District 3’s incumbent Supervisor, Aaron Peskin, has been a long time environmental champion on the Board. While some may question his pugnacious approach to the rough and tumble world of City Hall, it is impossible to question his tenacity and his results.

On numerous critical issues, Supervisor Peskin has not only voted for good legislation but has led the charge by creating such legislation - sweating the details such as securing funding, working to change structural hurdles (such as state laws or problems in the City Charter) and overcoming opposition where possible, or finding meaningful compromise where it was not.

The race for District 5 Supervisor, which spans much of the Western Addition, including the Haight and the Divisadero corridor, offers a choice between two strong, environmentally minded candidates. This is a reprise of the November 2019 election between Vallie Brown, a seasoned City Hall veteran, and incumbent Dean Preston, an affordable housing community organizer. Last year, after much deliberation, the San Francisco League of Conservation Voters ultimately threw our support behind Brown, the then-incumbent, based on her record of environmental leadership on the plastic bag ban and CleanPowerSF. Preston went on to claim a narrow win in that election. We decided to switch our endorsement this year, because while we have a great deal of respect and admiration for Supervisor Brown’s environmental work, we have real concerns about her well-known eviction related issues.

District 9, representing Bernal and the Mission District, is among San Francisco’s more progressive districts, and Hillary Ronen represents it well.

Her focus as a Supervisor has largely been on women’s and immigrants’ issues, along with the affordable housing and homelessness crises that have gripped her district for over a decade.. She’s helped to build or stabilize close to 1,400 units of affordable housing in the district and has advocated for new height and density increases to enable more affordable housing. She’s been outspoken on the need to compassionately address the issues of homelessness that plague our City, especially during the COVID-19 crisis.

Proposition F would change the way SF taxes business, by replacing the payroll expense tax with a more progressive gross receipts tax. A payroll tax sends the wrong signal to businesses, making it more expensive to hire additional employees, at a time when we need to do everything we can to encourage increased employment.

Additionally, Prop F would have a tax rebalancing effect by decreasing gross receipts tax rates on sectors that have been most impacted by COVID-19 (i.e. retail, hotels, restaurants), while increasing rates for the tech sector to be on par with similar professional and financial services.

The San Francisco League of Conservation Voters endorses Yes on Prop J.

Prop J is an annual $288 parcel tax that would generate $50 million annually for San Francisco United School District teacher salaries, providing a $5,500 raise per teacher.

This is a replacement initiative for June 2018's Prop G parcel tax to fund teacher salaries. SFLCV endorsed Prop G, and San Francisco voters approved it with 61% of the vote. The city has been collecting the parcel tax authorized by Prop G since it passed, but hasn't been able to spend the money because the initiative has been tied up in litigation. At issue is a murky legal question about whether the tax needs a 2/3rd majority vote to be implemented.

The San Francisco League of Conservation Voters endorses Yes on Prop I.

Prop I is a straightforward measure that doubles the existing real estate transfer tax on sales of properties in excess of $10 million.

• The current tax rates are: 2.75% for properties of $10-25 million and 3% for properties over $25 million.

• Prop I would increase those rates to: 5.5% for properties of $10-25 million and 6% for properties over $25 million.

Supervisors Preston, Haney, Mar, Ronen, and Walton are the sponsors of this measure, and they placed it on the ballot in anticipation of heightened investor interest in San Francisco real estate due to an expected COVID-19-related economic downturn. If a property is sold to the City or to an affordable housing developer, it is exempt from the tax.

Prop G, Vote 16 SF would amend the City Charter to allow 16 year olds the right to vote, if passed by a simple majority of voters this November.

The San Francisco League of Conservation Voters endorses Yes on Prop G.

During election time, adults are always encouraged to vote for candidates and propositions that promise a better tomorrow for themselves and for the next generation of young people. The irony is that most young people are not given the same opportunity to make decisions about what kind of world they want to live in, and that is a shame. It’s time to expand voting rights to young people who are 16- and 17-year olds so they too get to help shape their future.

Prop C, SF Commissions for All, would open City commissions, committees, and boards to all residents of San Francisco that are of "legal voting age." Current requirements limit members of these public bodies to registered SF voters, i.e., citizens.

The San Francisco League of Conservation Voters wholeheartedly endorses Yes on Prop C.

The city charter amendment enjoys unanimous support from the Board of Supervisors, and follows a state law signed by Governor Gavin Newsom last year, SB 225, that allowed noncitizens to serve on state boards and commissions, but did not extend to local boards.

Proposition A is the 2020 Health and Recovery Bond, a $487.5 million General Obligation Bond to fund mental health and homelessness facilities, parks and street repairs. The funds will be spent as follows:

• $ 207 Million for facilities that provide treatment and supportive housing for the homeless/mentally ill

• $ 239 Million for parks and recreational facilities

• $ 41.5 Million for curb ramps, street resurfacing, street structures and the pedestrian right of way

As a General Obligation Bond, the City will borrow the $438.5 million, and then pay it back from property tax revenue. It is important to note that (in keeping with 2006’s Capital Plan) the City only issues new bonds as old bond debt is retired. Property tax rates stay the same and the net effect is neutral on San Francisco’s property owners.

