Department of Elections

Parking, transit advocates reach compromise; both support diluted parking measure for Feb. 2008 ballot

SF Mayor Race: Daly Out, Chicken and Wolf In

SF Mayor Wannabees: Goat Slaughterers, Big Booty Butts and 'Fems' into 'Brain'

San Francisco Taxi Rates To Rise Pending Health Care Plan: SFGovernmentInAction

Grasshopper Kaplan Runs Again! Does Democracy suffer?

SF Gov InAction: Supes To Be Renamed 'The Super Friends' And Only Use Powers For Good. PLUS: Is Gavin Newsom a Cylon?

Monday, March 30, 1 p.m. - Land Use & Economic Development Committee I'm thinking of holding a garage sale. My worldly possessions -- not to brag -- include a bag of kumquats, a DVD of Waking Life, a book of commonly used Scottish phrases, and a bottle of something that this guy on the corner ... More >>

Supervisor Aaron Peskin threatened with yet another recall campaign

Monday, March 30, 1 p.m. - Land Use & Economic Development Committee I'm thinking of holding a garage sale. My worldly possessions -- not to brag -- include a bag of kumquats, a DVD of Waking Life, a book of commonly used Scottish phrases, and a bottle of something that this guy on the corner ... More >>

The Bayview Battler

More than ready to take on politicians and redevelopers, Willie Ratcliff is in the most important fight of his life.

Derailing the Jaye Train

Why Matt Gonzalez should stick with his progressive roots, and ignore pressure to act "responsibly"

Dog Bites

Finally Returning to Normal? Not So Fast; Democracy in Action; In This Time of Terrible Tragedy, a Nation Mourns for Your Paint Job

Dog Bites

The Evil Among Us

Dog Bites

You know, there's an election -- hey! -- we said there's a local election coming up

The Revolution is Canceled

How the grand plan for district elections could backfire

Rage Against the Machine

Tom Ammiano's mayoral bid: inside the campaign that has become a cause

South to the Future

Rubber-stamp Voting Complicates Mayoral Ballot Count in San Francisco

Cothran

Rubber-stamp Voting Complicates Mayoral Ballot Count in San Francisco

Out of Sight, Out of Minds

Local Republicans band together for safety

The Black Hole of San Francisco

This jail is a filthy, unhealthy, decrepit, barbaric nightmare. This jail will probably collapse and kill hundreds if there is a significant earthquake. The city of San Francisco keeps using this unconstitutional hellhole because people who call themselve

Where Does S.F. Department of Elections Get Those Wonderful Pictures For Voter Pamphlets? Would You Believe -- Flickr?

​Thousands upon thousands of San Franciscans were greeted by Voter Information Pamphlets in their mail boxes this week. And yet -- as always -- the dread of a pending election featuring confusing ballot measures, the oft-bizarre arguments expended for and against them, and a handful of unopposed c ... More >>

Oh Yes, There's an Election Today. A Guide For the Last-Minute Voter.

Hey, lazy! It ain't too late to turn in that absentee ballot! ​Here at SF Weekly, we make a point of not telling you how to vote. Well, I'm going to break that taboo today. But not really. I'm not telling you who or what to vote for. I'm going to, literally, tell you how to vote. When we spoke wit ... More >>

And the Most Partisan District in California Is ... Compton? San Francisco Doesn't Even Crack Top-10.

We may not be his best friend after all​San Francisco may be the national Democratic Party's ATM. But, counter-intuitively, it does not flaunt the most lopsided percentage of registered Democratic voters in the state. Or the second-highest. Or third. Or tenth. According to the city's Department of ... More >>

Paltry Turnout to Register to Vote on Last Eligible Day

Not so much interest in democratic activism in San Francisco today, no...​Today's push by the Department of Elections to urge San Franciscans to register or re-register to vote today, the last eligible day prior to next month's election, has not resulted in a stampede by citizens inspired to parti ... More >>

Michela Alioto-Pier Will Take City to Court, if Necessary, to Run for Supe Again

Michela Alioto-Pier is running until the judge says she can't​Yesterday, we reported on how Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier took out papers with the Department of Elections to run again, even though a 2008 opinion from City Attorney Dennis Herrera claimed she was ineligible to do so. John Arntz, th ... More >>

There Was an Election Last Night. As if You Gave a ****

At least Coakley's people hit the streets. And that dude​ San Francisco, there was an election last night. And you went to the polls. Or at least some of you did. You also went to happy hour, the laundromat, or maybe the refrigerator. Wherever you went, whatever you did, three out of four of you f ... More >>

Couple Gave $245K To Jeff Adachi Pension Measure. Will They Give More To See It Pass?

