November 5th is days way! Yikes. As if you didn’t know. Democratic campaign headquarters, 901 Market St @ 5th, has phone bank shifts 10am-8pm every day. Sign up here. VOTE, early if possible, and get your like-minded friends and family to do the same. At all levels, from local to national, it’s all about turnout. Then, let’s relax (as if!), socialize and wish each other luck. Come to the Connecticut Yankee, 100 Connecticut St, 6:30-7:30pm and find us either in the back room or out on the patio.

Later that night…

Progressive kindred spirits will gather at El Rio, 8:30 to midnight.

Another free event is at 111 Minna Gallery, 7 to 10pm.

Big fun this Saturday! Come see us at our table – look for our banner – and check out our endorsements. Hang out to talk politics – or not! Jam out to R&B music while celebrating the Potrero Hill community outdoors over 4 blocks with live music, food, family, and friends:

20th Street between Missouri & Carolina

Saturday, October 19, 10am to 4pm

The Festival, a one-of-a-kind community event for all ages, is a benefit for the Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, our local community center providing essential services to Potrero’s residents most in need. 

PHDC has had several fun watch parties in the backroom at the Yankee over the years. Since the U.S. VP debate this year falls on our regular monthly meeting night, we will gather there again. Light snacks provided, drinks and additional food available. Now that Club endorsements are complete, we are inviting endorsed campaigns and candidates to drop by with lit and window signs. 

Potrero Hill Democratic Club VP Debate Watch Party

Tuesday, October 1st, 6:00-7:30pm

Connecticut Yankee back room (pool room), 100 Connecticut St @ 17th

60% of votes cast is required for endorsement for propositions and single-winner races, and 50% for multiple-seat races.

If an office or proposition is not listed, that means no candidate or position reached the threshold for endorsement in that race; therefore the Club could take no position.

US President/Vice President
KAMALA HARRIS/TIM WALZ

United States Senator
ADAM SCHIFF

United States House of Representatives, District 11
NANCY PELOSI

State Senate, District 11
SCOTT WIENER

State Assembly, District 17
MATT HANEY

BART Director, District 9
EDWARD WRIGHT

San Francisco City Attorney
DAVID CHIU

San Francisco Sheriff
PAUL MIYAMOTO

San Francisco Treasurer
JOSÉ CISNEROS

San Francisco Board of Education
MATT ALEXANDER
PARAG GUPTA
JAIME HULING
SUPRYIA RAY

San Francisco Community College Board
ALIYA CHISTI
RUTH FERGUSON
HEATHER MCCARTY
LUIS ZAMORA

San Francisco Propositions – remainder coming after Sept 17
A – YES!! Schools improvement & safety bond
B – YES Health, streets, shelter bond
C – YES Inspector General
D – NO City commissions & mayoral authority
G – YES Rental subsidies for low-income etc
I – YES Retirement benefits for nurses, 911 operators
J – YES Funding for children and youth
L – YES Tax the ride-hails to fund the bus
M – YES Changes to business tax
O – YES!! Supporting reproductive rights

Regional measure (alas, withdrawn by proponents)
4 – YES!!  Bay Area Affordable Housing Bond

California Propositions
2 – YES!!  Public education facilities bond
3 – YES!!   Reaffirm marriage equality
4 – YES!!  Climate resilience bond re: water, wildfires, parks, energy
5 – YES!!  Approval threshold lowered to 55% for local infrastructure & affordable housing bonds
6 – YES!!  Limit forced labor in state prisons
32 – YES Increase minimum wage to $18/hour
33 – YES  Repeal Costa-Hawkins to allow local regulations on rent control
34- NO Landlords requiring AIDS Health Foundation to spend 98% on patient care
35 – YES Permanent tax on managed healthcare org’s, to fund MediCal

!! = unanimous

Please join us at Potrero Hill Neighborhood House in-person (preferred), or online – zoom ink here – as we address the rest of what’s on your ballot.

The meeting will begin with a City College Board of Trustees Candidate Forum, moderated by PHDC board member and educator Sara O’Neill. 

Potrero Hill Democratic Club Endorsement Meeting, Round 3 

for the November 5, 2024 Election

Tuesday, Sept 17th, 6:30 sharp

Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St @ Southern Hts

Online option will be available

We will consider the remaining candidates and measures on the ballot, and cast our votes that evening.

Endorsements made earlier are here.

US President/Vice President
KAMALA HARRIS/TIM WALZ

United States Senator
ADAM SCHIFF

United States House of Representatives, District 11
NANCY PELOSI

San Francisco Treasurer
JOSÉ CISNEROS

San Francisco Board of Education
MATT ALEXANDER
PARAG GUPTA
JAIME HULING
SUPRYIA RAY

San Francisco Propositions – remainder coming after Sept 17
A – YES!! Schools improvement & safety bond
C – YES Inspector General
D – NO City commissions & mayoral authority
E – no position
G – YES Rental subsidies for low-income etc
L – YES Tax the ride-hails to fund the bus
M – YES Changes to business tax

Please join us at Potrero Hill Neighborhood House in-person (preferred), or online – zoom info coming soon – as we continue to address what’s on your ballot.

The meeting will begin with a School Board Candidate Forum, moderated by SFUSD parent and PHDC board member Sara O’Neill. 

Potrero Hill Democratic Club Endorsement Meeting, Round 2 

for the November 5, 2024 Election

Tuesday, Sept 3rd, 6:30 sharp

Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St @ Southern Hts

Online option will be available

We will consider several offices and approximately half of the local ballot measures, and cast our votes that evening. We will tackle what’s left on the ballot two weeks later.

Endorsements from Sept 3rd and earlier are here.

Thanks everyone who worked on, spoke at, and attended our virtual endorsement meeting August 6!

60% of votes is the threshold required for endorsement of propositions and in single-winner races, and 50% is required for multiple-seat races. The rest of the ballot will be covered and voted on September 3rd and September 17th, at Potrero Hill Neighborhood House.

State Senate, District 11
SCOTT WIENER

State Assembly, District 17
MATT HANEY

BART Director, District 9
EDWARD WRIGHT

San Francisco City Attorney
DAVID CHIU

San Francisco District Attorney
no position

San Francisco Sheriff
PAUL MIYAMOTO

Regional measure
4 – YES!!  Bay Area Affordable Housing Bond

California Propositions
2 – YES!!  Public education facilities bond
3 – YES!!   Reaffirm marriage equality
4 – YES!!  Climate resilience bond re: water, wildfires, parks, energy
5 – YES!!  Approval threshold lowered to 55% for local infrastructure & affordable housing bonds
6 – YES!!  Limit forced labor in state prisons
32 – YES Increase minimum wage to $18/hour
33 – coming later  Repeal Costa-Hawkins to allow local regulations on rent control
34- NO Landlords requiring AIDS Health Foundation to spend 98% on patient care
35 – YES Permanent tax on managed healthcare org’s, to fund MediCal
36 – no position  Increase theft and drug crime penalties

!! = unanimous

This is the first in a series of three; the next two endorsement meetings will be in-person at Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, Sept 3rd and 17th.

Join your neighbors for a series of Q&A forums to get to know the candidates and share what’s top of mind for Dogpatch & Potrero Hill residents. All forums begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Dogpatch Hub, 1278 Minnesota Street @ 24th Doors open at 6, refreshments served, no candidate endorsements associated with these events (but Potrero Hill Democratic Club will endorse, see below). Organized by neighbors Jen Betti, Kopal Maheshwari, Matt Nessier & Joan Meyer. To guarantee your seat, RSVP for each forum individually: Ahsha Safaí Wed 8/7; Mark Farrell Fri 8/9; Daniel Lurie Tues 8/13; Aaron Peskin Tues 8/20; London Breed Thurs 8/29.

PHDC has created a questionnaire which we asked each of the 5 candidates to complete; you can find a link to the questionnaires we received here. Due to circumstances beyond our control, PHDC will not host a mayoral candidate debate this year, but club members will vote to endorse in this race. So we want our members to be as informed as possible.

Our July monthly meeting will occur at yhe opening day of San Francisco Mime Troupe‘s 2024 show, “American Dreams,” kicking off its summer season in the parks. Instead of registering voters, we will be raising public awareness of a coming ballot measure, The ComMUNIty Transit Act, to increase operations funding for Muni with revenue from a new business tax on ride-hail companies.

WHAT: Potrero Hill Democratic Club’s monthly “meeting”

WHEN: Thursday, July 4th, 12:30pm 

WHERE: Meet at 19th & Dolores Streets at the edge of the Park

To participate, email contact_us@phdemclub.org

Our next monthly meeting will be virtual, but don’t worry, some upcoming endorsement events will be in-person at the wonderful Potrero Hill Neighborhood House. Meanwhile, join us this Tuesday:

WHAT: Potrero Hill Democratic Club’s monthly membership meeting

WHEN: Tuesday, June 4th, 7pm 

WHERE On zoom – link here

The ComMUNIty Transit Act is a community-led ballot initiative to increase funding for Muni with revenue from a new business tax on ride-hail companies. SF Transit Riders will tell you all about it and answer your questions. Signature-gathering to qualify it for the November ballot is well underway, and you will be invited to join the effort.

Officer elections. Nominations have been made and are still open for all positions on the Executive Committee. Members will vote at the start of the meeting.

Hear from Flip the Vote, strategically working towards winning Democratic control of all three branches of the federal government by directly supporting carefully-researched, trusted partner groups in key swing states. And PHDC members representing SF Climate Emergency Coalition and Citizens’ Climate Lobby SF chapter will describe the critical work being done to promote climate action at the local level and beyond. We will continue to nominate officers (voting at June 4th meeting) and highlight upcoming endorsement events.

WHAT: Potrero Hill Democratic Club’s monthly membership meeting

WHEN: Tuesday, May 7, 6:30pm 

WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St. If unable to join in person, here’s the zoom link. In-person is much-preferred!

Many of us in Potrero Hill Democratic Club have appreciated its longtime, vibrant progressive voice in east-side San Francisco politics, and would like to see it come back strong. Please join us as we breathe new life into our club. The City needs us! We’ll be gearing up for the crucial November election – and speaking up for true San Francisco values.

Come to an opinion-gathering, organizing meeting and let us know what you would like to see.

Let’s really bring it back this time.

A non-election year does not mean there’s nothing to talk, learn and/or get excited about in the world of politics. People who have been elected need to be urged to do the right thing. What do YOU care most about? Come to the library and we’ll talk!

