2006 local (San Francisco) endorsements

(our full list of endorsements for SF Board of Supervisor races are still in process as of 9/14)

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Re-Elect Chris Daly to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors

As we said four years ago, when Chris last ran for re-election, he has consistently been among the Board's strongest voices on environmental issues.

In 2003, as chair of the Transportation Authority, Chris formed a community-based committee to develop a 30-year expenditure plan for major transportation projects. He then led the campaign to reauthorize the half-cent sales tax to fund the plan. Highlights included funding for Bus Rapid Transit on Geary and Van Ness avenues. The largest earmark was for the Transbay Terminal project, which Chris, as a member of the Transbay Terminal Joint Powers Authority, has navigated through a very rocky approval process.

In March 2004 Chris authored and assured the adoption of Prop I, mandating that Muni replace its dirtiest (pre-1991) diesel buses by the end of 2006.

A champion of smart growth, Chris has facilitated the approval of high-density housing near major transit hubs and has pushed for lower parking minimums and maximums. As a member of the Joint Policy Committee and the Regional Planning Committee, Chris has pushed for policies that encourage smart growth, to protect green space and limit sprawl.

Chris has also succeeded in requiring the SF Public Utilities Commission to work with environmentalists on protection of the natural water resources and habitat in the Hetch Hetchy system.

Chris continues to serve on the Board of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and is pushing the District to take a more aggressive stance on climate change.

His re-election campaign is one of the Club's highest local priorities. Supervisor Daly is not only a leader here in our city of San Francisco, but also is someone providing vital leadership for the entire Bay Area. Unfortunately, Chris is up against some really dirty campaigning tactics and deep-pocketed foes. The best way to help us is
to volunteer on Chris’s campaign.

*Daly ‘06 Campaign Kickoff:
Saturday, Sept. 16 at 11AM
Daly headquarters
2973-16th Street (near 16th and Mission)

*Mondays and Wednesdays are Sierra Club Nights at the Daly campaign,
when we’ll meet up and spend a couple hours calling voters. It doesn’t
take much time, but it makes a huge difference.

To help out, contact Brad Johnson at (510) 848-0800 x316 or at
brad@sfbaysc.org

Or visit the campaign website at http://www.Daly06.com

Alix Rosenthal for Board of Supervisors, District 8

We are very impressed with this candidate, her knowledge of the issues and her commitment to environmental protection, and are pleased to endorse her. Please consider lending a hand to her campaign. Visit www.votealix.com or contact campaign manager, Rick Galbreath, at rickgalb@aol.com

A special note to Sierra Club members from Alix.........

My Fellow Sierrans:

There are only two organizations that I have belonged to all my adult life. Sierra Club is one of them. I am honored to have the Sierra Club’s endorsement of my candidacy for Supervisor of San Francisco’s District 8.

I understand, as you do, the importance of local action to address regional and even global problems. This is one of the reasons that I am running for Supervisor.

The incumbent has been absent on issues important to the Sierra Club. Fixated on small scale, squeaky wheel matters, he addresses individuals’ problems one at a time. A Supervisor must also see such complaints in a larger context and solve problems thousands at a time with broad-based policy, not band-aids. We can do better.

Our communities have been hit hard by out of control real estate speculation fueling middle class flight with sky-high rents and evictions displacing our most vulnerable residents. This exacerbates the crisis of urban sprawl. MUNI has raised fares and cut service which makes unnecessary car trips more common. And, the city lacks a basic, unified policy on the environment and green buildings.

District 8 needs leadership to address these and other issues in a broad-based manner to move toward a city that is affordable, livable and sustainable.

Solving the problems of the City solves the problems in our neighborhoods. As Supervisor, I will focus on the issues critical to the well being of our district and the city by:

Expanding affordable housing and middle class homeownership opportunities to do our part to reign in urban sprawl
Improving MUNI’s efficiency and reliability to reduce dependence on the automobile
Protecting our environment with proven innovations such as green roofs, solar energy and permeable hardscape technologies

Finally, unlike my opponent, I am strongly supporting the Sierra Club-sponsored Prop E to raise the parking tax on commuters. This measure will raise funds essential to getting MUNI on track and act as an incentive for people to take public transportation.

Please visit my web site at www.votealix.com for more details on how we can solve District 8’s problems while protecting San Francisco’s environmental, economic and cultural diversity.

- Alix Rosenthal

Emily Drennen for BART board of directors

Emily Drennen is an exceptional candidate for BART director, and Sierra Club is proud to support her. She is also endorsed by Speaker Pro Tempore Leland Yee, a majority of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, BART director Tom Radulovich, Rescue Muni, and other leading transportation and community activists.

Emily has worked for years to make our streets safer and our transportation systems more sustainable. She is the executive director of the pedestrian-advocacy group Walk SF, and is a member of the Citizen Advisory Councils for the Municipal Transit Agency, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, the SF Pedestrian Master Plan and Muni's Transit Effectiveness Project.

To get involved in Emily Drennen's campaign, contact Mike Daley at the Club's Bay Chapter office: mdaley(at)sfbaysc.org or (510) 848-0800 ext. 304 or contact Emily's campaign manager, Richard Dunn at 510.459.3561 or richard@emilydrennen.com

or go to www.emilydrennen.com

Join us at her campaign kick-off party, Tuesday October 3rd from 5:30 to 8pm at the Sheba Lounge - 1419 Fillmore at O'Farrell

Come enjoy live music, delicious hors d’oevres, and a no-host bar while learning more about Emily’s campaign.

John Rizzo for SF Community College Board

The Sierra Club is pleased to endorse long-time Bay Chapter leader John Rizzo in his campaign for the Board of Trustees of City College of San Francisco.

John's experience as chair of the Bay Chapter (and before that as chair of the San Francisco Group) positions him well as a 'green' challenger for one of three seats held by incumbents. John has shown leadership and developed his political skills working on a wide range of local environmental issues. These include renewable energy, protection of water resources, cleaner buses, protection of the waterfront from overdevelopment and parks advocacy.

Rizzo currently serves on the CCSF Bond Oversight Committee, which has been examining $600 million of CCSF capital projects. He put together an environmental task force to develop a City College Sustainability Plan. He co-authored a Sustainability Resolution, which was adopted by the CCSF Board in May.

As a trustee, John would author resolutions to direct staff to create a transportation plan for the CCSF system of 10 campuses. He would encourage bike commuting and discourage driving by making the Ocean Campus car free. John supports green-building standards for all new and
renovated buildings at CCSF.

John would work to create a new trade certification program in clean energy as one program to prepare students for a green economy.

In addition to the Sierra Club, a wide range of elected and community leaders have endorsed John Rizzo.

For more info, or to help John's campaign, please visit www.johnrizzoforcollegeboard.com

Support Proposition E in San Francisco

Increased parking tax will help discourage driving and improve MUNI

Proposition E is one part of the San Francisco Group's long-term efforts to reduce the city's production of air pollution and global warming gases. The measure, placed on the ballot by Supervisor Daly at the San Francisco Group's behest, would raise the parking tax to induce people to drive less in San Francisco.

For a complete description and arguments in support of Prop E, see the Sept-Oct Yodeler article, page 14.

Politics & Issues