Nov. 5 Voting Recommendations

Separation of church and state in the United States of America, California and San Francisco could hardly be more complete. The church (or synagogue or mosque) teaches us that money isn’t everything but the government, local, state and federal, tells us it is! This is an election year (Nov. 5) which means it’s when a lot of politicians get free speech confused with cheap talk. 

The federal presidential election offers two cheaters, one of whom did so to defeat the incumbent in 2003 for San Francisco’s district attorney after he had hired her the year before as an assistant district attorney, and the other’s already been convicted this year of income tax cheating and faces four more criminal and civil trials. It doesn’t affect whether Harris, the Democrat, or Trump, the Republican, prevails in California because the Golden State constitutes a one-party state, and no Republicans are wanted for president or government or attorney general or other statewide public offices. For those who are so bold to ask how I’m voting, I plead guilty to eschewing either such candidate (or that “nut job” Robert F. Kennedy Jr. who has now quit and endorsed Trump) in favor of a write-in candidate – me! Therefore, I proceed to the local and state ballot measures in that order. 

Proposition A is characterized as a “Schools Improvement and Safety Bond.” The failing Board of Education with student enrollment approximately 50,000 (if you believe the School District which I don’t) asks voters to authorize the sale of $30 million of general obligation bonds which will, with interest, cost taxpayers another major debt to repay over 30 years. I recommend a “no” vote until the School Board is comprised of commissioners with good business and scholastic sense who don’t force citizens themselves to qualify ballot measures like the one last March compelling Algebra education in the eighth grade, causing the commissioners to wise up and restore Algebra to eighth graders themselves before the election at which voters strongly approved that ballot measure led by Diamond Heights resident and former USF Law School Dean John Trasvina. Moreover, we taxpayers must still pay for 2003’s Proposition A ($295 million G.O. bond in June 2006’s $450 million G.O. bond by June 2035, another $531 million G.O. bond by June 2035 for 2011’s Proposition A and $744 million G.O bond by June 2042, emanating from 2016’s Proposition A). Simultaneously, California Proposition 2 this November seeks approval of a $10 billion (!) bond to repair schools with declining enrollment statewide. Vote “no” so we don’t keep paying debt service until 2047-48!

Another bond, this one for homeless SF residents, follows as Proposition B. This “beauty” bears the title “Community Health and Medical Facilities, Street Safety. Public Spaces and Shelter to Reduce Homelessness Bond” (What a mouthful!). I’ll probably vote “yes” unless more prodigal facts emerge before Election Day. 

Proposition C adds more bureaucrats to City Hall, an inspector-general’s office. We’ve had a budget analyst since I was an at-large elected supervisor, elected in 1971; we also have an honest controller, a district attorney with a White Collar Crime Bureau and a city attorney to protect residents, visitors, commuters and taxpayers. Vote “no” on C. 

 Proposition D will reduce city and county commissioner by one-half from the current 130 to 65 and allow more mayoral flexibility. It’s a voter-initiative, unlike Proposition E which creates yet another committee as a “task force” to reduce such bodies! That emanates from our stupidvisors, of course. Vote “yes” on D and “no” on E.

Proposition F is my friend Mayor London Breed’s idea of reinforcing the number of cops by paying their retirement benefits (75% of salary) while keeping them on the police force five more years receiving their healthy salaries. It’s an unbargained (and naughty) salary increase. Vote “no.” 

Proposition G is more welfare payment benefits for renters, “low income” seniors, families and disabled residents. San Francisco in the 1970s had the highest welfare payments in California until the Board of Supervisors, led by the late John Barbagelata, passed an ordinance lowering it. Here we go again, attracting more homeless. I’m voting “no.”

The same gimmick to maintain police officer numbers infects Prop. H regarding firefighters. This allows them to receive their full pensions if they work another five years. It’s a wrong tactic. Pity the taxpayers and vote “no” on H, which Mayor Breed surprisingly opposes! Do the same on Prop. I regarding nurses and 911 operators. We do have a shortage of registered nurses (aka “RNs”). But Prop. I would give city nurses retirement credit of three years, plus allowing so-called per diem nurses retirement benefits of three years to encourage them to accept RN positions. The former “gift” will encourage them to retire three years sooner and exacerbate such shortage and increase taxpayer obligations. It’s more City Hall madness. Vote “no.”

Proposition J represents another giveaway. This one would deliver a gift so the plethora of non-profits staying extant because of taxpayers and overpaying most of their staffs. My friend, the late Supervisor Barbagelata, in the 1970s wanted to reduce the number of city employees and their extravagant pensions by contracting with non-profit corporations to provide local government services. City employee unions fought such legislation which I was co-author. We were mildly successful. Now, that effort to save tax dollars has created over 100 contracts with non-profits which gouge taxpayers with huge staffs and salaries. Proposition J enhances these financial explorers, many of whom have been exposed since 2023 for misconduct. Stop Prop. J by voting “no.”