WHAT: Potrero Hill Democratic Club’s first meeting of 2023

WHEN: Tuesday, January 3, 6 – 7:30pm

WHERE: Potrero Branch Library, 1616 – 20th St, upstairs, masks encouraged

Please join us Monday, October 3, 6:30 – 7:30pm on Zoom. This is our typical (well, except that it’s virtual) month-before-the-election membership meeting, when we invite endorsed candidates and ballot measures for members and friends to have another look and learn more about the campaigns. Here’s the Zoom link.

First up: August 30th, 6:30pm

We will begin our series of educational/endorsement meetings for the November election on Tuesday, August 30th with the District 10 Supervisor race (debate, moderated by J.R. Eppler), plus candidates for Public Defender and District Attorney. Club members in good standing will vote that evening. This meeting, cosponsored by the Potrero Boosters, will be on Zoom.

Update – endorsement vote results: District 10 Supervisor – Shamann Walton; District Attorney – no position; Public Defender – no position. (In order to secure the club’s endorsement, a candidate would have to receive 60% of votes cast. If no candidate does that, the club takes no position in the race.)

Tues Sept 6th (right after Labor Day), 6:30pm on Zoom: Local & state ballot measures

• Fourteen local ballot measures, arguments pro & con
• Seven California measures too
• Endorsement vote

Update – endorsement vote results on propositions are here.

Tues Sept 13th, 6:30pm: School Night! Board of Education candidate panel moderated by Sara O’Neill; pitches from candidates for CCSF Board of Trustees; endorsement vote.

Update: Endorsements from School Night. Board of Education: Alida Fisher, Lainie Motamedi, Lisa Weissman-Ward. Community College Board (4-yr term): Vick Chung, Anita Martinez, Susan Solomon. Community College Board (2-yr term): Adolfo Velasquez.

☞ If you are a voting member in good standing, you will receive an appropriate ballot before each meeting. Please note: For statewide offices, our Primary Election endorsements carry over.

Please join us again at the historic, beautiful Neighborhood House in person. Masks and proof of vaccination are required to enter the building. Light snacks will be served.

• WHAT: PHDC’s June membership meeting
• WHEN: Tuesday, June 14th, 6:30 – 8:30pm
• WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St

We will hear two points of view about CCSF’s budget: AFT 2121 president Mary Bravewoman and Labor Council delegate Tim Killikelly will speak to us about opposing future cuts, and supporting an initiative to bring new revenue to CCSF. CCSF Chancellor David Martin will speak from the perspective of the administration, and may be joined by a member of the Board of Trustees.

We will hear what the Mayor has allocated for equitable – or any – climate action in her June 1st budget proposal: nothing! But it’s not over yet. Joni Eisen of SF Climate Emergency Coalition will describe how those who care about a livable planet for our children and grandchildren are turning to the Board of Supervisors, who will spend most of this month deciding what and how much to “add back” to the Mayor’s budget.

Come hear speakers pro and con on San Francisco Propositions A through H, including the DA recall. All are welcome, and members in good standing are eligible to vote. If you were a voting member in 2019 or 2020, you can renew now.

WHEN: Tues May 3, 6:30pm WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St

Update: Here are all PHDC endorsements for June 7th.

The Club also voted on some early endorsements for the June 7th primary. Results are here.

• WHAT: Redistricting & what it might mean to D10 & you
• WHEN: Tuesday, February 1st, 6:30 – 7:30pm
• WHERE: Zoom

The recent census counted San Francisco’s population at 874,993. The map below indicates how much each district has grown or shrunk in the past decade. To divide the districts evenly by population, the Redistricting Task Force aims for 79,545 people in each of the 11 districts. District 10, at 86,323, is too big. What will they do to us?

According to PHDC board member and Boosters president J.R. Eppler, “With a District 10 community meeting scheduled for February 4, it’s time for our feedback to be heard… Ensure that outsiders do not dictate our community to us.” J.R. will explain more at the meeting: how you can participate, and why it matters.

Meet, compare & contrast the four candidates running for California State Assembly in the Feb. 15th Special Election: David Campos, Matt Haney, Bilal Mahmood, Thea Selby. Check out their websites by clicking on their names. Moderator will be acclaimed journalist Joe Eskenazi, currently with Mission Local.

Cosponsored by Potrero Boosters, Potrero Dogpatch Merchants Association and Dogpatch Neighborhood Association. In the interest of health and science, we have decided to revert to zoom – but the show will go on!

Endorsement vote update: No single candidate garnered the requisite 60% of votes cast, so right now our position is No position. However, we may extend the voting deadline so more members can participate and increase the chance of the club reaching an endorsement.

In case you missed the forum, here’s a link to the recording.

We are pleased to announce that PHDC has been officially rechartered by the San Francisco Democratic Party – and we’re absolutely thrilled to announce that our beautiful, historic Neighborhood House at 953 De Haro St has reopened for in-person events. Proof of vaccination is required to enter the facility, and masks are required when not eating or drinking.

On the agenda are the Feb. 15th special election: School Board recalls and electing the Assessor-Recorder. Also some club business and a social hour to reconnect! At our January 4th meeting, we will address the rest of the Feb 15th election: the race to represent District 17 in the State Assembly.

In January, we nominated most of the existing Executive Committee members to return for 2021. Nominations will remain open and we will elect the Club Executive Committee on Tuesday. We’ll also discuss the possible recall election of Governor Gavin Newsom. Trump-aligned groups are cynically using COVID-19 to reverse California’s progress and potentially put a Republican in the Governor’s office. Join us at 6:30pm on Zoom. For the link to join, email contact_us@phdemclub.org

Potrero Hill Democratic Club invites you to meet people running for CA Democratic Party delegate in Assembly District 17. What do delegates do?
• Elect party officers & regional directors
• Vote on the party’s endorsements of candidates & ballot measures
• Establish the party’s platform & focus
For Zoom info, email contact_us@phdemclub.org

Tuesday, Jan. 19, 6 – 8pm

For zoom link, email contact_us@phdemclub.org – or view the live-streamed event on our Facebook page at 6pm Jan. 19th. 

…to register to get a mail-in, postage-paid ballot to vote in the upcoming California Democratic Party delegate elections. Register here. For more information and Assembly District 17 candidate statements, click here.

Save the date: Tuesday, Jan. 19th at 6pm, PHDC will host a virtual AD 17 Candidate Forum! To vote, you must already be registered for a ballot.

Happy New Year! Please join us Tuesday, January 5 at 6:00 PM for the first Potrero Hill Democratic Club meeting of 2021.
The primary agenda item will be to discuss the Assembly Delegate elections. Assembly delegates help steer the direction of the state party and vote on policy, platform and endorsements.
This year, the entire election will be held by mail. To be eligible to vote, you must register by January 11th with the California Democratic Party here. A ballot will be mailed to your home and you can return it postage paid.
We’ll hear about the key slates running in this election: Progressive Power SF, Rise Together, and the People’s Delegates. We’re also planning an ADEM candidates’ forum for January 19th at 6:00 PM, and will discuss format for that educational event.
We also have some official Club business:

• Nominating 2021 officers to be elected in February;
• Chartering with the San Francisco Democratic Party; and
• Discussing the membership renewal process.

Contact us for meeting login details.

Here are the endorsements for the November 3, 2020 general election made by member vote at the Potrero Hill Democratic Club meeting on Tuesday, September 1, 2020.

all endorsements for November 3, 2020

BART Board

District 7: LATEEFAH SIMON

District 9: BEVAN DUFTY

Board of Education

Voters can choose up to four.

MATT ALEXANDER

KEVINE BOGGESS

ALIDA FISHER

MARK SANCHEZ

City and Regional Propositions

A – YES Health & Homelessness, Parks, and Streets Bond
B – YES Department of Sanitation and Streets, Sanitation and Streets Commission, and Public Works Commission
C – YES Removing Citizenship Requirements for Members of City Bodies
D – YES Sheriff Oversight
E – YES Police Staffing
F – YES Business Tax Overhaul
G – no position Youth Voting in Local Elections
H – no position Neighborhood Commercial Districts and City Permitting
I – YES Real Estate Transfer Tax
J – YES Parcel Tax for SFUSD
K – YES Affordable Housing Authorization
L – YES Business Tax Based on Comparison of Top Executive’s Pay to Employees’ Pay
RR – YES Caltrain Sales Tax

Join us virtually as we consider candidates for Board of Education and BART Board, plus local measures pro& con. Email us at contact_us@phdemclub.org for Zoom login info.

2020 Board of Education candidate questionnaire responses

Here are the endorsements for the November 3, 2020 general election made by member vote at the Potrero Hill Democratic Club meeting on Tuesday, August 4, 2020.

City College Board

Voters can choose up to four.

TOM TEMPRANO

SHANELL WILLIAMS

ALAN WONG

HAN ZOU

State Propositions

14 – YES Stem Cell Research Institute Bonds. Initiative

15 – YES Tax on Commercial and Industrial Properties for Education and Local Government Funding. Initiative constitutional amendment

16 – YES Repeal Proposition 209, Reinstate Affirmative Action. Amendment

17 – YES Voting Rights Restoration for Persons on Parole. Amendment

18 – YES Primary Voting for 17-Year-Olds. Amendment

19 – YES Property Tax Transfers, Exemptions, and Revenue for Wildfire Agencies and Counties. Amendment

20 – NO Criminal Sentencing, Parole, and DNA Collection. Initiative

21 – YES Local Rent Control. Initiative

22 – NO App-Based Drivers as Contractors and Labor Policies. Initiative

23 –  no position Dialysis Clinic Requirements. Initiative

24 – NO Consumer Personal Information Law and Agency. Initiative

25 – YES Replace Cash Bail with Risk Assessments. Referendum

One key role of the Club is making informed endorsements. Primary endorsements for federal and state offices remain in effect for the General Election. We are sending questionnaires to local candidates and researching local and state measures to ensure our endorsement process is inclusive and informative.

With so many candidates and measures this November, we’ll have two meetings. On August 4th, we’ll consider state propositions and City College Board. On September 1st, we’ll discuss the Board of Education, BART Board and local ballot measures. We will have a robust program to ensure all residents of our community vote on or before November 3rd.
Please mark your calendars for the August 4th and September 1st meetings, beginning at 7:00 PM online. Complete details for each meeting, including call-in information and, for voting members, a ballot to complete and return, will be sent shortly before the meetings.

2020 City College Questionnaire Responses

How are these two crises connected? Explore the many ways with our thought-provoking speakers, Dr. Tom Newman, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and Hunter Cutting, Sierra Club SF Group.

The meeting is Tuesday, June 2, 7:00 – 8:00pm. Join from wherever you are! When you register in advance for this meeting, you will receive login info.

