Political Reporter

Mike Ege

It’s no secret that San Franciscans are fed up with local government. 

Voters have already hauled out four elected officials in two decisive recall elections this year—and are poised to shake things up further in a slew of competitive races on Nov. 8. 

The upcoming general election finds voters at a crossroads: The final heat of four elections this year, San Franciscans will make their voices heard on everything from housing and education to their elected supervisors. 

The results could have long-lasting implications for city governance, potentially 

 and the Board of Education. They could serve as a referendum on Mayor London Breed’s agenda on public safety, education and housing—or give voters a chance to hand her more power. 

“We’ve commissioned polls for the last 25 years, and I’ve never seen the San Francisco electorate so angry,” said longtime political consultant John Whitehurst, who’s run over 200 local campaigns. “The ‘right track/wrong direction’ numbers in every poll this year have been just horrific, worse than the depth of Covid.”

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, according to The Standard’s Fall 2022 Poll—and political groups advocating for moderate, common-sense governance appear to be gaining steam. And this year’s recalls of three school board members and former District Attorney Chesa Boudin 

 for the city’s progressive political faction. 

Here’s a look at the stakes on Nov. 8. 

Chesa Boudin, an activist public defender, rode calls for change to America’s criminal justice system to a successful election as district attorney in 2019. But voters soon lost confidence in Boudin’s ability to manage pandemic-enabled spikes in 

hate crimes against people of Asian descent

, who Breed appointed after Boudin’s ouster, has pledged to do better. 

 tougher approach to crime—and, to some extent, their 

Jenkins’ leading opponent, former Police Commissioner John Hamasaki, is betting on buyer’s remorse for the Boudin recall, impugning Jenkins’ integrity and nascent record—even to the point of 

risking trouble over his intemperate tweets again

David Latterman, a veteran pollster, said that the election may have less to do with criminal justice ideology than voters’ desire for competence in local leadership. 

“I think in the big picture ideology hasn’t changed a whole lot,” said Latterman, who helped develop San Francisco’s 

. “No one ever liked crime—was there a point in which people wanted to be mugged? I think people are now realizing how inept our local government is.”

While hardly anyone in SF government is getting rave reviews these days, the Board of Supervisors is held in particularly low regard by voters: Just 23% of voters approve of the body’s performance, according to The Standard poll.    

The outcomes of two highly competitive races could shift the balance of power on the board back to the city’s moderate political coalition. 

 bringing challenger Joel Engardio into the district. Engardio, a public safety advocate, is looking to score a rare victory over an incumbent supervisor, Gordon Mar. 

In that race, Engardio has hammered Mar for his opposition to the recalls of three school board members and Boudin. Crime is a major issue for District 4, where 

strong Asian support for the Boudin recall

“They threw the DA out. OK, so how else could they show their displeasure? They could throw Gordon out,” Whitehurst said. “He votes frequently against the majority of his district’s point of view. So he may be out of ideological alignment, but he never was in alignment.”

District 4 includes the Sunset, which is hardly a progressive stronghold. But concerns about crime transcend neighborhoods, with voters broadly supportive 

In the race for District 6—which bears much of the brunt of the city’s open-air drug markets—appointed incumbent 

similar solutions to drug and housing problems

The two may differ more on style than substance, along with their political allegiances: Dorsey, a former police spokesperson, is closely allied with Breed while Mahogany, an activist who worked for former Supervisor Matt Haney, is aligned with the city’s progressive faction. 

Redistricting will make its mark here as well, with redeveloped neighborhoods in SoMa carrying more political weight. 

The unprecedented recall of three progressive school board members was driven by voters’ outrage over a performative equity agenda that seemed to neglect 

 recall this year, will also likely make their presence known in the decision whether to confirm 

 on the board. Three progressive-backed challengers, 

including one of the recently recalled board members

, are also running a buyer’s remorse play. 

It hasn’t necessarily been smooth sailing for Breed’s appointees. One appointee, Chinese American entrepreneur Ann Hsu, was 

appeared to blame Black and Brown families for the school district’s “achievement gap

Hsu continues to have visible support from the Asian community

; most recently Sing Tao Daily, a popular Chinese-language news outlet, 

The public school district is among the lowest-polling institutions in the city, with 

 signaling some approval for the San Francisco Unified School District’s performance.

