June 2018 Special Election

On June 5, San Francisco voters will choose the city’s fourth mayor in six months, ending a period of upheaval in local politics after the death of Mayor Ed Lee in December. The stakes are high and the choices are stark: Four major candidates have distinguished themselves on a political spectrum running from “progressive” to “moderate.” Voters, meanwhile, are focused on the hot-button issues of housing affordability and homelessness.

The Public Press is profiling all eight mayoral candidates. Sharp edges have emerged from differing solutions to the housing crisis, endorsements by Big Tech and the sticky issue of identity — racial, gender and sexual orientation. Our coverage includes Proposition F (legal help for evictions) and the unusually contentious Superior Court races.

ABOUT THIS REPORTING PROJECT

REPORTING: Noah Arroyo, Joe Eskenazi, Andrew Stelzer and Rob Waters | EDITING: Michael Winter | COPY EDITING: Sherman Turntine | GRAPHICS: Reid Brown | PHOTOGRAPHY: David Zlutnick / KALW Crosscurrents, Noah Arroyo and Terry Pon | ONLINE: John Angelico

Community

Minority Challengers Wake Up Normally Sleepy Superior Court Races

05.09.2018

By Joe Eskenazi

Five men and women of color are challenging four incumbent judges on the state Superior Court in San Francisco. The insurgents — four of whom are public defenders — say the veteran jurists are vestiges of a legal system that punishes minorities disproportionately. The candidates faced off May 5 at a forum focused on African-American issues, and sparks flew. Second of two articles.

Community

Candidates Say How They Would Help African-American Community

05.07.2018

By Joe Eskenazi

A trio of African-American organizations aimed to get some answers from aspiring local leaders at “Facing the Voters,” a candidates’ forum hosted by the Public Press and moderated by its publisher. The candidates were given the opportunity to lay out their bona fides with respect to this city’s dwindling, marginalized African-American community; some did that and some did not. First of two articles.

Housing

In Mayoral Run, Leno Promises to ‘Get Serious’ About Affordable Housing Crisis

05.07.2018

By Joe Eskenazi

As the father of San Francisco’s inclusionary-housing ordinance, which requires developers to build below-market-rate apartments or pay a hefty fee, mayoral candidate Mark Leno calls for mandatory higher percentages for developers building on transit corridors or city-owned parcels. He also has vowed to “end street homelessness by 2020,” in part by filling vacancies in private, single-room occupancy hotels. First in a series analyzing the mayoral candidates’ records and pledges on housing and homelessness.

Community

African-American Groups Convene Candidate Forum

05.03.2018

By Noah Arroyo, Editor

Three African-American groups are sponsoring a May 5 candidate forum to focus attention on issues important to the black community. Organizers have invited all candidates running for San Francisco mayor, District 8 supervisor, Superior Court and the 12th Congressional District.

Elections

Proposition F: Free Legal Aid for Tenants Facing Eviction

05.01.2018

By Andrew Stelzer

On June 5, city voters could make history by guaranteeing legal help to anyone facing eviction, regardless of income. If Proposition F passes, it would make San Francisco the first city to pass such a law through a voter-approved initiative, and boost the national “right to counsel” movement.