November 2008 San Francisco general election

The November 2008 San Francisco general elections were held on November 4, 2008 in San Francisco, California. The elections included seven seats to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, one seat to the San Francisco County Superior Court, and twenty-two San Francisco ballot measures.

Board of Supervisors

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Superior Court

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San Francisco County Superior Court Seat 12 election
Candidate Votes %
Gerardo Sandoval 156,227 53.50
Thomas Mellon (incumbent) 134,339 46.00
Write-in 1,449 0.50
Invalid or blank votes 96,097 24.76%
Total votes 388,112 100.00
Voter turnout 81.25%

Propositions

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Propositions: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUV
Note: "City" refers to the San Francisco municipal government.

Proposition A

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Proposition A would authorize the City to issue $887.4 million in bonds to rebuild and improve San Francisco General Hospital. This proposition required a two-thirds majority to pass.

Proposition A
Choice Votes %
  Yes 300,595 83.81
No 58,049 16.19
Required majority 66.67
Invalid or blank votes 22,851 5.89
Total votes 388,112 100.00

Proposition B

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Proposition B would establish an Affordable Housing Fund to acquire new affordable housing, funded by setting aside a portion of property taxes.

Proposition B
Choice Votes %
  No 181,534 52.19
Yes 166,299 47.81
Invalid or blank votes 33,662 8.67
Total votes 388,112 100.00

Proposition C

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Proposition C would prohibit City employees from serving on most Charter-created boards and commissions.

Proposition C
Choice Votes %
  No 202,419 61.94
Yes 124,395 38.06
Invalid or blank votes 54,681 14.09
Total votes 388,112 100.00

Proposition D

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Proposition D would allocate funds from new hotel and payroll expense tax revenues toward developing Pier 70, on the Central Waterfront, if a financial and land use plan is approved by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

Proposition D
Choice Votes %
  Yes 226,513 68.07
No 106,228 31.93
Invalid or blank votes 48,754 12.56
Total votes 388,112 100.00

Proposition E

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Proposition E would change the number of signatures needed to recall city officials from a fixed 10% of registered voters to a scale of from 10% to 15% based on population.

Proposition E
Choice Votes %
  Yes 195,605 60.10
No 129,862 39.90
Invalid or blank votes 56,028 14.43
Total votes 388,112 100.00

Proposition F

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Proposition F would shift City elections of some citywide offices from odd-numbered years to even-numbered years after November 2011.

Proposition F
Choice Votes %
  No 176,692 55.00
Yes 144,592 45.00
Invalid or blank votes 60,211 15.51
Total votes 388,112 100.00

Proposition G

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Proposition G would "allow City employees to purchase retirement system credit for unpaid parental leave taken before July 1, 2003, as long as the purchase price covers all city costs."

Proposition G
Choice Votes %
  Yes 202,011 62.47
No 121,354 37.53
Invalid or blank votes 58,130 14.98
Total votes 388,112 100.00

Proposition H

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Proposition H would establish public power in San Francisco, allowing the City to purchase public utilities, establishing deadlines on alternative energy use, allowing the City Public Utilities Commission to set rates, and allowing the Board of Supervisors to issue public utility bonds without voter approval.

Proposition H
Choice Votes %
  No 211,681 61.38
Yes 133,214 38.62
Invalid or blank votes 36,600 9.43
Total votes 388,112 100.00

Proposition I

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Proposition I would create the Office of Independent Ratepayer Advocate to recommend public utility rates to the City Public Utilities Commission.

Proposition I
Choice Votes %
  No 201,811 63.29
Yes 117,050 36.71
Invalid or blank votes 62,634 16.14
Total votes 388,112 100.00

Proposition J

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Proposition J would create a Historic Preservation Commission and allow it to make decisions regarding historic preservation in the City.

Proposition J
Choice Votes %
  Yes 183,372 55.64
No 146,194 44.36
Invalid or blank votes 51,929 13.38
Total votes 388,112 100.00

Proposition K

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Proposition K would decriminalize prostitution, enforce laws against crimes on sex workers, and disclose all investigations and prosecutions of violent crimes against sex workers.

