Why Can’t San Francisco Get It Together? Our March 2024 Voter Guide Has Answers.

It shouldn’t be radical to demand the basics. Safe streets, good public schools, and effective government should be the standard in San Francisco. Unfortunately, we have a city governed by an ideology where everything has become politicized—to the point where pointing out the public is no longer able to walk on many public sidewalks becomes a political flashpoint. City officials are out of touch with the average San Francisco voter, and it’s very apparent to an overwhelming majority of San Franciscans that the city is heading in the wrong direction.

TogetherSF Action knows San Francisco can do better. Our team, led by former City Hall insiders, identified that the problems visible on nearly every San Francisco street are symptoms of structural issues with our government. These issues can be solved at the ballot box. 

But San Francisco elections can be complex. Our city loves to legislate with ballot measures—every election has multiple state and local propositions filling the ballot. That’s why TogetherSF Action developed the Get It Together, SF Voter Guide as a free resource for voters for the next San Francisco election in 2024.

TogetherSF Action is the largest, most engaged political movement in San Francisco. We hold elected officials accountable to good governance, public safety, healthy street conditions, and economic opportunity. And our work gets results—our That’s Fentalife! campaign earlier this year led to increased funding for drug treatment and public safety in the next budget.

As polarization from global and national politics trickles down to San Francisco, we advocate for the boring (but important!) stuff: middle-ground solutions that benefit the biggest group of everyday people. For a long time, city officials have misplaced priorities, ignoring the basic city functions in San Francisco in favor of posturing for national issues. We want to restore balance to our local politics, and ensure officials focus on local issues that matter. Through voter outreach, events, and educational content, we work to elect responsible, accountable public servants dedicated to delivering basic safety and functionality to San Francisco.

So when is the next election in San Francisco? Sooner than you think—the March 5, 2024 primary election is a major opportunity to start fixing the structural problems in San Francisco’s city government. Two foundational, but often overlooked, institutions are on the ballot: the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee (SFDCCC), and San Francisco’s Superior Court judges. Together, the SFDCCC and judges have incredible power over how San Francisco functions, but San Franciscans have very little visibility into these bodies. 

That’s why we’re making our Get It Together, SF Voter Guide available to all voters in just a few weeks. We believe voters deserve clear, concise information that empowers them to make informed decisions. From demystifying the DCCC to decoding every state and San Francisco ballot measure, this voter guide is a boot camp to help our city finally get its sh*t together.

Why Can’t the DCCC Get It Together?

The San Francisco DCCC is the most powerful board you’ve never heard of. The DCCC has incredible influence in San Francisco politics. Their endorsements elevate candidates in local elections, making candidates more appealing to donors and voters. And since San Francisco is a one-party city—Democratic candidates almost never have Republican opponents—the DCCC’s inclusion of their endorsed candidates on the party-sponsored election mailers carries huge weight. 

The DCCC’s ability to amplify one Democratic candidate over another gives endorsed candidates a massive advantage. But political insiders on the DCCC use these endorsements to elevate allies, rather than developing party leadership that’s more representative of San Francisco voters. That power should be used to elevate political newcomers—not existing elected officials who already have the benefit of name recognition and fundraising muscle. 

The DCCC should be a force for democratic values—both the party and the ideal. Unfortunately, the SF DCCC doesn’t always live up to those values. There’s been a lot of drama on the DCCC over the past few years. For example, the DCCC tried to block a charter for a new democratic club simply because DCCC leadership didn’t agree with the new club’s brand of center-left politics. 

This isn’t the type of behavior we should see from San Francisco’s most influential political organization. It’s why we’re endorsing a slate of candidates who represent the average San Francisco Democrat, who promote causes that will move the city forward. The Get It Together, SF Voter Guide will provide guidance on how to understand and vote for this opaque body.

Why You Need to Care About San Francisco’s Judges

Like the DCCC, San Francisco’s judiciary is a bit of a mystery to many voters. Because it’s unethical for candidates to speak hypothetically about how they would try cases, it’s difficult to find information about the judges on the ballot each election. But San Francisco’s 52 elected judges serve unlimited terms, and don’t even show up on the ballot if they don’t have a challenger, which means it’s incredibly difficult for the public to hold them accountable. Since their decisions in criminal cases have repercussions on our day-to-day lives, these judgeships should matter a lot to voters.

California has been moving to replace pretrial detention with fairer alternatives, and judges have the discretion to decide whether or not someone accused of a crime is detained before their trial. But this creates a revolving door effect: people are arrested, then released again. Despite over 300 attempts by the District Attorney’s office to hold alleged fentanyl dealers in custody, all but a handful have been released back onto the streets, directly contributing to the city’s drug crisis.

And a judge’s background matters. There are eight sitting judges in the San Francisco Superior Court who used to be Public Defenders. As we saw with the election of former Public Defender Chesa Boudin to the role of District Attorney, an imbalance between those who defend the perpetrators and those who defend the victims in the criminal justice system can skew that system in one direction.

So how does TogetherSF Action know who to endorse? We can ensure judges come from a balanced variety of backgrounds, and we can make sure we don’t re-elect a judge with subpar performance. Our endorsements in the Get It Together, SF Voter Guide will reflect these values.

What’s at Stake in the March Primary Election

Primary elections are often overlooked by voters—but they’re critical to democracy. Your vote in the next election will determine the future of public safety in San Francisco and the leadership of San Francisco’s Democratic party. The San Francisco primary election in March 2024 is a prime opportunity to make sure these organizations represent the principles of everyday San Franciscans. 

But we can’t do it without you. We need you to help mobilize your friends, family, and neighbors, and host a voter guide house party. Voting is contagious—people are much more likely to vote after they’ve spoken to someone in-person about a candidate or ballot measure. You bring your friends, we’ll bring our community organizers, and we’ll break down the upcoming elections with the Get It Together, SF Voter Guide. This is a simple, effective way to influence your community and improve our city. 

Interested? Sign up below to meet with a member of our team. And check back in the new year for that Voter Guide drop.