On March 4, 2018, the San Francisco Democratic Socialists of America gathered in a special meeting to consider endorsements for local and statewide ballot initiatives appearing in the June 5, 2018 elections, as well as an early endorsement of the November 2018 statewide Affordable Housing Act ballot initiative, which would repeal the Costa-Hawkins Act’s ban on strong rent control and vacancy control.

June 5, 2018 Election

DSA SF has made the following endorsements and statements on initiatives being voted on in the June 5, 2018 election. The chapter has taken no position and made no statement with respect to any other initiative appearing on the June 2018 ballot.

• • Proposition C – Tax on Commercial Rents for Childcare and Education
    • Vote YES
    • Accompanying Statement: DSA San Francisco endorses a YES vote on Proposition C to raise the commercial rents tax on the largest businesses in the city in order to fund child care and early childhood education for most families while increasing salaries for the workers who make these services possible. We are disappointed that the proposal is means-tested, with income-based restrictions that limit which families can qualify. The strongest, most effective social programs are those like Medicare and Social Security, which provide universal benefits and thereby build solidarity across the entire working class. Nevertheless, we view Proposition C as a critical first step in creating a right to truly universal child care and family benefits. For this reason, we endorse a “YES” vote on Proposition C.
  • Proposition D – Tax on Commercial Rents for Housing and Homelessness Services
    • No Endorsement
    • Accompanying Statement: Proposition D would raise the commercial rents tax to provide some measure of new funding for middle-income housing and homelessness services, but it also contains a “poison pill” that would kill Proposition C — that is, if both propositions pass but Proposition D wins more votes, Proposition C will not go into effect. DSA San Francisco condemns Interim Mayor Farrell and Supervisors Cohen, Safai, Sheehy, and Tang for playing politics with this disingenuous effort to block Proposition C. We are appalled that these conservative Democrats chose to force affordable housing advocates to compete for funding with child care providers, many of whom are women of color who work for completely inadequate wages. We reject this crass attempt to break working class solidarity, and for this reason we make no endorsement on Proposition D.
  • Proposition F – SF Right to Counsel, City-Funded Legal Representation for Tenants in Eviction Cases
    • Vote YES
  • Proposition G – Parcel Tax for San Francisco Unified School District
    • Vote YES
    • Accompanying Statement: DSA San Francisco endorses a YES vote on Proposition G, which would institute a new parcel tax used to increase salaries and benefits for public school teachers and other employees. We are disappointed and concerned that a small percentage of this tax (estimated less than 5% of its value) would be used to fund existing charter schools, which are an anti-socialist, right-wing attempt to privatize and destroy public education. This said, in light of the teachers’ union’s strong support of Proposition G, we endorse this measure to help ensure that San Francisco will be able to pay its teachers and other public school employees a living wage and not lose them to the affordability crisis.
  • Proposition H – Use of Tasers by San Francisco Police Department
    • Vote NO
  • Proposition 68 – $4 Billion Statewide Parks, Environment, and Water Bond
    • Vote YES
  • Proposition 70 – Vote Requirement for Using Statewide Cap-and-Trade Revenue
    • Vote NO

November 6, 2018 Election

DSA San Francisco endorses a YES vote on the Affordable Housing Act, a November 2018 statewide initiative that would repeal the Costa-Hawkins Act and thereby give cities the power to institute strong rent control and vacancy control. We now join our comrades in a number of other DSA chapters, including DSA Los Angeles and DSA East Bay, in supporting the statewide ballot initiative to repeal Costa-Hawkins.

The San Francisco chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America is pleased to announce that our members have voted to formally join the San Francisco Public Bank Coalition (SFPBC), a collaboration of local left and progressive groups working to promote and shape a public bank for San Francisco. The final vote count is 96 in favor, 0 against, and 4 abstained. This met our quorum requirement of 50% of eligible voters with 100 / 193 eligible, a voter turnout of 52%.

