matters.
Safety and justice go together, and it starts with asking officials to put all crime data in the open.
What Shade of Blue Is Your Supervisor?
Every San Francisco supervisor is a Democrat (and one is a Democratic Socialist). That means the only way to tell them apart by political ideology is to know their shade of Democratic blue. The San Francisco Chronicle analyzed each supervisor’s voting record to determine where they fit on the progressive-to-moderate spectrum.
Your Action Plan
Now that you know what’s happening, help us shape what happens next:
Know Your San Francisco Politics
Ever wonder why San Francisco is the way it is? Find out with Joel Engardio’s SF Politics 101 webinar. It provides an entertaining look at the history that shaped San Francisco, while explaining how City Hall and local politics work.
Learn about San Francisco’s journey from the Gold Rush to tech backlash — and every twist in between. The webinar is brought to life with photos and narrative storytelling. It’s designed for all residents new and old who want to better understand the city they love.
Tuesday November 16
7pm to 8pm
Click here to register
Time to Celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Lights
Diwali, the festival of lights, is a celebration of life’s blessings by South Asians around the world. Celebrate in San Francisco with chefs, artists, and community leaders. There will be mendhi (henna) artists, open bar, music, and complimentary Indian cuisine from Besharam restaurant.
Wednesday November 17
5pm to 8pm
La Cocina Marketplace
101 Hyde St.
RSVP here
Fun in SF
Check out some of our favorite fun activities happening in SF right now:
Fort Mason Flix
Check out some fun films at San Francisco's First-Ever Drive-In Movie Theater at Fort Mason Center. Tickets are selling out fast so buy some today.
To Be Latino Night Market
To Be Latino is a celebration of Latino cultures in the Outer Sunset on 37th Ave. and Ortega, where vendors, artisans, makers, and the community connect around food, music, and art. This weekly night market features local vendors, businesses, artists, food, live music, and activities for all ages. Check it out!
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Topical Tweets
Yes, there is good stuff on Twitter. Here’s some of it:
This week we announced Grow SF is raising $1 million to build an enduring organization to fight for a better future for SF. Some orgs just pop up around election time, but Grow SF is different: we will operate year-round to improve our city.
If you can, please donate via this link, or email us if you want to learn more.
Love this bridge. ❤️🌁
Update: SF COVID-19 Vaccinations
Vaccines are now available to anyone 5 years and up! Click here to search for vaccination sites and to book an appointment.
The FDA has authorized boosters for the following populations:
All Johnson & Johnson recipients older than 18
Elderly and high-risk Moderna recipients
Elderly and high-risk Pfizer-BioNTech recipients
Consult this CDC webpage to determine if you are “high-risk”
Note: Recipients of one vaccine may choose a different vaccine for their booster. For example, if you got the Johnson & Johnson shot, you may choose J&J, Moderna, or Pfizer for your booster.
Current stats
Vaccination Rate: 86% of SF residents over 5 have received at least 1 dose. 80% have been fully vaccinated.
Eligibility: All SF residents 5 and older are eligible to be vaccinated!