Mayoral election in San Francisco, California (2018)

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2019
2016
2018 San Francisco elections
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Election dates
Filing deadline: January 9, 2018
General election: June 5, 2018 (Special election)
Election stats
Offices up: Mayor, Board of supervisor, Assessor-recorder, Public defender, County board of education, Community college board
Total seats up: 15 (click here for other city elections)
Election type: Nonpartisan
Other municipal elections
U.S. municipal elections, 2018

London Breed won the special mayoral election in San Francisco with 36.6 percent of the vote.

The election was called after former Mayor Ed Lee died of a heart attack on December 12, 2017.[1] Eight candidates filed for the seat.

Breed, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors president, was initially appointed as acting mayor after Lee passed away. The board replaced her with fellow supervisor Mark Farrell a month later, citing the desire for an interim mayor who was not also running for the office.[2] Breed collected endorsements from state Sen. Scott Wiener (D), State Assemblyman David Chiu (D), the San Francisco Firefighter's Union, and The San Francisco Chronicle. She led the candidates in funds raised, reporting $1.33 million as of May 19. She has also led in three separate polls, with her highest support at 33 percent. Breed's campaigning focused on transportation, education, and homelessness.[3]

District 6 Supervisor and attorney Jane Kim was another top contender, receiving the endorsements of the San Francisco Democratic Party Central Committee, the San Francisco Democratic Party, and the Bernie Sanders-linked group Our Revolution. She reported $494,000 in contributions, which was the second-highest number after Breed's. Kim described herself as a progressive and focused her campaign on improving city services, helping the homeless, and income inequality.[4]

Former supervisor, state assemblyman, and state Sen. Mark Leno also emerged as a frontrunner, collecting endorsements from four San Francisco Board of Supervisors members, Equality California, the American Federation of Teachers, and the Community Tenants Association. He reported $493,000 in funds raised as of May 19 and led in two polls, with his highest support at 29%. Leno focused on ending homelessness by 2020, cleaner streets, reducing crime, and affordable housing.[5]

Lee's term was not set to end until 2020, and the winner of the election will serve out the term's remainder.

Ballotpedia is compiling the following resources to help voters better understand this election:

Election results

See also: Mayoral election in San Francisco, California (2018)

The following candidates ran in the San Francisco mayoral special election.[6]

San Francisco mayor, Special Election, 2018
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png London Breed 36.60% 89,580
Mark Leno 24.61% 60,229
Jane Kim 24.03% 58,808
Angela Alioto 6.97% 17,060
Ellen Lee Zhou 3.81% 9,332
Richie Greenberg 2.82% 6,903
Amy Farah Weiss 0.66% 1,620
Michelle Bravo 0.35% 849
Write-in votes 0.16% 385
Total Votes 244,766
Source: San Francisco Department of ElectionsThese election results are unofficial and will be updated after official vote totals are made available.

Top candidates

London Breed

London Breed

Heading into the 2018 election, Breed was a member and the president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in California, representing District 5. She first won election to the board in 2012. Prior to that, Breed was executive director of the African American Art & Culture Complex. She also served on the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency Commission and the San Francisco Fire Commission.[7]

Breed holds an M.P.A. from the University of San Francisco and a B.A. in political science-public service with a minor in African American studies from the University of California, Davis. She graduated from Galileo High School.[7]

Breed's campaigning focused on her record serving San Francisco communities. Her campaign website stated, "London has dedicated her entire adult life to serving our communities and improving the City’s housing, environment, public safety, transportation, and quality of life."[8] On January 18, 2018, she filed a notice of threshold with the San Francisco Ethics Commission stating she had reached $50,000 in either campaign contributions or expenditures.[9]

Jane Kim

Jane Kim

At the time of the 2018 election, Kim was a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, representing District 6. She was first elected to the position in 2010. Before becoming a supervisor, Kim was a member of the San Francisco Board of Education from 2007 to 2010. During the last year of her tenure, she served as the board president.[10]

Kim obtained a B.A. in political science and Asian American studies from Stanford University and a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. Her professional experience includes working as a civil rights attorney and as a Senior Community Organizer for the Chinatown Community Development Center.[10]

Kim identified as a progressive. Her campaign website stated, "We are not only a progressive city, we have the resources to implement progressive policies which invest in people and infrastructure to create fundamental change. With courageous leadership and vision, we can demonstrate what a City which invests in childcare, education and housing looks like..."[11] On January 2, 2018, she filed a notice of threshold with the San Francisco Ethics Commission stating she had reached $50,000 in either campaign contributions or expenditures.[9]

Mark Leno

Mark Leno

Leno is a former Democratic member of the California State Senate, representing District 11 from 2008 to 2016. He previously served in the California State Assembly and as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

Leno attended the University of Colorado and was valedictorian of his graduating class at the American College of Jerusalem. He also spent two years in Rabbinical studies at The Hebrew Union College in New York.[12]

Leno originally planned to run in the 2019 mayoral race and began campaigning for it in 2017, but after former Mayor Ed Lee's death, he moved his campaign plans forward by deciding to run for the special mayoral election. His campaign website highlighted the theme that if elected, he would "fight on behalf of regular San Franciscans – the tenants, homeowners, small business owners, and immigrants."[12] He described himself as a progressive. Leno received the endorsements of state Sen. Scott Wiener (D) and San Francisco Supervisors Sandra Lee Fewer, Aaron Peskin, Ahsha Safaí, and Norman Yee. On January 5, 2018, he filed a notice of threshold with the San Francisco Ethics Commission stating she had reached $50,000 in either campaign contributions or expenditures.[9]

List of all candidates

Angela Alioto
Michelle Bravo
London Breed
Richie Greenberg
Jane Kim
Mark Leno
Amy Farah Weiss
Ellen Lee Zhou

Timeline

Below is a timeline of the noteworthy events in this election.