Membership & Endorsements.  In order to make endorsements for the November election, we need you to vote! First, please renew your membership so you’ll be eligible – still a real deal at only $25/year, $10 more for each additional household member. If you haven’t been a paid-up member since before 2019 (email contact_us@phdemclub.org to check), you must have paid your dues 2 months before voting. We expect to start having endorsement votes right after close of filing in August. Everyone must have attended at least 2 meetings or other PHDC-sponsored events in the year prior to voting. And yes, now virtual attendance counts!

We are going to meet virtually to plan for November’s election and keep up to date with COVID-19 developments

This Tuesday, May 5 at 7:00 PM would usually be our regular meeting at the Neighborhood House. With Shelter-In-Place extended for another month, we’ll connect and discuss our plans for November by Zoom.
1. Voter’s Choice The Board of Supervisors is considering legislation to change November’s election. The proposal will send every San Francisco voter a ballot to return by mail. We will discuss this measure and how it will impact our work of registering and turning out voters. We’ve invited District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton to join this important discussion.
2. Membership & Endorsements In order to make endorsements for the November election, we need you! First, please renew your membership so you’ll be eligible to vote. We expect to make endorsements right after close of filing in August.
3. Make sure your voter registration is up-to-date. One thing we can do with this extra time is make sure we’re all registered to vote. If someone in your household has turned 18, or you’ve moved recently, or you have a new housemate, it’s a good time to register. The Elections Department has a Voter Portal that allows you to check your registration here. You can make changes to your voter record here.
4. COVID-19 Updates In these challenging and ever changing times, it’s important to keep up with current information to protect ourselves and others. sf.gov/coronavirus is the local website with the most current updates. You can also call 3-1-1 for information and resources such as food, transportation and healthcare.

Potrero Hill is ready to support the Democratic team. We’re united in support of Speaker Nancy Pelosi and candidates and causes up and down the ballot. Join us at the Yankee to watch the returns.

We owe a big, heartfelt thanks to Colleen McCarthy for her leadership. She’s working across the country to elect Democrats.Now it’s our turn to work here in the community.

We welcome you to watch the election results in our neighborhood. Sign up here:

WHEN: Tuesday, March 3rd at 7pm
WHERE: Connecticut Yankee, 100 Connecticut at 17th

The club’s endorsements are here.

Interested in being involved with the Potrero Hill Dem Club this year? Want to help Dems win in 2020?
Join us next Tuesday to help plan how we educate and turn out Potrero Hill voters and more for this momentous election.
We’ll also be voting on Executive Committee roles and looking for volunteers who would like to be involved with other committees, such as member engagement and voter contact. We also continue to seek candidates to run for Executive Committee positions including Vice President, Membership and Secretary.
Without candidates for Executive Committee positions and volunteers for committees, the Club will not be able to continue its programming. The PHDC will do crucial work engaging Potrero Hill residents in the 2020 elections, which will be about much more than just the choice of a new president.
Please join us and help Potrero Hill be part of a blue 2020!
Please RSVP here and fill out our short survey to help us plan the meeting.

WHEN: Tuesday, February 4, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St

The Potrero Hill Democratic Club voted January 7 on endorsements for the March 3, 2020 Presidential Primary Election.

Endorsements

Endorsement in a single seat race requires that a candidate receives at least 60% of votes cast by Regular members present and members voting by absentee ballot. “No Position” means that no candidates received at least 60% of the vote.

Democratic Presidential Candidate
Elizabeth Warren

U.S. Representative, District 12
Nancy Pelosi

State Senate, District 11
No Position

State Assembly, District 17
David Chiu

Superior Court Judge, Seat 1
No Position

Superior Court Judge, Seat 18
Dorothy Chou Proudfoot

Superior Court Judge, Seat 21
Rani Singh

AD-17, DCCC
The endorsement threshold for multi-seat races, where candidates do not need a majority of votes to win on election day, is 50% of the votes cast by Regular members present and members voting by absentee ballot.

Anabel Ibanez
Austin Hunter
Bevan Dufty
David Campos
Frances Hsieh
Hillary Ronen
Jane Kim
John Avalos
Matt Haney
Rafael Mandelman
Shamann Walton
Shannell Williams
Shaun Haines
Sophie Maxwell

Measures
Yes on A (City College Job Training, Repair and Earthquake Safety Measure)
Yes on B (San Francisco Earthquake Safety and Emergency Response Bond, 2020)
Yes on C (Retiree Health Care Benefits for Former Employees of the San Francisco Housing Authority)
Yes on D (Vacancy Tax)
Yes on E (Limits on Office Development)

The Presidential Primary Election is March 3, and we’ll be voting on our club endorsements in our January meeting. Join us to hear from candidates, review all the ballot measures, and vote on endorsements!

Date: Tuesday, January 7 at 7 pm

Location: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St

Endorsements:

• Democratic Presidential Nominee [See information below from the December meeting]
• US Congress, District 12 Primary
• California State Senate District 11 Primary
• California State Assembly District 17 Primary
• DCCC, AD-17 (14 seats) [See information below from the December meeting]
• SF Superior Court Judges, Seats 1, 18, and 21
• Propositions

All can attend to get informed about what’s on the ballot. Regular members who have attended at least 2 meetings/events in 2019 and are current on their membership dues can vote on endorsements.

If you are a member who fulfills the requirements above and cannot attend the meeting, you are eligible to vote by absentee. If you would like to vote by absentee ballot, please send us an email at contact_us@phdemclub.org by December 30, 2019.

Absentee ballots will be provided by end of day Friday, January 3, and must be emailed back by 5 pm on Monday, January 6.

We had a spirited meeting on December 3. Learn more below about the topics.

Democratic Presidential Candidates

Representatives from the following campaigns attended the meeting.

Elizabeth Warren

Bernie Sanders

Amy Klobuchar

Pete Buttigieg

AD-17 DCCC Candidates*

17 AD-17 candidates attended our meeting. If you were unable to attend, you can listen to the following audio.

DCCC AD-17 Candidate Panel Audio

You can hear the candidates on the audio linked above. They spoke to the Club in the following order:

Nima Rahimi

Shaun Haines

Mick Del Rosario

David Campos

Laura Foote

Alysabeth Alexander Tut

Austin Hunter

Sophie Maxwell

Mike Chen

Shamann Walton

Anietie Ekenam

Jane Kim

Bivett Brackett

Peter Gallotta

Rick Hauptman

Frances Hsieh

Nomvula O’Meara

Two other candidates were unable to attend but provided answers to some of the questions posed to candidates linked below:

Tyra Fennell

Steven Buss

*Some candidates may no longer be running or may not have received the signatures required to be on the ballot at the time you are viewing this information.

WHEN: Tuesday, December 3, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St

As we gear up for 2020, we are getting a head start on the primary discussions. First, local super volunteers from some of the presidential campaigns will discuss why they support their candidate (all were invited).

And, we’ve invited the candidates for County Central Committee, AD-17 to talk about why they want to help lead the DCCC. Don’t know what this is all about? In March, you’ll be asked to vote for 14 representatives from a field of 26+, so we’ll help you make the right choices!

Finally, we’ll wrap up the meeting with a discussion of what activities and topics you’d like to see the Potrero Hill Dem Club take on in 2020. Come and make your voice heard!

In just a few days, we’ll be wrapping up the 2019 election season (make sure you vote on or before Tuesday, November 5 – see Club endorsements here!) and launching ourselves into 2020.

Join your fellow PHDC members to celebrate the year and get ready for the momentous events of 2020. Plus, get a chance to sample Dogpatch Wineworks captivating wines crafted in their 3rd St. cellar.

Where: Dogpatch Wineworks Tasting Room at 2455 3rd St.

When: Sunday November 17, 3 to 5 pm

The event is free, but please RSVP.

RSVP

We need help getting the word out about the Potrero Hill Democratic Club and the 2019 and 2020 elections at the Potrero Hill Festival. The work is easy – you’ll be sitting at a booth and engaging festival attendees about our club, its activities and upcoming elections.

WHEN: Several shifts on Saturday, October 19 between 11:30am – 4:30pm

WHERE: 20th Street between Wisconsin and Missouri Streets in Potrero Hill

Fill out this short form to let us know when you can volunteer.

Join us as we watch and discuss October’s Presidential Primary Debate at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio as the field narrows. We’ll be voting on the Club’s primary election endorsements in January so start your research now!

When: Tuesday, October 15 at 5 pm (time may change as final start time has not been announced)

Where: The Connecticut Yankee at Connecticut and 17th Streets. We’ll be in the pool room.

Thanks to all the members who attended and voted on endorsements for November’s election. Endorsements are determined by ranked-choice voting by regular members who attend our endorsement meeting. Here are the endorsements:

Candidates

Mayor

No position

City Attorney

Dennis Herrera

District Attorney

Suzy Loftus (1st endorsement), Leif Dautch (2nd endorsement), Nancy Tung (3rd endorsement)

Public Defender

Manohar Raju

Sheriff

Paul Miyamoto

Treasurer

Jose Cisneros

Board of Education

Jenny Lam

Community College Board

Ivy Lee

Measures

A Affordable Housing Bond – Yes

B Department of Disability and Aging Services Charter Amendment- Yes

C Vapor Products Ordinance – No

D Traffic Congestion Mitigation Tax Ordinance – Yes

E Affordable Housing and Educator Housing Ordinance – Yes

F Campaign Contributions and Campaign Advertisements Ordinance – Yes

Just a week after our Potrero Hill District Attorney Debate on August 27 (see below), we’ll be hosting our ballot review and endorsement meeting on Tuesday, September 3 at 6:30 pm.

We’ll discuss the candidates and propositions on the ballot – you might be surprised how much is on the ballot!

All are welcome to hear about what’s on the ballot, and members will have the chance to vote on endorsements at the end of the meeting. Some of the candidates will attend and provide short remarks, and we’ll also discuss what Ballot Measures A through F are all about!

Candidates and Measures discussed include:

City Attorney

Public Defender

Sheriff

Treasurer

Board of Education

Community College Board

Affordable Housing Bond

Vapor Product Ordinance

Traffic Congestion Mitigation Tax Ordinance

Disability and Aging Services Commission Amendment

Campaign Contributions & Campaigns Ads Ordinance (“Sunlight on Dark Money”)

Affordable Housing and Educator Housing Ordinance

WHEN: Tuesday, September 3, 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm

WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St.

We’ll be switching up our normal August meeting schedule to co-sponsor the Potrero Hill District Attorney Debate with the Potrero Boosters at the Potrero Hill Neighborhood House.

All four District Attorney candidates have confirmed attendance, and provided answers to our questionnaire.

