The GrowSF Report: Chesa Boudin ousted
The GrowSF Report: Chesa Boudin ousted
Plus: Joel Engardio files for Supervisor, Juneteenth, and the Dubs tie it up with Boston
Dear GrowSF supporters, friends, and volunteers,
No matter how you voted on the Boudin recall, we value you as neighbors, friends, and supporters. We at GrowSF know that in any coalition there will be disagreements and what really matters is that we treat each other with grace and respect. Reasonable people can disagree, and good debates make a better society.
We strive to write the most comprehensive and well-researched voter guide. We don’t expect that anyone will agree with us 100% of the time — all we try to do is give the best information to voters as we possibly can. Thank you for your help and support in this endeavor!
What You Need To Know
Here’s what happened around the city for the week of June 6, 2022:
- GrowSF is the most influential voter guide
- Chesa Boudin ousted
- Peskin’s recall reform fails
- Joel Engardio files to run for Supervisor against Gordon Mar in the Sunset
- How San Francisco became a failed city, and how how it could recover
- Vision Zero has failed
GrowSF is the most influential voter guide
Thanks to you, GrowSF and its allies changed history this week. GrowSF mailed its voter guide to over 272,000 voting households and the digital GrowSF voter guide was viewed over 150,000 times.
This election proves: GrowSF is now the most influential voter guide in San Francisco
Thank you for your support. We literally could not do this without you!
Chesa Boudin ousted
As of Friday, June 10, Chesa Boudin has been recalled with 101,112 votes (56.45%) — more than the 86,712 that elected him in November 2019.
Now the hard work really starts: San Francisco will get a new District Attorney who the voters will keep on a short leash. Will the new DA be able to make San Franciscans feel safe and heal the divide that the recall made clear?
Peskin’s recall reform fails
Supervisor Aaron Peskin’s ballot measure which would have made recalls all-but-impossible has failed, with 58.6% of San Franciscans voting against it as of Friday, June 10. The voters have spoken and they say: “Don’t strip away our rights!”
Thank you for voting with GrowSF to oppose this anti-democratic law.
Joel Engardio files to run for Supervisor against Gordon Mar in the Sunset
Joel Engardio, a great friend of GrowSF, will be challenging Supervisor Gordon Mar for his District 4 seat in the November 2022 election. Joel, who ran for District 7 in 2020, saw his neighborhood shift into District 4 during redistricting. According to his website, his campaign will focus on public safety, education quality, and housing affordability, among other issues.
The SF Standard noted that Gordon Mar is on the wrong side of his District’s public opinion on both the school board and Chesa Boudin recalls. Joel was an outspoken supporter of both.
How San Francisco became a failed city, and how how it could recover
Nellie Bowles, a sixth-generation San Franciscan, wrote a poignant and moving piece on the troubles San Francisco is facing. This beautiful article covers the dream of far-left Progressivism, and the failure of those policies when they collide with reality. Ultimately, this is the story of hope, and a comeback - San Francisco is such an amazing place, that it remains worth fighting for.
But I do need you to love San Francisco a little bit, like I do a lot, in order to hear the story of how my city fell apart—and how it just might be starting to pull itself back together.
Because yesterday, San Francisco voters decided to turn their district attorney, Chesa Boudin, out of office. They did it because he didn’t seem to care that he was making the citizens of our city miserable in service of an ideology that made sense everywhere but in reality. It’s not just about Boudin, though. There is a sense that, on everything from housing to schools, San Francisco has lost the plot—that progressive leaders here have been LARPing left-wing values instead of working to create a livable city. And many San Franciscans have had enough.
Vision Zero has failed
GrowSF board member Jane Natoli penned a thoughtful piece on how the “Vision Zero” plan to make our streets safer has failed, and what we can do about it.
It’s time to admit that Vision Zero has failed. As an advocate for safer streets, I hate saying that. But we must acknowledge that this campaign isn’t working as constructed and learn from its failures[…]
Too much emphasis is placed on education. I don’t need to see signs when I’m walking around telling me that this is a dangerous intersection or someone died there; I know just from walking and biking around our city just how unsafe the streets are. Far too much emphasis is placed on telling people to drive better instead of engineering streets that make it harder to speed, which is also in our control.
Your Action Plan
Now that you know what’s happening, help us shape what happens next:
Digital Equity at Home
Our friends at HAC are hosting an event to discuss how the the private, public, and nonprofit sectors can work together to make sure all neighborhoods have easy access to high-quality technology. RSVP here.
A Housing Happy Hour with Supervisor Melgar
We always talk about our housing crisis, but what is it and how did we get here? This event at Manny’s is a great way to get up to speed.
We'll hang out, chat, and meet new friends, all centered around a conversation about SF's housing crisis with Sup. Myrna Melgar, a former Planning Commissioner; housing advocate Annie Fryman, formerly a housing policy expert with State Sen. Scott Wiener; and The Frisc's editor in chief Alex Lash.
Sat, June 18, 2022
4:00 PM
Manny’s, 3092 16th St
Celebrate San Francisco
There’s a lot to love about our city. Here’s what makes it great:
NBA Finals Return to San Francisco
The NBA Finals returns to San Francisco for Game 5 on Monday, as the Warriors tied the series 2-2 with a 10-point win in Boston Friday night. As usual, Steph Curry grabbed the headlines with 43 points.
BART, Muni, or biking remain the most efficient and cheap ways to get to the Chase Center if you manage to get tickets.
By the way… we happen to have four tickets to game 7. Send us an email at contact@growsf.org for a chance to win them :).
Juneteenth on waterfront
Juneteenth celebrates the anniversary of the emancipation of Black people in the United States, on June 19th, 1865. To commemorate this occasion, SF is hosting its 2nd annual Juneteenth celebration, on Saturday, June 11th. This event will be held at the Ferry Building, as part of the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. Come try the food and products from a variety of local Black-owned businesses, and celebrate the day!
Entry is free and open to the public, and food and drinks will be available for purchase.
Sat, June 11, 2022
9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
At the Ferry Building
Lots of excitement at the Conservatory of Flowers
Giant Water Lilies Are In Bloom
The giant water lilies are blooming now through the end of summer. (By the way, you can always check what’s in bloom on the conservatory’s website)
Stinky Corpse Flower Is Blooming Soon
Calling all flower fanatics! San Francisco’s Conservatory of Flowers has announced that their famous Corpse Flower (Amorphophallus titanum) will likely have one of its rare blooms in the next 1-2 weeks.
Obama Portraits coming to the de Young museum
Catch the Obama portraits at the de Young museum between June 18 and August 14.
Love the GrowSF Report? Share it
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Topical Tweets
Yes, there is good stuff on Twitter. Here’s some of it:
State Senator Scott Wiener took to Twitter to amplify a call for stricter enforcement of statewide zoning regulations in San Francisco. He even went so far as to call for the city to be sued by the state for compliance.