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
Mayor of San Francisco, Special Election
Poll Angela Alioto London BreedJane KimMark LenoOtherUndecidedMargin of ErrorSample Size
Equality Callifornia
March 28-April 3, 2018
6%27%17%29%12%9%+/-4.0610
Note: A "0%" finding means the question was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected]
Mayor of San Francisco, Special Election
Poll Angela Alioto London BreedJane KimMark LenoMargin of ErrorSample Size
Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates
February 22-28, 2018
8%29%26%19%+/-4.6462
Note: A "0%" finding means the question was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected]
Mayor of San Francisco, Special Election
Poll Angela Alioto London BreedRichie GreenbergJane KimMark LenoUndecidedMargin of ErrorSample Size
David Binder Research for Mark Leno
January 20-23, 2018
8%21%0%13%20%0%+/-5.5312
David Binder Research
January 13-16, 2018
6%33%6%15%16%15%+/-4.4500
Note: A "0%" finding means the question was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected]
Mayor of San Francisco, Special Election
Poll Angela Alioto London BreedDavid ChiuCarmen ChuDennis HerreraJane KimMark LenoUndecidedMargin of ErrorSample Size
EMC Research
December 27, 2017-January 3, 2018
4%15%0%0%4%12%15%50%+/-4.9395
Public Policy Polling
December 18-19, 2017
0%20%11%5%10%5%26%23%+/-4.0627
Note: A "0%" finding means the question was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected]


Campaign finance

Mayoral candidates in San Francisco may apply for up to $950,000 in public funds to aid their campaigns. In order to qualify for this aid, they must reach a threshold of $50,000 made in contributions or expenditures and then file a notice of reaching that threshold within 24 hours with the San Francisco Ethics Commission.

As of January 22, 2018, three candidates had filed that paperwork with the Ethics Commission: London Breed, Jane Kim, and Mark Leno.[9]

May 19 report

The chart below details the campaign finance reports of the candidates in this race as of the May 19, 2018, filing deadline.[13]


Endorsements

Mayoral candidate endorsements
Endorsement Angela Alioto Michelle Bravo London Breed Richie Greenberg Jane Kim Mark Leno Amy Farah Weiss Ellen Lee Zhou
State officials
State Sen. Scott Wiener (D)[14]
State Assemblyman David Chiu (D)[15]
State Treasurer Betty Yee
Local officials
Former San Francisco Supervisor John Avalos[16]
Former San Francisco Supervisor Matt Gonzalez[16]
San Francisco Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer[17][18]
San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin[17][18]
San Francisco Supervisor Ahsha Safaí[17]
San Francisco Supervisor Norman Yee[17]
Organizations
Our Revolution[19]
San Francisco Democratic Party Central Committee[20]
United Democratic Club[21]
Harvey Milk LGBTQ Club[22]
Alice Toklas LGBT Democratic Club[23]
San Francisco Police UnionCite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many
San Francisco Democratic Party[24]
Equality California[25]
San Francisco Firefighter's Union[26]
San Francisco Berniecrats[26]
American Federation of Teachers[26]
Community Tenants Association[26][27]
Service Employees International Union[16]
Small Property Owners of San Francisco
San Francisco Tenants Union[28]
PAC's
Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund[25]
Publications
The San Francisco Chronicle[29]

To see more endorsements for London Breed, click here.

To see more endorsements for Jane Kim, click here.

To see more endorsements for Mark Leno, click here.


Candidate stances

Ballotpedia surveyed the San Francisco mayoral candidates about the difference between moderates and progressives in the city and where the candidates saw themselves on the spectrum. You can read highlights from their response below. To view each candidate's full responses to the set of questions, click "[Show more]" under each of their sections.

Michelle Bravo

Moderates tend to be beholden to a more conservative agenda, think liberal Republicans... they support dangerous police weapons like Tasers, they support a paid parental leave mandate that can actually hurt small business owners in San Francisco, they support no-tax for large tech companies like Twitter and no small business taxes for Uber and Lyft…[30][31]
Show more

Do you consider yourself a moderate, a progressive, part of another group, or none of the above?

Michelle Bravo identifies as a Progressive Democrat.

Wikipedia gives a great definition of a Progressive Democrat. Ms. Bravo has written her responses to each of the defined points: Ending wars and occupation – Which I agree to up to certain point. There are times when we as a country must defend ourselves as well as protect American interests. I’m also a veteran of the USMC and grateful to have served. I believe I’m the only candidate running in the San Francisco 2018 Special Mayoral Election that is a military veteran. The military, historically, has offered many individuals the opportunity to get a leg up and out of poverty.

Healthcare is a human right – I absolutely agree with this and advocate healthcare benefits for all Americans who choose to have benefits.

Economic and social justice – I agree with this and it’s important to teach individuals in the U.S.A. about self-responsibility and both conscious and unconscious choices each of us make throughout life. Our choices as individuals ultimately bring us to a specific economic position in life (i.e. having offspring, choosing to join a gang, dropping out of school without a plan, etc.). Social justice is important as long as individuals who are demanding social justice understand that not all wealthy individuals, just as not all poor individuals are absolutely good or absolutely bad.

