We are a vibrant electoral alliance
based in San Francisco.
We are SF Rising and we are here to
make lasting change.
Vote with us to build political power with working-class communities of color.
We are a vibrant electoral alliance based in San Francisco.
We are SF Rising and we are here to make lasting change.
Vote with us to build political power with working-class communities of color.
2020 Ballot Measure Results
We are still making meaning of all the election results, from the local to the state to the national level. But we must take a deep breath and pause to celebrate what we have accomplished together. Despite COVID-19, we phoned and texted voters, made art, organized rallies, and hosted events to get out the vote. We came out and broke voting records amidst a global pandemic, wildfires, voter suppression, and obscene ad campaigns from corporate interests — with more vote by mail ballots casts and early voting numbers higher than ever before. We have proven that together, in an election year that’s both historic and unprecedented, the people’s voice will be heard. We are excited to celebrate our victories and also learn from our defeats to build stronger movements in the future.
(PASSED) Prop A - Health and Homelessness, Parks, and Streets Bond: YES
(PASSED) Prop B - Health and Homelessness, Parks, and Streets Bond: YES
(PASSED) Prop C - Removing Citizenship Requirements for Members of City Bodies: YES
The passage of this measure allows every San Franciscan, regardless of immigration status, to serve on city boards and commissions.
(PASSED) Prop D - Sheriff Oversight: YES
(PASSED) Prop E - Police Staffing: YES
Previously, San Francisco had to hire and budget for a minimum number of police officers, regardless of whether they were needed or not. This measure removes that requirement, and allows us to budget based on what the people need.
(PASSED) Prop F- Business Tax Overhaul: YES, YES, YES
(DID NOT PASS) Prop G - Youth Voting in Local Elections: YES, YES, YES
(PASSED) Prop H - Neighborhood Commercial Districts and City Permitting: YES
In the wake of the enromous challenges posed to small businesses by the pandemic, this measure will streamline permiting and allow flexibility to keep our local merchants afloat.
(PASSED) Prop I - Real Estate Transfer Tax: YES, YES, YES
(PASSED) Prop J - Parcel Tax for San Francisco Unified School District: YES
This measure will fund living wages for teachers and expanding technology programs for students, while redirecting, not raising, parcel taxes.
(PASSED) Prop K - Affordable Housing Authorization: YES
Prop K authorizes a pilot program for 10,000 municipally-owned social housing properties in San Francisco. Prop K clears a legal hurdle added by segregationists in 1950, which would have otherwise banned this type of deeply affordable housing.
(PASSED) Prop L - Business Tax Based on Comparison of Top Executive's Pay to Employees' Pay: YES, YES, YES
If a CEO is paying themselves 100 times the salary of their average employee, it’s time they gave back. The passage of Prop L raises a gross reciepts tax on those inequitable corporations.
(PASSED) Prop RR - Caltrain Sales Tax: YES
Caltrain, an essential part of our public transit network, will now become cleaner, faster, greener, more affordable and accessible because Prop RR, a one eighth cent sales tax, has passed.
(PASSED) Prop 14 - Stem Cell Research Institute Bond Initiative: YES
Passing Prop 14 means that this bond will continue the funding that voters approved in 2004 to expand research on cancer, Alzheimers, and other conditions, and will build a working group to address affordability and access.
(DID NOT PASS) Prop 15 - Schools & Communities First: YES, YES, YES
After a close race, #YesOn15 was called as a loss. It’s incredibly sad and painful because we know how much our communities and families needed this support for our public schools and social services, especially during the pandemic. An unprecedented coalition of communities, unions, and working people took on the biggest corporations and California’s “political third rail” and got within 1.5% of victory — that is significant. While Prop 15 did not pass statewide, SF voters (71%) overwhelmingly voted to support Prop 15, and our city showed that we prioritize funding our schools and making corporations pay their fair share. This is due in no small part to the amazing work of our volunteers, staff, phone canvassers, and member organizations.
(DID NOT PASS) Prop 16: Repeal Proposition 209 Affirmative Action Amendment - Prop 209 repeal (overturn the ban on affirmative action): YES
This measure would have affirmed that race, gender, and ethnicity be considered in hiring and admissions processes, and overturned the racist Proposition 209 which banned affirmative action in state institutions. We have to recognize that it will take longer than we had hoped to end the ban on affirmative action, we will keep going forward so that day comes sooner rather than later.