What’s the best way to make San Francisco affordable again? That question is playing out in the politics behind two rival propositions on the November Ballot. 

 both seek to expedite affordable housing—but differ greatly on the fine print, and in terms of who supports each.

, who believe that more housing generally will raise all boats. 

 and activists who believe the solution is subsidized housing, and that uncontrolled construction will accelerate gentrification.

Poll respondents are somewhat divided on the question of what housing the city should build—affordable or market-rate—but the largest segment of respondents think we should do both. 

“If you take a look at the two housing measures, there’s no difference in voters’ minds, there might be a thousand people, maybe two, maybe three that actually know and would categorize it as a left or moderate issue,” Whitehurst said. “It’s dealing with nuances too granular to be an issue of ideology.”

 to the contrary, San Francisco is not abandoning its deep-blue status. Not even close. 

San Francisco still leads California counties in registered Democrats. According to the California Secretary of State, 63% of SF voters are Democrats, 27% are no party preference and less than 7% are Republican. 

It certainly lends some perspective to San Francisco’s factional moderate vs. progressive political battles.

“The core group of people that are frequent voters and distinguish in San Francisco terms what progressive is versus moderate is small,” said Whitehurst. “They do have feelings about issues, but they don’t necessarily categorize it.” 

If anything, the Covid pandemic—and the economic and political upheaval in its wake—may have led to deeper soul-searching about what the city needs to chart a more sustainable path. 

“I guess you could say Covid has exposed a lot of the deficiencies that we’ve known about for a long time,” Latterman added.  “But the city’s huge tax revenue has covered up a lot of problems. And now that money is starting to dry up Downtown. So there’s a lot of things just being exposed.”

Frustrated San Francisco voters poised to flip the script this election

Culture Reporter 

Sam Mondros

Crazy rich Deadheads: VIP fans tell us why they blew a fortune to see the show

Culture

 Dead & Co. fans spent up to $10,000 for VIP tickets, luxe hotels and posters. Is this still the same band that once played for acid and couch space?

Photos: It's a tie-dye city (again) as Deadheads descend on San Francisco

Dead & Company’s three-night run of 60th anniversary shows has beckoned thousands out for some bedlam.

Deputy Breaking News Editor

Michael McLaughlin

Senior News Reporter

George Kelly

Cyclist fatally stabbed at Muni stop hailed as a hero for defending children

News

Colden Kimber, 28, was killed in a “completely and utterly unprovoked” attack, prosecutors say.

Food Editor 

Lauren Saria

Senior Culture Editor

Astrid Kane

The 6 most exciting restaurant openings in SF this month

Food & Drink

Modern Chinese arrives in Hayes Valley, and a popular bagel shop rolls into FiDi.

Sports Reporter

David Lombardi

Here's how the 49ers' touted rookie D-linemen look so far at training camp

Sports

The 49ers are impressed by fourth-round draft pick CJ West, but second-round selection Alfred Collins is off to a slower start. 

Politics

Politics Reporter

Gabe Greschler

Senior Politics Reporter

Josh Koehn

Lurie spends big bucks on private consultants to bolster public image

Financial disclosures reveal a highly paid team of advisers is working in tandem with City Hall staffers on a  behind-the-scenes PR operation.

Tech millionaire challenger to Nancy Pelosi draws huge crowd at SF campaign kickoff

“He represents change from what we know,” one attendee said, comparing Saikat Chakrabarti to the longtime congresswoman.

Deputy Politics Editor

Hannah Wiley

Kamala Harris will not run for governor of California in 2026

"We must be willing to pursue change through new methods and fresh thinking," the former vice president said of her decision. 

Han Li

Engardio wants to spruce up Sunset Boulevard. Recallers say it’s ‘too little too late’

The tree-lined strip, dubbed the “Emerald Necklace” by the embattled supervisor, will get a $1.5 million update from state and city funds.

As Texas eyes redistricting, Newsom pledges to fight fire with fire

“Everything is at stake if we are not successful next year in taking back the House of Representatives,” the governor said Friday. 

