Measures
Local and district measures qualify for the ballot in various ways. Depending on the type of proposed legislation, a measure can be:
- Submitted after a vote by the Board of Supervisors or another agency, such as the Board of Education or Community College Board
- Submitted by the Mayor or four or more members of the Board of Supervisors
- Qualified through the initiative process with a sufficient number of voter signatures
An individual San Francisco voter or group of San Francisco voters may submit an initiative measure to be placed on the ballot before San Francisco voters; the Department of Elections facilitates this multi-step qualification process. For details about the initiative process, consult the resources in this section.
The Department of Elections is happy to assist with your ballot measure submission needs. To schedule an appointment, call us or use our appointment form.
For information about state ballot measures,visit the website of the California Secretary of State for information.
Qualified Local and District Measures
The Director of Elections determines the title and letter designation of each measure. The title of each measure is subject to change prior to letter designation. If the Department of Elections receives more than one proposed proponent or opponent argument for a measure, the Department will select one proponent and one opponent argument according to priority levels and, if necessary, by lottery. If an argument designated by motion of the Board is not submitted, the Department will select according to the next priority level.
The Department requests permission from each measure’s proponent to make contact information available to the public. If there is no contact information for a particular measure on this page, the proponent has not authorized the Department to release this information.
*Persons who are entitled to submit the proponent or opponent argument for a particular measure may assign the right to submit the argument to another person or persons, provided that the assignee is eligible to submit an argument
**The Department of Elections will not be accepting Paid Ballot Arguments for Regional Measure 3
| Letter | Regional Propositions | Proponent(s) | Proponent(s) Contact Information | Proponent Argument Author(s)* | Opponent Argument Author(s)* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 |
Regional Measure 3** |
Bay Area Toll Authority | Gabriel Metcalf, SPUR | Terence Faulker |
| Charter Amendments | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Letter | City and County Propositions | Proponent(s) | Proponent(s) Contact Information | Proponent Argument Author(s)* | Opponent Argument Author(s)* |
| A |
Public Utilities Revenue Bonds |
Board of Supervisors | Mayor Mark Farrell* | Libertarian Party of San Francisco | |
| B |
Prohibiting Appointed Commissioners from Running for Office |
Supervisors: Aaron Peskin Jane Kim Ahsha Safai Norman Yee |
CommissionersWithoutConflicts@gmail.com | Supervisor Aaron Peskin | Terence Faulkner |
| Ordinances and Declarations of Policy | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Letter | City and County Propositions | Proponent(s) | Proponent(s) Contact Information | Proponent Argument Author(s)* | Opponent Argument Author(s)* |
| C |
Additional Tax on Commercial Rents Mostly to Fund Child Care and Education |
Norman Yee | Supervisor Norman Yee | Libertarian Party of San Francisco | |
| D |
Additional Tax on Commercial Rents Mostly to Fund Housing and Homelessness Services |
Supervisors: Ahsha Safai Jeff Sheehy Katy Tang Malia Cohen Mark Farrell |
Supervisor Ahsha Safai | Howard Strasser | |
| E |
Prohibiting Tobacco Retailers from Selling Flavored Tobacco Products |
N/A | Supervisor Malia Cohen | Carolina Escorcia, Center for Economic Independence of Women and Youth* | |
| F |
City-Funded Legal Representation for Residential Tenants in Eviction Lawsuits |
Dean Preston | Jen Snyder SFRightToCounsel@gmail.com www.SFRightToCounsel.com 415-504-0666 |
SF Right to Counsel Committee | San Francisco Apartment Association |
| G |
Parcel Tax for San Francisco Unified School District |
Jose Tengco, David Strother, Catherine Sullivan |
info@yestosfteachers.com | Mayor Mark Farrell* | Libertarian Party of San Francisco |
| H |
Policy for the Use of Tasers by San Francisco Police Officers |
Martin Halloran, Mary Harris, Angelique Mahan |
Thomas A. Willis and Karen Getman Remcho, Johansen, & Purcell, LLP 1901 Harrison Street, Suite 1550 Oakland, CA 94612 510-346-6200 twillis@rjp.com kgetman@rjp.com |
Martin Halloran | Supervisor Malia Cohen |
| I |
Relocation of Professional Sports Teams |
Allen Jones | P.O. Box 410273 San Francisco, CA 94141 (415) 756-7733 Jones-allen@att.net http://goodneighborcoalition.org |
Allen Jones | No Argument Submitted |
Potential Local and District Ballot Measures
Potential measures are posted upon submission to the Department of Elections. There may be other potential measures under consideration by the Board of Supervisors, the Mayor, or another agency that are not included on this page. For the June 5, 2018 election, local and district ballot measure lists become final after the submission deadline:
- Local Measures – March 2, 2018
- District Measures – March 9, 2018
When a potential ballot measure is submitted to the Department of Elections, the Department requests permission from the measure’s proponent to make contact information available to the public. If there is no contact information for a particular measure on this page, the proponent has not authorized the Department to release this information.
