San Francisco general election, November 2011

Last updated February 20, 2019

The November 2011 San Francisco general elections were held on November 8, 2011 in San Francisco, California. The elections included those for San Francisco mayor, district attorney, and sheriff, and eight ballot measures.

San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the cultural, commercial, and financial center of Northern California. San Francisco is the 13th-most populous city in the United States, and the fourth-most populous in California, with 884,363 residents as of 2017. It covers an area of about 46.89 square miles (121.4 km²), mostly at the north end of the San Francisco Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area, making it the second-most densely populated large US city, and the fifth-most densely populated U.S. county, behind only four of the five New York City boroughs. San Francisco is also part of the fifth-most populous primary statistical area in the United States, the San Jose–San Francisco–Oakland, CA Combined Statistical Area.

California is a state in the Pacific Region of the United States. With 39.6 million residents, California is the most populous U.S. state and the third-largest by area. The state capital is Sacramento. The Greater Los Angeles Area and the San Francisco Bay Area are the nation's second- and fifth-most populous urban regions, with 18.7 million and 8.8 million residents respectively. Los Angeles is California's most populous city, and the country's second-most populous, after New York City. California also has the nation's most populous county, Los Angeles County, and its largest county by area, San Bernardino County. The City and County of San Francisco is both the country's second-most densely populated major city after New York City and the fifth-most densely populated county, behind only four of the five New York City boroughs.

The Mayor of the City and County of San Francisco is the head of the executive branch of the San Francisco city and county government. The officeholder has the duty to enforce city laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the legislative branch. The Mayor serves a four-year term and is limited to two successive terms. Because of San Francisco's status as a consolidated city-county, the mayor also serves as the head of government of the county; both entities have been governed together by a combined set of governing bodies since 1856.

Mayor

District attorney

George Gascón, the former Chief of the San Francisco Police Department appointed by then-Mayor Gavin Newsom to replace Kamala Harris, ran for his first election.

George Gascón is the District Attorney of San Francisco. He was appointed by Mayor Gavin Newsom in January 2011 to succeed California Attorney General Kamala Harris. In November 2011, Gascón was elected as District Attorney of San Francisco.

The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) is the city police department of the City and County of San Francisco, California. The department's motto is the same as that of the city and county: Oro en paz, fierro en guerra, Spanish for Gold in peace, iron in war.

Gavin Christopher Newsom is an American politician and businessman. He is the 40th and current governor of California, since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 49th lieutenant governor of California from 2011 to 2019 and as the 42nd mayor of San Francisco from 2004 to 2011. He was sworn in as Governor of California on January 7, 2019. He is a national progressive figure who was a prominent early advocate for same-sex marriage, immigrant rights, universal health care, gun control, and the legalization of cannabis.

San Francisco district attorney election, 2011^[1]
Candidate	Votes	%
George Gascón (incumbent)	75,628	41.61
David Onek	42,765	23.53
Sharmin Bock	37,717	20.75
Bill Fazio	19,072	10.49
Vu Vuong Trinh	6,555	3.61
Write-in	0	0
Valid votes	181,737	93.04%
Invalid or blank votes	13,586	6.96%
Total votes	195,323	100
Voter turnout	42.46%
Ranked choice voting — Pass 3
George Gascón (incumbent)	99,480	62.39
David Onek	59,976	37.61
Eligible votes	159,456	81.64%
Exhausted votes			35,867	18.36%
Total votes	195,323	100

Candidate	Pass 1	Pass 2	Pass 3
George Gascón	75,628	83,146	99,480
David Onek	42,765	46,997	59,976
Sharmin Bock	37,717	43,965
Bill Fazio	19,072
Vu Vuong Trinh	6,555
Write-in	0
Eligible Ballots	181,737	174,108	159,456
Exhausted Ballots	13,586	21,215	35,867
Total	195,323	195,323	195,323

Sheriff

Incumbent Sheriff Michael Hennessey did not seek reelection.^[2]

Michael Hennessey was the longest serving Sheriff in the history of San Francisco and was the longest tenured Sheriff in the State of California. Hennessey was elected in a run-off election in December 1979 and had been reelected in seven subsequent elections.

San Francisco sheriff election, 2011^[3]
Candidate	Votes	%
Ross Mirkarimi	69,605	38.36
Chris Cunnie	51,146	28.18
Paul Miyamoto	49,414	27.23
David Wong	11,305	6.23
Write-in	0	0
Valid votes	181,470	92.91%
Invalid or blank votes	13,853	7.09%
Total votes	195,323	100
Voter turnout	42.46%
Ranked choice voting — Pass 3
Ross Mirkarimi	85,608	53.25
Paul Miyamoto	74,548	46.55
Eligible votes	160,156	82.00%
Exhausted votes			35,167	18.00%
Total votes	195,323	100

Candidate	Pass 1	Pass 2	Pass 3
Ross Mirkarimi	69,605	71,613	85,608
Paul Miyamoto	49,414	53,933	74,548
Chris Cunnie	51,146	52,745
David Wong	11,305
Write-in	0
Eligible Ballots	181,470	178,291	160,156
Exhausted Ballots	13,853	17,032	35,167
Total	195,323	195,323	195,323

Propositions

Propositions: A • B • C • D • E • F • G • H

Note: "City" refers to the San Francisco municipal government.