Newsom had big plans to regulate AI. Trump said: Hold my beer

The governor’s vision varies wildly from that of the president. The issue could determine who wins the White House in 2028.

He died near a troubled halfway house. His family and the city want answers

111 Taylor St. is run by GEO Group, a $3 billion private prison firm that operates Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities across the country.

A tax on fun? SF charging more for playing in parks

Playing tennis, having a picnic, and even parking in Golden Gate Park will soon cost you.

Gavin got gifted a gun. Getting it home to California will be tricky

The Sig Sauer, a gift from a conservative podcaster, will be the first firearm registered in the governor’s name.

‘A Ponzi scheme’: Lawmakers skewer leaders of disgraced parks nonprofit

Supervisors on the Government Audit and Oversight Committee were left frustrated Thursday with answers from former Parks Alliance executives. 

San Francisco voters could repudiate Mayor Breed’s political appointees—or hand the mayor more power to enact her agenda.

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Frustrated San Franciscans Poised to Flip the Script This Election

Frustrated San Francisco voters poised to flip the script this election - The San Francisco Standard

November election hub 2022

Data Journalism Editor

Anna Tong

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_row_inner thb_max_width=”” el_id=”cc_recall_logo_row”][vc_column_inner][thb_image retina=”retina_size” image=”14813″ img_link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fsfstandard.com%2F” img_size=”medium”][/thb_image][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner thb_max_width=””][vc_column_inner width=”5/6″][vc_custom_heading text=”November 2022 Election” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:40px|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” el_class=”cc_chesa_hub_title”][vc_column_text el_class=”cc_chesa_subhub_title”] San Franciscans will vote on a slate of politicians and ballot initiatives on November 8, 2022. Discover the latest news and coverage about the November election from The San Francisco Standard below. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner thb_column_padding=”true” css=”.vc_custom_1650581590722{background-color: #ffffff…

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Discover the latest news and coverage about the November election from The San Francisco Standard below.

November election hub 2022 - The San Francisco Standard

San Franciscans will vote on a slate of politicians and ballot initiatives on November 8, 2022. Discover the latest news and coverage about the November

November 2022 Election

Frustrated San Francisco voters poised to flip the script this election

SF’s political winners and losers in a brutal election year

Labor pains: Union groups couldn’t sway SF voters this November

School board recall leader and mayoral appointee Ann Hsu loses to progressive challenger

Ann Hsu’s school board seat in peril

Video

Incumbent SF DA Brooke Jenkins Want To Focus on Prosecution, Less on Politics

‘To Be a Strong Voice on Behalf of Our Community:’ SF DA Candidate John Hamasaki on Why He’s Running

SF DA Candidate Joe Alioto Veronese Wants To ‘Rescue’ San Francisco

‘I’m the Most Pro-Police Candidate There Is:’ Meet SF DA Candidate Maurice Chenier

Additional Coverage

Brooke Jenkins officially wins district attorney race, school board appointee Ann Hsu now behind

Housing activists plot their next move as ballot measure fails

Vacant homes tax passes, fate of school board candidate Ann Hsu uncertain

Pelosi says she’ll decide on House leadership role after midterms settled

Election update: Prop. E loses, District 4 and Prop. D races remain too close to call

New election results: Housing measure Prop. D still slightly behind

Engardio maintains lead over Mar, but Sunset supervisor’s race still too close to call

Does Gov. Gavin Newsom have what it takes to be president?

The Haight and its neighbors carried car-free JFK Drive to victory

With 40% of San Francisco ballots uncounted, here are the paths to victory

DA Jenkins declares victory: ‘The people of San Francisco are ready and interested in accountability being restored’

SF voters starkly divided by neighborhood on rival housing measures

Sharks circling Nancy Pelosi despite reelection win

Mayor Breed looks like the real election night winner. Now what?

Wanting more from tax dollars, voters poised to add oversight to homelessness department

Prop. B, sanitation and streets do-over, is a winner

Post-recall mayoral appointees lead school board race

SF votes in favor of car-free JFK Drive

Matt Dorsey leads Honey Mahogany by wide margin

Housing factions lock horns as Prop. D is too close to call