• Chesa Boudin
• Leif Dautch
• Nancy Tung
• Suzy Loftus

Read their answers to our District Attorney questionnaire to prepare to ask our candidates great questions!

WHEN: Tuesday, August 27, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 DeHaro St.

RSVP HERE

Sponsored by:

Our Shop Local silent auction is one of our most popular events each year. Snag great merchandise and services from local merchants and businesses while supporting the work of the Potrero Hill Democratic Club.

The work of grassroots organizations such as the Potrero Hill Democratic Club is more vital than ever, and there’s much to do in the next year leading up to what is arguably the most consequential election of our lifetime.

Plus, get a chance to mingle, enjoy appetizers and chat with your fellow Potrero Hill Democratic Club members.

WHEN: Sunday, August 4, 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm

WHERE: Dogpatch Saloon, 2496 3rd St at the corner of 22nd and 3rd Streets

Silent Auction Item Donors

Stephen Curry Jersey, donated by the Warriors

83Proof

ARCH Art Supplies

Art Agnos, Former Mayor of SF

Bell & Truck Flowers

Burke Wine Brokerage

Bryr Clogs

Centered Body Pilates

Chiotras Grocery

Christopher’s Books

Connecticut Yankee

Cracked and Battered

Daily Driver

Dogpatch Barber and Shave

Dogpatch Boulders

Dogpatch Saloon

Dogpatch Wineworks

Dolci Salon

Farley’s

Ganim’s Deli

Georgia Dominici Art

Gilberths

Goat Hill Pizza

Hazel’s Kitchen

Henrik Kam Photography

Industrious Life

James Colgan Hair Salon

Joni Eisen Cakes

Just for You Cafe

La Fleur Hair and Nail

Long Bridge Pizza

Magnolia Brewery and Smokestack

ManiPedi Plus

McRoskey Mattress

Moshi Moshi

Mr and Mrs Miscellaneous

Neighbor Bakehouse

Parker Potrero

Pet Camp

Plow

Potrero Stage

Potters in Dogpatch SF

Quince Spa

The Ramp

Rickshaw Bagworks

San Francisco PaintSource

Serpentine

Smuin Ballet

Susan Ovington

Velocipede Cyclery

In-Kind Donations from:

Action Auto Care

Dogpatch Saloon

Goat Hill Pizza

Good Life Grocery

Thank you to everyone who attended and especially to our panelists!
As we discussed, there is A LOT to do before 2020 in order to take back our country, and we need every one of you to get involved.

Work on local issues in San Francisco
Get involved with the Potrero Hill Democratic Club and the SF Democratic PartyWe’ve got a small team and need more volunteers to have a bigger impact on Potrero Hill. You can help plan panel discussions, organize local political engagement and more. Contact us at contact_us@phdemclub.org.
Join the mailing list of the San Francisco Democratic Party to stay up-to-date on its latest activities. Join here: http://www.sfdemocrats.org/

Work on non-partisan issues
ACLU San Francisco: ACLU San Francisco works on local non-partisan issues. They have phone banks coming up to call decision-makers about AB392, a bill about updating police use of force standards. Check out their upcoming phone banks or learn more about getting involved in the local ACLU chapter.

Work on national/state partisan issues and campaigns
As mentioned on the panel, Swing Left San Francisco, Sister District San Francisco, and Indivisible SF actively collaborate (along with the SF Dem Party) on actions and engagement.

Indivisible SF: Check out Indivisible SF if you’d like to work to hold existing elected officials accountable for their actions. Learn more on their website.

Swing Left San Francisco: Swing Left San Francisco focuses on national level races (Congress, Senate, etc) that can be flipped red to blue in California and across the country. Sign up to receive Swing Left’s awesome weekly newsletter here to keep up to date on their activities. Upcoming events are listed on its Facebook page.

Sister District: Sister District San Francisco focuses on electing Democratic state legislatures across the country in “last chance” races which will determine the voting maps for years to come due to the Census. The SoMa/Mission Bay/Potrero Hill Sister District neighborhood group meets next on June 20. Learn more here.

The State of the Resistance

Join us on Tuesday June 4 to hear how local activists are fighting the GOP agenda – even from deep blue San Francisco. Contrary to what the pundits say, the Resistance is alive and well. We are gathering effective local activist groups who turned out millions of volunteers in 2018 to discuss what’s been happening since the midterms and what’s on tap for 2020. Our speakers will also talk about how resistance groups work with the Democratic party and campaigns.

Panelists include:

• Indivisible SF: Lauren Carpenter, Indivisible SF communication team lead

• Swing Left San Francisco: Colleen McCarthy, Regional Field Director for Swing Left Northern California and member of Swing Left San Francisco

• Sister District San Francisco: Pete Kronowitt, District Captain

• San Francisco Democratic Party: Sophie Maxwell, Vice-Chair of Group Strategies

• No on H campaign (2018): Melissa Hernandez, board member ACLU San Francisco

WHEN: Tuesday, June 4, 7:00 pm

WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St

South Beach District 6 Democratic Club of San Francisco and Potrero Hill Democratic Club would like to thank everyone who participated in our May 7th meeting.
Panelists and organizations:

– John Stokes, Volunteer Co-manager, Friends of Alemany Farm http://www.alemanyfarm.org/ Alemany Farm

– Ashley Wong, Program Coordinator, San Francisco-Marin Food Bank https://www.sfmfoodbank.org/ San Francisco-Marin Food Bank

– Tim Campbell, Food Runners SF http://www.foodrunners.org/ Food Runners SF

– Randy Bowman, Executive Board President, St. Gregory’s Food Pantry https://www.saintgregorys.org/the-food-pantry.html Saint Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church

– Monique LeSarre, Executive Director, Rafiki Coalition http://rafikicoalition.org/ Rafiki Coalition for Health and Wellness

Co-hosted by the South Beach District 6 Democratic Club

For our May meeting, we’ll be discussing issue of food insecurity and hunger in Potrero Hill and beyond. We’ll hear from organizations addressing this problem in our neighborhoods and learn how we can all be involved in solutions.

Panelists include:

• John Stokes, Volunteer Co-manager of Friends of Alemany Farm
• Ashley Wong, Program Coordinator, San Francisco-Marin Food Bank
• Tim Campbell, Food Runners SF
• Randy Bowman, Executive Board President, St. Gregory’s Food Pantry

We will also hear from David Schmidt of Secure the Vote about publicly-owned, Open-Source paper ballot voting systems. Club members may vote on endorsing AB 1784, the state bill to fund pilot systems in SF and LA. Click here for the fact sheet.

Date: Tuesday, May 7
Time: 7 pm
Location: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House at 953 DeHaro St

We had a spirited discussion on Tuesday about how we can work together to make our green dreams a reality. Thank you to the panelists for taking time out of their busy lives to enlighten us! Please learn more about their organizations below.

• Gabrielle Lichtenstein, Sunrise Movement
• Michelle Pierce, Bayview Hunters Point Community Advocates
• Daniel Tahara, Citizens’ Climate Lobby
• Magick Altman, Extinction Rebellion
• Thea Selby, speaking about High Speed Rail
• Cassidy Wallerstein, CleanPowerSF

More information about the topics discussed

Green Dreams

You can make a plan to attend and speak at city government meetings by visiting https://sfgov.org/. The calendar for the Board of Supervisor and committee meetings is located at this link: https://sfbos.org/events/calendar
You can find info about Bay Area Air Quality Management District board meetings here: http://www.baaqmd.gov/news-and-events/board-meetings
And water board meetings here: https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/sanfranciscobay/board_info/calendar.html

High Speed Rail

Latest High Speed Rail Document for Working Group from Thea

SuperGreen Power

Sign up for SuperGreen power here: https://www.cleanpowersf.org/supergreen

PHDC’s April membership meeting, co-hosted by San Francisco Tomorrow, is packed with ideas for reversing climate change.

Panelists include:

• Gabrielle Lichtenstein, Sunrise Movement/Green New Deal
• Michelle Pierce, Bayview Hunters Point Community Advocates /SF’s Climate Emergency Declaration
• Daniel Tahara, Citizens’ Climate Lobby/federal climate legislation recently introduced
• Magick Altman, Extinction Rebellion/direct action.

We’ll also hear an update from Thea Selby, SF Transit Riders chair and CCSF Trustee, on what is or could be happening with High Speed Rail

Finally, we’ll end with a quick presentation on how you can sign up for 100% renewable energy through CleanPowerSF.

WHEN: Tuesday, April 2nd, 7:00 pm
WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St

The Potrero Hill Democratic Club is looking for volunteers to support our activities.

We rely on volunteers to ensure we can bring you the monthly meetings.

We currently need additional help due to changes in our Executive Committee, or we may have to cut back on the meetings.Our needs:

• Secretary: You can make this role what you’d like. You would help us keep track of decisions made and communicate out to our members. This role would be part of our Executive Committee.

• VP of Membership: Our membership VP is responsible for keeping our member information up to date and producing membership sign-in sheets each month. As the VP of membership, you would also work to engage members in all of our activities.

• VP of Politics: Our politics VP is responsible for helping identify and invite speakers each month and create the agenda for the meeting. The politics VP also makes connections with local elected officials.

• Communications: We need help with our social media and emails about our monthly meetings. You would need to be available every month but would not need to attend Executive Committee meetings. You could do this work on your own time.

• Annual Fundraising Auction: We need help putting on our annual auction in the summer. This would be a several month project you could do mostly on your own time.

• Other: If you are interested but not sure how you’d like to get involved, we’d love to hear from you.

If you are interested or have questions about what the volunteer roles would entail, please reach out to us at contact_us@phdemclub.org. We are happy to discuss your interests.

Labor unions have a long history in San Francisco, and continue to be a significant force in the San Francisco business community and government. This Tuesday March 5, we’ll have several speakers that will discuss current issues in labor that affect San Francisco and Potrero Hill. 

Among our guests:

• Rudy Gonzalez, Executive Director from the San Francisco Labor Council.
• A representative from the United Educators of San Francisco.
• And more!

WHEN: Tuesday, March 5th at 7pm

WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St

We’ll catch up with our new District 10 Supervisor, Shamann Walton, in an open-ended conversation about district concerns.

And, we’ll have a panel discussion about our bankrupt local utility monopoly, PG&E, featuring Loretta Lynch, PHDC member and former chair of the California Public Utilities Commission, and Cynthia Pollock, citizen member of the City’s Local Agency Formation Commission (the folks who brought us CleanPowerSF).

We will also elect new officers for 2019.

