SF election wrap-up: keeping the environmental majority

In San Francisco, Nov. 2 was one schizophrenic election night. Hearts sank with the appearance of each red state on the map, yet spirits were lifted as local results went surprisingly well.

The first victory was San Francisco's election system itself: ranked-choice voting worked. Opponents wishing to scrap the new system were looking for ammunition to use against it, but the problems never materialized. There were no obscure dark horses beating wildly popular frontrunners, no wildly fluctuating election results with each successive round of vote counting, and except for an easily corrected minor computer glitch, no problems in determining the winners. The irregularities of Ohio - or of past San Francisco elections - were not seen in San Francisco's ranked-choice experiment.

By preventing runoff elections in at least three supervisorial districts, the new procedure saved San Francisco more than half a million dollars in a time of budget deficits. Also, December runoffs have notoriously low voter turnouts, making it easier for the candidate with the most money to influence the vote.

As it was, almost half a million dollars were spent attempting to unseat District 1 incumbent Jake McGoldrick, including $300 thousand by big-business interests and almost $200 thousand by McGoldrick's strongest challenger, Lillian Sing. Opponents used tactics that would make Karl Rove proud, such as claiming that McGoldrick was an absentee supervisor, when, in fact, McGoldrick has one of the best attendance records at the Board. Similar "hit pieces" were used against Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval.

In fact, Club-endorsed candidates were elected in five of the six districts where the Club made endorsements. McGoldrick and Sandoval were re-elected, along with Aaron Peskin and Tom Ammiano. Long-time environmental activist Ross Mirkarimi won overwhelmingly in District 5 to replace outgoing supervisor Matt Gonzalez. In short, San Francisco voters resoundingly re-elected a strongly environmentalist Board.

The money spent is an indication of the importance of the Board's environmental majority. A few years ago, the Board of Supervisors stopped San Francisco Airport from filling in the Bay for new runways. With air travel returning to pre-9/11 levels, rumblings in the political world indicate that the issue will reappear. We are still in a good position to insist on solving airport delays through traffic-control technologies rather than by filling the Bay.

The Board of Supervisors also plays a role in improving environmentally damaging projects that have been given the go-ahead at lower levels. That's because groups like the Sierra Club can challenge an Environmental Impact Report or a project, appealing it to the Board. This could be important in several upcoming projects, such as the proposed expansion of Marina Harbor.

This Board of Supervisors will also help to get good projects approved and built. One of the biggest now in progress is the Transbay Terminal reconstruction, which will turn the dilapidated bus terminal into a regional rail and bus transit hub. The current Board played an important role this year in purchasing a critical parcel of land required to create an underground rail corridor to the terminal. This tunnel will be used to bring Caltrain and eventually high-speed rail to downtown San Francisco. In the years ahead, we will need strong leadership from the Board to fulfill the promise of regional mass transit.

The environmental majority is also important during times of budgetary pressure. Funding for parks and open space, for Muni, and for the Department of Environment will be challenged during the next few years.

This Board of Supervisors can also continue to promote forward-thinking environmental proposals, such as the expansion of solar power, which is still in its infancy. There is much that can be done to increase recycling in business and institutions, to make it easier for bicycles to navigate through the city, and to reduce the impact of cars. The 2004 election will have a positive impact in San Francisco for years to come.

John Rizzo