League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	San Francisco County, CA November 2, 2010 Election
	Proposition H Local Elected Officials on Political Party Committees County of San Francisco Ordinance - Majority Approval Required Fail: 103141 / 42.44% Yes votes ...... 139878 / 57.56% No votes See Also: Index of all Propositions

Arguments For Proposition H

Arguments Against Proposition H

Preserve the Integrity of City Government Current law allows elected officials in San Francisco to also serve as elected members of a political party central committee. So it is no surprise that in San Francisco, dual office-holding is common. The problems? These offices are governed by different ethics and campaign finance laws. Therefore, dual office-holders risk the perception or possibility of conflict of interest. Actions that are illegal for a member of the Board of Supervisors - such as taking unlimited contributions or contributions from entities doing business with the City - are perfectly legal to do as a member of a political party. We must protect the sanctity of the strong ethics laws San Franciscans have imposed on their elected officials. We need more representation not less. There are only 18 elected offices in San Francisco's government and limited seats on the various central committees: one individual should not take up multiple elected seats, depriving other residents of the opportunity to contribute. Division of loyalties: which elected office comes first? Any perceived or actual division of loyalties caused by local elected officials' service on political party county central committees is contrary to good government. These problems have a simple solution: prohibit dual office-holding. This prohibition furthers good government by separating duties of elected officials from the political activities of central committees. These duties can collide: a prohibition on dual office-holding is the only way to eliminate this conflict. This change also closes a big campaign finance loophole: elected members of City government can accept large campaign contributions solely because they serve as political party officials. Otherwise, these types of contributions would be against the rules. San Franciscans deserve more fairness, integrity, and transparency in government. Prohibiting dual office-holding is a step in the right direction. Mayor Gavin Newsom Rebuttal to Arguments For Prop H is about petty politics, not good government. Proponents throw out a lot of jargon regarding "dual-office holding" and "division of loyalties." But they can't point to a single concrete problem. Why? Because Prop H is about petty politics, not good government. A "solution" looking for a problem. In the past two years, candidates for positions on county central committees spent an average of $4,374. They ran mostly grassroots, word-of-mouth campaigns. Not a single ethics complaint regarding dual office holding or division of loyalties was ever filed. A hypocritical double standard. The worst part about Prop H is the hypocritical double standard. Under Prop H, the majority of San Francisco elected officials would still be able to serve on party central committees. It makes no sense to ban some from serving while officials from the School Board, Community College Board, State Assembly, State Senate, Congress, US Senate and statewide offices such as Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General would all be able to serve. Hurts grassroots democracy. Local political parties should have the right to elect their own leaders. These parties are the foundation of democratic self-government. They register voters, encourage people to vote, and ensure that local voices are heard in state and federal government. To be effective, they need the experience and guidance of all their elected officials + not just some of them. Tom Ammiano

PETTY POLITICS, NOT GOOD GOVERNMENT. VOTE "NO" ON PROPOSITION H. Proposition H was put on the ballot for the worst of reasons + petty, partisan politics of personality. Usually, that would be a good enough reason to oppose Proposition H. But Prop H goes further. It creates a discriminatory double-standard that gives some elected officials greater power than others and hurts local party efforts that are essential to our democracy. Here's what you need to know about Proposition H before you vote: PETTY POLITICS, NOT GOOD GOVERNMENT. Proposition H was placed on the ballot by Mayor Newsom after his hand-picked candidates for the Democratic Central Committee lost their elections. It's about getting even, not about good government. "H' IS FOR "HYPOCRISY." Although the Mayor's ballot measure would actually outlaw the Mayor, citywide elected officials and Supervisors from serving on their party central committee, the Mayor just fought to get seated on + you guessed it + the Democratic Party Central Committee. CREATES A DECEPTIVE DOUBLE-STANDARD. If Proposition H passes, almost every elected official in San Francisco would be able to serve on their party's central committee except the Mayor, citywide elected officials and Supervisors. Elected officials from the School Board, Community College Board, State Assembly, State Senate, Congress, US Senate would all be able to serve. HURTS LOCAL DEMOCRATIC EFFORTS. Local political parties are the foundation of democratic self-government. They register voters, encourage people to vote, and ensure that local voices are heard in state and federal government. To be effective, they need the experience and guidance of all their elected officials + not just some of them. I urge San Franciscans to reject petty politics and vote NO on H. Tom Ammiano Rebuttal to Arguments Against Prop H = Transparent, Clean Government Elected City officials and elected members of political party central committees are governed by different ethics and campaign finance laws. Therefore, individuals who are elected to office in both of these arenas risk the perception or possibility of conflict of interest. Prop H removes this conflict. Prop H = Elected Officials with One Sole Focus Serving as an elected official is a serious commitment. Voters deserve elected representatives who are solely focused on fulfilling the duties for which they were elected: not trying to do two jobs at once by serving in City Hall and on a political party committee at the same time. Prop H = More Representation, Not Less Voters deserve fair representation, not representation from a select view who dominate multiple elected seats. What does Prop H Do? Prop H removes these problems by prohibiting an elected City official from ALSO being an elected member of a central committee. In other words: individuals have to choose which local office they most want to hold. San Francisco Voters Deserve Good Government and should be able to hold the Mayor, citywide elected officials, and Supervisors accountable for their actions. I urge all San Franciscans to support good government. Vote YES on H. Mayor Gavin Newsom