HSN ELECTION ACTIVITIES

HSN organized candidate forums in the 2003 Mayor's race and several contested Supervisorial elections in 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008. We also developed candidate questionnaires and distributed the results at the forums and to members. The forums and questionnaires focused on issues related to poverty and the nonprofit sector. We have also endorsed and fought for ballot propositions that impact our sector and the people we serve, including measures to increase revenues for health and human services and to build affordable housing.

HSN encourages nonprofit agencies to organize voter registration drives for their staff and clients. It is crucial that all nonprofit employees and clients exercise their right to vote. Elected officials and ballot measures have significant impacts on our community, our agencies, and the lives of those we serve.

HSN BALLOT MEASURE ENDORSEMENTS

NOVEMBER 2010

HSN is conducting our endorsement process for the November 2010 election. The following documents summarize the measures that will or may appear on the ballot as of July 14, 2010.

California ballot measures

San Francisco ballot measures

JUNE 2010

Yes on D (San Francisco, June 2010): Pension reform

This measure is a Charter Amendment that establishes an employee contribution rate of 9% for new city employees hired after July 1, 2010. It will also reduce the effects of "spiking", a practice under which some employees increase their pensions after receiving a promotion or significant raise in their last year before retirement, by basing final compensation on the average of the last two years of employment.

While it is only a first step in addressing San Francisco's longterm pension obligations that threaten to drastically reduce available funding for services, Prop D will save the city an estimated $400 million over the next 25 years.

No on 16 (California, June 2010): Local electricity, 2/3 vote

This is an initiative Constitutional Amendment that would require a two-thirds vote before local governments can provide electricity service to new customers or establish a community-choice electricity project using public funds or bond funds.

Opponents, such as consumer group The Utility Reform Network (TURN) and the Sierra Club, argue that the measure will limit consumers' ability to choose who provides their electricity. It will also protect utility monopolies and eliminate competition, leading to higher rates and reduced incentives to use clean energy sources. They also accuse PG&E of using the initiative process for special-interest balloting, and criticize the impossible-to-reach two-thirds voting requirement.

Yes on the San Francisco Hotel Fairness Initiative

This measure will strengthen the city's existing hotel tax against both airlines and online hotel booking companies that are evading or trying to evade their legally required tax payments. The city estimates that internet hotel reservation companies have evaded paying more than $70 million in hotel tax payments.

In addition, the measure imposes a temporary 2% surcharge -- an average of $3 per night -- on visitors to San Francisco hotels. The surcharge will expire in 4 years. The hotel surcharge is paid by anyone who spends the night in a San Francisco hotel, mostly visitors from out of town. Since 1996, San Francisco's hotel surcharge rate has been the same, 14%, while costs for the services it helps fund have grown dramatically. Visitors to San Francisco pay the same or lower than major cities around the country, including New York, Los Angeles, Boston and Houston (where visitors pay 17% on their hotel stays).

Proponents of this measure intend to collect signatures to get it on the November 2010 ballot in order to demonstrate broad community support. The measure needs about 7100 signatures, but the goal is to get up to 25,000. The measure will pass in November if it receives a vote of 50%+1.

• Voter Registration Drives: Guidelines, Logistics and Rules for San Francisco Nonprofit Organizations (updated April 2009).

• You - and the Nonprofit Health & Human Services Sector: Advocating for Our Agencies and Our Clients (updated April 2009). This document for nonprofit staff is meant to be distributed as a 2-sided 3-panel brochure.

• Propositions N and Q website: HSN led the campaign to pass two revenue measures on the November 2008 ballot. Measure N (Changing Real Property Transfer Tax Rates) and Measure Q (Modifying the Payroll Expense Tax) will generate approximately $40 million/year in new revenue, which will help protect safety net services facing potential budget cuts.

• HSN Candidate Questionnaire Responses: 2008 Supervisor Winners
  
  
• HSN Candidate Questionnaire Responses: 2006 Supervisor Winners

• HSN Candidate Questionnaire Responses: 2004 Supervisor Winners

• HSN Candidate Questionnaire Responses: 2003 Mayor Newsom