MARCH 5, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY ELECTION
The Get It Together, SF Voter Guide
For the radically practical San Franciscan.
Sidewalks you can walk on. Train cars free of fentanyl smoke. Parking sans smash-and-grab. These should be standard. However, you live here, where elected officials agree on 90 percent of the issues, but spend most of their time bickering over the other 10 percent. So everything costs more than it should, takes longer than it should, and often turns out worse than promised. Remember when we got into a months-long fight over a $1.7 million public toilet? This is not a serious city. That’s why being practical is radical in San Francisco. We want an accountable and transparent government. We want San Francisco to practice what it preaches and live up to its liberal values. We need San Francisco to get it together.
Why Should You Listen to Us?
TogetherSF Action is the largest, most engaged political movement in San Francisco. We hold elected officials accountable to good governance, public safety, healthy street conditions, and economic opportunity. And our work gets results—our That’s Fentalife! campaign led to increased funding for treatment and public safety in the budget.
As polarization from global and national politics trickles down to San Francisco, we advocate for the boring (but important!) stuff: middle-ground solutions that benefit the biggest group of everyday people. Through voter outreach, events, and educational content, we work to elect responsible, accountable public servants dedicated to delivering basic safety and functionality to San Francisco.
Send This To Your Radically Practical Friends
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Federal Offices
Not sure about your district? Check it out at the Department of Elections website.
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Since the November 2020 election, a lot has changed in the United States: COVID-19 has receded as an immediate threat. Millions of Americans are regularly working from home, and the divisiveness and chaos caused by the Trump administration has subsided somewhat. But new problems have arisen, including rising inflation and a changing economy that still hasn’t fully recovered from the pandemic.
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Adam Schiff, Barbara Lee and Katie Porter are all excellent candidates for the U.S. Senate, and each would bring a wealth of experience to the position. TogetherSF Action concentrates on the policies and representatives that will make San Francisco the best city it can be—but federal races aren’t what we focus on. With the Democratic Party of California divided on their endorsement in this race, we don’t have an official endorsement, knowing that each candidate will be an effective Senator for California.
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Nancy Pelosi is an institution in Congress. She’s led the Democratic party through more than 30 years of ups (like her guidance of the Affordable Care Act through Congress) and downs (the complete cluster**** that was the Trump administration). Speaker Emerita Pelosi wields her power and influence to consistently deliver for the country and for San Francisco.
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At the start of Representative Mullin’s first term in 2023, the House of Representatives flipped from majority Democratic to majority Republican. Control of Congress was decided by just five seats that year (this is why every election is important, people!) So Mullin hasn’t been able to do much legislatively, other than vote with the Democratic Party.
State Offices
Not sure about your district? Check it out at the Department of Elections website.
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During his nearly eight years in the California State Senate, Wiener has been a legislative powerhouse, demonstrating a strong ability to collaborate with colleagues and pass complex legislation that addresses the problems affecting everyday San Franciscans, like mental health, homelessness, and our housing crisis.
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During his first full term as a State Assemblymember, Haney has enacted a total of 11 bills, making him a more prolific lawmaker than five of his colleagues who have been in office for similar lengths of time. He’s taken action on some of the most pressing issues facing San Franciscans: the drug crisis, public safety, and housing.
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In her current role as District 2 Supervisor, Stefani has taken action to support credible solutions to our city’s toughest problems: homelessness, public safety, and mental health. She has demonstrated political courage on citywide issues like housing, fighting for several large-scale housing projects and waging uphill battles against her colleagues on the Board of Supervisors to get these projects approved.
SF Superior Court Judges
Every election cycle, voters find it hard to make decisions about elected judges—because it’s unethical for candidates to speak hypothetically about how they would try cases. But SF’s 52 judges serve unlimited terms and hold major sway over public safety, so let’s dig into what we can know.
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Zecher works as General Counsel for Intevac, a thin film equipment manufacturing company in Santa Clara who also sits on the University of California College of the Law Board of Directors. Zecher has previously served as other high-ranking legal positions at various Silicon Valley technology and manufacturing companies.
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A prosecutor in the San Francisco District Attorney’s office for over two decades, Roland has worked for more than half that time as the office’s Head Attorney Of Civil & Criminal Matters. Roland has leadership experience in the office, being the managing attorney of both the Juvenile Unit and the Domestic Violence unit.
