SF County Political Parties: ‘All Politics is Local’

All politics is local, so goes the phrase. Yet for San Francisco, few heed the warning.

While newspapers’ headlines blast former President Donald Trump’s latest transgression incessantly, or cover the escalating feud between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, in the quiet confines of our home we really need to pay attention to… our city hall.

Consistently, over the last election cycles I’m asked who I support for president, or my thoughts on border policy, Roe v. Wade or myriad national issues. My stead-fast response is, “Who are you going to vote for the SF Unified School District commission? For City College Board members? For city attorney, city council/supervisor?” Without fail, I get blank stares rather than any answer, as they aren’t paying attention.  The pesky little things like city hall races are precisely how incompetents and malintents get elected to key city hall positions, with predictable result how San Francisco makes national headlines, and not in a good light.

This needs to change, starting now.

Over the next few months beginning Sept 29th, candidates for county-level political party leaders will be pitching their registered voter base.  These are elected seats on the local Democratic, Republican, Green, and Peace & Freedom party leadership committees. Collectively known as a “County Central Committee,” representative delegates are chosen by registered voters of their respective parties come March, 2024. If you’re a registered democrat, you get to choose the local SF Democratic Party leaders. Republican voters elect the Republican county party leaders, and so on.

The Democratic National Congress (DNC) or the RNC for republicans are on the federal level. In San Francisco the democrat’s county party leadership committee is known as the SFDCCC (the “D-triple-C”). For Republicans, it’s the SFRCCC (or “SFGOP”).  County leadership is very different from national party leadership. In fact, you may know few to none of the representatives on the SFDCC or SFGOP unless you’ve been addicted to city politics like yours truly. Should it matter? It does matter- quite a bit. The local ramifications are immense.

Endorsements and election mailers

Election recommendations (“slate mailers”) sent by mail to voters’ homes are influential. Voters who scream at their TVs at the sight of Trump, or call BS on AOC undoubtedly know how they will vote come election day for federal elections. Yet they are oblivious to candidates running for BART board, sheriff or city treasurer. These mailers arrive in the loyal, registered democrats’ mailbox, with the county’s SFDCCC official party logo proudly touting endorsements – on thick, glossy color paper, pretty photos of the various candidates emblazoned  with an “endorsed” seal of party approval.

Yet, you probably don’t recognize any of the candidates. You never met them personally, you haven’t read up on their experience nor their policies. Have you seen them interviewed on TV or public town hall meetings? Nope. But the SFDCCC hands you a menu of often highly unpalatables telling you how to mark your ballot. And you most likely will abide, because you’re a loyal registered democrat (or republican, libertarian, green etc.), and hey, you just threw a shoe at your TV at the sight of Marjorie Taylor Green – so you cannot be bothered to learn the name of the son of domestic terrorists who’s running for district attorney. Instead you’ll choose the pretty face or ethnic-sounding name, or who the SFDCCC tells you to vote for. And then you’ll complain when the city ultimately falls apart.

San Francisco DCCC members are petulant Marxists

Residents of San Francisco were furious when the SFUSD school board prioritized renaming schools, removing historic murals and scolding concerned parents. Eventually, three on that school board were recalled last year. How could they have gotten elected in the first place? Along with their own campaigning, the SFDCCC sent voter guides to registered democrats endorsing those candidates. San Francisco is overwhelmingly democrat and the largest voting block.

Similarly, for district attorney Chesa Boudin – elected in a close race in 2019 with the endorsement of the SFDCCC rabidly endorsing him. When he later faced recall in June 2022, the same SFDCCC sent mailers begging democrats to reject his recall. In fact, the SFDCCC put out an astoundingly malicious attack on the recall committee and its donors, misleadingly equating recall backers as aligned with congressional Republicans seeking to overturn Roe v. Wade. Paid for and mailed to you, courtesy the “SF Democratic Party.”

Twenty-four radical members of the SFDCC

San Francisco’s registered democrats elected the current group of twenty-four SFDCCC members in June 2020. Honey Mahogony is chairperson. Matt Haney, David Campos, Jane Kim. Honorary former members who’ve graduated up to the state level but still have clout with the local party include Scott Wiener, Matt Haney and Phil Ting. It’s a who’s who of local and state radical policymakers.

Every four-year election cycle, timed with presidential election years, the members are elected or re-elected, with many more than the twenty-four candidates running, pooled together. The top vote-getters win.

The Republicans aren’t off the hook either

In all honesty, nobody of any prominence nor influence is on the counterpart committee, the SFRCCC or simply “SFGOP.” San Francisco GOP has no elected nor appointed individuals in city hall nor state government among the ranks. The SFGOP has woefully little reliable funding as donors ran for the hills years ago. The party simply cannot win. It’s a lousy bet. The Republican party’s mailers are few and far between compared to SFDCCC’s several mailed every cycle; San Francisco’s republican voters seem to rely on their own research (or a crap shoot). Party leadership is a mess; infighting and controversy abound, virtually paralyzing the SFRCCC into irrelevance. In the coming months, the Republicans will also look to elect or re-elect local party leadership chosen by the city’s registered Republicans as well.

Pay attention, send a message

The city’s registered Democrats cannot choose those elected to the SFGOP, nor can republicans elect the SFDCCC members. Independents (“NPP” registrants) are not registered with any party and cannot take part in county party elections at all. But a strong counter-messaging to the candidates vying for a seat can be made. Take a little time, learn about those running, tell friends, associates, post on social media, NextDoor and even write an OpEd. Even run for a seat on your local party committee yourself. Change in local politics starts local, and you can definitely be a part of it even from the sidelines.