Referenda

Nate Silver's Forecast Is Very Optimistic About Same-Sex Marriage

Nate Silver is less than a god but more than a man. After November's presidential election, the bossman at the New York Times' FiveThirtyEight blog became best known for correctly predicting the electoral outcomes of all 50 states. His forecast models became legendary. Of course, he had previousl ... More >>

Gay Marriage Advocates Ask Justice Antonin Scalia to Recuse Himself From Prop. 8 Deliberations

Earlier today, Justice Antonin Scalia made himself (in)famous among gays when he bluntly asked: "When did it became unconstitutional to exclude homosexual couples from marriage?" After a few back-and-forths with Ted Olson, the attorney representing the plaintiff's in the Proposition 8 case heard by ... More >>

"No": Out-Advertising a Dictatorship

A More Perfect Union: Prop. 8 May Lead to Gay-Marriage Rights

Berkeley School Board Learns That Superintendent Candidate Backed Prop. 8

It seems like Berkeley school officials didn't do their homework. The Berkeley Unified School District seemed ready to hire Edmond Heatley as the district's new superintendent of schools. And why wouldn't they? He has a rather impressive résumé  including a stint as the head of Chino Val ... More >>

Wait Until 2014: Marijuana Legalization All But Dead in California

​Union Pulls Plug on Medical Reform, Other Ballot Measures Starved For Cash; Legislature, Ammiano Last Hope for Reform NowNobody likes to celebrate with a loss, but for the medical marijuana movement, 2010 and the historic defeat of semi-legalization measure Proposition 19 already look like the go ... More >>

S.F. Voters Try to Protect Coit Tower with Ballot Initiative

​Some San Francisco citizens who are worried that the city's iconic Coit Tower is not getting the TLC it needs are hoping to force the city to shower the landmark with a little more money. And what better way to make sure that happens than through another ballot measure? The Protect Coit Tower Com ... More >>

The Daily Show: John Burton, Democratic Party Chair, Explains How F**ked Up California Is

-- John Burton​It's always a great day to be a reporter when politicians are dropping F-bombs, especially when they are dropping them in reference to California's depressing finances. Of course, it makes even better fodder for The Daily Show, which did a hilarious segment last night explaining jus ... More >>

Law Enforcement to Round Up Homeless Sex Offenders Tonight

Homeless Sex Offenders: smart on crime? ​California Attorney General Kamala Harris announced trick-or-treaters will be safer since cops will keep homeless sex offender parolees indoors tonight in San Francisco. That announcement comes even while Harris' office is defending Jessica's Law -- the bal ... 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 >>

LGBT History Bill is Anti-Family, Says Group Seeking Referendum

Stop SB48 wants Harvey Milk out of the classroom​The ink has barely dried on the FAIR Education Act and already antigay groups have begun to collect signatures for a ballot referendum to overturn the nation's first law requiring public schools to include LGBT history in the curriculum. Stop ... More >>

Circumcision Ban Tentatively Snipped from S.F. Ballot

Snipped from the ballot?​The growing effort to remove San Francisco's circumcision ban from the November ballot San Francisco Superior Court Judge Loretta M. Giorgi issued a tentative ruling this afternoon, saying that because the measure attempts to regulate a medical procedure, the purpose of th ... More >>

Ouch! Circumcision Ban Makes the Cut for November Ballot

Get off my dick!​At first glance, the notion of banning male circumcision in San Francisco seemed so unfathomable when it was proposed last year that even Mayor Gavin Newsom, tripped up by the notion, blurted out to reporters: "Not even Chris Daly would propose this."But that once far-fetched, onl ... More >>

Latest Jeff Adachi Pension Measure Won't Be Called 'Pension Measure'

Will The Holy One have a say in pension reform?​Public Defender Jeff Adachi is on his way to a modern record. He has now submitted six potential ballot measures regarding pension reform that the city attorney refuses to categorize with the helpful description "pension reform." Adachi's latest prop ... More >>

Prop. 8 Judge Vaughn Walker to Teach at U.C. Berkeley Law School

Vaughn Walker, reimagined as a pimp. This is not a real photo.​Vaughn Walker, the federal judge who in August delivered a landmark ruling affirming the right of same-sex couples in California to marry, will begin teaching a class at U.C. Berkeley's Boalt Hall School of Law after he retires at the ... More >>

Can Obama's Choice of Eateries on the Campaign Trail Predict Midterm Results?

EsquireThe President makes a stop at Chicago's Valois cafeteria.​Our favorite morsel from the blogs. Today's election might be a referendum on Obama, but it could just as easily be a referendum on Obama's stomach. During the past two months of midterms stumping, Esquire's Eat Like A Man blog ... More >>

Attention, Guardianistas: Here are your endorsements.