Clean, fair and transparent elections – I definitely agree with this. I don’t feel our media/press has treated this Special Mayoral race fairly by focusing only on four of the well-known candidates. Even in a, “democratic,” process, i.e. freedom of the press, there is favoritism toward those individuals running for a position who are better known.

Global warming and protecting the environment – I agree. Once again, encouraging self-responsibility for individual actions (whether or not you have offspring, how many cars do you have, how much waste do you and your family, if you have one, produce, etc.) and perhaps tax those who make choices which are obviously polluting more than say someone who chooses not to do the aforementioned choices. To trust that individuals will look after the environment without some sort of correction (i.e. taxing them for having more offspring which contributes to more landfill, ultimately more consumerism and more pollution) will not work long term for our planet.

Stop voter suppression/Democracy Restoration Act – I absolutely agree. The recent case that went to the Supreme court in Ohio was a great example of this.

End mass criminalization – I agree with this as well. The police are guardians and peacekeepers first and foremost. Let’s not make their job any harder than it already is.[30][31]

How would you describe the difference between moderates and progressives in San Francisco?

Progressives are true Democrats while Moderates are basically liberal Republicans.[30][31]

Are there specific policy positions that distinguish San Francisco moderates from progressives?

MODERATES - Supervisors London Breed, Ahsha Safai, Katy Tang, Malia Cohen, Mark Farrell, Jeff Sheehy former Supervisor now Senator Weiner.

Moderates tend to be beholden to a more conservative agenda, think liberal Republicans. They are for big business and new housing developments without proper long term planning nor support for infrastructure for the City of San Francisco, they support dangerous police weapons like Tasers, they support a paid parental leave mandate that can actually hurt small business owners in San Francisco, they support no-tax for large tech companies like Twitter and no small business taxes for Uber and Lyft which work to place strains on city support responders and services (roads, traffic, police, pollution, etc.) effectively working to destroy the character of our neighborhoods, small businesses and ultimately the uniqueness of San Francisco.

Moderate Democrat/Liberal Republican Senator Scott Weiner’s SB 827 and SB 828 will drastically increase cities’ populations as well as demands for public services such as fire, police, schools, sewerage and transit. SB 827 and SB 828 do not provide funds to pay for the inevitable increase in public services that will put a major strain on city budgets and workers. This is why Michelle Bravo is against SB827 and SB828.

PROGRESSIVES – Supervisor Hillary Ronen, Aaron Peskin, Sandra Fewer, Jane Kim, Norman Yee. Tend to be for initiatives such as free community college courses at S.F. City College, bicycle to work advocacy, universal child care programs. We tend to be the opposite of the aforementioned subjects I touched upon that moderates are for.[30][31]

What else do San Francisco voters need to know about this year's elections?

TRANSPORTATION MUNI – San Franciscans need a fully transparent operational review of what is working and what is not. TAXIS, UBER, LYFT – If taxis have to pay for medallions so do UBER & LYFT. All transportation companies need to be treated equally. We need to STOP the favoritism of city and state government for ride sharing companies.

NO TASER WEAPONS FOR SFPD During this special mayoral election that culminates on June 5th, 2018, Martin Halloran, the SFPOA President is pushing for San Francisco voters, to pay for brutal, lethal Taser weapons. -SFPD wants San Francisco voters to purchase the TaserX2, which can kill our most vulnerable populations

-SFPD Axon/Taser bodycam current policies have loopholes that need to be closed

-SFPD do NOT need to be rewarded for past brutalities against San Franciscans but instead need to continue to receive additional training in de-escalation tactics.[30][31]

Richie Greenberg

Richie Greenberg.png
While traditional races in San Francisco have been the moderates vs. progressives, which clearly are variations of democrats, I am a Republican, and this particular race is a two-party race. This is the first viable two-party race in nearly 50 years.[32][31]
Show more

How would you describe the difference between moderates and progressives in San Francisco?

Instead, this should be answered as the difference between San Francisco moderate/progressives and the San Francisco republican:

Democrats want to make people more dependent on government, to tax businesses to fund social projects and causes helping the downtrodden. Democrats will base policy on a “tax and spend” ideology, (create a need, then raise taxes to finance it.) Republicans wish to prevent increases in cost of living and taxes.

Republicans feel a closeness to the American ideals, a loyalty and pride. The San Francisco democrats distance themselves from the federal influence as if to create their own country.

Republicans place value in hard work, opportunity and strong families, best education, a higher Quality of Life. Democrats want to create handouts and beholdeness, lower the thresholds and eliminate incentives and reward to excel.[32][31]

Are there specific policy positions that distinguish San Francisco moderates from progressives?

Will be re-written as distinguishing Democrats and Republicans:

As the republican candidate, I support the San Francisco Police Department, including increasing the number of active officers on the street. I want to equip the officers with Tasers. Democrats oppose Tasers and many oppose any increase numbers of officers or even their presence.

Small Businesses are under increasing pressure from so many regulations, fees and mandates, which democrats want to increase. Too many are failing or forced to leave the city. Republicans are pro-business and want to limit or reduce government mandates pushing financial stress on those businesses. They support a free market.

The concept of “Sanctuary City” is opposed by Republicans on several levels, including the position that immigration is a federal jurisdiction and the City of San Francisco should not spend taxpayers funds on programs and services outside the legal jurisdiction. The democrats fully support Sanctuary City.[32][31]

What else do San Francisco voters need to know about this year's elections?