WHEN: Tuesday, February 5th at 7pm

WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St

On the second Tuesday of the month (instead of our normal first Tuesday because of the holiday), our headliner is former State Assemblyman, Board of Supervisors president, and School Board president Tom Ammiano, role-model legislator for decades of SF political history.  Tom chairs the campaign committee for the Sunlight on Dark Money Initiative, seeking signatures to get on the November 2019 ballot.  It would force disclosures of corporate PAC money in campaigns and limit pay-to-play campaign contributions, and close corporate and lobbyist campaign contribution loopholes.  With the elections coming up, we need these reforms more than ever.

The new year also brings elections for local delegates to the California Democratic Party, sorely in need of reform after the scandal-triggered resignation of the party’s chair in late November.  At Tuesday’s meeting, we’ll meet some of the candidates on the Reform Democrats for Labor & Equity slate.  The election for this set of delegates is coming up fast: Saturday, January 12, at 10 am at the Women’s Building, 3271 18th Street.  All registered Democrats in Assembly DIstrict 17 are eligible to vote! For information about the Party and the delegate election (including all candidate statements) click here. 

We’ll also hear from PHDC member Kelly Dennehy-Schumann, board member of the Women’s March Bay Area, with information about the Saturday, January 19th rally & march, 11:30am at Civic Center Plaza.

Also: nominations are open for 2019 PHDC officers.

WHEN: Tuesday, January 8th, 7:00 pm
WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St

It’s Election Confidential time! Get the skinny on what it’s really like to campaign in a town where politics are deemed to be a blood sport. A conversation with Hill residents in the thick of it: Supervisor candidates Tony Kelly and Uzuri Pease-Greene, School Board candidate Monica Chinchilla, and Assessor-Recorder candidate Paul Bellar.

Hot gossip and surprises, reality-TV style? Um, maybe. Insights and illumination? Certainly.

Check it out on Tuesday. We will also preview our soon-to-be-printed endorsement door-hanger – and check back with some of our endorsed candidates and campaigns.

WHEN: Tuesday, October 2nd, 7:00 pm
WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St

Potrero Hill Democratic Club’s endorsement season concludes with an evening of lively debate with 10 of the candidates running for the San Francisco Board of Education in November.  PHDC endorsement ballots will be counted immediately after the debate.

Free on-site childcare will be provided. Spots are limited; reserve your spot here. (Thank you to PREFund for their help sponsoring this season’s debates.)

Get a preview of what values and beliefs these candidates stand for, and what qualifications and accomplishments they can claim, to help them achieve their goals for public education in San Francisco.

Candidates scheduled to join us:
Monica Chinchilla
Alison Collins
Alida Fisher
Phil Kim
Lex Leifheit
Li Miao Lovett
Faauuga Moliga
Michelle Parker
John Trasvina

Moderator: Sara O’Neill, SFUSD parent and PHDC member.

WHEN: Tuesday, September 18th, 6:30pm
WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St

At Tuesday’s meeting, we’ll hear from candidates and representatives for local office campaigns and ballot measures, and vote on more endorsements. A little after 8 pm, we will have all the candidates for City College Board for a joint Q&A session.

On Tuesday’s endorsement ballot (click the links for more info):

SF Assessor: Carmen Chu* or Paul Bellar
SF Public Defender: Jeff Adachi*
City College of SF Board: Brigitte Davila,* John Rizzo,* Thea Selby,* Victor Olivieri

Proposition A (Seawall Improvement Bonds)
Proposition B (Personal Information Protection Policy)
Proposition C (Gross Receipts Tax for Homeless Services)
Proposition D (Marijuana Business Tax Increase)
Proposition E (Hotel Tax Allocation for Arts and Culture)

We also list “No Endorsement” as a choice on the ballot for candidate races, and “Why is This on the Ballot?” as a choice on the ballot for propositions.

*Incumbent

WHEN: Tuesday, September 4th, 7:00 pm
WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St

This November, we choose a new District 10 Supervisor.

So, on August 28, please come and learn about four leading candidates’ visions for Potrero Hill, Dogpatch, the rest of District 10 and the City. Club members will vote on an endorsement the same evening.

You’ll meet: Theo Ellington, Tony Kelly, Uzuri Pease-Greene, and Shamann Walton. Click on their names to read their responses to our questionnaire.

This debate is brought to you with our co-sponsors, Potrero Boosters and PREFund.

Please RSVP here, and tell us you’re coming!

WHEN:Tuesday, August 28, 6:30pm – 8:30pm
WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St @ Southern Hts

We’ll hear from representatives for state office campaigns and some ballot measures. PHDC board members will provide brief overviews of the rest of the measures. On the endorsement ballot (click the links for more info):

US Senate: Kevin de León or Dianne Feinstein
Governor: Gavin Newsom
Attorney General: Xavier Becerra
State Assembly, Dist. 17: David Chiu
Board of Equalization, Dist. 2: Malia Cohen

Proposition 1 (Veterans and Affordable Housing Bond)
Proposition 2 (Homeless Housing Funding)
Proposition 3 (Water and Watershed Infrastructure Bond)
Proposition 4 (Children’s Hospital Construction Bond)
Proposition 5 (Expanding Prop 13)
Proposition 6 (Repealing the Gas Tax)
Proposition 7 (Permanent Daylight Savings Time)
Proposition 8 (Regulating Kidney Dialysis Clinics)
Proposition 10 (Repealing Costa-Hawkins)
Proposition 11 (Ambulance Employees On Call During Breaks)
Proposition 12 (Cage Free Farm Animals)

In partisan races, we only consider Democrats for endorsements since we are a Democratic club. But we also list “No endorsement” as a choice on the ballot for candidate races, and “Why is this on the ballot?” as a choice on the ballot for propositions.

Our endorsements for November so far, continuing from the primary election in June:

U.S. Congress: Nancy Pelosi
Lieutenant Governor: Eleni Kounalakis
State Controller: Betty Yee
Insurance Commissioner: Ricardo Lara
Secretary of State: Alex Padilla
State Treasurer: Fiona Ma
Superintendent of Public Instruction: Tony Thurmond

Speak up! Vote on Tuesday!

All endorsements so far are here.

WHEN: Tuesday, August 7th, 7:00 pm
WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St

Support these generous businesses!

83 Proof
Former Mayor Art Agnos
‘āina Hawaiian restaurant
ARCH Art & Drafting Supplies
Sharon Beals photographer
Bell and Trunk Flowers
Paul Bellar property appraiser
Burke Wine Brokerage
Centered Body Pilates
Christopher’s Books
James Colgan Hair Salon
Collage Gallery
Connecticut Yankee
Cracked & Battered
Dogpatch Boulders
Dogpatch Saloon
Joni Eisen Cake Portraits
Farley’s Coffee
Ganim’s Deli
Gilberth’s Latin Fusion
Goat Hill Pizza
Golden State Warriors
The Good Life Grocery
Hazel’s Kitchen
Industrious Life
Jolt ‘n Bolt bakery & café
Just For You Café
Henrik Kam photographer
La Fleur Hair & Nail Salon
Long Bridge Pizza
Former Supervisor Sophie Maxwell
Mani-Pedi Plus
McRoskey Mattress Company
Mr and Mrs Miscellaneous
Parker
Pawtrero Bath House & Feed Co.
Pera
Plant Café Organic
Plow
Post & Parcel
Potrero Chiropractors & Acupuncture
Provender
Quince Spa
The Ramp
Rickshaw Bagworks
San Francisco PaintSource
Spicer on 3rd
Umpqua Bank
Velocipede
Wooly Pig Café

Food, drink, live jazz, friends and great deals! Potrero Hill Democratic Club’s Party & “Shop Local” Silent Auction is always a celebration of and for the community – and a fundraiser for the club’s many educational and democracy-enhancing activities. We never solicit or accept money from candidates or campaigns we endorse – so this event and membership dues are it for us.

Check out the ever-growing list of generous donors here.

5pm – 8pm. Dogpatch Saloon, 2496 Third St at 22nd.

• Discussion of the June election with Democratic County Central Committee member & former D10 Supervisor Sophie Maxwell.

• Preview of the plan for November elections nationwide, from local hero David Bloom, who has been hosting phonebanking sessions with DemocracyAction every Sunday afternoon at his home on 3rd Street – a stunningly selfless effort, with thousands of calls made for Democratic candidates across the country.

WHEN: Tuesday, July 10th, 7:00 pm
WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St

First, a bit of Club biz: We’ll consider an amendment to our bylaws (introduced in March) to consider the possibility of a ranked-choice endorsement for ranked-choice elections, repeating the ranked-choice process of vote-counting after (and only if) a first choice has been determined.

Then we’ll hear from representatives for and against local ballot measures, and PHDC board members with brief overviews of state ballot measures. (We are not inviting mayor candidates to this meeting, since we already heard a lot from them at our widely praised debate in February – see the video below!)

On Tuesday’s ballot (click the links for more info):

Mayor: Angela Alioto, Michelle Bravo, London Breed, Jane Kim, Mark Leno, Amy Farah Weiss, Ellen Lee Zhou

Proposition 68 (Parks, Environment, Water Bond)

Proposition 69 (Transportation Taxes & Fees Lockbox)

Proposition 70 (Vote Requirement for Cap-and-Trade)

Proposition 71 (Effective Date of Ballot Measures)

Proposition 72 (Rainwater Systems Tax Exclusion)

Regional Measure 3 (Bay Area Toll)

Proposition A (Public Utilities Bond)

Proposition B (Commissioners not Running for Office)

Proposition C (Tax for Childcare & Education)

Proposition D (Tax for Housing & Services)

Proposition E (Banning Flavored Tobacco)

Proposition F (Representation for Evictions)

Proposition G (Tax for SFUSD)

Proposition H (SFPD Use of Tasers)

Proposition I (Relocation of Sports Teams)

We also list No Endorsement as a choice on the ballot for candidate races, and ‘Why is This on the Ballot?’ as a choice on the ballot for propositions.

WHEN: Tuesday, April 3, 7pm
WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St @ Southern Hts

Complete endorsement list is here.

We’ve invited the candidates below to attend, using the roster of qualified candidates from the California Democratic Party (as a Democratic club, we cannot endorse non-Democrats in partisan races).