Workers of the World Unite -- Around a Joint -- as SEIU Endorses Prop. 19

Karl Marx would be proud​California's largest labor union is getting behind a ballot initiative that would allow governments within the state to regulate and tax marijuana, as the Service Employees International Union announced today that it would back Proposition 19 on this November's ballot.Obse ... More >>

Vaughn Walker's Choice to Delay Gay Marriage Praised by Legal Scholars

'Judge Walker is not a dummy...'​Judge Vaughn Walker's decision today to officially overturn Proposition 8 -- but stay that action until next week -- left a lot of same-sex couples statewide feeling like the rug had been pulled out from under them. The knowledge that their marriages were delayed a ... More >>

Ronald George, California Supreme Court Justice Who Legalized Gay Marriage, to Retire

Justice Ron George​California Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald George, who authored the opinion in the 2008 ruling that resulted in the short-lived legalization of same-sex marriage, has announced that he plans to step down at the end of this year.In a statement posted on the Supreme Court's web ... More >>

Santa Clara County Allows Voter Registration Via Electronic Signatures

​Santa Clara County has taken a historic step by allowing residents to register to vote electronically, the San Jose Mercury News reports.The new procedure allows people to register using touch-screen devices such as iPhones and iPads, and is the result of a proposal by the Silicon Valley firm Ver ... More >>

High Times at International Pot Expo

Chris RobertsHardcore pot enthusiasts probably didn't even notice the woman in the background of this photo. Right?​VIEW OUR POT EXPO SLIDESHOW HERE California is pot-friendly, but public mass consumption of cannabis is still a feat -- especially when it's on state property. That is partiall ... More >>

Save the Deli, Berkeley Edition

Harris Graber/FlickrDoes this fit in Michael Pollan's Food Rules?​Owning a deli in the Gourmet Ghetto can't be easy. Customers who 10 years ago prized your commitment to authenticity, your ingredients imported from the East Coast, and your reasonable prices are now coming back to you, waving their ... More >>

SF Gov InAction: The Budget's All finished, Except for the Backstabbing

Our story so far: The Supervisors were drinking champagne in City Hall last week after reaching a budget deal that restored an unprecedented amount money to programs that Mayor Gavin "Call me Governor" Newsom cut from San Francisco because he thought it would play well in Fresno. Par-TAY! B ... More >>

Marriage equality can be achieved by separating church and state

CA Supreme Court Upholds Prop. 8, But Also 18K Gay Marriages

The Supreme Court voted 6-1 to uphold Prop. 8, the November ballot initiative banning same-sex marriages. That's not exactly a surprise, considering the flavor of the questions from the justices during oral arguments a couple of months ago. It was more unclear what the justices would do about the 18 ... More >>

All Quiet On the Castro Front: Prop. 8 Ruling Received With a Shrug

At 10:01 a.m., a Castro barkeep sighed, glanced at his wedding ring, and switched off the television. "Guess I'm still married," he muttered. Paraphrasing T.S. Eliot, the state Supreme Court's affirmation of Proposition 8 was received here not with a bang but a whimper -- save for the solitary cell ... More >>

Should Gay Marriage Supporters Go to The Ballot In 2010 or 2012?

At this point it seems like a given that California voters will consider the issue of same-sex marriage in the near future. The strategic question being asked by leaders in the gay community is whether an initiative undoing Prop. 8 would have a better chance of passing next year or in three years. ... More >>

Chron Helps Publicize Anti-Prop. 8 Rallies; Conservative Columnist Calls Foul

Hmmm. What will I hate today?Conservative syndicated columnist Michelle Malkin is calling out San Francisco Chronicle political reporter Joe Garofoli for what she says is an inappropriate role in publicizing rallies in support of same-sex marriage.Malkin pointed out on her Web site this afternoon th ... More >>

November ballot measures promise eco-confusion

Sf Government InAction: Is Ross Mirkarimi Captain Ahab? Is Burma a Root Vegetable? And Who is that Masked Supervisor, Anyway?

SF Government InAction: Summer SanFranSchitzophrenia Begins! We're Saving Water! Use More Water! Keep Elections Safe from Candidates!

San Francisco Election Analysis: The Scarecrows Have It!

Voter Turnout Predicted at 25 Percent This (Non)Election

Governor Newsom?

Not likely, given his lack of spine in opposing the initiative promoting more parking

Quality of Hype

Aggressive panhandlers are not getting the gentle, loving care they so need from the city

Life Isn't Fare

Eminent Changes

A questionable proposition may dramatically inhibit the city's attempts to regulate growth

Monsturd of the Ballot Box

Why a movie theater-restoration measure should get flushed in November

Same as the Old Boss?

Why the new mayor should resist political pressure from the new shadow ayatollah of San Francisco politics, real estate mogul Clint Reilly

Rich Conspiracy

Unless there's been a Newsom/Getty/bin Laden/Bush plot of some kind, how could voters support Care Not Cash?

Brownout at SFO

Mayor's attempt to end-run city voters on runways-in-bay reflects dimming of his political star

Common Cause

Because she owns an apartment via tenancy in common, Sue Hestor is the perfect spokeswoman for homeownership

Getting the Treatment

Proposition 36 is based on a noble idea: substituting drug treatment for prison sentences. But the measure needs practical help.

Disaster Plans

Face it -- Props K and L both stink as ways to manage growth. But we have another option.

Missing in Action

Why there's no more Knight in the Knight Initiative

The Grid

Jordan vs. Jordan

Candidate Promises, Citizen Mayor Delivers?

Paper Trails

Hey, Sailor!

The untold story of the selling of the USS Missouri