Proposition K was endorsed by The SF Chronicle last month, which arouses voter rejection without my pap. The Upper Great Highway was built with money from the state gasoline tax on motor vehicles. California has the highest state gasoline tax in the U.S.A. Thousands of motor vehicles use the Great Highway Monday to Friday under a deal with the devil which limits motor vehicles to Monday to Friday during working hours, 6 a.m. until noon on Fridays. It is then closed to everyone but bicyclists and walkers until the following Monday at 6 a.m. Board of Supervisors geniuses Joel Engardio, Myrna Melgar, Dean Preston, Rafael Mandleman, Matt Dorsey (surprisingly) and Mayor Breed have endorsed this vehicle-driving taxpayer insult. Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin opposes Prop. K, as he also does the “build new housing” shibboleth trumpeted by State Senator Scott Weiner regarding San Francisco. Richmond District Supervisor Connie Chan also opposes Prop. K. Proposition K adherents claim the Great Highway from Sloat Boulevard to Route 35 will be subjected to such a sea level increase this decade as to render it unusable. That’s more City Hall pap; the National Oceanic Atmospheric Association forecasts Ocean Beach will suffer a meager 1-15 inch sea level rise by 2050. Apparently, the SFMTA chief (Jeffrey Tumlin) intends to re-design bus service for bicyclists and pedestrians only because he’s another highly paid “yes man,” receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to harass voters while Muni’s farebox recovery ratio still hovers at less than 25%.

(Print edition correction: “From the Editor” By Michael Durand.

Quentin Kopp acknowledges his September column was not accurate when he wrote that District 1 supervisorial candidate Marjan Philhour endorses Proposition K and is in favor of closing the Upper Great Highway to private vehicles. Philhour recently voted against passing Prop. K at a meeting of the SF Democratic County Central Committee (DCCC). 

In his column, because of his opposition to Prop. K, he endorsed Supervisor Connie Chan for reelection and encouraged voters not to vote for Philhour. Since learning of his error, he has changed his recommendation to encourage voters to vote for Philhour, and suggests listing Chan as their second choice. 

Kopp regrets the mistake.)

I pause to express my thanks to Judi A. Gorski, a retired art instructor, who lives with her husband on 48th Avenue which is afflicted by motor vehicle traffic galore whenever the Great Highway now closes. Engardio should be recalled for his disregard of constituents. I’ll assist.

Prop. L is more taxations, imposing a tax on “Transportation Network Companies” (TNCs) like Uber and Lyft and autonomous vehicles like Waymo and Cruise. The tax endures until repealed by voters. Supervisors can amend it by a two-thirds vote. I suggest strongly a “no” vote on L. I also do on Prop. M, another business tax, while 35% of business offices downtown and on Market Street remain empty. That’s City Hall’s way to discourage businesses from opening!

Proposition N hands out loans and pays trainees from a City Hall fund for reimbursing city employees for student loans and educational expenses up to $25,000 for cops, firefighters, sheriff’s deputies, paramedics, nurses, 911 dispatchers, supervisors or coordinators. Only 51% voter approval is necessary. I’ll vote against it on Nov. 5. 

Finally, we get to Prop. O, an initiative declaring it official city policy to protect abortions, establish a fund to finance them from “received” money, federal, state or private contributions and restrict our 38,000 or so city officers and employees from cooperating with federal or state prosecutions on abortion cases in California. I’m pro-abortion and not a Roman Catholic and at 96 years of age unlikely to be affected by Prop. O, but I marvel at the political correctness of our elected lawmakers in our one-party City where a candidate needn’t pay any attention to the Archdiocese or its members. It wasn’t that way during my years on the Board of Supervisors or in the state Senate.

There’s no space this month for state ballot measures or public office contests, except I reiterate my support of Mayor Breed, disdain for Harris and Trump and recommend Matt Boschetto for Supervisor in District 7, Leanna Louie for the City College governing board, Ann Sue and Lefteris Eleftheriou for Board of Education. Marjan Philhour in the Richmond endorsed the Great Highway motor vehicle closure and merits no votes on Nov. 5. I do endorse attorney Moe Janil for supervisor in North Beach, Telegraph Hill and Russian Hill to replace Great Highway car closure opponent and Board President Aaron Peskin. 

I pilfer from this month’s American Legion Magazine by explaining: “How did the tractor salesman find out his wife left him? He came home from work and found a John Deere letter.” 

Quentin Kopp is a former San Francisco supervisor, state senator, SF Ethics Commission member, president of the California High Speed Rail Authority governing board and retired Superior Court judge.