Some other people and measures on a San Francisco March 3 ballot

Hey -- we're about to have an election! No, not that one which is the obsession of every conscious Democrat and Trump resister. I mean a perfectly ordinary primary: on March 3, we'll be picking the candidates running for Congress, State Assembly, and in my bit of San Francisco, State Senator. Plus there are three Superior Court judgeships up, a smallish array of ballot measures, and long lists of candidates for the Democratic County Central Committee.

Some thoughts, none particularly deep:

Congress: Nancy Pelosi. Gosh, this will be her last term and then we'll have to survive a knockdown, drag-out, intra-party brawl over who gets to inherit this safe, plumb Congressional seat in 2022. What seems like a million years ago in 1986, I worked a little for Pelosi's progressive opponent who got outspent and run over by the town's money players. Her designated successor will likely accomplish a similar feat unless the progs can whittle down their field to one contender.

Meanwhile, Pelosi has fulfilled her present impossible job perhaps as well as anybody could. That's saying a lot in these times.

State Senator: while Walking San Francisco, I was thrilled to come across this flyer lying on a stoop, thus discovering that Scott Wiener had an ambitious challenger. I don't really know much about Jackie Fielder beyond her campaign lit which describes her as a Native American/Mexicana queer activist who has worked on the concept of a public bank. I'll vote for her.

I've seen far too much of Wiener to leave him unchallenged. With his legislation (SB50) to upzone most of the state to allow more residential construction, he's put California's need for more housing density firmly on the state agenda. That's great -- except that it never occurred to Wiener to design his housing policy alongside the scores of hard-working affordable housing advocates and developers in both Los Angeles and the Bay who've been struggling for equitable, sustainable growth for decades. Naw -- Wiener just wrote up the developers' and more conservative construction unions' wish list and called it a housing density program. So far his efforts have been turned back in the legislature. Let's send him a message by voting for Fielder.

State Assembly: Nobody seems to be challenging the incumbent David Chiu. Too bad.

State ballot measure 13: Bonds for public schools. Yes.

City Prop. A: Bonds to repair and upgrade facilities at City College of San Francisco. I could wish that CCSF's administration understood better its obligation to make this institution work of all city residents, rather than pretending it should be only an academic U.C. feeder school. But the buildings need our help. Yes.

City Prop. B: Earthquake bonds. When the quake comes, if this stuff has been done, we might be a little more prepared. Yes.

City Prop. C: Health benefits for city workers absorbed from the federal public housing administration. Crazy, but legal quirks mean they can't be covered without a popular vote. So, Yes.

City Prop. D: Tax on retail stores held unrented and empty. Walking San Francisco makes me very conscious that some neighborhood shopping areas are turning into dead zones. It's happening in North Beach -- but it is also happening on outer Taraval. Don't know if this will help, but good to try something. Yes.

City Prop. E: Moratorium on approvals for office space unless it is accompanied by affordable housing. There's a reason we've got unhoused people trying to stay alive on our sidewalks: we've imported thousands of new office workers without making provision for where people are going to live. Some newcomers make good money and can pay high rents; workers in service jobs paid less get squeezed; some San Franciscans get pushed out altogether, and pretty soon we've got tents all around. We need some serious planning for all of us in this city. This give us a chance. Yes.

Superior Court Judges: I hate that we vote on judges. This seems a recipe for corruption, though I don't know of a system I trust more. The chances of our actually knowing much about the candidates are vanishingly small unless we hang out with lawyers. Interestingly, all six of the candidates for three positions are women of color. FWIW, several progressive slate cards list: Maria Evangelista, Michelle Tong, and Carolyn Gold.

We also have the opportunity to vote for a slate of candidates for Democratic County Central Committee. This feels like voting for high school student council, but I'm glad when they put the party on the side I agree with, so I do it. I take my list from the San Francisco Bay Guardian endorsements: John Avalos, Hillary Ronen, David Campos, Christopher Christensen, Matt Haney, Frances Hsieh, Shanell Williams, Kevin Ortiz, Nomvula O’Meara, Jane Kim, Honey Mahogany, Gloria Berry, Peter Gallotta, and Anabel Ibañez.