It’s a two-party race, there is at least one candidate who is not a career politician. The candidate elected will only serve until the next election in November, 2019, but could be re-elected twice, resulting in the mayor serving nearly 10 years.

Public matching funds will be available to certain candidates which will then be used to help finance their campaign. Taxpayers money will be distributed to those candidates even if the taxpayer doesn’t support that candidate.[32][31]

Amy Farah Weiss

Amy Farah Weiss.jpg
I am running for Mayor of San Francisco as a democratic socialist with a focus on shaping a “fair share economy” that provides equitable access to stable housing, health care (including dental, mental health, and holistic wellness support), food, transportation, child care, education, and a way to support individual livelihood while serving the greater good. I am also a founding member of the San Francisco Progressive Alliance which was recently formed to help align the multiple economic, social, racial, and environmental justice organizations in San Francisco. I am a member of the SF Berniecrats (#2 Endorsement for Mayor), Harvey Milk Democratic Club, and Democratic Socialists of America.[33][31]
Show more

How would you describe the difference between moderates and progressives in San Francisco?

The term “moderate” in San Francisco refers to individuals who: 1) Are often seen as serving the interests of large for-profit corporations and developers at the expense of an equitable economy, 2) Are more comfortable with across-the-board regressive tax increases (such as an increase in the sales tax), and 3) Turn to increased policing as a way to deal with public safety issues. At the national level, the terminology of “corporate”, “neo-liberal”, or “establishment” democrats is akin to a “moderate” democratic in San Francisco.

The term “progressive” in San Francisco and at the national level refers to individuals who: 1) Aim to protect and serve the essential needs of all residents in balance with a healthy and sustainable economy and planet, 2) Actively support community involvement in neighborhood planning decisions, 3) Support progressive taxation measures that tax wealthy corporations and individuals at higher rates, and 4) Look to heal the root economic and social causes of public safety issues rather than merely increasing the SFPD budget.[33][31]

Are there specific policy positions that distinguish San Francisco moderates from progressives?

If you look back at the 2015 Board of Supervisors votes for Airbnb regulations you can clearly see the difference between San Francisco moderates and progressives in the resulting 6-5 voting split. The progressives Supervisors, led by David Campos, introduced common sense regulations to require short-term rental platforms to verify that their hosts were registered with the City. The moderates, led Board of Supervisor President London Breed and Mark Farrell, voted against Campos’ amendments which led to thousands of units illegally being kept off the rental market for years.

However, it is challenging to place most San Francisco politicians into one category or the other because Jane Kim and David Chiu both sponsored the Twitter Tax Break legislation along with then-Mayor Ed Lee against the concerns of progressive Supervisor John Avalos in 2011. Board President London Breed supported the unsuccessful “Pause for a Plan” Mission Moratorium legislation to temporarily halt luxury housing development.[33][31]

What else do San Francisco voters need to know about this year's elections?

For the June 2018 election, make sure that you know the specific actionable plans that your candidate will take to 1) End the encampment crisis with a humane and community-integrate strategy , 2) Activate vacant residential/storefront units, 3) Build affordable housing for our workforce and families at no more than 30% of their income, 4) Support economic justice and reparations for our African American residents, 5) Work towards a goal of 100% renewable energy, 6) Support mindful consumption and equitable access to cannabis, 7) Build our infrastructure for a public broadband and WiFi utility, 8) Prevent evictions and displacement while supporting both tenants and small property owners, 9) Support a transit first system, 10) Bank on our values by implementing a public bank and divesting from fossil fuels, 11) Support community-integrated mental health, and 12) Help arts and culture programming flourish in San Francisco.

Learn more about my platform and help me reach my public financing goal at weissformayor.com. Vote 1-2-3 for Equity on June 5th![33][31]

Ellen Lee Zhou

Ellen Lee Zhou.jpeg
I am myself with Mission, Vision and Action plans to re-redirect San Francisco to the RIGHT direction. Our SF score card said “SF is going in the WRONG direction”. I found this out when I was part of the “Government Accountability” report from the SF Civil Grand Jury 2016/2017. I was a Civil Grand Jury member for 2014/2015 and 2016/2017. I investigated government employees, government functions and government corruption. I am nonpartisan. I don’t want to fight between parties and get caught for things I don’t agree on from either Democratic or Republic parties. I am an individual who believe in people power. I have been a Community Organizer and Community Activist for people for more than 20 years. I am running for Mayor for a better San Francisco. We have seen enough of career politicians that have been creating many unfair and unlawful regulations to abuse our people’s livelihood. We, the people deserve to live a quality of life.[34][31]
Show more

How would you describe the difference between moderates and progressives in San Francisco?

I see no difference between moderates and progressives when they both continue to abuse their public positions, waste tax payers’ money, creating unfair and unjust regulations such as money small property owners being sued for lack of legal support. They are fighting to get into the Office and continue to fight to keep their political agenda to abuse residents’ quality of life. Now many property owners refused to rent out due to unfair housing policies which created partial of our housing crisis. Many of the tenant who have negative behavioral are supporting by our taxpayers’ money which is not only morally wrong but it is also unethical for those who worked hard and save to own a house. Shame on career politicians abuse their positons to get what they want, but not want people want. We, the people just want to live a fair and sound normal life with no homeless, no car break in, no property crimes, no families live in fear of being eviction, fear of property owners being sued. Etc.[34][31]

Are there specific policy positions that distinguish San Francisco moderates from progressives?