| Draft Title of Proposed Measure | Submitted for Title & Summary | Title & Summary Issued | Submission Deadline | Proponent(s) & Contact Information | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Charter Amendment: Automatic City Approval of Certain Housing Projects that Comply with Local Zoning |
11/21/2017 | 12/6/2017 | 6/4/2018 |
Laura Clark Jesse Mainardi |
Proof of publication submitted, awaiting signatures |
|
Ordinance: Central South of Market Office Development |
12/6/2017 | 12/21/2017 | 6/20/2018 | John Elberling,
Gabriel Metcalf
Thomas A. Willis
Remcho, Johansen & Purcell, LLP
1901 Harrison St, Suite 1550
Oakland, CA 94612
510-346-6200
|
Title and summary received, awaiting proof of publication |
|
Ordinance: Allocation of Hotel Tax Funds |
12/11/2017 | 12/21/2017 | 6/20/2018 | Martha Ryan,
Brad Erickson
50+1 Strategies LLC
1 Kaiser Plaza
Oakland, CA 94612
|
Proof of publication submitted, awaiting signatures |
|
Ordinance: No Cost Permit for Summer of Love Anniversary Concert |
12/20/2017 | 1/2/2018 | 7/2/2018 | Julius Karpen | Proof of publication submitted, awaiting signatures |
|
Ordinance: Changing Kearny Street to Mayor Ed Lee Street |
3/5/2018 | 3/8/2018 | 9/4/2018 | Emma Tao | Proof of publication submitted, awaiting signatures |
|
Ordinance: Development of the Balboa Reservoir Property |
3/12/2018 | 3/23/2018 | 9/19/2018 | Steve Zeltzer | Title and Summary received, awaiting proof of publication |
|
Ordinance: Parcel Tax for Affordable Rental Housing Program |
4/25/2018 | 5/10/2018 | 11/6/2018 | Benjamin Becker
415-952-0972
|
Proof of publication submitted, awaiting signatures |
|
Ordinance: Additional Tax on Gross Receipts of Businesses to Fund Homeless Services |
5/2/2018 | 5/17/2018 | 11/13/2018 | Lauren Hall, Jacquelynn R Evans, Christin Evans | Proof of publication submitted, awaiting signatures |
|
Ordinance: San Francisco's Role in Federal Immigration Enforcement |
5/14/2018 | 05/29/2018 | 11/26/2018 | Angela Alioto
Christopher Skinnell, esq
2350 Kenner Blvd., ste 250
San Rafael, CA 94901
|
Proof of publication submitted, awaiting signatures |
|
Ordinance: Impeach Trump Initiative
|
6/11/2018 | n/a | n/a | Jon Golinger www.ImpeachVoteYes.com 415-424-6099 impeachvoteyes@gmail.com |
Awaiting Title and Summary |
Calendar for Ballot Measures
Ballot measure submission deadlines and related schedules are set by law and cannot be extended under any circumstance. To learn more about what activities must occur during specified periods, consult the calendar below. Use the drop-down menu to filter the list for ballot measure activities.
Resources for Ballot Measures
The San Francisco Department of Elections has prepared a guide that summarizes the requirements and procedures for qualifying Charter Amendments, Ordinances, and Declarations of Policy for the ballot through the initiative process. This guide is intended to answer common questions about the initiative process and is not intended to be all-inclusive. This guide does not have the force and effect of law, regulation, or rule, and interested parties should not rely on this guide as a substitution for consulting an attorney. This guide applies only to initiative Charter Amendments, Ordinances, and Declarations of Policy for the City and County of San Francisco. June 5, 2018 – Guide to Qualifying San Francisco Initiative Measures (PDF)
Other Resources
California Elections Code allows certain voter registration information to be made available to persons or groups for election, scholarly, journalistic, political, or governmental purposes as determined by the California Secretary of State. For information about requesting this file, see the Application for Voter Registration Information. Workshops and Presentations
The Department of Elections presents a series of candidate workshops designed to provide an overview of the process for running for Office of Board of Supervisors, Board of Education, and Community College Board in San Francisco. Workshops are hosted by elections personnel and are designed to assist candidates and campaign representatives in preparing for campaign season.
As new events and presentations are scheduled, more information will be made available on this page. To learn more about candidate workshops and presentations, call the Department or use our appointment form.