State + Local Ballot Measures
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California is short about 8,000 adult psychiatric beds. Prop 1 would pass a $6.4 billion bond to develop inpatient and residential treatment beds for people with mental health disorders and build permanent supportive housing. Our state’s mental health crisis is urgent, and this would fund the necessary infrastructure to help for the first time in 50 years. Plus, it doesn’t raise taxes, but repurposes an existing state tax on millionaires. It is vital that this passes.
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This measure would create a $300 million housing bond to finance the construction of affordable housing, preserve and rehabilitate existing sites, and help people become first-time homeowners. Great progress, but this doesn’t address the primary issue with building housing: our local leaders blocking new construction.
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San Franciscans should never have to wonder if the city is looking out for their safety. This measure, originally proposed by Supervisor Matt Dorsey, was supposed to ensure full staffing for SFPD via the General Fund. But Supervisor Ahsha Safaí added an amendment that made funding contingent upon new, unidentified taxes. This defeats the entire purpose of the original measure: making sure basic public safety needs are covered in SF. As a result, the measure has been altered so radically that Dorsey no longer supports it, and a well-meaning initiative has once again devolved into political performance.
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This proposition would allow landlords looking to convert vacant office buildings into housing to sell without paying the standard six percent transfer tax for real estate transactions over $25 million. Will this completely fix downtown and solve the housing crisis? Nope, it’s not enough to make these conversions completely financially feasible—but it’s a step in the right direction.
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Every few years, SF’s government seems to be rocked by a major corruption scandal. Want less of that? Vote yes on Prop D. This measure implements new guidelines around gift-giving to city employees and creates new disclosure rules for relationships and contact between private individuals and public servants—it’s a necessary step to create a better government that’s less prone to corruption.
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This measure is a far-reaching checklist that unblocks and refocuses the police in SF, getting them away from desks and back onto the streets being as efficient at solving crimes as possible. The SFPD is hamstrung by the ideology of political bodies like the Police Commission, and it affects officers’ ability to solve cases. This measure aims to remedy that by giving SFPD access to modern law enforcement tools that other police departments have used for years. Because less time behind a desk means more time spent on the street keeping the public safe.
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This measure would require substance abuse screenings for SF County welfare participants who receive monthly cash stipends. While this measure incentivizes treatment for the estimated 20 percent of welfare recipients who suffer from addiction, that is ultimately a small population of those in need. And, this measure does nothing to ensure treatment options exist in the first place.
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This is a non-binding piece of legislation that indicates voter support for bringing Algebra 1 back to eighth grade instruction—like it is almost everywhere else in California. Is it ridiculous that we need to tell the Board of Education that SF families want their kids to learn algebra in eighth grade? Yes. Is it necessary? Apparently!
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SF Democratic County Central Committee
The San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee (DCCC) is the most powerful board you’ve never heard of. SF is a one-party city—Democratic candidates almost never have Republican opponents. So it’s a huge boost for candidates to be included on party-sponsored mailers with the DCCC seal, because it sets them apart from similar candidates. It makes voters think this candidate is the official pick of the national Democratic Party. But the DCCC isn’t the national Democratic Party. It’s made up of local political insiders who use the board to elevate their allies and maintain the status quo. Instead, it should be filled with common-sense leaders who want to fix the things that are broken in SF. This is our moment to make that a reality.
Not sure about your district? Check it out at the Department of Elections website.
ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 17
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Werbach’s private sector and nonprofit leadership experience give her the experience needed to thrive in this role. She sits on the board of directors for the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco and is the Chief Operating Officer for the Drew School, a private college preparatory school.
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Sangirardi is an LGBTQ activist and professional fundraiser for political and nonprofit causes. Sangirardi is a staunch pro-housing advocate and is the Director of Development at California YIMBY, the state’s largest pro-housing advocacy group.
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The founder of an early childcare startup, Lai has worked in the education tech sector for a large part of his career. Lai has the business leadership and entrepreneurial experience to help inform his decision making and governance on the DCCC.
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Lee is a well-known education advocate who works to improve the San Francisco Unified School District and Board of Education. Lee owns a general contracting business, and has also worked in real estate investment, development, and biotech.
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With a career focused on finance and venture capital, and volunteer experience in the education and addiction recovery spheres, Lee has both the business acumen and civic spirit to excel in the DCCC. He has volunteered with the Lowell Alumni Association as a board member, and Positive Directions Equals Change as an advisor.