San Francisco has about $8.5 billion in financial assets. This is, essentially, OUR money — taxpayer funds and the proceeds of bond sales. Instead of working to improve the quality of life of San Franciscans, this money is invested in sectors that exacerbate negative environmental conditions and socio-economic disparities, including the fossil fuel industry, the prison-industrial complex, and defense contractors.

Today the Budget and Finance Committee begins a process to explore the viability and shape of a public bank for San Francisco. SF DSA is pleased to stand with the San Francisco Public Bank Coalition in promoting a public bank focused on equity, sustainability, and justice.

The SFPBC is a collaboration including the SF Defund DAPL Coalition, SF Rising, Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, SF Berniecrats, and the CA Faculty Association, as well as other activists, community leaders, and groups still becoming involved. The San Francisco chapter of the DSA is honored to work alongside to help build a San Francisco that works for its residents. Read more about the goals of the coalition on the Facebook page.

Our chapter was started by a group of friends in the fall of 2016. They imagined they’d have a small discussion group that met once a month. Then the general election happened. The Democratic Socialists of America San Francisco chapter saw membership skyrocket to nearly 500 dues paying members. Now we have over 600 members who want to build socialism in San Francisco.

Our chapter has no full-time staff. We take no corporate donations. Everything we’ve accomplished this year we’ve done through people power. Every action, every campaign, every internal process was the result of members volunteering to solve problems.

This chapter is great because of you. I think we’ve all earned a sentimental re-cap of all the work we’ve done.

Off of the internet and into the streets

Barely a chapter, we hit the ground running. We marched with our neighbors to protest the inauguration on January 20. We joined our families and friends to protest sexism during the Women’s March and again on Women’s Day. We stood with our community to shut down San Francisco Airport. For May Day we joined thousands of people to demonstrate for immigrant rights. We joined the Communication Workers of America in their picket line while they struck for fair contracts. We hit the streets to protest the #GOPTaxScam.

Fighting fascists: a socialist tradition.

Literal swastika-wearing Nazis made the Bay Area a political target this year. Emboldened by the Trump presidency, they tried to occupy our public spaces and We. Shut. Them. Down. White feminists asked us to stay home and billionaire-owned media tried to slander our community self-defense. We didn’t listen.

Instead we built a coalition with labor unions, anti-racist organizations, and anti-fascist groups to out-number white supremacists and force them off our streets.

Mutual Aid

In humble and meaningful ways, we found opportunities to support each other where our capitalist state fails.

We mobilized our members for Encampment Sweep Watches, canvassed to end sweeps, worked with local mechanics to train and facilitate Give Me a Brake (Light) clinics, and hauled stuff up north to help homeless folks in Santa Rosa affected by the NorCal fires. We raised funds for leftist organizations in Puerto Rico that are taking on the hard work of rebuilding after the hurricane. At the time of writing this, we’re also hosting a blood drive.

Heyyyyyy, We do Parliamentary and Electoral Stuff, Too

In January, we mobilized members to swing the Assembly District Delegate Elections progressive. We fought the Chop Shop bill’s increasing criminalization of homeless people. We protested SFPD adoption of tasers until past midnight. Our members helped file the SF Right to Counsel ballot initiative and we’re collecting signatures for it now. Vote for it on the June 2018 ballot. We were there to support our neighbors at #SaveMidtown as they continue their fight against the racist displacement lead by Mercy Housing and the Mayor’s Office of Housing.

Building the socialist, feminist, anti-racist democracy we want to see in the world

We know that if we are not actively fighting oppression we are complicit in it. Our inaugural Steering Committee ran on and won on a platform of building a healthy, safe culture for everyone to organize in. Our members helped developed the DSA’s first harassment grievance policy, which was adopted at the historic national convention.

What’s next

I can tell you about the initiatives that are already in progress. Winning San Francisco the right to counsel if you’re facing eviction. Supporting efforts to restore voting rights to disenfranchised people.

But what I’m most excited about is the stuff I don’t even know about yet because you (yes, you dear comrade) are going to do it. So pay your literal dues, grab a clipboard, a sign, a banner, a petition, a phone call script, a handout of talking points for public comment, and I’ll see you in the new year.

Darby Thomas
Co-chair, San Francisco DSA