Election Propositions Debated at Forum

By Peter Sciacca

An election forum sponsored by the Sunset-Parkside Education and Action Committee (SPEAK) in October gave west-side residents the opportunity to hear arguments in favor of and against several key ballot measures.

One of the first measures to be debated was Proposition A. Part of the $200 million bond proposal is to develop a "supportive" housing program for the homeless. Supportive housing combines affordable housing, medical care and social services. 

The other major component of the proposition is to acquire, build or renovate housing for low-income residents.

"The need for this bond is extreme," said the speaker in favor of the measure. "Most working residents struggle to own or even rent property in San Francisco. We have the resources to pay for this bond."

Proposition A's detractor said such an ambitious project needs to be split into two or three bonds.

"This is too much money to be spent at once," he said. "No matter what the other side says, homeowners will have to pay for this if it passes."

Bond measures passed by city voters are tacked onto the property taxes of city property owners.

As was the format for the evening, each speaker had a chance to respond to their adversary's claims.

"We need this bond to spur the production of affordable housing," Proposition A's supporter responded. "This issue is too complex for one bond to solve. It needs to be split into at least two bonds."

Proposition K seeks to draw income for the city by implementing a new tax that would affect several types of small businesses that are currently not required to pay taxes. San Francisco would generate about $43 million a year from the plan.

"It closes a loophole in the tax payment system and implements a small gross receipt tax (.1 percent) for businesses that make more than $500,000," the tax's supporter said.

Recently, Mayor Gavin Newsom has tried to make the measure more palatable by saying the threshold for the tax would be raised to $2 million. The tax would be levied on a business' gross receipts, not  its profits.

"I'm opposed to it because it was hastily designed and passed," said the measure's opponent, who is a small business owner. "It doubles taxes for small businesses. Revenues don't represent the size of a business."

The supporter countered by pointing out that a year of planning has gone into the proposition.

"A lot of these businesses aren't paying any taxes," he said.

Another tax measure that will appear on the ballot was the next topic of discussion. Proposition J calls for raising the city's sales tax from 8.5 percent to 8.75 percent. This is expected to shave about $34 million from San Francisco's budget shortfall.

"This is a favorable tax because 64 percent of it would came from business-to-business transactions and tourists," Proposition J's supporter said. "Nobody likes taxes but we are faced with tough choices to keep basic services running properly."

The opposing speaker suggested another solution for raising funds.

"The real hard choice is not to raise taxes but to stand up to labor unions and make cuts," he said. "I urge everyone to tell the mayor to face up to the reality of our budget and make cuts."

Newsom is counting on the two tax measures passing as part of this year's budget. He said cuts to city services and layoffs could result if they do not pass.

The main goal of Proposition L is to tap into hotel tax revenues for the purchase and preservation of independent movie theaters in San Francisco. The measure also seeks to use the funds to promote local filmmakers. The person scheduled to speak in support of it was a no show, but an opponent of the plan took center stage.

"It's a well intentioned but seriously flawed measure," the speaker said. "It will take $8 million out of the city's general fund with no accountability."

He also questioned the credibility of the measure's author, the group Save Our Theaters.

"This group has no track record when it comes to undertaking such a project," the speaker said. "They are not even based in San Francisco. This is a company from Los Angeles."  

Proposition B was the final measure presented to the audience and also featured a one-sided view. However, it was the person in favor of the plan who was the sole speaker.

The proposal's goal is to set aside $60 million in bond revenue to preserve, acquire and renovate San Francisco landmarks. Some of the sites that may benefit from the proposition are Golden Gate Park's McLaren Lodge, the Palace of Fine Arts, Old Mint, Bayview Opera House, Coit Tower and Sunnyside Conservatory.

"These are some of our most treasured landmarks," the measure's supporter said. "No more than 20 percent of funds will go toward any one project.

"This bond is a good way to get a lot of bang for our bucks."

Eight other propositions on the ballot were not discussed at the forum because no speakers from campaigns for or against them attended.