By Christin Evans, HANC Board
The next meeting of the Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council will be held on Thursday, October 13 from 7-9pm via Zoom. We are hosting guests who will share the details of four important measures on the November 2022 ballot: Propositions C (Homeless Oversight Commission), H (City Elections in Even-Numbered Years), L (Sales Tax for Transportation Projects) and O (Additional Parcel Tax for City College).
Proposition C, placed on the ballot by a majority of the Board of Supervisors and opposed by the Mayor, is a Charter amendment to create a new Commission to oversee the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH). The measure does not remove the current bodies with partial jurisdiction, including the Our City Our Home Oversight Committee (OCOH) and the Local Homeless Coordinating Board (LHCB), but adds a comprehensive 7-member commission to review the policies and programs of HSH which was created in 2016 and now has a budget over $600 million annually. With 4 appointees by the Mayor and 3 by the Board of Supervisors, the Commission is unlikely to have a significant impact on a department the mayor controls but it would create a regular forum for the department to give regular updates. The measure also requires the City controller to conduct audits of homelessness services.
Proposition H, also placed on the ballot by a majority of the Supervisors and opposed by the Mayor, proposes to move city elections for the Mayor, District Attorney, Treasurer, Sheriff and City Attorney to even years. Supervisor Preston championed this one at the Board, making a Katie Porter-style white board presentation showing that if city elections were moved to even years when federal and state offices hold their elections, the number of people likely to vote would double. That means a more democratic election with more voters weighing in on who holds city offices.
Proposition L renews an expiring one-half cent sales tax for local public transportation projects. With the failure of a $400 million MUNI bond measure in June, the full court press is on with the Supervisors and Mayor working together to pass this sales tax renewal. The sales tax has historically contributed to a variety of city transportation projects including street improvements and capital expenditures for Muni, BART and Caltrain.
Proposition O is a voter-led initiative which gathered signatures to be added to the ballot this year. The measure proposes to increase the residential parcel tax from $99 to $150 (and up to $4000 on commercial parcels) to raise an estimated $37 million annually for City College. Additionally the measure states that the parcel tax would increase over time as it would be adjusted for inflation each year. Revenues would be deposited into the San Francisco Workforce Education and Reinvestment in Community Success Fund, a new fund established by the measure which must be spent on wraparound services to support students, basic-skills needs of City residents, workforce development programs, and equity and social justice programs.
Join us Thursday, October 13 at 7pm to learn more!