Goings-on in SF -- Week of April 17-23
Happy Sunday, Republicans –
And a joyful Easter, Passover sameach, and Ramadan mubarak to all who are celebrating!
Stuff you should know
Don’t forget to vote on or before Tuesday, April 19 (instructions here: https://sfelections.sfgov.org/ways-vote) in the special election for Assembly District 17. This is a critical election, and only 19% of ballots have thus far been returned (the linked article is from early last week). That means your vote matters. Republicans can swing this election! Look at it this way: Approximately 190,000 Democrats, 15,000 Republicans, and 76,000 NPPs are eligible to vote in this election. To date, 40,000 Democrats (21%), 2,500 Republicans (16%), and 12,000 NPPs have voted (16%) – not unusual for a race where the two candidates are both Dems. But in the low-turnout February election to recall three BOE commissioners, 35% of Democrats, 36% of Republicans, and 30% of NPPs voted. Especially when overall turnout is low, Republicans can swing elections by getting out the vote.
Speaking of getting out the vote, you can make a difference this year and help swing the June election by contacting volunteers@sfgop.org. In June, San Franciscans will be voting on a number of important items, including the recall of District Attorney Chesa Boudin, a half-billion dollar Muni Bond measure, and primaries for US House of Representatives (where the GOP is running John Dennis (CD-11) and Gus Mattammal (CD-15)), and State Assembly (where the GOP is running Bill Shireman (AD-17) and Karsten Weide (AD-19)). There will be opportunities for text-banking, tabling, and door-knocking.
On Wednesday, April 20, at 6pm, SOAR-D1 will be hosting the third and final installment of their Zoom series on the role and work of a District Attorney. Register for “Should We Recall Chesa Boudin? A debate on how we got here and what is at stake” at this link.
A friend has asked us to notify you of the ongoing exhibit (until April 30) at the Philippines Consulate commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Fall of Bataan. This tragedy led directly to the Bataan Death March and the internment of thousands of POWs by the Imperial Japanese Army. Some 500 of these POWs were heroically liberated in a joint US/Philippines commando raid toward the end of WWII, cementing a friendship between our countries that remains strong today.
City Hall
Tuesday, April 19 at 2pm: Regularly scheduled meeting of the full Board of Supervisors (agenda and call-in instructions here)
Item 17 is a proposed ordinance to prohibit the SFPD from storing DNA profiles collected from crime victims in databases later used to apprehend criminals. Anti-police supervisors made political hay out of this case when it initially came to light, but it does appear that the collection and matching was performed on the advice of the city attorney, and not for any nefarious purposes. 99 times out of 100, an ordinance sponsored by Supervisors Ronen, Walton, and Preston will be sheer and utter nonsense. In this instance, their ordinance is not only a data privacy best practice, but the right move if we want to get rid of anything that would, for example, disincentivize rape victims from providing DNA evidence to the police.
Thursday, April 21: Special meeting of the Redistricting Task Force
You thought redistricting was over because the City Charter-imposed deadline passed on April 15? Oh, you sweet summer child. Welcome to San Francisco politics. Sign up here to get more information on how to listen, watch, and give public comment at the next meeting. If you want to understand just what the heck is going on, first refer to last week’s “Goings-on,” then read this and this.
For additional analysis, you can check out this and this, but for our money the most insightful contribution is this.
Finally, it’s always fun to watch the ACLU continue to beclown itself, so here’s a treat.
Other items of interest
Last week’s meeting of the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee focused on the police staffing shortage in San Francisco. According to a city-commissioned study from 2020, SFPD is currently operating at a deficit of 500 officers. In an encouraging sign of the times, the overwhelming majority of folks calling in to give public comment supported immediately hiring more police. Even some prog supervisors are finally sensing which way the political winds are blowing.
Speaking of depressed numbers, SFUSD lost more than 2,500 students this year, “falling below 49,000 students for the first time in decades.”
Over the last two weeks, we warned you about the potential appointment of Gary McCoy to the Local Homeless Coordinating Board, citing his conflict of interest as a spokesperson for HealthRight 360, and well-documented allegations of him fabricating data. This week, we learned he’s not the only bad apple in the bunch. Corruption in San Francisco is out of control. Ask yourself, are you getting what you pay for?
Regards,
Jay Donde
Political Affairs Vice Chair
San Francisco Republican Party
