SF League of Pissed Off Voters

Voting Logistics: 

This election is only for Assembly District 17, the eastern half of the city. You can look up your address to see if that’s you.

Vote early at the COVID-safe City Hall Voting Center in front of Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. Open last two weekends of the election 4/9 - 4/10  and 4/16-4/17 from 10am-4pm. Open weekdays 8pm-5pm starting March 21st!

Drop off your ballot at City Hall during Voting Center early voting hours or on Election Day. Dropping off your ballot means you don't have to worry about the Post Office delivering it in time.

Mail your ballot if you can't drop it off. You don't need a stamp, but make sure you sign the envelope and it's postmarked by Election Day.

4/19/22: Election Day! Polls open 7am-8pm. If you’re in line by 8pm you can vote. Let’s stand in line together! You can also drop your ballot off at any polling place on Election Day.

Where’s your polling place? Check sfelections.org, call 311, or just go vote at City Hall.

Did you forget to register? You can still vote! Go to City Hall or your polling place and tell them you want to "register conditionally and vote provisionally!"

People with Felony Convictions Can Vote! You can still vote as long as you’re off parole. Don’t let the Man disenfranchise you.

Youth can (almost) vote! If you’re 16 or 17, pre-register and your registration will automatically be activated when you turn 18.

Assembly District 17: No Endorsement

The San Francisco League of Pissed Off Voters members met on March 11th to vote on an endorsement in the April 2022 runoff election which will decide whether Matt Haney or David Campos will represent Assembly District 17 in Sacramento (the seat is vacant because David Chiu got appointed to be the City Attorney). AD17 is composed of the eastern half of San Francisco. The district boundary is actually changing slightly due to redistricting, but this April election is using the old lines. See the map here and check your address here.

After a lot of discussion, no candidates or options received the majority of votes! So we have no endorsement.

In our meeting, we debated the merits and flaws of both Haney and Campos - both of whom the League has endorsed and worked with in the past. Some of us advocated for endorsing both candidates - some of us were more excited to endorse David Campos. Ultimately, these perspectives tied in our membership vote, which means we officially have no position in the race.

A little bit about Campos:

Pros: During his time on the Board of Supervisors (2008-2016), Campos was instrumental in several policy efforts: Closing the Healthy SF loophole, crafting the buyout legislation that gets tenants some cash if their landlords move in, and regulating short-term rentals. He’s a hardcore progressive who sticks to his guns (for example, he’s opposed housing developments that don’t include as many Below Market Rate units as he’d like). He would be the first Latinx Assemblymember from San Francisco, and bring more LGBTQ representation to Sacramento. Many old school progressive organizations have given Campos their sole endorsement, and he has the backing of current and past progressive Supervisors like Dean Preston, Hillary Ronen, and Tom Ammiano. 

Cons: Since leaving office, Campos has held several political positions (like head of the local Democratic party) with mixed results. Haney supporters say Campos struggles to build coalitions and is too unwilling to compromise, which could make it harder to get things done in Sacramento. During this campaign season, we’ve been disappointed to see him going negative and we worry this might have the unintended consequence of pulling Haney to the right. And while Campos hasn’t taken direct contributions from corporations, there are plenty of individual donations from developers and CEOs in the ethics filings. Campos is a tried-and-true progressive, we just hope if elected he can play ball at the statewide level and work effectively for the policies our state really needs.

You can read David Campos’s responses to our questionnaire here.

A little bit about Haney:

Pros: Since joining the Board of Supervisors in 2019, Haney has delivered on several key issues that matter to his district: being super involved in the City’s robust COVID response (including tenant protections), bringing City resources to improve sanitation, crafting Mental Health SF with Supervisor Ronen, and advocating for funding to support the Leather/Transgender Cultural District. On housing, Haney is seen as more moderate than Campos because he supports more development at all levels. But his track record is also strong on tenants’ issues, and he’d be one of a handful of renters in the state legislature. His endorsements span the political spectrum, which is an indication that he can be an effective policymaker at the state level. 

Cons: Haney’s critics say he’s an opportunist, having left his seat on the Board of Education to run for Supervisor and now jumping ship 3 years into that job to head to Sacramento (and by the way, we’re not thrilled that if he wins Mayor Breed gets to pick his replacement). The progressive members of the Board of Supervisors who have worked with him closely all endorsed Campos, which is telling. He’s got way more money pouring into his campaign coffers from labor unions as well as developers and the health care industry, which we hope won’t impact his votes if elected. We’re also nervous that he’s gotten cozier with the Mayor and developers as this race has gone on and he’s tried to woo more moderate voters - there’s a fine line between “compromising to get things done,” and “becoming a moderate.” Haney seems like the kind of politician who’s going places - we just hope he remembers who he’s committed to fighting for along the way.

You can read Matt Haney’s responses to our questionnaire here.

Summary: At the end of the day, we’re confident that either one of these guys will be a solid progressive vote in Sacramento, and they’re both strong on the issues that matter most to our members: affordable housing and tenants’ rights, education, and racial and economic justice. So how should you decide? If representation and super-progressive policy stances are most important to you, vote for Campos! Sending a queer, immigrant, Latinx man to represent SF is a big deal. If you prefer a candidate who may be more willing to compromise to get legislation passed at the state level, especially to produce more affordable housing, go for Haney! He’s been a very committed and collaborative policymaker everywhere he goes. If you’re looking for more research, check out this breakdown of their BOS legislative records and a recent video debate. We like them both and have friends and members on both sides of this one.

Disappointed with our lack of endorsement?

We are too. All of us would have preferred to take a stance, but we have to stay true to our process - when our member vote is a tie or deadlocked in some way, our leadership committee isn't allowed to overrule that outcome.

We would love more members and input from our communities: that means you, dear reader! Reach out to us, volunteer, donate, and you'll be able to vote in our endorsement process next time around.