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Sunday Links: Trump's Election Law Order Creates Uncertainty, Concern For Many States

Trump's election law order has led to confusion and worry in states across the country leading up to the 2026 midterms; a small plane crashed into a house in a Minneapolis suburb on Saturday; and Pink Pistols is helping the LGBTQ+ community arm and protect themselves.

SF Elections Commission Reverses Itself, Backpedals After Uproar Over Proposed Director Search

A perceived misstep by the SF Elections Commission last month, saying they were not planning to renew the contract of 20-year veteran director of the Department of Elections John Arntz in favor of conducting an executive search to seek a diverse array of candidates, has now been reversed.

In Baffling Move, SF Elections Director With Impeccable Record Won’t Have Contract Renewed

After 20 years of flawless and scandal-free performance, SF Department of Elections Director John Arntz, one of the most effective and hardest-working people in City Hall, won't have his contract renewed because of a “racial equity plan.”

Bill Would Move California's 2020 Presidential Primary From June To March

A committee hearing a week from now, on April 18, will begin the process of deciding whether to radically move up the date of the California Presidential Primary vote in 2020, finally maybe

When Did Ballot Initiatives Start In CA, And What Was The Longest Ever Ballot?

Using a sixth sense? SF voters mark their ballots inside Columbarium, among remains of politicians, actors, friends pic.twitter.com/UIrupCsvyH— Juan Carlos Guerrero (@JuanCarlosABC7) November 8, 2016 Direct democracy is now 105

Kim, Critical Of Wiener's PAC Support, Took State Senate Lead After PG&E-Backed PAC Ad

In what was by early June already the most expensive District 11 State Senate Race ever of all time, political action committee money apparently flowed freely on both sides. Until now, Scott Wiener

Wiener Leads Kim In (Merely Symbolic) State Senate Primary As Both Advance To November Election

In a heated (read: lots of mailers) race for the District 11 State Senate seat currently occupied by Mark Leno, who is due to be termed-out, two Democratic San Francisco Supervisors — Scott Wiener

Supervisor Farrell Sues City To Erase Ethics Fine Over Dede Wilsey Campaign Contributions

In 2010, Mark Farrell won his seat on the Board of Supervisors representing Pacific Heights and the Marina, District 2, by a mere 258 votes. That's Supervisorial elections for you. Previously a political

The Ballad Of Terence Faulkner, Local Republican Gadfly And Professional Ballot Measure Opponent

Another election day has arrived, and for those who actually read their voter guides carefully, I commend you for your patience and your civic due diligence. I would joke that there are only

Here's Why You Need To Vote In Tuesday's Election (And Why Many Of You Won't)

A lot of you are probably sick of reading stories about affordable housing, moratoriums on building, Airbnb, and a bizarrely contentious fight over something called District 3, wherever that might be. For those

Thank God: It Will Now Be 10 Times More Expensive To Launch A Ballot Initiative

Even though in my opinion it ought to cost $200,000, the state has thankfully raised the fee for filing a ballot initiative from $200 to $2,000, making it slightly more difficult

246 People Voted For Peter Liu For Oakland Mayor

Just in case you were wondering, it looks like Oakland voters didn't take troll-candidate Peter Liu's candidacy too seriously in Tuesday's election. The gun-toting, gay-hating, horseriding advocate garnered only 246 votes for his

The East Bay Races: Oakland Gets A New Mayor, Chevron's Candidate Fails In Richmond, and More

And, wrapping up today's election coverage, I bring you news from across the Bay, where Oakland ousted its incumbent mayor, Richmond elected a progressive candidate despite Chevron's million-dollar campaign against him, and a

Jane Kim's Shoes Win Everything: Observations From My Tour Of Election Victory Parties Last Night

I've never been to any Election Night parties in S.F., so when a politically connected friend invited me along for a four-party tour last night to kiss a few rings, I figured

Just How Many Trees Have Died For This Year's Election Mailers?

Does anyone besides elderly shut-ins read election mailers? It's not possible yet to know how many millions of dollars are being wasted on all the heavy-stock mail pieces that are stuffing your mailboxes,

As S.F. Pride Turns: New Board Actually Elected

(By Patrick Connors) In the last episode of As SF Pride Turns... Three days ago—Sunday, September 15—San Francisco Pride held its annual meeting at the W Hotel. This is the meeting

Fainting, Open Bar, Clusterf**k: Scenes From SF Pride's Election

Seeing as how San Francisco Pride sits in a state of confusion and flux (look no further than the Chelsea Manning SNAFU and the brutal Pink Saturday attacks to see how far the

Congratulations, District 7, Norman Yee Is Your Next Supervisor!

After ten undoubtedly nail-biting, edge-of-their-seats days of ballot counting, the neighborhoods west of Twin Peaks finally have their successor to Sean Elsbernd's termed-out District 7 Supervisor seat. Board of Education President Norman Yee

An Arbitrary Guide For Voting In Tomorrow's Election

Now that you've found your polling place and a party, registered voter/procrastinator, it's time to familiarize yourself with all those candidate names and local ballot measures. Here's our brief, if somewhat arbitrary,

Video: Fake Nancy Pelosi Attempts Goat Sacrifice For Satan

Just over a month before the November election, political attack ad season is starting to get ugly. Like, real ugly. Like, Nancy Pelosi leading a horde of zombies in the ritual sacrifice of

Chris Daly's Face Still Being Used To Frighten Voters

Though he hasn't held elected office in well over a year, Chris Daly's mug is still being co-opted by more conservative candidates to represent the "zany ideas" and "guerrilla tactics" of S.F.

S.F. Wants To Remind Everyone There's An Election On June 5

Despite being the most populous state and one of the most diverse California's opinion doesn't matter a lick when it comes to picking this year's Republican Presidential candidate. But nonetheless there's a primary

Fight Erupts at Democratic Womens' Gathering

There weren't any Louboutins flying, but there was an upturned chair, accusations of living in the Marina, and references to 'Mean Girls' following a recent gathering of the eighteen women who are all

Arts & Entertainment

Speak Out, S.F.: Redistricting Task Force Community Meeting Thursday

We received this handy-dandy map under the heading, "Speak Out, San Francisco!" in our inbox yesterday outlining the Redistricting Task Force's current proposed new boundaries of San Francisco’s 11 supervisorial districts. (View

An Immodest Proposal: Make California an Early Primary State

Two political economists, writing in the Journal of Political Economy, have concluded that being a voter in the primaries in New Hampshire or Iowa makes you essentially as powerful as five voters on