​When Jeff Adachi triumphantly wheeled 75,000 signatures and change into the Department of Elections yesterday, he shocked a lot of veteran City Hall observers. Sure, they were surprised at the sheer number of John Hancocks he amassed for his pension reform measure. But what really caught everyone ... More >>

Michela Alioto-Pier's $50,000 Legal Bill May Be Paid By City

Luke Thomas, Fog City Journal Michela Alioto-Pier: This won't be cheap, Mr. Herrera...​After beating the city in court yesterday to win the right to run again as District 2 supervisor, Michela Alioto-Pier treated her staff and supporters to a nice lunch. The city isn't on the hook&nbs ... More >>

Unions Sue Jeff Adachi, City to Keep Pension Reform Off Ballot

The union-led brawl over pension reform has, inevitably, found its way to a courtroom​Members of five city unions took the next step in labor's all-out battle against Public Defender Jeff Adachi's pension reform measure, suing Adachi and the city's election director in an effort to keep Propositio ... More >>

Key Portion of 'SF Smart Reform' Prop. B Struck Down by Judge

With today's cut, Prop. B just become shorter and easier to read. Will it become easier to evade, too?​A judge today struck down a portion of Proposition B -- "SF Smart Reform" -- that the measure's author, public defender Jeff Adachi, had claimed was critical for actually ensuring the legislation ... More >>

Could San Francisco Have Two Mayoral Elections in 2011?

Are two elections really better than one? ​With political junkies gearing up for next year's mayoral election, city movers and shakers have been talking about a scenario that'd give the aforementioned fiends an overdose. Imagine if you will, that Gavin Newsom wins the Lieutenant Governor's seat. T ... More >>

Absentee Ballots Swamp City Hall

Steve GarfieldPlenty more where that came from...​The concept of last-minute get-out-the-vote efforts loses its meaning when a hefty chunk of voters cast their ballots well prior to election day. That's a national trend -- and the hard numbers show San Francisco is no different. As of its last tal ... More >>

World Series: Are San Franciscans Too Drunk to Vote?

Now recite the alphabet backwards, and ... GO GIANTS! ​I'll admit it: Attendance in our office is pretty light. Things got a bit hot 'n' heavy last night. City economist Ted Egan may later be forced to calculate the cost to our fair city when workers opt to celebrate World Series wins by drinking ... More >>

Supes Races Too Close to Call

Four supes-to-be will be 'crowned' on Friday, leading to a memorable weekend. Their identities are not so clear. ​It's going to be a hell of a weekend for a quartet of San Franciscans. While the vast majority of San Francisco votes have been counted, late absentees and others will keep the city fr ... More >>

Karl Bradfield Nicholas, Allegedly Thieving Poll Worker, Baffles Colleagues

Return that ballot, man!​Staff at the city's Department of Elections are still mystified as to why poll worker Karl Bradfield Nicholas would allegedly run off with 75 ballots and some otherwise useless electronic election material. Nicholas, who was arrested at his Ingleside home early Wednesday m ... More >>

Ranked-Choice Voting Totals For San Francisco -- Are These Our Next Supervisors?

She's ranked Nos. 1, 2, and 3 in our voting​San Francisco's Department of Elections moments ago released its most up-to-date voting data yet -- and Mark Farrell, Jane Kim, Scott Wiener, and Malia Cohen are all smiling. Smiling nervously, but smiling.  Today is the first tally using ranked-cho ... More >>

Elections Overtime: The Races That Haven't Finished

...And we're counting​Funny thing about Instant-Runoff Voting: The results often aren't so instant. A number of elections around the state are still undetermined. What does the future hold? Gnashing of teeth, threats of litigation, and, of course, counting, counting, and recounting. In an Instant- ... More >>

