First in a Two-Part Series

Since November, local progressives have focused their attention on the upcoming Mayor’s race – with endless speculation about who will challenge Gavin Newsom. While some have focused on drafting a progressive candidate, others have questioned if it’s a good idea to expend considerable resources in what will certainly be an uphill battle.

But few have really talked about the Board of Supervisors elections in 2008 – whose outcome will arguably be far more important than the Mayor’s race. If progressives are serious about implementing a new vision for San Francisco, they need to turn their attention to the six districts that will have a race in two years, identify good candidates who can connect with voters in these neighborhoods, and build up a grass-roots infrastructure that will ride progressives to victory.

2008 will determine if the progressive movement that ushered in a new Board of Supervisors in December 2000 makes significant gains – or else suffers huge setbacks. Three Supervisors from the Class of 2000 (Jake McGoldrick, Aaron Peskin and Gerardo Sandoval) will step down because of term limits, all in “swing districts” where progressives have had a mixed record. Tom Ammiano, who helped propel and nurture the City’s progressive movement in the Nineties, will also step down to run for the State Assembly.

With four open seats, progressives must begin the work now to cultivate new leadership in these districts to be in good shape when November 2008 comes around. And because Howard Dean’s “Fifty State Strategy” worked so well on the national level to help the Democratic Party, progressives should leave no district behind – and run Supervisor candidates everywhere.

Today, I will analyze the field of candidates in Districts 1, 3, and 5. Tomorrow, I will look at Districts 7, 9 and 11. The other districts do not have a race until 2010.

District 1 (the Richmond): Nowhere is the need to plan ahead more obvious than in the Richmond, where Jake McGoldrick will be stepping down after two terms. Conventional wisdom says that “where the Richmond goes, so goes the City” – as it is the ultimate swing district in San Francisco. Gavin Newsom carried the district in 2003 over Matt Gonzalez, but voters there have also supported progressive ballot measures in the past. In 2004, downtown business interests waged an all-out effort to defeat McGoldrick (similar to last year’s unsuccessful effort to unseat Chris Daly) – and progressives should brace themselves for a similar assault in 2008.

School Board member Eric Mar, who has lived in the neighborhood since 1984, has been urged to run by progressives. Mar considered running for Supervisor in 2000, but decided against it after his house burned down and he couldn’t find an affordable rental in the District (he has since moved back.) Mar has a long track-record of advocacy for immigrants and people of color – through his work at the Northern California Coalition for Immigrant Rights and the Chinese Progressive Association. He was also a shop steward for SEIU Local 790, and has fought “environmental racism” through the Southwest Network for Environmental and Economic Justice.

Mar acknowledged that he’s considering a run in 2008, but that his focus for 2007 is on the School Board -- with the looming budget crisis and hiring a new superintendent. Beyond finding a candidate, Mar also stressed the need for progressives to build a grass-roots movement to select candidates, hold our elected officials accountable and sustain n issue-based agenda beyond any politician’s term of office. “I’m trying to identify the liberal-progressive social groups that have a base in the Richmond District, whether I run or not,” said Mar. “You don’t just build a movement by promoting a candidate.”

Jane Kim, who just got elected to the School Board and will be sworn in on Friday, also lives in the District and would be a strong candidate. But many progressives feel that she first needs to prove herself on the School Board before running for Supervisor. "I'm definitely not running in '08," said Kim.

District 3 (North Beach / Chinatown / Polk Gulch): Supervisor Aaron Peskin likes to remind progressives that his district voted for Frank Jordan, Willie Brown and Gavin Newsom. That should be cause for concern for progressives in 2008, when Peskin will step down after having served two terms. District 3 is a diverse community that includes wealthy neighborhoods like Nob Hill and Telegraph Hill – so any progressive candidate in that district must cultivate a strong grass-roots network and round up more than just the usual suspects. The Ellis Act has adversely affected District 3’s housing stock, so the next Supervisor must be a strong progressive on tenants’ rights and land use matters.

Some progressives are promoting Small Business Commissioner David Chiu, and Peskin has publicly supported his candidacy. Chiu was the campaign manager for the 2004 initiative to give non-citizen parents the right to vote in School Board elections. He was Vice President of the District 3 Democratic Club, is active in the local community courts, has joined the Lower Polk Neighborhood Association and serves on the board of the Chinatown Community Development Center. Chiu is also the founder and Chief Operating Officer of Grassroots Enterprise, a small technology firm that consults political and non-profit organizations nationwide.

As a member of the Small Business Commission, Chiu has worked closely with the San Francisco Revenue Coalition – a group of activists working to enact a more progressive taxation system. “Progressives have not had a good relationship with the business community – including small businesses,” said Chiu, “but there are ways that I can help build bridges. We currently have a business tax system that taxes employees (payroll tax) – whereas a gross receipts tax would be more progressive and less regressive.”

Chiu says that he’s “pleasantly surprised” at the number of people who have suggested that he run, and he is certainly considering it. “David understands the perspectives of the District,” said progressive activist Nicole Derse, who also lives in District 3. “He has close ties with the small business community, and the Chinese-American community. He is very principled and has good politics, and doesn’t have a very big ego.”

District 5 (Western Addition / Haight-Ashbury): District 5 is the most progressive part of the City. Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi is up for re-election, and should expect solid progressive support. He has been a champion at the Board on anti-violence measures like police foot patrols, tenants’ rights legislation and medical marijuana. While downtown business interests may try to wage a smear campaign against him like their prior efforts against Chris Daly or Jake McGoldrick, Mirkarimi has cultivated a close relationship with his constituents and appears to be safe. In a year where progressives have much to worry about in other districts, District 5 should be the least of their problems.

Check in tomorrow as I look at the potential field in Districts 7, 9 and 11.

Send feedback to paul@thclinic.org