Politics of San Francisco explained

Following the social upheavals of the 1960s, San Francisco became one of the centers of progressive activism, with Democrats, and progressives dominating city politics. This continuing trend is also visible in the results of presidential elections; the last Republican to win San Francisco was Dwight Eisenhower in 1956. Although the fight between Democrats and Republicans has been unequal for the last forty years, it has become increasingly lopsided, with conservative commentators frequently attacking the city's politics using the ad hominem phrase, "San Francisco values".^[1] In spite of its heavy liberal leanings, San Francisco has the highest percentage of "no party preference" voters of any California county as of November 2012.^[2] Campaign corruption is monitored by the San Francisco Ethics Commission and violations result in fines up to $5,000 per violation.

State and federal representation

In the California State Senate, San Francisco is in . In the California State Assembly, it is split between, and .^[3]

In the United States House of Representatives, San Francisco is split between two congressional districts. Most of the city is in the 11th District, represented by . A sliver in the southwest is part of the 15th District represented by .^[4] Pelosi served as the House Speaker from January 3, 2019, to January 3, 2023, a post she also held from 2007 through 2011. She has also held the post of House Minority Leader, from 2003 to 2007 and 2011 to 2019.

Local politics

The city is governed by a mayor and an 11-member Board of Supervisors, both elected using preferential voting. The current mayor is London Breed.

In the city, a progressive/moderate divide has become the organizing principle of local politics. While the specific policy differences between the two sides are widely disputed, the progressive/moderate formulation remains salient in the local media and in the deep network of political clubs and mutual endorsements that help determine elections.^[5]

Issues

Housing is a frequent topic in San Francisco politics. San Francisco has the highest housing prices in the United States.^[6] As of 2018, its median house price was $1.61 million, almost twice the average from five years earlier.^[7] Many factors contribute to the housing situation in San Francisco. One of the main reasons for this is the lack of available homes to live in. The Bay Area, from 2011 to 2015, only created 1 home for every 8 jobs created.^[8]

San Francisco has some of the most stringent housing laws in the United States. It ranks 3rd among cities in the United States as the hardest city to build in.^[9]

It has been estimated by San Francisco's chief economist that in order for prices in San Francisco to stabilize, the city would need around 100,000 units to reduce prices.^[10]

Voter statistics

• Total Registration and Turnout
  • November 6, 2018^[11]
    • Registration 500,516
    • Turnout 345,806
  • June 5, 2018^[12]
    • Registration 481,991
    • Turnout 253,583
  • November 8, 2016^[13]
    • Registration 513,573^[14]
    • Turnout 414,528
  • June 7, 2016^[15]
    • Registration 468,238
    • Turnout 264,993
  • November 3, 2015^[16]
    • Registration 446,828
    • Turnout 203,069
  • November 4, 2014^[17]
    • Registration 436,019
    • Turnout 231,214
  • June 3, 2014^[18]
    • Registration 435,757
    • Turnout 129,399
  • November 5, 2013^[19]
    • Registration 440,037
    • Turnout 128,937
  • November 6, 2012^[20]
    • Registration 502,841
    • Turnout 364,875
  • June 5, 2012^[21]
    • Registration 470,668
    • Turnout 145105

Total population^[22]	797,983
Registered voters^[23] ^[24]	497,663	62.4%
Democratic	276,855	55.6%
Republican	42,922	8.6%
Democratic - Republican spread	+233,933	+47.0%
Independent	8,918	1.8%
Green	8,215	1.7%
Libertarian	3,028	0.6%
Peace and Freedom	1,727	0.3%
Americans Elect	23	0.0%
Other	1,284	0.3%
No party preference	154,691	31.1%

See also

• Gerald Ford assassination attempt in San Francisco

Further reading

• Book: University Press of Kansas . Studies in Government and Public Policy] . Left Coast City: Progressive Politics in San Francisco, 1975-1991 . Richard Edward DeLeon . 1989,1992 . 0700604154-->,978-0-7006-0555-2 . registration .

External links

• https://sfelections.sfgov.org/

Notes and References

1. News: Three Dirty Words: San Francisco Values. San Francisco Chronicle. November 3, 2006. June 24, 2017. Joe. Garofoli.
2. Web site: Historical Voter Registration Statistics . 15-Day Report of Registration for the November 6, 2012, General Election . . January 3, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121107210818/http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ror/ror-pages/15day-general-12/hist-reg-stats1.pdf . November 7, 2012 . dead .
3. Web site: Communities of Interest — County . California Citizens Redistricting Commission . September 28, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151023054757/http://wedrawthelines.ca.gov/downloads/meeting_handouts_072011/handouts_20110729_q2_ad_finaldraft_splits.zip . October 23, 2015 . dead .
4. March 12, 2013.
5. News: Unpacking SF’s Moderate/Progressive Divide. SF Weekly.
6. News: San Francisco has highest rent prices in the world, claims housing startup. Curbed SF. 2018-02-22.
7. News: San Francisco's median house price climbs to $1.61 million. Curbed SF. 2018-08-13.
8. News: Workforce Housing - Bay Area Council. Bay Area Council. 2018-02-22. en-US.
9. Web site: The Toughest Places to Build: Behind the Scenes of a Wall Street Journal Analysis. www.buildzoom.com. en-US. 2018-02-22.
10. Web site: Leveling SF housing field could take 100,000 new units. Lamb. Jonah Owen. The San Francisco Examiner. en. 2018-02-22 . February 12, 2014.
11. Web site: California General Election County Reporting Status . November 15, 2018 . California General Election Tuesday, November 6, 2018 Semi-Official Election Results. https://web.archive.org/web/20181116043420/https://vote.sos.ca.gov/returns/status . November 16, 2018 . dead.
12. Web site: June 5, 2018 Election Results . June 27, 2018 . sfelections.sfgov.org . March 20, 2019.
13. Web site: November 8, 2016 Election Results . June 20, 2017 . sfelections.sfgov.org. March 20, 2019.
14. Web site: SFDOE Results November 8, 2016. sfelections.org. 7 November 2018.
15. Web site: SFDOE Results June 7, 2016. sfelections.org. 7 November 2018.
16. Web site: SFDOE Results November 3, 2015. sfelections.org. 7 November 2018.
17. Web site: SFDOE Results November 4, 2014. sfelections.org. 7 November 2018.
18. Web site: SFDOE Results June 3, 2014. sfelections.org. 7 November 2018.
19. Web site: SFDOE Results November 5, 2013. sfelections.org. 7 November 2018.
20. Web site: SFDOE Results November 6, 2012. sfelections.org. 7 November 2018.
21. Web site: SFDOE Results June 5, 2012, Consolidated Presidential Primary Election. sfelections.org. 7 November 2018.
22. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B02001. U.S. Census website. Retrieved 2013-10-26.
23. California Secretary of State. February 10, 2013 - Report of Registration . Retrieved 2013-10-31.
24. Percentage of registered voters with respect to total population. Percentages of party members with respect to registered voters follow.