I am a Public Health Worker for Dept. of Public Health. My job is to protect and promote health for all residents and visitors. I see no difference between moderates and progressives when they both continue to abuse their public positions, waste tax payers’ money, creating unfair and unjust regulations such as allowing recreational cannabis stores next to pre-schools and day care centers, not only violated our future leaders’ rights, residents’ rights, parents’ right, but also violate federal laws. What kind of politicians are they? They are not protecting our children, youth nor residents. They are the ones created problems for us, the people who just want to live a quality of life.[34][31]

What else do San Francisco voters need to know about this year's elections?

Mayor Ed Lee died from a hard attack on 12/12/2018. This special election is to finish Ed Lee’s term from June 2018 to January 2020, about one year and six months. My name is Ellen Lee before I married my husband who is Zhou. Now my name is Ellen Lee Zhou. Ed Lee’s parents were from Taishan, China. I am from Taishan China. I am from the Lee family and I want the people who want to see a better San Francisco to give me Ellen Lee Zhou a chance to finish Ed Lee’s term. I am better than Ed Lee. I am for the people of San Francisco. I have been working with many of the public workers in many different functions. I am a Resident in San Francisco for more than 31 years. I am married with two college children. I am a Family Social Worker for more than 20 years. I am a Sunday School Teacher for more than 23 years. I am a Public Servant for more than 13 years. I serve our public wholeheartedly. I am a Behavioral Health Clinician, aka, Psychiatric Social Worker for Public Health Department for more than 11 years. I am a SEIU1021 Union Representative for Public Employees for more than 12 years. I was a Civil Grand Juror in 2014/2015 and 2016/2017. I investigated government workers, public functions and government corruption. I was appointed by Former D9 Board of Supervisor David Campos to serve as a Pedestrian Safety Advisor Committee. (2016/2017). I am a Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT) member for more than 3 years, trained for Fire Dept. I am a graduate from the Community Police Academy 2006, trained by the Police Dept. (Working with Police to prevent crime). I am a Community Activist for more than 25 years that I train and empower people to stand up for their rights. I am a Volunteer in the community that I outreach to people and provide services to people age from zero to 99 years old. I am the one and only can reform a better government to bring back our quality of life. I am for the people and for you. Vote for Ellen Lee Zhou on 06/05/2018.

Do you want to see a better San Francisco? Are you tired of the current issues that are impacting the wellness of our city? Have you realized how ridiculous we have been?[34][31]

Candidate forums

March 8 forum

All six candidates for San Francisco mayor attended a candidate forum at the LGBTQ Community Center on March 8, 2018. The candidates answered questions about topics including mental health, shelters, sanctuary cities, and undocumented immigrants. Below are highlights from five of the candidates' responses. (Note: The source did not include a quote from Angelia Alioto about any of the issues spoken about by the other candidates.)[35]

The city is in a very challenging time. Our crisis of homelessness, and housing affordability and availability are really out of control. And people want to know, what are you going to do about it.[31]
—Mark Leno (2018)[35]
We need to invest in our infrastructure like our public schools, public housing, community college, early childhood education, to help regrow our middle class and support our working communities to stay here in san [sic] Francisco.[31]
—Jane Kim (2018)[35]
We’re in a chronic situation with the transient issue. And so many people are suffering. I’d like to see things get better faster.[31]
—Michelle Bravo (2018)[35]
People don’t want the same platitudes about change. Because we’ve had the same issues facing San Francisco for years. And so we wanna know what you’re gonna do. And I’ve outlined that on my website, Weissformayor.com.[31]
—Amy Weiss (2018)[35]
San Francisco needs someone who is bold, who is fearless, who is prepared to take on many of the challenges that we know exist in our city. And I’m prepared to do just that.[31]
—London Breed (2018)[35]

Campaign themes and tactics

Campaign advertisements

London Breed

Support
"SF Women for London Breed" - It's Our Time campaign ad, released February 5, 2018

Issues

Leno takes legal action to remove "acting mayor" title from Breed's ballot designation

Mayoral candidate Mark Leno filed a writ in the San Francisco Superior Court on February 27, 2018, aiming to require fellow candidate London Breed to remove the title of "acting mayor" from her ballot designation for the June 5, 2018, special election. Breed became the acting mayor immediately upon the passing of former Mayor Ed Lee since she was the board president. She was later removed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.[36]

“Because Breed is not the Acting Mayor of San Francisco, and does not perform any mayoral duties, her chosen ballot designation is not factually accurate and it misleads the voters, in violation of the California Elections Code,” the petition read.[37]

Breed's spokeswoman, Tara Moriarty, issued a response to the legal action. "To be clear — this is not Board President Breed’s call...President Breed was Acting Mayor when papers were filed; she has no problem being listed as President of the Board of Supervisors. But the law is clear: Per Elections Code section 13017(g) a candidate is not permitted to change his or her ballot designation after the deadline for filing nomination papers. It’s up to the Department of Elections to defend its decision on the ballot designation."[36]

Breed out as acting mayor, replaced by another supervisor

On January 23, 2018, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to remove London Breed as acting mayor and replace her with District 2 Supervisor Mark Farrell. He was approved by a 6-3 vote after hours of public comment during the board's meeting.[2] Breed originally became the acting mayor immediately upon the passing of former Mayor Ed Lee, per the city charter. Under the charter, the board also had the power to appoint an interim mayor to serve until the June 2018 special election.[38]

