How I’m voting on San Francisco’s Most Important Ballot Measures
Why I wrote this post:
We recently launched a small test of Openvote—a new crowd-voting platform. We’re like Kickstarter for elections. But instead of pledging money, you pledge your vote.
Openvote is neutral & non-partisan. But, like every other human being, I am not neutral.
It would be hypocritical for me to ask others to share how they’re voting unless I do the same. So without further ado, here’s how I’m voting:
No on Prop F, which would restrict Airbnb & other short term rentals
Why?
1. There’s already an existing law on the books limiting Airbnb to 90 nights per year.
2. Prop F can only be changed by another ballot measure. That’s a big deal. The home sharing industry is changing so fast. Any regulation is going to have to keep up with that speed. Ballot measures are too slow for this.
3. Prop F would be enforced by neighbors reporting on each other. I don’t like that enforcement mechanism.
That said, I think the ad campaign ran by the NO on F team was in bad taste and ineffective. The billboards, TV ads, and flyers they ran felt like they talked down to me as a voter. I don’t like the tone of the campaign they ran, even though I agree with them.
For more on F: https://openvote.com/r/32-88f6555690
No on Prop I, the proposed Mission District Housing Moratorium
I understand the motivation behind Prop I. The Mission has seen a ton of displacement lately and is going through a big cultural turnover. I don’t like that, even though I recognize that people like myself are driving that trend.
That said, Prop I won’t fix this problem. It won’t stop evictions. It won’t mandate a single unit of affordable housing to be built. By freezing construction of all 5+ unit developments (except for 100% affordable housing), you’ll just drive up real estate prices and push rents higher.
We need to build a lot more affordable housing in the Mission. Prop I is not the best way to do that. But please don’t demonize the other side here — they’re fighting just to stay in their home, the Mission. I know we can find a better way to help that cause than Prop I.
For more on I, watch this video from Supervisor Scott Wiener: https://openvote.com/r/18-1d2c1c
YES on Prop A, The Housing Bond
Prop A needs a 66% supermajority to pass. It would drive $310 million towards affordable housing in SF. It won’t raise property taxes*. Win-win https://openvote.com/r/25-736048c08f
*Edit: A commenter pointed out the City Controller’s analysis says that property taxes could go up. By .0112% in the absolute worst case scenario (yes that’s right) and the more likely estimate is 0.00809%.
I’m going to go ahead and call that “not raising property taxes”.
“The best estimate of the average tax rate for these bonds from fiscal year 2015–2016 through 2038- 2039 is $0.0077 per $100 ($8.09 per $100,000) of assessed valuation.”
YES on Prop D, Mission Rock
Turns a parking lot into a new neighborhood that includes plenty of affordable units. Another win-win. The entire board of Supervisors supports Prop D—both Scott Wiener and David Campos are behind it.
Watch this video: https://openvote.com/r/30-d7d28a3891
Openvote
We put together Openvote as a neutral place for both sides to advocate for their point of view. Even though I just told you how I’m voting, you should make up your own mind.
Again, Openvote is neutral and non-partisan. We’re not always going to be perfect—but neutrality is our north star. We aim to host honest, direct, and passionate viewpoints from all sides—without excluding anyone.
Thanks for taking the time to read this. Go vote tomorrow!
P.S. We weren’t able to cover everything on the ballot this election cycle, so we focused on only four issues. To read up on the other props, I recommend Ballotpedia.
P.P.S.: Here’s my full ballot run-down, for those who care. Again, I recommend you make up your own mind—don’t just vote my ticket.
A: YES
B: YES
C: NO
D: YES
E: NO
F: NO
G: NO / N/A
H: YES
I: NO
J: NO
K: YES
Mayor: Ed Lee
Sheriff: Vicki Hennessy
City Attorney: Dennis Herrera
District Attorney: George Gascon
Treasurer: Jose Cisneros
CCB: Alex Randolph
District 3 Supervisor: Julie Christensen