Proposition K
Choice Votes %
  No 202,235 59.06
Yes 140,185 40.94
Invalid or blank votes 39,075 10.07
Total votes 388,112 100.00

Proposition L

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Proposition L would ensure first-year funding, furnish leased space, and define the scope and operations of the Community Justice Center.

Proposition L
Choice Votes %
  No 178,440 57.46
Yes 132,097 42.54
Invalid or blank votes 70,958 18.28
Total votes 388,112 100.00

Proposition M

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Proposition M would prohibit landlords from engaging in specific acts of tenant harassment and allow such enforcement by court orders, rent reduction, monetary awards, and criminal penalties.

Proposition M
Choice Votes %
  Yes 195,023 58.84
No 136,416 41.16
Invalid or blank votes 50,056 12.90
Total votes 388,112 100.00

Proposition N

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Proposition N would increase the transfer tax on properties worth $5 million or up to 1.5% and reduce the tax on residences that install solar energy systems or make seismic upgrades.

Proposition N
Choice Votes %
  Yes 223,808 68.56
No 102,621 31.44
Invalid or blank votes 55,066 14.19
Total votes 388,112 100.00

Proposition O

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Proposition O would replace the Emergency Response Fee with a functionally equivalent Access Line Tax and revise the Telephone Users Tax.

Proposition O
Choice Votes %
  Yes 208,044 66.74
No 103,679 33.26
Invalid or blank votes 69,772 17.98
Total votes 388,112 100.00

Proposition P

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Proposition P would change the size and composition of the San Francisco Transportation Authority Board from the entire Board of Supervisors to one consisting of the Mayor, the President of the Board of Supervisors, an elected City official selected by the Mayor, an elected City official selected by the President of the Board of Supervisors, and the Treasurer, and encourage the Authority to obtain expert financial review of its budgets and adopt City ethics and public records laws.

Proposition P
Choice Votes %
  No 205,665 67.01
Yes 101,230 32.99
Invalid or blank votes 74,600 19.22
Total votes 388,112 100.00

Proposition Q

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Proposition Q would include more partnerships and businesses to be subject under the payroll expense tax and expand the tax exemption to businesses that have annual payroll expenses of $250,000 or less.

Proposition Q
Choice Votes %
  Yes 233,411 74.20
No 81,178 25.80
Invalid or blank votes 66,906 17.24
Total votes 388,112 100.00

Proposition R

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Proposition R would rename the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant to the George W. Bush Sewage Plant.

Proposition R
Choice Votes %
  No 233,733 69.75
Yes 101,376 30.25
Invalid or blank votes 46,386 11.95
Total votes 388,112 100.00

Proposition S

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Proposition S would make it City policy that voters will not approve new set-asides of City revenue that do not identify a new funding source, limit annual increases, and expire in ten years.

Proposition S
Choice Votes %
  Yes 167,974 55.66
No 133,817 44.34
Invalid or blank votes 79,704 20.54
Total votes 388,112 100.00

Proposition T

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Proposition T would mandate the City to maintain funding for and provide enough free and low-cost substance abuse treatment services to meet demand.

Proposition T
Choice Votes %
  Yes 200,649 61.24
No 127,014 38.76
Invalid or blank votes 53,832 13.87
Total votes 388,112 100.00

Proposition U

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Proposition U would make it City policy that representatives and senators in the United States Congress vote against further funding for deploying troops to Iraq, except for funds to withdraw such troops.

Proposition U
Choice Votes %
  Yes 193,407 59.25
No 133,002 40.75
Invalid or blank votes 55,086 14.19
Total votes 388,112 100.00

Proposition V

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Proposition V would make it City policy to urge the San Francisco Board of Education to reverse its elimination of the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC).

Proposition V
Choice Votes %
  Yes 179,639 54.63
No 149,169 45.37
Invalid or blank votes 52,687 13.58
Total votes 388,112 100.00
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