BOMA SF-PAC Positions on San Francisco Qualified Local Measures for the November 2, 2010 Ballot

BOMA San Francisco Members:


The BOMA San Francisco Political Action Committee (BOMA SF-PAC) has taken positions on the following November 2, 2010 local ballot measures, below.

Please take a moment to review the measures and send your comments to Ken Cleaveland, BOMA San Francisco's Director of Government and Public Affairs at kenc@boma.com and John Bozeman, BOMA San Francisco's Legislative Assistant at johnb@boma.com.

County Transportation Authority

• Prop. AA: Vehicle Registration Fee - NO POSITION
• This measure would institute an additional $10 annual registration fee on vehicles registered in San Francisco. The money collected from the fee must be spent only on programs and projects that benefit owners of motor vehicles paying the fee and are consistent with a regional transportation plan.

Bond

• Prop. A: Earthquake Safety Retrofit Loan Program General Obligation Bond ($46,150,000) - SUPPORT
• General Obligation Bond to provide funding for an Earthquake Safety Retrofit Loan Program to provide funding for seismic retrofits for affordable housing buildings (estimated to be 156).

Charter Amendments

• Prop. C: Mayoral Appearances at Board Meetings - OPPOSE
• Requires the Mayor to attend one regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of Supervisors to discuss policy matters and allows the Board to set the rules and guidelines of how the meetings will be conducted.
• Prop. D: Non-Citizen Voting in School Board Elections - OPPOSE
• Charter amendment would extend the right to vote in school board elections to any resident who is a parent, legal guardian or caregiver of a child residing in the City who is at least 18 years of age and not in prison or on parole for a felony.
• Prop. E: Election Day Voter Registration - OPPOSE
• Would permit San Francisco citizens to register to vote in exclusively municipal elections on any day up to and including election day.
• Prop. F: Health Service Board Elections - NO POSITION
• The Health Service Board is responsible for conducting and annual review of health benefit costs, application of benefits and administering the Health Service System.   This technical Charter amendment will allow the Board to save money on a number of elections required to elect members.
• Prop. G: Transit Operator Wages (Fix Muni Now) - SUPPORT
• Successfully placed on the November ballot by Supervisor Sean Elsbernd.  Click here to read the measure and here for our blog posts on the Fix Muni Now campaign.  

Ordinances 

• Prop. H: Local Elected Official on Political Party Committees - SUPPORT
• If adopted, this measure will prohibit any person holding city elective office from serving on a political party central committee.
• Prop. I: Saturday Voting - NO POSITION
• Creates the Saturday Voting Fund to pay for the cost of operating polling places on the Saturday before the November 8, 2011 election.  If there is enough money in the Fund to cover the costs of operating the polling places on Saturday, then the measure would require the City to open all polling places twice during the election - on Saturday, November 5 and on Tuesday, November 8.
• Prop. J: Hotel Tax Clarification and Temporary Increase (NO NEW TAXES!  Visit Economic Recovery SF for more information) - OPPOSE
• This tax increase proposal would raise the tax rate on San Francisco’s local hotels by 2%, bringing the total tax rate to 16%, plus a 1.5% tourism marketing fee added to most hotel bills bringing the total to 17.5%--the highest in the nation.
• Prop. K: Hotel Tax Clarification and Definitions  - NO POSITION
• Mayor Newsom's counter measure to Prop. J that doesn't increase the tax rate, and clarifies who pays the tax. 
• Prop. L: Sitting or Lying on Sidewalks (Civil Sidewalks) - SUPPORT
• Click here for more information.
• Prop. M: Community Policing and Foot Patrols (Board of Supervisors' response to Prop. N) - OPPOSE
• This measure would require the Police Commission to adopt a comprehensive written policy on community policing. 
• Prop. N: Real Property Transfer Tax (NO NEW TAXES!  Visit Economic Recovery SF for more information) - OPPOSE
• This tax increase proposal would boost the tax on the sale of properties over $5 million in San Francisco.  The current rate is 1.5% doubled from .75% in 2008.  See the chart below for more information.  If passed, this rate would be the highest transfer tax rate in California.