Supervisor Norman Yee nominated Farrell for the appointment, saying he wanted an interim mayor who wasn't also running in the election for the seat and emphasizing the need to preserve the separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches. He also said the city would be facing the adoption of a two-year budget in the months leading up to the special election and that Farrell was highly qualified to handle it, having been the chair of the budget committee for four years.[38]

According to the San Francisco Examiner, members of the black community attended the meeting to support Breed, a black woman, and forced it into a temporary recess at one point.[38] Fred Jordan, president of the African American Chamber of Commerce, told the San Francisco Examiner the decision was disrespectful to the black community. “They don’t care. I’m totally astonished,” he said.[38]

In accepting the appointment, Farrell vacated his District 2 position on the board of supervisors. As interim mayor, he had the power to appoint a replacement to fill the vacancy.[38]

Suit against Leno by fellow candidate denied

San Francisco mayoral candidate Angela Alioto sued Mark Leno on January 11, 2018, seeking to stop him from accessing up to $950,000 in public funding for his campaign. The following week, a San Francisco judge ruled that Leno should not be prevented from accessing the funds. Candidates in San Francisco are allowed to apply for up to $950,000 in public financing to help offset the cost of their campaigning, provided they meet thresholds of donations from individual city residents beforehand. Since Leno had begun his mayoral campaign in May 2017, planning to run in the 2019 race, he entered the 2018 special election with a significant advantage in fundraising, Alioto said. She argued that since Leno's original bid for mayor in 2019 was technically a different campaign, he should be prevented from using the funds raised for that campaign in the 2018 race.[39][40]

Judge Richard Ulmer disagreed, pointing out that the law does exclude contributions made to a candidate seeking the same office in a different year, but only if they were remaining funds carried forward to a new campaign after an election is held. “Leno’s contributions are not ‘carried forward’ (if anything, they are carried backward — from the November 2019 election to the June 2018 election),” the judge wrote.[40]

Leno campaign representative Dan Newman said the suit was “a frivolous attempt to shut down thousands of Leno supporters and to stop his momentum.”[40]

Joe Alioto-Veronese, Angela Alioto’s son, remarked that Alioto's full arguments were not heard because the judge dismissed the case based on a technicality. “The merits of our argument in some respects weren’t considered based on a technicality,” he said.[40]

S.F. police union considered making no endorsement in race, eventually backed Alioto

SF police union.jpg

The San Francisco Police Officers Association almost didn't make an endorsement in the 2018 mayoral special election because none of the top candidates matched the union's priorities.[41]

“We may make an endorsement, we may not,” said Gary Delagnes, the union's former president, who was working as a consultant for the union leading up to the election. Delagnes said he couldn’t remember a time in the city's recent history when the association hadn't backed a mayoral candidate.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the police union had reasons to distrust former acting mayor London Breed, Supervisor Jane Kim, and former supervisor Mark Leno.

  • Acting Mayor London Breed, the race’s nominal moderate, jilted her allies on the police force when she voted for a day of tribute to Mario Woods, a stabbing suspect who was slain by police in the Bayview in 2015.
  • Mark Leno, a former supervisor, state assemblyman and state senator, introduced an unsuccessful bill in Sacramento to open police personnel files when officers were accused of misconduct.
  • Supervisor Jane Kim, a progressive, referred to police shootings as “government-funded murders” in a 2016 debate during her campaign for state Senate.[31]
San Francisco Chronicle (2018)[41]


Earning the backing of law enforcement has been a key part of winning citywide elections, said Democratic strategist Nathan Ballard, who is a spokesman for the Police Officers Association but emphasized that he was not speaking on behalf of the union. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the police union was one of three labor unions that usually secured victories for moderate candidates, with the other two being the San Francisco Firefighters union and the Building Construction Trades Council. As of February 21, 2018, one of the three had endorsed a mayoral candidate; the firefighters' union endorsed London Breed on February 18, 2018.[41][26]

The police union ended up backing Angela Alioto in the race on April 4.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many

Municipal partisanship

Once mayors elected in 2018 assumed office, Democrats held mayorships in 61 of the 100 largest cities in the country. Out of the twenty-five mayoral elections that were held in 2018 in the 100 largest cities, two party changes occurred. In the election in Lexington, Kentucky, Republican Linda Gorton won the seat, replacing former Democratic Mayor Jim Gray. In Virginia Beach, Virginia, Republican Bob Dyer won the seat, replacing former independent Mayor Louis Jones. Click here to learn more.

About the city

See also: San Francisco, California

San Francisco is a city in California. It is consolidated with the County of San Francisco, which means that the city and county share a government and their boundaries are coterminous. As of 2010, its population was 805,235.

City government

See also: Mayor-council government

The city of San Francisco uses a strong mayor and city council system. In this form of municipal government, the city council serves as the city's primary legislative body and the mayor serves as the city's chief executive.[42]

Demographics

The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.

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Demographic Data for San Francisco, California
San Francisco California
Population 805,235 37,253,956
Land area (sq mi) 46 155,857
Race and ethnicity**
White 46.4% 59.7%
Black/African American 5.2% 5.8%
Asian 34.4% 14.5%
Native American 0.4% 0.8%
Pacific Islander 0.4% 0.4%
Two or more 5.6% 4.9%
Hispanic/Latino 15.2% 39%
Education
High school graduation rate 88.5% 83.3%
College graduation rate 58.1% 33.9%
Income
Median household income $112,449 $75,235
Persons below poverty level 10.3% 13.4%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2010). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2014-2019).
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.


