Today is the first of four furlough days SFUSD adopted for this school year to close our yawning budget gap. As I sit here watching my daughter happily surf the web instead of doing in math in her 5th grade classroom, I think today’s forced vacation is a good opportunity to reflect on how things could be different — and what better way to do that than reading your voter guide and preparing to VOTE tomorrow! Here are some of my choices in local, down-ballot races:
- School Board: Brodkin, Mendoza Murase — these candidates have deep involvement in the district as parents and advocates and I would be proud to serve with them. Mendoza is an incumbent with a strong consensus she should be re-elected; of the newcomers, Margaret Brodkin has a 30-year record as an advocate in SF; Emily Murase has deep roots in the community as a product of SFUSD and a current parent of two children in the district. She will be a thoughtful, dedicated board member who deserves election. Please vote for Hydra, Emily and Margaret!
- District 8 Supervisor: Rebecca Prozan
- Superior Court Judge: Michael Nava
- Prop B: No. We need to address the City’s burgeoning pension liabilities but this isn’t the answer, in part because it will hit teachers hard.
- Prop D: Yes — I initially had some concerns about non-citizen voting, but I think this ballot initiative will give immigrant parents (of which there are many in SFUSD) an added stake in our district. It’s not a magic bullet for parent empowerment, but it can’t hurt!
- Prop G: Yes! Fix Muni Now!
- Prop L: No. Sidewalks are for people.
Rachel Norton 
Rachel,
We are all very glad Prop B didn’t pass. My husband is employed by SFUSD and already we have seen an 30% increase in the last 3 years of our out-of-pocket monthly expenditure on healthcare with no changes to our family of four. Is that cost to support the “rising cost of healthcare” or the fattening wallets of the insurance companies? The latter. And that is why Prop B was so misguided. Why not attack the cost at its source and have unions like UESF and city employees put pressure on the cities HR team, CFO to negotiate a better deal for its constituents? The city shouldn’t have to pay more, and neither should we. Blue Shield, Kaiser etc. should take a hit, too.
Thanks,
Alison