November Ballot Recommendations

As I research ballot initiatives and candidates for every election, most important to me is to identify how much money is being spent to influence my vote. As a member of the Green Party, I firmly believe that money should not buy elections. Unfortunately, it very frequently does.

A recent email I received from an organization called the Patriotic Millionaires highlighted examples of winning political campaigns where candidates were outspent, sometimes by very large margins. Still, they reported that in all Congressional races, almost 90% of the big spenders won. In races for the U. S. Senate, almost 70% won.

“You gotta dance with the one who brung ya.”

Those words are a traditional American saying that means you should stay loyal to the people, groups or methods that supported you and helped you succeed in the past. When applied to fundraising for candidates, what will those who helped you get elected want in return? Will you work for your constituents or for special interests?

As soon as I submitted my column last month, I received the first campaign mailer for the November election. A large picture of S.F. Mayor Daniel Lurie was on the cover with the message, “Clean Up City Hall, Vote Yes on D, E, F.” On the back, the top three funders were listed: 1. Michael Moritz ($2,493,095), 2. Chris Larsen ($1,487,500), 3. John Pritzker ($1,000,000). Since then, two more arrived from the same campaign. On the front cover of one is a picture of City Hall with this message: “Sorry, Out of Order. You can help fix City Hall’s broken and corrupt system.”

A message to Lurie: If voters come to believe that all government officials are corrupt, what will they think about you? Note: The Board of Supervisors just approved a $22 million contract extension with a firm whose leaders donated tens of thousands of dollars to a non-profit Lurie founded and used to head.

This is not a new trend. The moderate SF Democrats for Change slate in the 2024 San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee (SFDCCC) election was funded by moderate-aligned political action committees and tech donors, like Chris Larsen, Michael Moritz and Ron Conway.

They also were leading donors that helped elect a majority of the members of the Board of Supervisors in 2024 who support Lurie’s political agenda. Now, Lurie and his big-money-backers want you to give him more power in City Hall and reduce citizen oversight. I’m voting “no” on Propositions D, E and F.

In the following ballot recommendations, it is not surprising that the SFDCCC recommends a “yes” vote on D, E and F.

“You gotta dance with the one who brung ya.”

Throughout this year, I’ve been volunteering on Connie Chan’s campaign for Congress. I’ve been delivering window signs all over town and was very glad recently to deliver a few to a fellow Sunset Beacon/Richmond Review columnist – retired Superior Court Judge Quentin Kopp.

As a District 4 resident, I’m also voting for Jeremy Greco for supervisor. We need an independent voice in City Hall.

A reminder: If you want to do something small for the environment and stop receiving so much election material, vote early. Most political campaigns do not want to waste resources on trying to influence people who have already voted.

Find more information on the official party endorsements at sfdems.org/endorsements/nov-3-2026-general-election, sfgop.org/nov-2026-endorsements and sfgreenparty.org.

Barry Hermanson is a member of the San Francisco Green Party County Council. Before he retired, he owned and operated a small business and was a leader in the small business and political communities in San Francisco.