|
UTW
Endorsements
As we’ve
done in the past, United Taxicab Workers has made selective endorsements
in the Nov. 2 election. We’ve focused on local candidates and
issues of importance to our membership and to cab drivers in general.
With seven seats on the Board of Supervisors up for grabs, we asked
all candidates for District Supervisor to respond to a questionnaire
on taxi issues. Whether and how a candidate responded were major factors
in our choices. We also placed emphasis on whether candidates have been
supportive of us in the past.
On account of San Francisco’s new system of “ranked choice”
voting (see article to right), in some supervisorial races we have endorsed
more than one candidate. We have listed our choices in order of preference.
In other local races, we’ve endorsed candidates who have been
long-time UTW supporters. Though we normally don’t endorse candidates
for state office, we are supporting Assemblyman Mark Leno in recognition
of his authorship of AB 2591, the new state limo law. (See p. 1.) We’ve
also endorsed two local and two state ballot measures. Three of these
measures involve health care, a major concern of ours as the city moves
towards creating a health care plan for all cab drivers.
Here, then, are our endorsements:
State
Assembly 13th District: Mark Leno
Board
of Supervisors
District 1: No endorsement
District 2: No endorsement
District 3: Aaron Peskin
District 5: 1. Robert Haaland
2. Lisa Feldstein
3. Susan King
District 7: No endorsement
District 9: 1. Tom Ammiano
2. Renee Saucedo
District 11: Rebecca Silverberg
School Board
Jill Wynns
Eric Mar
BART Board
District 9: Tom Radulovich (unopposed)
City Ballot
Measures
Proposition A (affordable housing bonds): Yes
Proposition G (health plans for city residents): Yes
State Ballot
Measures
Proposition 67 (emergency medical care): Yes
Proposition 72: (worker health insurance): Yes
How
Ranked Choice Voting Works
San Francisco will be using “ranked choice” voting for the
first time in this year’s District elections for supervisor. The
ranked choice system (also known as “instant runoff” voting)
precludes the need for a runoff election in the event that no candidate
obtains a majority of votes cast.
Under ranked choice voting, voters can choose up to three candidates,
ranking them in order of preference. If no candidate initially gains
a majority, those with the lowest totals will be successively eliminated.
If a voter’s first choice is eliminated, the second choice will
count; if the second choice is eliminated, the third choice will count.
The elimination will proceed until a candidate obtains a majority. Although
voters are not required to choose three candidates, it is wise to do
so. Failing to select a second or third choice does not provide any
advantage to the voter’s first choice.
|
