SF Liberals Didn’t Move Right. SF Liberals Did What’s Right for SF.

So, it’s still early—the Department of Elections estimates that there are still over 100,000 ballots left to be counted in the March primary. But allow us a small victory lap before we get to work on the November election. 

The March Primary election was a huge win for San Franciscans who just want sh!t to work in this city. TogetherSF Action’s movement crushed it, and today we’re seeing the result of a committed community who want real solutions for San Francisco’s problems. It’s proof that TogetherSF Action’s mission—educating smart, engaged voters on how city officials, complacency, and the status quo are failing San Francisco—is driving the conversation forward on how we fix the city.

Some people aren’t happy about that, saying that this election is proof that the city is shifting to the right. Frankly, that’s nonsense. This election, San Francisco overwhelmingly voted for Prop 1, the mental health bond—it’s still too close to call in the rest of California. This support underlines San Francisco’s commitment to caring for vulnerable people—right-wing voters don’t have a great track record here.

Visualization of yes/no votes on Proposition 1, courtesy electionmapsf.com.

San Franciscans didn’t shift right. They voted for the policies and people that are right for San Francisco. This is an incredibly liberal city, and we’re proud of that. But this election, we voted for effective liberal policies that actually solve San Francisco’s problems. Turns out people don’t want to repair smashed car windows every year or navigate open-air drug markets when they walk to the grocery store. People want to live in a city that works on a fundamental level. TogetherSF Action and the 150,000 voters who used the Get It Together, SF Voter Guide are building that city together.

We Made the DCCC Mainstream

Who pays attention to down-ballot races like the DCCC? We do. For the last 18 months, TogetherSF Action spent a lot of time educating voters on what the DCCC is, why it’s so influential in San Francisco, and what happens when you have leaders with values that don’t align with most San Franciscans (just look at the DCCC shenanigans from the past few years). 

That work paid off. As of today, 21 of 24 of our endorsed candidates are winning their elections, giving the San Francisco Democrats for Change slate a sweeping majority on the DCCC. What’s that mean for San Francisco? A Democratic Party focused on local issues that matter to San Franciscans, not national issues that aren’t relevant to our city’s problems. While that’s going to sting for some political insiders angling for a promotion, it’s great news for San Francisco, and it’s a result of TogetherSF Action’s work on the ground, telling San Franciscans this little-known board matters a lot.

We’re Judging the Judges

The race for two seats on San Francisco’s Superior Court goes to show how carefully San Franciscans considered their ballots, and just how little sense the narrative about San Francisco’s rightward shift makes. Everywhere else on the ballot, San Franciscans voted for policies that increased public safety. Here, they ended up voting to keep two judges with questionable public safety records. Voters were asked to take a big step in challenging two sitting judges—that doesn’t happen often. It was too large a leap for voters, and the incumbents remain in their seats. 

A Sweep for Common Sense and Safety

Someone get a broom, because these ballot measures were a sweep for our movement. Early results show that San Franciscans voted with TogetherSF Action on every single one of our endorsed measures. That means more affordable housing, a modernized police department, and expanded drug addiction treatment. Oh, and a resounding defeat for the seriously misguided cop tax.

Visualization of yes/no votes on Proposition B, courtesy electionmapsf.com.

A quick rundown of the victories: Prop D (improved ethics laws), Prop E (modernized SFPD), Prop F (expanded drug treatment), and Prop G (algebra in 8th grade) all passed. Voters saw through Prop B (the cop tax) and sent it packing. And while it’s too close to call right now, it’s likely that two measures that would increase SF’s housing stock (A and C) will both pass. That’s impressive, but what’s more impressive is how strongly our message resonated with voters. Voters didn’t just blindly vote for the idea of better public safety—Prop B’s defeat proves that—they considered how each measure would actually affect San Francisco. 

Building on This Momentum

Let’s be clear—these measures alone won’t cure everything that ails San Francisco, and there’s a lot of work left to be done. But it shows how aligned TogetherSF Action is with everyday San Franciscans, and how strongly our message resonates with voters. That’s great news for our charter reform efforts this year, when we’ll ask voters to make San Francisco way more efficient to govern. 

TogetherSF Action and the 150,000 voters who used the Get It Together, SF Voter Guide delivered an important victory in our first milestone this year. Next, we’re collecting 80,000 signatures for our charter reform measures and starting our endorsement process for the Mayoral and Board of Supervisor races. Last night’s victory shows the strength of our message with voters—together, we’re going to carry this momentum through to November.