San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie and Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee are both asking voters on Nov. 3 to expand their powers. Mission Local compared how each got there.
San Francisco: signatures and big money
Lurie's campaign spent $4.5 million on signature-gatherers to put three charter amendments — Props. D, E and F — on the ballot, part of a nearly $14 million campaign funded by allies. Campaign totals for the committees are posted on the San Francisco Ethics Commission's disclosure site. Lurie didn't take the measures to the Board of Supervisors; Board President Rafael Mandelman, who co-introduced them, said the mayor's team "were not confident they could get the measure they thought the city needed through the Board of Supervisors — and I would agree."
A 31-member working group, mostly pro-business and moderate allies plus three labor representatives, met four times from December through March; the mayor's office says it held six smaller meetings too. Lurie unveiled the measures a day after the final session. Observer Christin Evans called the process "superficial." Spokesperson Charles Lutvak said the office "invited public comment multiple times."
Oakland: council vote and community meetings
Lee took her single measure, Measure EE, to a divided City Council; her vote broke a 4-4 tie. Oakland's eight-member working group held 14 community meetings with more than 750 attendees, surveyed residents, and held two more meetings after releasing recommendations in January. Lee answered questions at three live-streamed hearings. The Yes campaign has raised about $37,000 this year.
Three people served on both working groups: Fred Blackwell of the San Francisco Foundation, SEIU Local 1021's Zach Goldman and former SF Controller Ben Rosenfield. SPUR shaped both efforts, Mission Local reported.