San Francisco, California Voters Approve Mayor Lurie's Charter Changes in Propositions D, E and F

San Francisco voters have backed Mayor Daniel Lurie's three charter amendments, Propositions D, E and F, in the November 3 election, giving City Hall a new set of rules for ballot measures, city contracts and department leadership once the election is certified.

In the Department of Elections report released at 4 p.m. on Saturday, November 7, Proposition D led 171,598 to 141,677, or 54.8 percent to 45.2 percent. Proposition E led 198,470 to 110,807, or 64.2 percent to 35.8 percent. Proposition F led 186,118 to 124,626, or 59.9 percent to 40.1 percent, the San Francisco Inquirer reported.

The department said it had counted 332,467 ballots out of 535,608 registered voters, or 62.1 percent, and that about 15,000 ballots remained. Certification may take up to 30 days after Election Day under state law, and the amendments take effect after certification, not on election night. Until then, the current charter rules still govern ballot access, contract approvals and personnel decisions.

"These victories are not a finish line, they are a starting point," he told supporters on Tuesday night in Hayes Valley, in remarks reported by Mission Local and Focal News. "San Franciscans tonight are giving us the tools to govern effectively."

Proposition D: a higher bar for the ballot

Proposition D raises the signature requirement for a local initiative from 2 percent of registered voters to 8 percent. The official ballot question put that change at about 10,600 signatures to about 42,500 signatures, the Inquirer reported. It raises the requirements for a special election and for charter amendments to 10 percent of registered voters, allows an initiative to be withdrawn before an election, and removes the ability of a minority of supervisors, or of the mayor acting alone, to place a measure on the ballot. Six supervisors, rather than four, would now be needed to put a measure before voters.

Opponents said the new thresholds would favor well financed campaigns, arguing that at about 10 dollars a signature the cost of qualifying a measure would rise from about 200,000 dollars to about 800,000 dollars. Progressive groups, including the Democratic Socialists of America, opposed all three measures. The Yes campaign raised 13.5 million dollars from 54 donors, the Standard reported via the Inquirer, with the largest backers Michael Moritz at 3.1 million dollars, Chris Larsen and Lyna Lam at 2.5 million dollars, and John Pritzker at 1 million dollars.

Proposition E: contracts and the city administrator

Proposition E, the most lopsided of the three, gives the city administrator more authority by centralizing purchasing rules, changing how those rules are approved, and changing when contracts and leases require Board of Supervisors approval. Mission Local reported that the measure raises the threshold for board approval of contracts from 10 million dollars to 25 million dollars.

Proposition F: who hires and fires

Proposition F expands the mayor's authority to transfer responsibilities between departments, hire deputy mayors, and hire some department heads and fire most of them. It also allows city officials to remove members of boards and commissions without cause, the Inquirer reported.

Supporters listed in the ballot pamphlet included Mr. Lurie, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Board President Rafael Mandelman. Analysts quoted by Focal News said the result makes future failures harder to blame on a fragmented charter, because the mayor now holds clearer authority. After certification, the new thresholds and authorities become the city's operating law.