On April 19th, San Francisco finishes voting on who will fill the vacant assembly seat representing its eastern half. Both candidates in the runoff are veterans of the progressive wing of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors with *very* similar policy positions–so we dig into how they’re different. Music credits: “T Shirt Weather” by … Continued
California Ballot Breakdown
If you’re slogging through a California ballot packet, we’re here to help!
We’ll be posting pro-con debates on high-stakes ballot propositions, interviews with candidates for offices that will shape the politics of the state, and special reports on everything from voting rules to money in politics.
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Proposition 22, the push to lock gig drivers into permanent independent contractor status, has spent more money than any ballot initiative campaign in state history. The gig companies financing it are also using their apps to advertise, arm-twist, and cajole. Ariel Boone has a report on how that’s changing the terrain of campaign. PLUS: Puzzled … Continued
The push to lock gig drivers in independent contractor status has drawn more spending than any ballot initiative in California history. The companies financing it–Uber, Lyft, Doordash, Instacart, and Postmates–are also using their own apps to advertise, arm-twist, and cajole. Ariel Boone has a report looking at how they’re re-writing the playbook for turning cash … Continued
In the wake of the uprisings over the police killing of George Floyd, cities and counties across California are putting policing reforms to a vote. We’ll take you through a roundup, starting with San Francisco’s Proposition E — which asks voters if they’d like to take minimum police staffing requirements out of the city’s charter. … Continued
Voters in San Francisco are about to vote on whether to create California’s first tax on inequality. Prop L would raise the gross receipts tax on every business in the city that pays its top manager at least 100x more than its median employee. PRO: Supervisor Matt Haney represents San Francisco’s District 6; he sponsored … Continued
Prop 15 would let property taxes rise with property values, but only for large owners of commercial and industrial real estate. The argument from the no campaign is that prop 15 would hurt some small businesses, too. They couldn’t actually give us an example when they came on to debate it–so we had our reporter … Continued
Oakland’s District 3 is mostly West Oakland. That’s a historically Black neighborhood, an epicenter of the 2008 foreclosure crisis, now rapidly gentrifying. Last year, it was also the site of an action that drew national attention: “Moms 4 Housing.” A group of unhoused Black mothers took over an empty home owned by a private equity … Continued
First: Wayne Hsiung is mounting a left-flank challenge to incumbent Berkeley mayor Jesse Arreguin that is quite well-financed and -organized for someone who’s never held office. Hsiung’s also a hardcore animal rights activist, leading a group some ex-members describe as cult-like, who co-authored a strategy document calling for supporters to move to one city, take … Continued
First: Oakland’s at-large council election, where outside money from Lyft has piled on to the effort to oust incumbent councilmember Rebecca Kaplan, and her main challenger is … not the business owner his campaign lit claims. Then: a tour through the late flood of attack money into San Francisco’s local races. 1:06 Darwin BondGraham, news … Continued
If Proposition 25 passes, it will end cash bail — no one will spend time incarcerated just because they couldn’t pay for a ticket out before trial. That’s why the bail bond industry’s poured millions into defeating it. But could the risk assessment tools it uses to replace cash bail be even more unfair? That … Continued