State overview

Partisan control

This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in California heading into the 2018 elections.

Congressional delegation

State executives

  • As of May 2018, Democrats held seven of 10 state executive positions and the remaining three positions were officially nonpartisan.
  • The governor of California was Democrat Jerry Brown.

State legislature

  • Democrats controlled both chambers of the California State Legislature. They had a 55-25 majority in the state Assembly and a 27-13 majority in the state Senate.

Trifecta status

  • California was a state government trifecta, meaning that Democrats held the governorship and majorities in the state house and state senate.

2018 elections

See also: California elections, 2018

California held elections for the following positions in 2018:

Demographics

Demographic data for California
 CaliforniaU.S.
Total population:38,993,940316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):155,7793,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:61.8%73.6%
Black/African American:5.9%12.6%
Asian:13.7%5.1%
Native American:0.7%0.8%
Pacific Islander:0.4%0.2%
Two or more:4.5%3%
Hispanic/Latino:38.4%17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:81.8%86.7%
College graduation rate:31.4%29.8%
Income
Median household income:$61,818$53,889
Persons below poverty level:18.2%11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in California.
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

As of July 2016, California had a population of approximately 39,000,000 people, with its three largest cities being Los Angeles (pop. est. 4.0 million), San Diego (pop. est. 1.4 million), and San Jose (pop. est. 1 million).[43][44]

State election history

This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in California from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the California Secretary of State.

Historical elections

Presidential elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of the presidential election in California every year from 2000 to 2016.

Election results (President of the United States), California 2000-2016
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2016 Democratic Party Hillary Clinton 61.7% Republican Party Donald Trump 31.6% 30.1%
2012 Democratic Party Barack Obama 60.2% Republican Party Mitt Romney 37.1% 23.1%
2008 Democratic Party Barack Obama 61.1% Republican Party John McCain 37% 24.1%
2004 Democratic Party John Kerry 54.4% Republican Party George W. Bush 44.4% 10%
2000 Democratic Party Al Gore 53.5% Republican Party George W. Bush 41.7% 11.8%

U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in California from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.

Election results (U.S. Senator), California 2000-2016
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2016 Democratic Party Kamala Harris 61.6% Democratic Party Loretta Sanchez 38.4% 23.2%
2012 Democratic Party Dianne Feinstein 62.5% Republican Party Elizabeth Emken 37.5% 25%
2010 Democratic Party Barbara Boxer 52.2% Republican Party Carly Fiorina 42.2% 10%
2006 Democratic Party Dianne Feinstein 59.5% Republican Party Richard Mountjoy 35.1% 24.4%
2004 Democratic Party Barbara Boxer 57.8% Republican Party Bill Jones 37.8% 20%
2000 Democratic Party Dianne Feinstein 55.9% Republican Party Tom Campbell 36.6% 19.3%

Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in California.

Election results (Governor), California 2000-2016
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2014 Democratic Party Jerry Brown 60% Republican Party Neel Kashkari 40% 20%
2010 Democratic Party Jerry Brown 53.8% Republican Party Meg Whitman 40.9% 12.9%
2006 Republican Party Arnold Schwarzenegger 55.9% Democratic Party Phil Angelides 39.0% 16.9%
2002 Democratic Party Gray Davis 47.3% Republican Party Bill Simon 42.4% 4.9%

Congressional delegation, 2000-2016

This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent California in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.

Congressional delegation, California 2000-2016
Year Democrats Democrats (%) Republicans Republicans (%) Balance of power
2016 Democratic Party 39 73.5% Republican Party 14 26.4% D+25
2014 Democratic Party 39 73.5% Republican Party 14 26.4% D+25
2012 Democratic Party 38 71.7% Republican Party 15 28.3% D+23
2010 Democratic Party 34 64.1% Republican Party 19 35.8% D+15
2008 Democratic Party 34 64.1% Republican Party 19 35.8% D+15
2006 Democratic Party 34 64.1% Republican Party 19 35.8% D+15
2004 Democratic Party 33 62.3% Republican Party 20 37.7% D+13
2002 Democratic Party 33 62.3% Republican Party 20 37.7% D+13
2000 Democratic Party 32 61.5% Republican Party 20 38.5% D+12

Trifectas, 1992-2017

A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.

California Party Control: 1992-2024
Nineteen years of Democratic trifectas  •  No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Governor R R R R R R R D D D D D R R R R R R R D D D D D D D D D D D D D D
Senate D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D
Assembly D D D S R D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D


Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

There are no Pivot Counties in California. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) won California with 61.7 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 31.6 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, California voted Republican 53.33 percent of the time and Democratic 43.33 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, California voted Democratic all five times. In 2016, California had 55 electoral votes, which was the most of any state. The 55 electoral votes were 10.2 percent of all 538 available electoral votes and were 20.4 percent of the 270 electoral votes needed to win the election.

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state Assembly districts in California. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[45][46]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 58 out of 80 state Assembly districts in California with an average margin of victory of 38.4 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 66 out of 80 state Assembly districts in California with an average margin of victory of 40.3 points. Clinton won 11 districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 22 out of 80 state Assembly districts in California with an average margin of victory of 12.2 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 14 out of 80 state Assembly districts in California with an average margin of victory of 13 points.

