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
| Bonds | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Letter | City and County Propositions | Proponent(s) | Proponent(s) Contact Information | Proponent Argument Author(s)* | Opponent Argument Author(s)* |
| A |
Embarcadero Seawall Earthquake Safety Bond |
Board of Supervisors | Mayor London Breed | Libertarian Party of San Francisco | |
| Charter Amendments | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Letter | City and County Propositions | Proponent(s) | Proponent(s) Contact Information | Proponent Argument Author(s)* | Opponent Argument Author(s)* |
| B |
City Privacy Guidelines |
Board of Supervisors | privacyfirstsf@gmail.com | Supervisor Aaron Peskin | Society of Professional Journalists, Northern California Chapter |
| 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 Business Taxes to Fund Homeless Services | Lauren Hall, Jacquelynn R Evans, Christin Evans | Our City Our Home 2018 Committee Samantha Lew slew@cohsf.org www.OurCityOurHomeSF.org |
Coalition on Homelessness | John Bozeman, BOMA San Francisco |
| D |
Additional Tax on Cannabis Businesses; Expanding the Businesses Subject to Business Taxes |
Board of Supervisors | Supervisor Malia Cohen | Richie Greenberg | |
| E |
Partial Allocation of Hotel Tax for Arts and Cultural Purposes |
Board of Supervisors | Supervisor Katy Tang | Aubrey Freedman, Libertarian Party of San Francisco | |
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.
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.
For the November 6, 2018 election, local and district ballot measure list will become final after the submission deadline:
- Local Measures – August 3, 2018
- District Measures – August 10, 2018
| Draft Title of Proposed Measure | Submitted for Title & Summary | Title & Summary Issued | Submission Deadline | Proponent(s) & Contact Information | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
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: 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 |
|
Declaration of Policy: Policy Calling for the Impeachment of President Trump and Vice President Pence |
6/11/2018 | 6/19/2018 | 12/17/2018 | Jon Golinger www.ImpeachVoteYes.com 415-424-6099 impeachvoteyes@gmail.com |
Proof of publication submitted, awaiting signatures |
|
The Sunlight on the Dark Money Initiative |
10/11/2018 | n/a | n/a | Peter Keane
Jon Golinger
|
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. November 5, 2019- Guide to Qualifying San Francisco Initiative Measures (coming soon)
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.