(PASSED) Prop 17 - Voting Rights Restoration for Persons on Parole Amendment. YES
The passing of Prop 17 has expanded democracy by restoring voting rights to 50,000 people who are on parole in CA.
(DID NOT PASS) Prop 18: Primary Voting for 17-Year-Olds Amendment. A “Yes” Vote allows 17-year-olds who will be 18 at the time of the next general election to vote in primary elections and special elections: YES
(PASSED) Prop 19 - Property Tax Transfers, Exemptions, and Revenue for Wildfire Agencies and Counties Amendment: NO
(DID NOT PASS) Prop 20 - Criminal Sentencing, Parole, and DNA Collection Initiative: NO
Californians rejected Prop 20 which sought to roll back years of progress in the criminal justice system and go back to the tough on crime, racist, ineffective and expensive system of locking up more people for minor offenses.
(DID NOT PASS) Prop 21 - Local Rent Control Initiative. Amends state law to allow local governments to establish rent control on residential properties over 15 years old: YES
(PASSED) Prop 22 - App-Based Drivers Regulations Initiative - Anti AB5 measure (exempts these companies from treating their gig workers as employees and giving them benefits): NO, NO, NO
Uber, DoorDash, and other tech giants essentially bought Prop 22 in California by spending billions for the ability to continue unapologetic exploitation of gig workers. By re-classifying their employees as “independent contractors”, they have exempted themselves from abiding by minimum wage, paid sick leave, and other labor protection laws.
(DID NOT PASS) Prop 23 - Dialysis Clinic Requirements Initiative: YES
(PASSED) Prop 24 - Consumer Personal Information Law and Agency Initiative: NO
Californian’s voted in favor of this sweeping measure to create a new agency for enforcing privacy laws, rewrite the Consumer Privacy Act, exempt some of the largest tech companies from appropriate oversight, and add burdens to low-income and people of color to protect their own personal information from being sold.
(DID NOT PASS) Prop 25 - Replace Cash Bail with Risk Assessments Referendum: No Position
Our Affiliates
Current Campaigns
Prop 15: Schools and Communities First
Why Prop 15
Today a handful of corporations undermine all of us. Corporations like Chevron, Google and Disney rake in record profits, while they refuse to contribute to the schools where our young people learn, the roads we drive on, the buses we take to work. Then they divide us against each other by blaming Black and brown people for our problems, hoping we won’t notice so they can continue to reap the benefits of our contributions while refusing to put in their share.
That’s why we’re supporting Prop 15, the Schools and Communities First initiative on the November 2020 ballot. When we vote it in, we will restore the resources we need for our communities by ensuring that everyone pitches in for each other in California, including the wealthiest corporations. This initiative will make history by making sure that corporations pay their fair share of commercial property taxes. This will generate over $800 million every year for San Francisco’s public schools and our general fund. We’re ready to win in 2020!
When everyone is all in for all of us, we make California a place we’re proud to call home with world-class schools and universities, healthcare, affordable housing, and shared resources our families need. When we join together across racial differences to change the rules, we’ll restore the resources to truly educate all of our kids and truly support all of our families.
Learn more and find out about ways you can volunteer to help get Prop 15 passed.
Prop G
4 Reasons to Vote Yes on G
REASON #1: WE NEED TO MAKE VOTING A HABIT
Lowering the voting age can lead to a long-term increase in voter turnout, bringing more citizens in touch with their government and pushing the government to better serve its people. Research shows that voting is habitual. A person who votes in the first election they are eligible for is likely to continue voting consistently, while someone who doesn’t will take several years to pick up the habit. It is clear that age 16 is a better time to establish a new habit than age 18, and data from places that have lowered the voting age shows that 16-year-olds do indeed vote at higher rates than older first-time voters.
REASON #2: SIXTEEN- AND 17-YEAR OLDS ARE READY TO VOTE
Research shows that 16- and 17-year-olds have the necessary civic knowledge, skills, and cognitive ability to vote for their futures. A study comparing the qualities associated with voting—such as civic knowledge, political skills, and political interest—among citizens 18 and older and citizens below 18 found no significant differences between 16 year olds and those above age 18. Furthermore, deciding how to vote relies on “cold cognition,” the decision making process in which a person deliberates alone and unhurried, and draws on logical reasoning abilities. Research shows that cold cognition matures by 16, and does not improve as one gets older.