See also

San Francisco, California California Municipal government Other local coverage
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External links

Footnotes

  1. SF Gate, "San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee dead at 65," December 12, 2017
  2. 2.0 2.1 Los Angeles Times, "Supervisor Mark Farrell named interim San Francisco mayor," January 24, 2018
  3. London Breed 2018 campaign website, "Platforms," accessed May 27, 2018
  4. Jane Kim 2018 campaign website, "Issues," accessed May 27, 2018
  5. Mark Leno 2018 campaign website, "Issues," accessed May 27, 2018
  6. San Francisco Department of Elections, "June 5, 2018 Election Results - Summary," accessed June 13, 2018
  7. 7.0 7.1 Re-Elect Our Supervisor London Breed, "About London," accessed November 1, 2016
  8. London Breed 2018 campaign website, "About," accessed January 22, 2018
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 San Francisco Ethics Commission, "Browse Candidates & Measures by Election," accessed January 22, 2018
  10. 10.0 10.1 San Francisco Board of Supervisors, "District 6," accessed December 1, 2014
  11. Jane Kim 2018 campaign website, "Issues," accessed January 22, 2018
  12. 12.0 12.1 Mark Leno 2018 campaign website, "Home," accessed January 22, 2018
  13. San Francisco Ethics Commission, "Welcome to the City and County of San Francisco Public Portal for Campaign Finance, Lobbyist and Campaign Consultant Disclosure," accessed May 27, 2018
  14. San Francisco Chronicle, "In SF mayor’s race, Breed gets Wiener’s endorsement, but Leno has it too," April 2, 2018
  15. San Francisco Examiner, "California Assemblymember David Chiu endorses London Breed for mayor," March 10, 2018
  16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 San Francisco Chronicle, "Jane Kim keeps head down, piles up progressive endorsements," February 11, 2018
  17. 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 San Francisco Chronicle, "Concerns raised over Breed serving as both SF mayor, supervisor," December 14, 2017
  18. 18.0 18.1 Jane Kim for Mayor, "Endorsements," accessed May 31, 2018
  19. Our Revolution, "Our Revolution Endorses Jane Kim for Mayor of San Francisco," March 16, 2018
  20. San Francisco Democratic Party Central Committee, "Official Tally Sheet," accessed May 27, 2018
  21. The United Democratic Club, "June 2018 Endorsements," accessed May 27, 2018
  22. Harvey Milk LGBTQ Club, "Endorsements for June 5, 2018," March 23, 2018
  23. Alice B. Toklas, "June 5, 2018 Endorsements," April 2, 2018
  24. San Francisco Chronicle, "Leno gets backing of SF Democratic Party in SF mayor’s race — Kim No. 2," March 29, 2018
  25. 25.0 25.1 The Bay Area Reporter, "Political Notebook: Leno secures LGBT backing in SF mayor's race," March 8, 2018
  26. 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 26.4 SF Weekly, "Breed Wins Firefighter Union’s Support For Mayoral Run," February 19, 2018
  27. Jane Kim for Mayor, "Community Tenants Association Endorses Jane Kim for Mayor," accessed May 31, 2018
  28. San Francisco Tenants Union, "ENDORSEMENTS FOR JUNE 2018 ELECTIONS," accessed May 31, 2018
  29. The San Francisco Chronicle, "Chronicle recommends: London Breed for San Francisco mayor," April 12, 2018
  30. 30.0 30.1 30.2 30.3 30.4 Karen Shanton, "Email exchange with Michelle Bravo," February 16, 2018
  31. 31.00 31.01 31.02 31.03 31.04 31.05 31.06 31.07 31.08 31.09 31.10 31.11 31.12 31.13 31.14 31.15 31.16 31.17 31.18 31.19 31.20 31.21 31.22 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  32. 32.0 32.1 32.2 32.3 Karen Shanton, "Email exchange with Richie Greenberg," February 16, 2018
  33. 33.0 33.1 33.2 33.3 Karen Shanton, "Email exchange with Amy Farah Weiss," February 16, 2018
  34. 34.0 34.1 34.2 34.3 Karen Shanton, "Email exchange with Ellen Lee Zhou," February 16, 2018
  35. 35.0 35.1 35.2 35.3 35.4 35.5 Fox KTVU, "SF holds another mayoral forum with 3 months until election," March 8, 2018
  36. 36.0 36.1 Mission Local, "Mark Leno takes legal action to force London Breed to remove ‘acting mayor’ designation from ballot," February 27, 2018
  37. Scribd, "Verified Petition for Writ of Mandate (00243659xB613E)," February 27, 2018
  38. 38.0 38.1 38.2 38.3 38.4 San Francisco Examiner, "SF supervisors select Mark Farrell as interim mayor to replace London Breed," January 23, 2018
  39. San Francisco Chronicle, "Alioto sues to limit Leno’s money in SF mayor’s race — Leno fires back," January 12, 2018
  40. 40.0 40.1 40.2 40.3 San Francisco Chronicle, "Judge says no to Alioto’s attempt to restrict Leno’s funding in SF mayor race," January 19, 2018
  41. 41.0 41.1 41.2 San Francisco Chronicle, "S.F. police union at odds with top mayoral candidates may skip endorsement," January 22, 2018
  42. City of San Francisco, "Government," accessed September 3, 2014
  43. California Demographics, "California Cities by Population," accessed April 2, 2018
  44. U.S. Census Bureau, "Quickfacts California," accessed April 2, 2018
  45. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  46. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017