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Currently the president of the Noe Valley Democratic Club, Barnes founded her own communications company, working with private clients for twelve years. In addition to this strong private sector experience, Barnes managed the Yes on D campaign in November 2022, the San Francisco ballot measure designed to create more housing.
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An executive in the San Francisco City Attorney’s office, Zamora brings years of experience in government and LGBTQ activism to the table. Zamora was president of the San Francisco Young Democrats—one of the city’s largest Democratic clubs—and served as a representative for the Bay Area in the California Democratic Party.
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Tung has proven leadership credentials, serving as Chief of the Vulnerable Victims Unit in the San Francisco District Attorney’s office and as a member of the DCCC. Since her election in 2020, Tung has been a voice of reason on the DCCC.
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Mahmood is an entrepreneur and the co-founder of ClearBrain, an analytics startup that was later acquired by the international software company Amplitude. Mahmood also started the 13 Fund, a philanthropic foundation that supports San Francisco’s Asian community.
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Currently a candidate for District 9 Supervisor, Chandler previously worked as a political organizer for the Human Rights Campaign, the country’s largest LGBTQ rights advocacy group, traveling the country organizing support for marriage equality measures.
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A legislative aide for Supervisor Myrna Melgar since 2022, Heiken has experience forging relationships in government and guiding bills through the legislative process. Heiken also has a Master’s in Public Policy from Georgetown.
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Ho is a civically-engaged activist and San Francisco native with extensive experience both in politics and the private sector. Ho founded the Delta Chinatown Initiative, an organization that supports public safety initiatives for the Chinese American community in San Francisco.
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Akbar is a vocal addiction recovery advocate and the co-founder of Positive Directions Equals Change, an addiction services nonprofit in the Bayview that offers classes and support groups every day of the week. Akbar is also a member of the Adult Probation Department’s Community Advisory Board, where he provides input and engagement insight.
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Currently San Francisco’s District Six Supervisor, Dorsey has been laser-focused on improving public safety citywide. Dorsey supports making our police department more competitive, and authored legislation to increase the number of officers in the city’s police department.
ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 19
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Currently San Francisco’s District 2 Supervisor, Stefani has supported credible solutions to our city’s toughest problems: homelessness and mental health. She maintains an excellent working relationship with the Mayor and is adept at meeting the needs of her district while demonstrating political courage on citywide issues.
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In both work and private life, Barz advocates for the causes she cares most about. In her day job, Barz works on making public transit more technology-friendly while volunteering as a community organizer for KidSafeSF, a grassroots street safety organization.
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As president of the Chinese American Democratic Club (CADC), Quan leads one of San Francisco’s largest and oldest Asian American Democratic clubs. Quan works to increase Asian Americans voter registration and Asian American voter turnout, and has been an advocate for the Stop Asian Hate movement and public safety.
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Co-founder of the Westside Family Democratic Club, Gupta has the qualifications needed to excel on the DCCC. Gupta holds a Master’s in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School and leads one of the Bay Area’s biggest affordable housing nonprofits.
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An activist fighting AAPI hate, Tu co-founded Dear Community, a non-profit dedicated to promoting Asian-owned small businesses while organizing and supporting Asian cultural events. Tu is a lifelong resident of the Sunset and is focused on making SF safe for everyone.
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A political researcher, Calamuci has worked for the NorCal Carpenters Union for over 15 years, studying the economic conditions of construction and organized labor’s strategic needs.
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A local Democratic activist who has been involved with a variety of advocacy groups, including the Edwin M. Lee Democratic Club, Chen currently serves on an advisory board to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.
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A healthcare executive with an MBA from Northwestern University, Coles is a leader in local Democratic Club politics and sits on the Board of Directors of Huckleberry Youth Programs, a homeless youth advocacy organization.
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A long-time resident of the Richmond District, Philhour has years of experience working both as a small business owner and in politics at all levels. Philhour helped form the Balboa Village Merchants Association.
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Alioto-Pier has proven leadership experience in city government, serving as San Francisco’s District Two Supervisor from 2004 to 2011. Since 2005, Alioto-Pier has owned and operated a vineyard in Napa with her husband, giving her valuable business experience to go with her public service.
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Paid for by TogetherSF Action (tsfaction.org). Not authorized by any candidate or committee controlled by a candidate. Financial disclosures are available at sfethics.org.