U.S. Senate: Kevin de León, Dianne Feinstein, Pat Harris U.S. Congress: Shahid Buttar, Stephen Jaffe, Ryan Kjohasteh, Nancy Pelosi
Governor: John Chiang, Delaine Eastin, Gavin Newsom, Antonio Villaraigosa
Lieutenant Governor: Jeff Bleich, Ed Hernandez, Eleni Kounalakis
Attorney General: Xavier Becerra, Dave Jones
State Controller: Betty Yee
Insurance Commissioner: Ricardo Lara, Asif Mahmood
Secretary of State: Ruben Major, Alex Padilla
State Treasurer: Fiona Ma
Superintendent of Public Instruction: Tony Thurmond, Marshall Tuck
State Assembly, Dist. 17: David Chiu
Board of Equalization, Dist. 2: Malia Cohen, Cathleen Galgiani
Superior Court Judge #4: Andrew Cheng, Phoenix Streets
Superior Court Judge #7: Curtis Karnow, Maria Elena Evangelista
Superior Court Judge #9: Cynthia Lee, Kwixuan Hart Maloof, Elizabeth Zareh
Superior Court Judge #11: Jeffrey Ross, Nicole Judith Solis
We list No Endorsement as a choice on the ballot for each race. Voting members’ ballots are due at the end of the meeting, and will be counted immediately.

Folks gathering signatures for a ballot measure to reform Prop 13 with the California Schools & Local Communities Funding Act of 2018 (previously endorsed by PHDC) will visit briefly.

We’ll also introduce an amendment to our bylaws to consider the possibility of a ranked-choice endorsement for ranked-choice elections.

In April, we will vote on endorsements for Mayor, and ballot measures.

WHEN: Tuesday, March 6th, 7:00 pm
WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St

There have been lots of candidate appearances and forums around the city, but this one is a real live mayoral debate – with the candidates asking questions of and responding to each other. Candidates: Angela Alioto, London Breed, Jane Kim, Mark Leno, and Amy Farah Weiss. Moderator: Marisa Lagos, political reporter for KQED. Video by Tom Brown, Part 1 is here. Video by Tom Brown, Part 2 is here. 

Co-hosted by PHDC, South Beach D6 Democratic Club, Black Young Democrats of SF, SF Black Community Matters, and SF for Democracy.

WHEN: Tuesday, February 20, 6:30pm sharp!
WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St @ Southern Hts

Peter Gallotta, recording Secretary of the SF DCCC, will share the Party’s thoughts about this year’s crucial elections, across the City, the state, and the country.

We’ll hear from the Port of San Francisco’s Seawall Resiliency Project, an effort to improve and/or replace a critical part of the City’s aging infrastructure. 

We’ll also approve PHDC’s budget for 2018, and close nominations and vote for Club officers.

WHEN: Tuesday, February 6th, 7:00 pm
WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St

Topics: What is really in the horrible Republican tax bill, and why that is Reason #1 to Take Congress Back in November; a new community-led effort to create a Public Bank in San Francisco; endorsement calendar for 2018’s super-important elections, including votes for Mayor, Governor, and District 10 Supervisor; officer nominations open (election in February).

WHEN: Tuesday, January 9th, 7:00 pm
WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St

Dan Bernal, Congressional Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi‘s SF Chief of Staff, will discuss and answer your questions about  the insanity of the past year on Capitol Hill. 

Closer to home, familiar ally Jon Golinger will discuss and read from his new book: Saving San Francisco’s Heart: How to win elections, reclaim our city, and keep SF a special place.

Also: PHDC’s Executive Committee voted to support the San Francisco Living Wage Coalition‘s efforts to win pay increases for 25,000 low-wage workers in San Francisco, and will bring it to the membership for ratification. 

WHEN: Tuesday, November 7, 7pm
WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro @ Southern Hts

At Tuesday’s meeting, we’ll bring this year’s ongoing phonebanking directly into our club! If you’ve never phonebanked, or if you are phonebank-curious, this will be a fun and easy introduction, brought to us by our allies at DemocracyAction to what it’s like, and why it’s important. We’ll also hear about (and vote whether to support) efforts to raise San Francisco’s Living Wage.

And more: our PHDC booth at the Potrero Hill Festival Saturday, October 21st; a report from the Rock the Congress conference a couple of weeks back in Marin County, to unite Democrats as we head into 2018; what’s happening (finally, after 7 years, maybe some good news?) with the California DISCLOSE Act. We’ll also begin planning for our Holiday Party and our actions for the coming months. Join us on Tuesday!

WHEN: Tuesday, October 3, 7pm
WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro @ Southern Hts

Food, drink, friends and great deals! Potrero Hill Democratic Club’s Party & “Shop Local” Silent Auction is always a celebration of and for the community – and a fundraiser for the club’s many educational and democracy-enhancing activities. We never solicit or accept money from candidates or campaigns we endorse – so this event and membership dues are it for us.

Check out the ever-growing list of generous donors here.

5pm – 8pm. Dogpatch Saloon, 2496 Third St at 22nd.

Evolve CA returns to PHDC: campaign manager Ian Fregosi will update us on the efforts, long supported by the Club, to close the corporate loopholes in Prop 13.  Make It Fair in 2018!

We will also hear from Dotty Nygard, a leading challenger to Republican Jeff Denham’s congressional seat in California’s District 10.  That district (Modesto, Tracy, Turlock, Oakdale, etc) is the closest Congressional district to San Francisco held by a Republican; in this blue-on-blue city, we know that supporting other districts is one of the most productive Resistance things we can do.  What’s going on over there? How do we defeat the Republican next door?  Come to Tuesday’s meeting to hear more and take action. 

Also, City College Trustee Tom Temprano will remind us that Free City College is real, and classes start August 19!  (Click the link to check out classes and sign up now!) And, we’ll discuss supporting the San Francisco Living Wage Coalition‘s efforts to win pay increases for 25,000 low-wage workers in San Francisco, including many people we rely on for crucial services.  One more way to Make It Fair in 2018.

Join us Tuesday, as The Resistance turns to specific campaigns.

WHEN: Tuesday, August 1st, 7:00 pm
WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St

Come hear from PHDC members and allies who went to the California Democratic Party convention two weeks ago in Sacramento: the drama, the frustration, the crucial issues.

Also, a discussion (with some guests) about the various efforts to flip legislative seats across the state and the country. In this blue-on-blue city, supporting other districts is one of the most productive ways to Resist. Democracy Action, Sister District, Swing Left, and others are organizing on this front; where do we go and what can we do to help? Find out, and take action.

WHEN: Tuesday, June 6th, 7:00 pm
WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St

At Tuesday’s meeting, we welcome back Amy Farah Weiss of the Saint Francis Homelessness Challenge, featured in March 2016 on our illuminating, inspirational panel on interim homelessness solutions (video here), with an update on what the City is doing (or not doing) with our neighborhood encampments, and some new proposals that are now gaining momentum.  

Former Supervisor Sophie Maxwell, of the SF Democratic County Central Committee, will follow up on last month’s conversations (at PHDC and at the DCCC) about how the Democratic Party and our neighborhood club can work better together to fight Trumpism and corporate democracy at home and nationally. 

Also also, we’ll hear more about the Rally for Inclusion coming up on Saturday, May 6. 
And phone banking updates, and more!  Come and catch up, the neighborhood Resistance is open to everyone at any time.

WHEN: Tuesday, May 2nd, 7:00 pm
WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St

At our next meeting, we’ll have updates from the many Resistance fronts that have opened up, from single-payer healthcare in California to boycotts nationwide.  And we’ll plan our next steps in joining the growing coalition for Sanctuary and immigrant rights, and in working with San Francisco’s Democratic Party to make the political infrastructure work for us.

Lorena Melgarejo, parish organizer for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco’s Office of Human Life and Dignity, will discuss what we can do to help right now, with local churches and on our own.  We will also have a roundtable conversation, facilitated by PHDC board members, to discuss how San Francisco’s Democratic Party and our neighborhood Club can work better together to fight Trumpism and corporate democracy at home and nationally. 

On Sunday, April 9, DCCC members Sophie Maxwell and Keith Baraka will be joining us at Sunday Streets in Dogpatch. You are invited to spend whatever time you can spare for some car-free fun, between 11am and 4pm. Email contact_us@phdemclub.org for more info, exact location, and/or to volunteer. Let’s spread the Resistance throughout the neighborhood! And register voters too.

WHEN: Tuesday, April 4th, 7:00 pm
WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St

We focused our resistance efforts on joining the renewed Sanctuary City movement, here in the neighborhood that possibly started that movement in the early 1980s.* We were honored to have Father Michael Kwiecien, Sister Kathleen and Sister Lucia join us from St. Teresa Church. They shared what the parishes in SF are doing right now in defense of vulnerable immigrants and their families, and how we can help. Former neighbor April Ellis invited everyone to monthly Sunday afternoon drop-in “Act-tea-vism” at her house, where various participants write postcards, call legislators, make signs etc. Some PHDC board members gave updates on resistance they have been involved in.

WHEN: Tuesday, March 7th, 7:00 pm
WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St

*St. Teresa of Avila Church, at 19th St and Connecticut, provided some of the earliest efforts to support Salvadoran and Guatemalan refugees, and helped to form a coalition of Christian and Jewish congregations.  City resolutions and ordinances followed in 1984 and 1989, declaring San Francisco a city of refuge – from other governments, and from our own immigration police. 

Two-plus weeks after the “inauguration,” we find that all the challenges we feared are coming at us, almost all at once.  So for the foreseeable future, our Club will focus on ongoing, practical resistance against the Republican agenda in Washington, and the corporate agenda in Sacramento and City Hall.  Each meeting will start with quick updates and specific upcoming actions, and then we’ll dive deeper into conversations with allies on specific subjects. This meeting featured:

• Combating Climate Change. Back in 2013, Citizens’ Climate Lobby appeared before the DemClub; as a result, we became the first organization in SF to endorse its proposed federal legislation, Carbon Fee & Dividend – which, considering the current climate (so to speak) looming in Washington DC, just might have a chance in today’s Congress (it’s both market-based and socially just). CCL volunteers Joni Eisen, Heath Massey, & Brendan Rhoan updated us on their progress, coupled with a call to action.

• Supporting Real Investigative Journalism. Michael Stoll and Daphne Magnawa of San Francisco Public Press, a local nonprofit, noncommercial news organization, described some of their work producing high-impact in-depth reporting projects on a wide range of topics.

• Saving Health Care. Carolyn Barden of California Nurses Association and Jonathan Meade of Healthy California discussed expanding health care, not cutting it, and why now is the time to move forward in California with Single-Payer legislation:  Medicare for all.

For your ongoing convenience, find links to overall resistance info, and particular actions, in our current newsletter.

If you too think that the fight against Donald Trump requires turning the Democratic Party into a genuine party of the people, please come!  PHDC is proud that two of our members, Angeles Roy and Ben Becker, are on the slate.

Registration time has been changed to 10:30am-12:30pm. Doors open at 9:30. Arrive early and expect to wait in line. Everyone who is in line by 12:30 will get to vote (registered Democrats only – but you can register as a Democrat on the spot). $5 donation requested.

