Political ads aren't held to truth-in-advertising rules, and San Francisco mailboxes are full of fliers for Mayor Daniel Lurie's Props. D, E and F. Mission Local fact-checked the biggest claims from the Yes on D, E & F committee, which has raised an unprecedented sum — about $13 million — according to the paper and city disclosure records.
Prop. D: 'special interests'
Prop. D makes it harder to qualify city ballot measures, including by quadrupling the signatures needed. Mission Local's verdict: it won't stop anyone with enough money. Signature firms pay workers up to $15 per signature, and wealthy residents can hire as many gatherers as they need. The article noted that elected officials, like then-Supervisor Joel Engardio with Sunset Dunes, have also used their power to place measures.
Prop. E: the $1.7 million toilet
Ads invoke the infamous Noe Valley toilet, estimated at $1.7 million in 2022; the restroom ultimately cost the city about $200,000 after a donation, opening in 2024. Mission Local found 57% of the estimate was soft costs — design, project management and construction management paid to the city's own Public Works department — which Prop. E wouldn't address.
What Prop. E would do: give the city administrator, who reports to the mayor, "exclusive authority" over most contracting laws, and end the board's ability to amend or vote on contracts unless they produce $4.5 million or more in revenue or cost more than $25 million. The $6 billion figure in ads is what the city spent on outside contracts in fiscal 2025-26.
Mission Local also flagged the mayor's office's $5.9 million permitting contract with OpenGov, which has missed deadlines, as a cautionary example.