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Prop. K, SF’s ‘Amazon Tax,’ Likely to Be Struck From Ballot

A judge is leaning toward saving San Francisco from a half-million ballot blunder by affordable housing organization TODCO.

In a tentative ruling posted Thursday on the San Francisco Superior Court’s website, Judge Richard B. Ulmer announced he expects to grant a writ of mandate to have Proposition K removed from the ballot.

Prop. K sought to tax e-commerce giants like Amazon and create a guaranteed income program that would help vulnerable residents, such as single mothers and people who are unemployed. But the ballot measure’s language missed the mark. If passed by voters, it wouldn’t have affected Amazon but instead would tax hundreds of small businesses in the city.

A formal court hearing will be held Friday afternoon, and the timing is important. The ballot for November’s election must be finalized next week.

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