Tag: vote yes

10/18/08

SF: Prop G – Allowing Retirement System Credit for Unpaid Parental Leave

Shall the City allow City employees to purchase retirement system credit for unpaid parental leave taken before July 1, 2003, as long as the purchase price covers all City costs?

The proponents for proposition G guarantees that this amendment will not cost the taxpayers a dime which makes this an easy yes vote in my mind. It is just too bad that all City employees who had unpaid parental leave prior to July 1, 2003 and retired before today will not benefit from the passing of this proposition.

10/18/08

SF: Prop D – Financing Pier 70 Waterfront District Development Plan upon Board of Supervisors’ Approval

Shall the City provide funds to develop Pier 70, based on new City hotel and payroll expense tax revenues from the development, if the Board of Supervisors approves a financial and land use plan for Pier 70?

Proposition D will allow the Board of Supervisors to approve a broad development plan for Pier 70 rather than checking off each and every project one at a time. The proposition will also contribute approximately $600 million to help the developers clean up the area of contaminates from when the port first operated as a ship part factory. A portion of taxes and revenue from the future hotels and businesses will be used to pay back the City.

No real risk to passing this proposition unless the developers quit midway through the project. The area this affects is pretty run down currently. Once the land is developed, the City can recoup the cost through taxation and generate more revenue for other programs.

An easy yes vote for this proposition.

05/31/08

SF: Prop H – Prohibiting Elected Officials, Candidates, or Committees They Control from Soliciting or Accepting Contributions from Certain City Contractors

Shall it be unlawful for City elected officials, candidates or political committees they control to solicit or accept campaign contributions from contractors who are prohibited from making contributions to these elected officials, candidates and political committees because the contractor has a pending contract or a recently approved contract before the official or the Board on which the official or an appointee of the official sits?

Proposition H is a pretty open and shut case.
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05/20/08

SF: Prop E – Requiring Board of Supervisors’ Approval of Mayor’s Appointments to the Public Utilities Commission and Creating Qualifications for Commission Members

Shall the City set qualifications for members of the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and change the process for appointing members to the PUC by requiring a majority of the Board of Supervisors to approve the Mayor’s appointments to the PUC?

Proposition E gets an emphatic Yes vote from me.

The Public Utilities Commission handles construction, management, supervision, maintenance, extension, operation, use and control of all water and energy supplies and utilities of the City. They also handle the financial assets under their jurisdiction. In other words, the PUC hold sole dominion over doling out contracts upwards into the billions to retrofit the City’s utilities. A current example would be the $4.3 billion seismic retrofit of the City’s Hetch-Hetchy water system.
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05/15/08

SF: Prop C – Forfeiture of Retirement Benefits for Conviction of a Crime Involving Moral Turpitude in Connection with City Employment

Shall the City prohibit San Francisco Employees’ Retirement System members who are convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude in connection with their employment from receiving any retirement benefits funded with employer contributions?

At first glance, Proposition C looks like an open-and-shut case. Employees who are convicted of committing fraud or stealing from the City should not receive any benefits from the City.
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05/15/08

SF: Prop B – Changing Qualifications for Retiree Health and Pension Benefits and Establishing a Retiree Health Care Trust Fund

Shall the City increase the years of service required for new City employees and certain employees of the School District, the Superior Court and the Community College District to qualify for employer-funded retiree health benefits, establish a separate Retiree Health Care Trust Fund to fund retiree health care costs, and increase retirement benefits and retirement cost-of-living adjustments for certain City employees?

I am confused as to why this measure needs to be voted on in an election.
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01/31/08

SF: Prop B – A New Deferred Retirement Option Program for the SFPD

The City is currently short 200 to 300 police officers in their force. Another 500 or so are up for retirement this year. Even with the increased pay offers and the high demand, there are just not enough recruits coming out of the Police Academy to cover the deficit.
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01/31/08

SF: Prop A – Clean and Safe Neighborhood Park Bonds, 2008

To my surprise, there are a couple of bonds measures that affect the residents of San Francisco to be voted on along with the primaries and State propositions.

Proposition A calls for issuing general obligation bonds worth $185,000,000 to be used to improve and repair the City’s public parks. This bond is the first step in the City’s 10-year Capital plan to renovate and retrofit the City’s infrastructure; the plan was passed by the voters last year. The funds generated from the bonds will be used in the following ways:
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01/19/08

CA: Prop 91 – Transportation Funds

On February 5, 2008, California will hold ballots to decide the fate of Prop 91-97. While watching the Warriors game the other night, commercials for and against the indian gaming propositions were shown incessantly. Although, TV had been the standard source for my political views, it’s probably a good idea to do some research now that I have an investment in the welfare of this state. Getting taxed so heavily makes people politically aware–I’m sure someone in history stated that before.
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