Proposition A

Proposition A would authorize the San Francisco Unified School District to issue up to $531 million in bonds, funded by a property tax increase, to modernize and repair school facilities, and create a citizens' oversight committee to monitor expenditures. This proposition required a majority of 55% to pass.

San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), established in 1851, is the only public school district within the City and County of San Francisco, and the first in the state of California. Under the management of the San Francisco Board of Education, the district serves more than 55,500 students in more than 160 institutions.

Proposition A
Choice	Votes	%
Yes	134,695	71.10
No	54,750	28.90
Required majority	55.00
Valid votes	189,445	96.31
Invalid or blank votes	7,251	3.69
Total votes	196,696	100.00

Proposition B

Proposition B would authorize the City to issue $248 million in bonds for the repair and improvement of streets, bicycling paths, and pedestrian and traffic infrastructure. This proposition required a two-thirds majority to pass.

Proposition B
Choice	Votes	%
Yes	129,123	68.01
No	60,733	31.99
Required majority	66.67
Valid votes	189,856	96.52
Invalid or blank votes	6,840	3.48
Total votes	196,696	100.00

Proposition C

Proposition C would adjust pension contribution rates for current and future City employees, implement limits on future pension benefits and increases, require all City employees to contribute to their retiree health care costs, among other changes to the City pension system. This was submitted to the ballot to counter Proposition D below.

Health care prices in the United States describes market and non-market factors that determine pricing, along with possible causes as to why prices are higher than other countries. Compared to other OECD countries, U.S. healthcare costs are one-third higher or more relative to the size of the economy (GDP). According to the CDC, during 2015 health expenditures per-person were nearly $10,000 on average, with total expenditures of $3.2 trillion or 17.8% GDP. Proximate reasons for the differences with other countries include: higher prices for the same services and greater use of healthcare. Higher administrative costs, higher per-capita income, and less government intervention to drive down prices are deeper causes. While the annual inflation rate in healthcare costs has declined in recent decades; it still remains above the rate of economic growth, resulting in a steady increase in healthcare expenditures relative to GDP from 6% in 1970 to nearly 18% in 2015.

Proposition C
Choice	Votes	%
Yes	129,511	68.90
No	58,445	31.10
Valid votes	187,956	95.56
Invalid or blank votes	8,740	4.44
Total votes	196,696	100.00

Proposition D

Proposition D would adjust pension contribution rates for current and future City employees, implement limits on future pension benefits and increases, prohibit the City from picking up the cost of employee's contributions to pension benefits, among other changes to the City pension system. This was submitted to the ballot to counter Proposition C above.

Proposition D
Choice	Votes	%
No	124,002	66.54
Yes	62,349	33.46
Valid votes	186,351	94.74
Invalid or blank votes	10,345	5.26
Total votes	196,696	100.00

Proposition E

Proposition E would allow ballot measures submitted by the Mayor or the Board of Supervisors on or after January 1, 2012, and subsequently approved by voters, to be amended or repealed by two-thirds of the Board three years after passage, and by a majority seven years after passage.

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is the legislative body within the government of the City and County of San Francisco, California, United States.

Proposition E
Choice	Votes	%
No	121,202	67.13
Yes	59,356	32.87
Valid votes	180,558	91.80
Invalid or blank votes	16,138	8.20
Total votes	196,696	100.00

Proposition F

Proposition F would decrease disclosure requirements of campaign consultants to the San Francisco Ethics Commission.

Proposition F
Choice	Votes	%
No	98,761	56.11
Yes	77,240	43.89
Valid votes	176,001	89.48
Invalid or blank votes	20,695	10.52
Total votes	196,696	100.00

Proposition G

Proposition G would increase the sales tax by 0.5% for a period of ten years or until the California state government instates a sales tax hike of 1% or more for at least one year. This proposition required a two-thirds majority to pass.

Proposition G
Choice	Votes	%
No	100,490	53.88
Yes	86,033	46.12
Required majority	66.67
Valid votes	186,523	94.83
Invalid or blank votes	10,173	5.17
Total votes	196,696	100.00

Proposition H

Proposition H would make it City policy that school admissions be based primarily on the student's proximity to neighborhood schools.

Proposition H
Choice	Votes	%
No	91,629	50.03
Yes	91,514	49.97
Valid votes	183,143	93.11
Invalid or blank votes	13,553	6.89
Total votes	196,696	100.00

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References

↑ http://www.sfelections.org/results/20111108/data/da.html
↑ Gordon, Rachel (February 19, 2011). "S.F. Sheriff Michael Hennessey says he'll retire". San Francisco Chronicle. p. C-2. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
↑ http://www.sfelections.org/results/20111108/data/sheriff.html

External links

San Francisco Department of Elections

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[results-1] ttp://www.sfelections.org/results/20111108/data/da.html

[sheriff_retirement-2] Gordon, Rachel (February 19, 2011). "S.F. Sheriff Michael Hennessey says he'll retire". San Francisco Chronicle. p. C-2. Retrieved August 17, 2011.

[resultssheriff-3] ttp://www.sfelections.org/results/20111108/data/sheriff.html

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