February 2022: Recall Alison Collins Only (Yes on A, No on B & C)

The San Francisco League of Conservation Voters regretfully endorses the recall of School Board member Alison Collins and encourages a “Yes” vote on Proposition A on February 15th. 

We recommend a “No” vote on the other two recall measures, Propositions B & C, for recalling school board members Gabriela López and Faauuga Moliga respectively.

It is a widespread assessment in our City that the SF Unified School District has run off the rails. The School Board’s focus on things like murals and renaming schools, during the district’s escalating fiscal crisis, did not represent the leadership SFUSD requires. This would have been true even without the challenge of the pandemic, where the SFUSD made a catastrophic situation even worse.

But, while we question the results and the policies of the School Board, for the most part they have done the job they were elected to do - run the school system. In a democracy, if you disagree with the policies or performance of an elected leader, you can vote them out of office at the next scheduled election. To vote on candidates and policies, amidst a healthy debate, is indeed what democracy is best at.

Recall elections, while sometimes appropriate, are almost always anti-democratic: a small minority of voters usually participates; recall elections are often organized by smaller interest groups rather than a plurality of voters; and they are largely a significant waste of money and time.

In fact, the only time that recalls are appropriate is when the actions of the elected officials are either criminal or directly damaging to the institution itself.

This is why the SFLCV recommends recalling Alison Collins, but not Gabriela López or Faauuga Moliga.

The next School Board election is approaching very soon (November 2022), and we encourage everyone to consider whether López and Moliga have done an appropriate job as School Board members. Voters should decide in November whether they should stay on the Board. Whatever the results of that analysis, we believe there is nothing to suggest they have engaged in anything criminal or have attempted to harm the Unified School District. 

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Director Collins. Her spurious and foolish lawsuit against the school system itself could not be a clearer example of attempting to directly damage the San Francisco Unified School District. We are appalled. That action justifies her recall.

Yes on A, and No on B & C.