Today's Voting Updates Mean 'Nothing,' San Francisco Elections Chief Says

​San Francisco election junkies are already well aware that today the city will again run Ranked-Choice Voting and give a clearer tabulation of who may be our next supervisors. But Department of Elections Head John Arntz isn't putting a whole lot of value in what he and his round-the-clock vote-co ... More >>

Leland Yee To Announce Mayoral Run

Jim HerdLeland Yee, seen here with a werewolf campaigning against Prop. B, aspires to Room 200​Folks at political consultant Jim Stearns' office are playing coy, but let's be realistic: Sen. Leland Yee isn't "making an announcement" at the Department of Elections today to lecture the media on the ... More >>

Leland Yee's Mayoral Announcement Covered By Media Dogpile

Jim HerdLeland! Leland! Over here! Over here!​Proving once again that you can get media coverage if you tell them where to show up and when, Sen. Leland Yee was this morning documented signing a few papers at the Department of Elections by an absolute scrum of reporters. No disrespect to Yee -- he ... More >>

Double Drain: Program Pays Cops Pensions While Still on the Force

Jim HerdLeland! Leland! Over here! Over here!​Proving once again that you can get media coverage if you tell them where to show up and when, Sen. Leland Yee was this morning documented signing a few papers at the Department of Elections by an absolute scrum of reporters. No disrespect to Yee -- he ... More >>

John Avalos: "I'm Running for Mayor"

Not Chris Daly​Supervisor John Avalos said today he is definitely running for San Francisco mayor.Avalos, the true-blue progressive who represents the Mission and Excelsior neighborhoods, says he and his wife will go to the Department of Elections at 4 p.m. to sign the paperwork, officially declar ... More >>

Circumcision Ban: Proponents Say They Have "Excess" Signatures

Making the cut ... for the November ballot​According to Lloyd Schofield, the anti-circumcision crusader, his efforts to ward off foreskin mutilation are paying off -- he just might succeed in getting a circumcision ban before voters in November. Schofield needs 7,168 valid signatures by 5 p.m. tod ... More >>

Will Somebody Please "Like" the Department of Elections?

Elections officials want to give you a reason to "like" ranked-choice voting​Are you following San Francisco's Department of Elections on Twitter? Yeah, we didn't think so. Granted, the department's foray into social networking just began two days ago, but you would think it could scrounge up more ... More >>

Jeff Adachi Is Running for Mayor

Joe EskenaziThe pension candidate? ​In a last-minute maneuver, public defender and pension crusader Jeff Adachi has filled out the paperwork to run for mayor. Adachi -- both a lawyer and a politician -- has, since 2010, answered our queries of whether he'd run for mayor in the following way: "I ha ... More >>

Pension Critic Tony Hall Is a Pensioner

Tony Hall says he'll make a living no matter what...​If Jeff Adachi is this city's pension crusader, Tony Hall must be pension pope. The former supervisor and professional singer (who has an colorful past, no doubt) told SF Weekly that Adachi's pension solution "isn't worth a darn." It simply does ... More >>

The Billion-Dollar Bet: Which Pension Reform Measure Will Pass and Survive Legal Challenge

Tony Hall says he'll make a living no matter what...​If Jeff Adachi is this city's pension crusader, Tony Hall must be pension pope. The former supervisor and professional singer (who has an colorful past, no doubt) told SF Weekly that Adachi's pension solution "isn't worth a darn." It simply does ... More >>

Harold Miller Still Wants Your Vote!

Harold Miller, left, and several key supporters​Loyal readers of this page -- and, perhaps, no one else -- are familiar with eccentric mayoral candidate Harold Miller. His position statements include impressing Jerry Rice into coaching an expansion football team at Candlestick Park; setting up an ... More >>

MC Hammer, Brian Wilson, Other Non-San Francisco Voters Shill for Ed Lee

By now you may already be recovering from watching the Ed Lee music video featuring MC Hammer, Brian Wilson, Ashkon, Willie Brown and others. The video was funded in large part by Hammer's good pal and right-wing piñata du jour Ron Conway, as well as Sean Parker (who you may recall having paranoid ... More >>

Polls Uncrowded on Light Election Day Showing

Maybe this is why people aren't showing up in droves to vote today...​In a move that may well have pleased T.S. Eliot, San Francisco's electoral season appears to be ending not with a bang but a whimper. Turnout at the polls thus far has been sluggish, according to the city's Department of Electio ... More >>