Measure RR authorizes a modest 30-year sales tax of 0.125% (1/8 cent) to fund operating and capital expenses of the San-Francisco-to-Gilroy Caltrain commuter service. This is important even for San Franciscans who don’t use Caltrain, because local transit agencies such as Muni currently contribute funding to Caltrain. A dedicated funding source will free up local transit agencies who need to focus on their own recovery and financial sustainability.

Proposition K authorizes San Francisco to build or acquire 10,000 units of municipal social housing. Municipal social housing units would be owned by the city and offer permanently affordable housing for a range of incomes, with an average income less than 80 percent of the median income. This housing would also be kept off of the private real estate market. Voting “yes” on Prop K is the first procedural step to creating this urgently needed affordable housing in San Francisco.

The San Francisco League of Conservation Voters endorses John Avalos for District 11 Supervisor.

After sitting out for a term, John Avalos is back! John is a long-standing progressive advocate for working San Franciscans with a strong track record of strengthening public transit, increasing affordable housing, and supporting green energy.

The San Francisco League of Conservation Voters endorses Myrna Melgar for District 7 Supervisor.

As in much of San Francisco, the biggest environmental issues in District 7 are transit and housing, especially affordable housing. According to the City’s Affordable Housing Pipeline dashboard, outside of Park Merced, only one unit of affordable housing has been built in District 7 since 2013, and none are planned in the future. In a city suffering from extreme income inequality, gentrification, and homelessness, this is unacceptable.

The San Francisco League of Conservation Voters endorses Connie Chan for District 1 Supervisor. Connie Chan displays a commitment to bringing affordable housing and safe, walkable, and bikeable streets as District 1 Supervisor.

The San Francisco League of Conservation Voters -- where the environment meets San Francisco politics -- is seeking several new Board members. We are accepting nominations through July 15 ahead of this year’s election process.

Our dynamic, all-volunteer team primarily evaluates local candidates and campaigns through an environmental and good government lens. We make endorsements to educate the public on how their vote can hold San Francisco to its environmental values. We also advocate for local environmental legislation, speak at public hearings, organize events, and engage with local leaders.

The increasing number of vacant storefronts across San Francisco’s commercial districts can hardly be ignored. Rent hikes haven’t just hit renters but have driven out shops, cafés and restaurants that contributed to making San Francisco one of the most vibrant and walkable cities in the country. Prop D aims to help fill empty storefronts and retain long term businesses by taxing property owners or lessees who leave their storefronts vacant for more than 182 days in any given tax year.

This proposition is on the ballot because it is a tax, and therefore must pass by a ⅔ vote. Many ballot initiatives, once passed, must go back to voters if amendments are needed. This measure may be amended by a ⅔ vote of the Board of Supervisors.

The San Francisco League of Conservation Voters is happy to endorse the following candidates for Democratic Central Committee in Assembly Districts 17 & 19. While there are many qualified candidates & several noted political figures with histories of achievement we appreciate, we endorsed solely on the basis of the candidates' answers to our questionnaires (all candidate questionnaires are available on our endorsements page).

In November, San Franciscans will have their chance to vote on Proposition C to “authorize and regulate the sale of electronic cigarettes and other vapor products.” Prop C was, until recently, heavily backed by e-cigarette maker Juul. Despite its supporters’ statements that Prop C would properly regulate e-cigarettes, there are several reasons SFLCV endorses a no vote on Prop C. 

Supervisor Brown has been a voice and vote for environmental issues since she was appointed in July 2018 to fill Mayor Breed’s seat. She also has a long history of environmental advocacy prior her time on the Board. We appreciate her experience and knowledge of the city legislative process, earned through her work as an aide to former Supervisors Mirkarimi (Masonic Avenue Streetscape Improvement Project, CleanPowerSF, plastic bag ban 1.0) and Breed (CleanPowerSF, neighborhood preference in affordable housing). She has a consistent track record on local issues and has shown a willingness to listen, and we find that she makes smart, thoughtful decisions. Since her appointment last year, Brown worked on several environmental issues, including expansion of the plastic bag ban, energy use reporting for large residential buildings, and renewable energy mandates for large commercial buildings. Most recently, she introduced legislation to end natural gas use in municipal buildings.

Prop E addresses the city's affordable housing crisis for mid-income residents and working families, especially teachers. It increases allowed density and height on large lots (over 10,000 sq ft) and publicly owned land (e.g., school and city college land) for multi-family, 100% affordable housing for very low income, Low income, and those earning up to 120 % of Median Income. It does not, however, allow these changes for development on park lands; nor does it allow removal of any existing housing--two aspects of the proposed laws that protect open space and help ensure increases in housing levels, respectively. In other words, Prop E “would allow 100 percent affordable and educator housing to be built on public land.”