Like many of you, the Potrero Hill Democratic Club wants to give 2016 a swift kick out the door.  More than 77% of our endorsed candidates and campaigns won on November 8, but the losses were especially hard. But now it’s on: building from the wreckage of 11/8.

It’s already been written repeatedly that California will lead the resistance to the Trump administration, and it’s well known that San Francisco leads the state.  But what does that mean, at the very local level of a neighborhood Democratic Club? Guest speakers and PHDemClub board members will discuss practical actions to build the Trump resistance, including
• The Women’s March SF on January 21
• Potential opportunities for daily advocacy
• Particular issues you want to address this year
• Working with allies

If you thought for a moment that 2017 would be a quiet year at the Democratic Club because there are no elections scheduled, think again!  And join us!

WHEN: Tuesday, January 3rd, 7:00 pm
WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St

The nail-biting, the nightmares, the nonstop toxic “news” – will stop soon (at least, we hope so). You don’t want to be alone when you find out how it all turns out, do you? You don’t want to drink alone, do you? So, here are some ways to surround yourself with like-minded progressive types after the polls close November 8th. Maybe, just maybe, one glass ceiling will already have splintered by 8pm California time…

☆ Jane Kim for Senate, Bevan Dufty for BART Board, Rafael Mandelman for Community College Board, Mark Sanchez for School Board, Yes on W (Let’s make City College FREE!),Yes on X (Protect Arts + Manufacturing). Slim’s, 333 – 11th St, 8:15 – 11:00pm.

☆ The San Francisco Democratic Party, Aaron Peskin for D3 Supervisor, Housing Forward, Yes on D, H, L, M, & T, and No on Q & R. Oasis, 298 – 11th St, 8pm – midnight.

☆ Hillary Ronen for D9 Supervisor, Tom Temprano for Community College Board, Yes on H (Public Advocate), SF League of Pissed Off Voters, Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club, Bernal Heights Democratic Club and more. El Rio, 3158 Mission St, 8pm – 2am.

☆ SF Berniecrats. Slate Bar, 2925 – 16th St, 7pm – ?

PHDC-endorsed campaigns are in bold type. Check back – we will update this list if we hear of more events.

It’s time to raise a glass to your chosen candidate and cheer her on again! And maybe voice your opinion (loudly) about what the other one says.  Please join PHDC members & friends at the Yankee for a fun gathering of neighbors & friends – and possibly some deadly serious comedy.

We hope to see you there!

WHEN: Sunday, October 9, 5:30pm (Debate is 6 to 7:30)
WHERE: Connecticut Yankee, 100 Connecticut St @ 17th St

First-term Assemblymember (and PHDC-endorsed candidate for re-election) David Chiu won the 17th District Assembly seat in a close and hard-fought race in 2014.  Since then, he and his family have moved to Bayview, where he has seen first-hand some of the issues of our corner of the City.  Assemblymember Chiu makes his first visit to the Club since that election (our fault, not his; we’ve been busy!) to tell us of some of his work and experiences in the statehouse, and of course take some Q&A from our members.  Join us!

We will also hear a little more from some of ourother endorsed candidates and campaigns about where they stand and how we can work together between now and Election Day.  Remember, for about 2/3 of the Hill Election Day arrives in less than two weeks, with vote-by-mail ballots!

For the full list of our Club endorsements for the November election, click here, or check out our ad in the October edition of the Potrero View.

There will be signups to deliver the famous PHDC election door hanger, and to staff our booth at the Potrero Hill Festival Saturday Oct 15th. 1st VP Bob Boileau chairs the meeting, while President Tony Kelly works on a theater project in Ireland.

WHEN: Tuesday, October 4th, 7:00 pm
WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St

US President and Vice President
HILLARY CLINTON and TIM KAINE

United States Senator
KAMALA HARRIS

US Representative, District 12
NANCY PELOSI

California State Senator, District 11
JANE KIM

Member, State Assembly District 17
DAVID CHIU

SFUSD Board of Education
RACHEL NORTON
STEVON COOK
MATT HANEY
MARK SANCHEZ

Trustee, Community College Board
RAFAEL MANDELMAN
ALEX RANDOLPH
TOM TEMPRANO
SHANELL WILLIAMS
AMY BACHARACH
(5 candidates endorsed, for 4 seats – please only vote for 4 in November)

BART Board, District 7
LATEEFAH SIMON

BART Board, District 9
BEVAN DUFTY

Superior Court Judge, Office No. 7
VICTOR HWANG

California Propositions
51 – YES  School Bonds. Funding for K-12 School and Community College Facilities. Reduces chronic under-funding of our schools by the state.
52 – YES  State Fees on Hospitals. Federal Medi-Cal Matching Funds. Permanently guarantees over $3 billion dedicated Medi-Cal funding per year.
53 – NO  Revenue Bonds. Statewide Voter Approval. Erodes local control, no exemptions for emergencies/natural disasters.
54 – YES  Legislature. Legislation and Proceedings. (Transparency) Bills must be publicized for 72 hours prior to a vote.
55 – YES  Tax Extension to Fund Education and Healthcare. Tax increases on incomes over $263K will continue until 2030.
56 – YES  Cigarette Tax to Fund Healthcare, Tobacco Use Prevention, Research, and Law Enforcement. Discourages young people from starting to smoke.
57 – YES  Criminal Sentences. Juvenile Criminal Proceedings and Sentencing. Incentives for non-violent felons to attain parole; judges not prosecutors decide whether to try juveniles as adults.
58 – YES Bilingual Education. No longer requires English-only education for English learners.
59- YES  Overturn Citizens United. Tells Congress the Supreme Court was wrong to allow unlimited money to influence elections.
60 – NO  Adult Films. Condoms. Health Requirements. Sets the proponent up as paid state porn czar, undermines Cal-OSHA’s efforts to improve regulations, invites lawsuits.
61 – YES  State Prescription Drug Purchases. Pricing Standards. State cannot pay more for a drug than the lowest price paid by the VA.
62 – YES  Death Penalty. (Repeal) Abolishes a barbaric practice.
63- YES  Firearms. Ammunition Sales. Common-sense strengthening of gun-safety laws.
64 – YES  Marijuana Legalization. Regulates growing and selling of recreational marijuana.
65 – NO  Carry-Out Bags. Charges. Out-of-state plastics companies’ sleazy attempt to kill the plastic bag ban. No on 65, Yes on 67.
66 – NO  Death Penalty. Procedures. Enables the barbarism to proceed even faster, increasing the risk of executing an innocent person.
67 – YES Referendum to [Uphold] Ban on Single-Use Plastic Bags. YES allows the plastic bag ban to become law. Yes on 67, but No on 65.

Local Propositions
A – YES  SFUSD Bonds. Improves, repairs school district sites, and constructs new schools.
B – YES  City College Parcel Tax. Adds $20 to the tax until 2032, for teachers and programs, not administration.
C – YES  Loans to Finance Acquisition/Rehabilitation of Affordable Housing. Uses unspent 1992 bond money to rehabilitate multi-unit building for permanent affordable housing.
D – YES  Filling Vacancies in Local Elective Office. Mandates actually electing (not just letting the Mayor appoint) our elected officials.
E – YES!!  City Responsibility for Maintaining Street Trees. Takes the burden of protecting our urban forest off sometimes-reluctant property owners.
F – YES  Youth Voting in Local Elections. Involves high-schoolers actively in democracy before they leave home.
G – YES  Police Oversight. Renames Office of Citizens Complaints, makes its budget independent of the SFPD’s.
H – YES  Public Advocate. Creates an office with no interest other than the public good.
I – YES  Funding for Seniors and Adults with Disabilities. Set-aside for in-home, wellness & legal supportive services, and activity centers.
J – YES  Funding for Homelessness and Transportation. Funds prevention, transitioning, housing for homeless; funds MTA, CTA & DPW to improve the city’s transportation network.
K – YES  General Sales Tax. Funds the Prop J set-aside, though not specifically.
L – YES  MTA Appointments and Budget. Board of Supervisors makes 3 of 7 appointments to the now Mayor-appointed SF Municipal Transportation Agency, and can reject the budget with 6 votes instead of 7.
M – YES  Housing and Development Commission. Decentralizes Mayoral power, giving the Board of Supervisors more input into development.
N – YES  Non-Citizen Voting in School Board Elections. Gives all parents a say in their child’s education.
O – No Position  Office Development in Candlestick Point and Hunters Point.
P – NO!!  Competitive Bidding for Affordable Housing Projects on City-Owned Land. Unnecessarily delays affordable housing projects.
Q – NO!!  Prohibiting Tents on Public Sidewalks. Symbolic measure (tent removal prohibited unless shelter – of which there is not enough – is offered) merely moves people around.
R – NO  Neighborhood Crime Unit. Misleading, pandering “safety” measure disempowers chief and captains, takes police away from investigating serious crimes.
S – YES!!  Allocation of Hotel Tax Funds. Brings back funding for the arts and helps families fight homelessness.
T – YES  Restricting Gifts and Campaign Contributions from Lobbyists. Anti-corruption measure by the newly-invigorated Ethics Commission.
U – NO!!  Affordable Housing Requirements for Market-Rate Development. Allows more middle-income housing, leaving less available for low-income.
V – YES  Tax on Distribution of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages. A “regressive” tax? Diabetes is still a regressive disease.
W – YES  Real Estate Transfer Tax on Properties Over $5 Million. Absolutely.
X – YES  Preserving Space for Neighborhood Arts, Small Business, and Community Services in Certain Neighborhoods. Requires developers to rebuild such spaces as they’ve removed.
RR – YES!!  BART Safety, Reliability, and Traffic Relief. Replaces, repairs, modernizes after 44 years of increasing use.

!! = unanimous

From the Potrero Hill Democratic Club meeting of September 13:

Superior Court Judge, Office No. 7
VICTOR HWANG

BART Board of Directors, District 7
LATEEFAH SIMON

BART Board of Directors, District 9
BEVAN DUFTY

SFUSD Board of Education
RACHEL NORTON*
STEVON COOK
MATT HANEY*
MARK SANCHEZ

*incumbent

Thea Selby and Jeff Kositsky speaking on behalf of Prop J & K.
Photo by John O’Neill

Local Propositions

A – YES  SFUSD Bonds.

H – YES  Public Advocate.

I – YES  Funding for Seniors and Adults with Disabilities.

J – YES  Funding for Homelessness and Transportation.

K – YES  General Sales Tax.

O – No Position  Office Development in Candlestick Point and Hunters Point.

Q – NO!!  Prohibiting Tents on Public Sidewalks.