REASON #3: SIXTEEN- AND 17-YEAR-OLDS HAVE A STAKE IN THE GAME, AND ELECTED OFFICIALS MUST TREAT THEM AS EQUAL CONSTITUENTS
Sixteen- and 17-year-olds are affected by local political issues as much as anyone. They also work without limits on hours, and pay taxes on their income, can drive, and in some cases are tried in adult courts. Sixteen- and 17-year-olds deserve the right to vote on issues that affect them on the local level. Further, voting is the most reliable way for ordinary citizens to influence the government. Lowering the voting age would make sure local politicians to listen to sixteen- and 17-year-olds and address their needs.
REASON #4: LOWERING THE VOTING AGE TO 16 WILL STRENGTHEN CIVICS EDUCATION
Strong civics education and a lower voting age would mutually reinforce each other to increase civic engagement. A lower voting age would make civics education more effective as providing students a way to directly apply what they’re learning in the classroom in their communities would add a crucial level of relevance to civics courses. It would also encourage more schools to implement higher quality civics education programs given its immediate implications on students lives.
How your community will benefit:
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Prop 15 will reclaim billions every year for our schools, community colleges, and essential local services in EVERY county to invest in things like:
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Class sizes
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Health care services
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Fighting homelessness
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Firefighters and their equipment
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Safe drinking water
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Preparing for future disasters such as wildfire, pandemic or earthquakes
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Census 2020
All of us regardless of race and place or how long we’ve been here want to live in the best places for our families. That’s why every one of us must show up and participate in the Census—so our communities get the recognition, representation, and resources we deserve.
President Trump has actively worked to stop communities of color from voting and keep our communities in the dark about healthcare enrollment. He will do the same when it comes to the Census.
One powerful way to fight his racism and oppression is to participate in the Census and make sure your family, friends, and neighbors do too. When all of us count ourselves into the Census—as communities of color, immigrants, and young people—we get the resources and political representation we're due.
By standing together and making sure each and every one of us—whether Black or white, native or newcomer, Latinx or Asian, from 9 months to 99 years old—is counted, we can take California to the power of we. When we count ourselves in, we get our fair share of funding for our children's classrooms, health clinics, transportation, and jobs in our neighborhoods, and we ensure that each of us has an equal say in our democracy.
2020 is the year we count. This is about our entire communities showing up and declaring that we matter, that we count, that our communities deserve recognition, representation, and resources.
SF Rising and our affiliate organizations are part of the grassroots movement ensuring that our communities count in the Census through door-to-door outreach and events. The 2020 Census will be available online and through a paper form starting in March 2020.
Volunteer with us to make sure our community counts!
College for All
SF Rising is the leading coalition member of College for All, a statewide campaign to make college free again at the University of California, California State University and community college level--including for undocumented and formerly incarcerated students--by taxing the ultra-wealthy.
Up until the 1970s, we as Californians enshrined public higher education as a democratic right and made sure it was practically tuition-free. Since then, we’ve watched politicians give the wealthy tax breaks while cutting higher education funding and raising tuition--pushing more and more students deeper into debt. Their cuts especially hurt working-class students and students of color. We, the people, have had enough. Students, teachers, community organizations and labor unions are proposing a ballot measure to tax the wealthy and restore free universal public higher education to CA residents.
The campaign, College for All, creates about $4 billion in new revenue for grants dedicated entirely to student aid by taxing the inheritances of the wealthiest 0.2% of California’s families. This proposal expands Cal Grant eligibility to more than 330,000 working-class students who don’t attend college directly from high school, are formerly incarcerated, or are undocumented students considered residents under AB130 (the California Dream Act of 2011). It also increases living expense aid for working-class students by 80% to help ease the burden of non-tuition costs such as books, housing, and food.
The campaign is currently working with labor partners and state assembly members to propose a bill in the state legislature to place this measure on the 2022 ballot. Students are mobilizing their peers to put pressure on these stakeholders and communicate the crisis they’re experiencing for simply wanting to advance their lives and the lives of their communities.
If you’re a student wanting to get involved with this campaign, please learn more about SF Students Rising.
Who answers to you in City Hall?
About Us
San Francisco Rising builds the political power of working-class communities and communities of color in San Francisco to lead the way for democratic governance that prioritizes racial, economic and environmental justice.
We are an alliance of grassroots organizations led by people of color, and a political home for San Franciscans who care about justice and sustainability. We build power through deepening multiracial solidarity, educating and mobilizing voters, working closely with policymakers, organizing, and developing leaders of color.
