At the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, we spend a lot of time walking the corridors of City Hall to make sure our elected officials are making it safer and easier to get around our city by bike.
This work has resulted in strong City Hall allies who seek to implement important legislation, increase transportation funding and advocate for critically needed safety improvements. In addition to working with our passionate members and allies to advocate for safer streets, we partner with them to identify and support the most bike-friendly candidates ahead of elections.
This year, there are three major races for public office in San Francisco where the winner will have a significant impact on city transportation policy: the mayoral race, the race for the District Three Supervisor and the District Attorney race. We’re excited to announce our official endorsements for these races.
In addition to our endorsements, we also shared our 2015 Policy Platform, which highlights our most important policies for all races. We announced that platform in advance of sending a comprehensive questionnaire to each candidate, to gauge their positions on our most important issues. All responses were publicly shared so our members could chime in on who they thought best represented our mission and goals, through our member voting process. This comprehensive and transparent process allowed our SF Bicycle Coalition Board of Directors to select the candidates who will do the most to support safe biking in San Francisco.
For the 2015 San Francisco elections on November 3, our official slate is:
- Board of Supervisors District 3: Sup. Julie Christensen and Aaron Peskin (dual endorsement)
- District Attorney: George Gascón
- Mayor: No endorsement
- Proposition E, Requirements For Public Meetings: Vote “No”
District 3: While both candidates have recently espoused strong positions for safer streets, both also bear mixed records on the issue of road safety and support for people who bike and walk. We believe that each candidate will support biking and safe streets in different ways and that we can work with both candidates to achieve our mission in San Francisco. The SF Bicycle Coalition is proud to endorse both candidates, and will continue to monitor the positions they advance in this campaign and in the future work of both candidates.
District Attorney: This is the first time we have endorsed for District Attorney. We are impressed by the progress Vision Zero has made in San Francisco over the past two years, and the District Attorney’s office under George Gascón has been an important partner along the way. The District Attorney plays an integral role in holding reckless and irresponsible drivers accountable. We are happy to endorse District Attorney Gascón for another term and look forward to working with him to make sure that prosecuting drivers who violently break the law is a top priority for the City of San Francisco.
Mayor: This year, your San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is not making an endorsement in the mayor’s race. Last November, you and your SF Bicycle Coalition helped pass Propositions A and B, which have brought in millions of desperately needed transportation funds. We also helped defeat Proposition L, reaffirming San Francisco’s commitment to a Transit-First Policy. Despite this clear mandate from the electorate — Prop A passed with over 70 percent of the vote — Mayor Lee has not kept pace with the massive public demand for safer streets.
We appreciate several initiatives the Mayor has spearheaded, including his support for the City’s Vision Zero goals and expansion of bike share, but it was clear from our member vote on this year’s mayoral endorsement that our members remain concerned that supporting biking is an afterthought in the current administration. We believe this can change over the next four years and will work with the current Mayor, if he is re-elected, to build a legacy of safe streets for people to enjoy across San Francisco.
None of the other candidates for mayor have a strong enough track record in creating change in government policy or on city streets to be considered a strong candidate for endorsement.
Propositions: In addition to these races, we have decide to oppose Local Ballot Measure E, “Requirements For Public Meetings”. Although we believe the impetus for Proposition E is good and valid, the vague language would result in allowing organizations and individuals outside of San Francisco to directly weigh in on local issues and have an outsized impact on them. This potential inequity is significant enough for us to oppose it. We look forward to working with City Hall allies to incorporate the well-intentioned aspects of Proposition E over the coming months and years.
We thank all of the candidates and campaigns for their participation in our endorsement process and encourage all San Franciscans to read their questionnaires, available here. As for our members, keep tuned for our Bike the Vote stations and Bike the Vote training to support our endorsed candidates and help keep City Hall rolling forward!