R – NO  Neighborhood Crime Unit.

RR – YES!!  BART Safety, Reliability, and Traffic Relief.

!! = unanimous

Previous endorsements for November 8 are here.

From the Potrero Hill Democratic Club meeting of September 6:

US President and Vice President
HILLARY CLINTON and TIM KAINE

US Representative, District 12
NANCY PELOSI

Member, State Assembly District 17
DAVID CHIU

Trustee, Community College Board
RAFAEL MANDELMAN
ALEX RANDOLPH
TOM TEMPRANO
SHANELL WILLIAMS
AMY BACHARACH

(5 candidates endorsed, for 4 seats – please only vote for 4 in November)

Above photo by John O’Neill, l. to r., Amy Bacharach, Rafael Mandelman, Alex Randolph, Tom Temprano, Tim Killikelly for Shanell Williams

Local Propositions

B – YES  City College Parcel Tax.

C – YES  Loans to Finance Acquisition/Rehabilitation of Affordable Housing.

D – YES  Filling Vacancies in Local Elective Office.

E – YES!!  City Responsibility for Maintaining Street Trees.

F – YES  Youth Voting in Local Elections.

G – YES  Police Oversight.

L – YES  MTA Appointments and Budget.

M – YES  Housing and Development Commission.

N – YES  Non-Citizen Voting in School Board Elections.

P – NO!!  Competitive Bidding for Affordable Housing Projects on City-Owned Land.

S – YES!!  Allocation of Hotel Tax Funds.

T – YES  Restricting Gifts and Campaign Contributions from Lobbyists.

U – NO!!  Affordable Housing Requirements for Market-Rate Development.

V – YES  Tax on Distribution of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages.

W – YES  Real Estate Transfer Tax on Properties Over $5 Million.

X – YES  Preserving Space for Neighborhood Arts, Small Business, and Community Services in Certain Neighborhoods.

!! = unanimous

Previous endorsements for November 8 are here.

19 endorsements down, 33 to go!  Just last week, Club members and friends completely filled the Potrero Hill Neighborhood House (capacity 239) to see the only post-primary State Senate debate between Supervisors Jane Kim and Scott Wiener.  After the debate, PHDC voted to endorse Jane Kim for State Senate.  The rest of our November endorsements so far (US Senate and state ballot measures) are linked here.

But we’re not done yet.  Over two Tuesdays – September 6 and 13, starting (early!) at 6:30 pm at the Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, we will cover all 25 local ballot measures and 8 candidate races, including two BART Board seats and 4 City College board seats on September 6, and the SFUSD Board of Education on September 13.  Some of the less controversial propositions will have written summaries from PHDC board members (available later this week) so we can have more time for discussion with our Club members and guests.

Voting members’ ballots are due at the end of the meeting, and will be counted immediately.

WHEN: Tuesday, September 6th, 6:30 pm (starting early!)
WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St
AND
WHEN: Tuesday, September 13th, 6:30 pm (starting early!)
WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St

Food, drink, jazz and great deals! Potrero Hill Democratic Club’s Party & “Shop Local” Silent Auction is always a celebration of and for the community – and a fundraiser for the club’s many educational and democracy-enhancing activities. We never solicit or accept money from candidates or campaigns we endorse – so this event and membership dues are it for us.

The live jazz came from a trio of amazing local musicians: Chuck Bennett on bass, David Austin keyboards, Mark Rosengarden drums. The food was courtesy of club members and local eateries, and the tempting items to bid on are donated by the wonderful merchants and artists of Potrero Hill & Dogpatch. The bidders out-did themselves – this year the Auction broke all records. Check out the list of generous donors here.

5pm – 8pm. Dogpatch Saloon, 2496 Third St at 22nd.

The State Senate race between Supervisors Jane Kim and Scott Wiener resulted in a whisker-thin margin on Potrero Hill, and in the June primary overall.  In this close race, it looks like the only face-to-face debate the candidates have scheduled for November’s election was at the Potrero Hill Neighborhood House on August 23rd! Potrero Hill Democratic Club, the Latin@ Young Democrats of San Francisco, and the Black Young Democrats of San Francisco co-hosted and co-moderated the standing-room-only event. Here’s the video of the debate, by Tom Brown. Photos by John O’Neill.

Potrero Hill Democratic Club members voted that night to endorse Jane Kim for State Senator.

(We will have two endorsement meetings on September 6 and 13 for other San Francisco candidates and measures.)

Here are PHDC endorsements so far.

WHEN: Tuesday, August 23rd, 6:30 pm
WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St

November 8th is about a lot more than Hillary Clinton vs. the toxic clown car of today’s Republican Party.  There are 17 state ballot measures (and more than two dozen local measures on the way) and candidate races throughout the state, Bay Area, and the City.

As always, PHDC has you covered.  For Tuesday, August 2nd, we were be your living Ballotpedia for the U.S. Senate race (Harris vs. Sanchez) and the state ballot measures, with (brief) pros and cons for every issues. Some of the less controversial state measures had written arguments from PHDC board members so we could have more time for discussion with our Club’s chatty members in the audience.  We will have two endorsement meetings in September for San Francisco candidates and measures.

Here are PHDC endorsements so far.

Club business: Special election for 2 vacant slots. Volunteer sign-up for our 8th Annual Party and Shop Local Silent Auction, set for Saturday, August 27 from 5-8 pm at Dogpatch Saloon.

WHEN: Tuesday, August 2nd, 7:00 pm
WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St

Register voters with PHDC in Dolores Park before the Mime Troupe’s opening, then picnic and enjoy the show.

Spend July 4th, Independence Day, being super-patriotic: Register voters! (Note that we are NOT meeting on our normal first Tuesday of the month, which would be July 5th. July 4th is Monday.)

Then stick around Dolores Park to picnic, while  taking in the world-changing, Tony Award-winning SF Mime Troupe‘s opening of its 57th season: the premiere of Schooled. (“With privatization on the line, and a Wall Street heavy hitter lined up to fold the entire district into his conglomerate, suddenly the next School Board election is more about a hidden agenda than the open curriculum. And when did the hall monitors start wearing brown shirts and arm bands?”)

Email contact_us@phdemclub.org or call 415-283-6607 to volunteer, just to join us for a picnic, or both.

WHEN: Monday (NOT Tuesday!), July 4, 2016 at noon (show begins at 2)
WHERE: Dolores Park, meet near 19th St, exact location TBD

“It’s not that art & politics don’t mix – I just wanna do more art,” says longtime PHDC president Joni Eisen. (The mix, in the photo at right by FBFE: Supervisor David Campos; Joni; then-candidate, now Judge Daniel Flores; Harvey Milk as a bas-relief cake sculpture).

There were food, drink, and early election returns at Il Pirata early on Election Night, as president-for-almost-a-decade Joni stepped  down – not actually going anywhere except into her studio, garden, and grandkids’ lives. People said good bye to Joni and hello to VP-in-the-wings Tony Kelly, ready to take the reins. Below, clockwise from lower left: City Attorney Dennis Herrera, Tony, Angeles Roy, former Supervisor (now DCCC member-elect) Sophie Maxwell, Joni. Photo by John O’Neill.

WHEN: Tuesday, June 7, 7pm
WHERE: Il Pirata, 2007 16th St @ Utah St

Some of our endorsed candidates for the SF DCCC came for a meet-and-greet. The SF Democratic County Central Committee, the governing body of the SF Democratic Party, registers voters and makes endorsements. Their citywide election mailers powerfully influence Democratic voters to support or oppose particular candidates and ballot measures. But we believe the DCCC has veered off-course in recent years, and needs reform. Real reform, not real estate rule.

Also, Antonio Arenas of UNITE HERE! Local 2, which represents over 12,000 hospitality workers in San Francisco and San Mateo, discussed the boycott at non-union hotels Le Meridien and Hyatt Fisherman’s Wharf.

WHEN: Tuesday, May 3rd at 7pm
WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro @ Southern Heights

After a lively – as usual for PHDC – endorsement meeting for DCCC candidates, featuring the candidates in small groups interacting with each other as well as the audience, thirteen candidates received at least the requisite 50% of votes cast:

Alysabeth Alexander, Tom Ammiano, David Campos, Petra DeJesus, Bevan Dufty, Jon Golinger, Pratima Gupta, Frances Hsieh, Jane Kim, Rafael Mandelman, Sophie Maxwell, Aaron Peskin, Cindy Wu

Heartfelt thanks to everyone who participated!

Candidates who have submitted completed questionnaires will appear in small groups at regular intervals, to present and answer questions. Come and meet them! Ballots are due at the end of the meeting, and will be counted immediately.

WHEN: Tuesday, April 12, at 7pm
WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, downstairs in the Game Room, 953 De Haro St @ Southern Heights

Tuesday, April 5th: Judicial candidate forum, Presidential primary, ballot measures – RESULTS

The forum of candidates for Superior Court Judge, Office #7 – Paul Henderson, Victor Hwang, Sigrid Irias (counterclockwise from left, photo by John O’Neill)- was moderated by attorney & PHDC board member J.R. Eppler. Presidential Primary candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton were represented by Gustav Feldman and Susan Pfeifer, respectively; presentations and audience Q&A were moderated by PHDC V.P. Tony Kelly.

ALL the candidates & surrogates were so strong and compelling that no judicial candidate and no presidential candidate got the 60% of votes necessary for endorsement. So:

SF Superior Court, Office 7 – No position

U.S. President – No position

Both of the above races will be voted on again (top two for judge, Democratic nominee for President), in the General Election in November.

After presentations by Club officers, members voted the following endorsements on six local & regional ballot measures and one statewide measure:

Prop A – Yes – Public Health and Safety Bond
Prop B – No – Park, Recreation and Open Space Fund. Charter Amendment.
Prop C – Yes – Affordable Housing Requirements. Charter Amendment.
Prop D – Yes – Office of Citizen Complaints Investigations. Initiative Ordinance.
Prop E – Yes – Paid Sick Leave. Initiative Ordinance.
Measure AA – Yes  – Clean and Healthy Bay Parcel Tax. Regional Measure.
Prop 50 – Yes – Suspension of Legislators Amendment. CA Constitutional Amendment.

WHEN: Tuesday, April 5, at 7pm
WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St @ Southern Heights

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Tuesday, April 12th: Democratic County Central Committee candidates from Assembly District 17

Candidates who have submitted completed questionnaires will appear in small groups at regular intervals, to present and answer questions. Come and meet them! Ballots are due at the end of the meeting, and will be counted immediately.

WHEN: Tuesday, April 12, at 7pm
WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, downstairs in the Game Room, 953 De Haro St @ Southern Heights