Supervisor John Avalos with his wife, Karen Zapata, filed papers with the San Francisco Department of Elections yesterday officially declaring his candidacy for Mayor. Photos by Luke Thomas.
By Luke Thomas
April 19, 2011
It’s official. District 11 Supervisor John Avalos, a progressive, has entered the instant runoff race for San Francisco mayor.
“I’m running to have a real positive campaign,” Avalos said yesterday to a throng of reporters after filing required paperwork with the Department of Elections.” I want to make great changes to the administration. I want an administration whose talent is going to bring out the best of San Francisco. I want to make sure our streets get cleaned but I also want to make sure that we have a city that works for all. I am very concerned about widening disparities in wealth and we need to figure out how to support working families with our schools and opportunities for jobs.”
A beaming Avalos completes the required paperwork at the Department of Elections with his wife Karen Zapata by his side.
Avalos takes questions from the City Hall press corps.
Though it is early to have locked in official endorsements, Avalos said he expects to be endorsed by Assemblymember Tom Ammiano, Supervisors Eric Mar and David Campos, former Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin and former Supervisor Chris Daly. He also expects to garner labor union endorsements.
“I am considering doing dual endorsements with other candidates so it’s wide open about that,” Avalos said in response to a question about Board President David Chiu’s candidacy. “I’m not sure if that’s going to be David Chiu or not but I think it’s a strategy that we need to have. I want to to distinguish myself from other candidates. I want to take positions on issues. I want to deal with our crisis in our budget. I think it’s important to stand for something.”
Pension reform and the city’s projected deficits over the next few years are expected to be the most important issues in this year’s mayor’s race. Though he did not endorse any pension reform proposals being considered for the November ballot, Avalos said he agreed Public Defender Jeff Adachi’s latest pension reform proposal is more equitable and progressive than its predecessor.
“We need to find a way to make pension reform work in San Francisco,” Avalos said. “We need to have a collaborative process to get there but it also needs to have real cost savings and that’s going to impact workers. There have been some solutions that have come forward that give me hope that we’re going to find something that’s going to work for the ballot that might save us $100 million next year. We’re still going to need to find a lot more money to close that deficit so it’s only one piece of the puzzle but it’s one that I’m going to support.”
Asked where he expects to get support to finance his campaign, Avalos said, “Anywhere where I can get it; anyone who is breathing in San Francisco I’m going to be calling for campaign funds,” adding, “This is a race that is going to be very competitive and I’m not shy about asking for money. When I ran for supervisor a couple of years ago, I did not take any money from lobbyists, people involved at high levels in corporations, or developers. I’m probably going to have a different approach this time. I need to appeal to lot wider audience and I want to get my message out – it’s going to take money to do that.”
Avalos got his start in San Francisco politics working for Coleman Advocates, a San Francisco based child advocacy organization, and later as a legislative aide to former Supervisor Daly. In 2008, Avalos ran and was elected District 11 Supervisor. He is best known for his work as Budget and Finance Committee Chair and most recently for successfully spearheading historic local hiring legislation that requires 50 percent of workers hired for San Francisco construction projects reside in San Francisco.
“To me, the safety net is really an essential part of what my platform is going to be about,” Avalos, who obtained a master’s degree in social work from San Francisco State University, said. “How we can preserve our safety net despite the deficit, despite how difficult our financial situation is in San Francisco.”
Avalos joins a crowded field of mayoral candidates that includes Senator Leland Yee, City Attorney Dennis Herrera, Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting, Board of Supervisors President David Chiu, former Supervisors Bevan Dufty, Michaela Alioto Pier and Tony Hall, and venture capitalist Joanna Rees, for the open seat.
Luke Thomas
Luke Thomas is a former software developer and computer consultant who proudly hails from London, England. In 2001, Thomas took a yearlong sabbatical to travel and develop a photographic portfolio. Upon his return to the US, Thomas studied photojournalism to pursue a career in journalism. In 2004, Thomas worked for several neighborhood newspapers in San Francisco before accepting a partnership agreement with the SanFranciscoSentinel.com, a news website formerly covering local, state and national politics. In September 2006, Thomas launched FogCityJournal.com. The BBC, CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox News, New York Times, Der Spiegel, San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Magazine, 7x7, San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco Bay Guardian and the San Francisco Weekly, among other publications and news outlets, have published his work. Thomas is a member of the Freelance Unit of the Pacific Media Workers Guild, TNG-CWA Local 39521 and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists.
Follow Me:
The Hunger Site
April 27, 2011 at 6:11 pm
My post doesn’t have anything to do with John Avalos, but it’s the only place I see to put it.
The deadline for filing to run for mayor is not until August so that leaves a lot of time for anyone to run. Which is why I found it curious that Harvey’s Bar & Restaurant at 18th and Castro now has up a “Bevan Dufty for mayor. He sees the big picture,” campaign sign in the corner window on the 18th Street side. Harvey’s had up 2 big Wiener signs on the corner of the building when Wiener ran and Wiener’s victory party was held in Harvey’s on election night. Wiener was/is for sit-lie and Dufty opposed it. So there would appear to be some contradiction there, at least on that issue. I’ve read that the person who owns the building that Harvey’s is in also owns Harvey’s and managers run Harvey’s. If Harvey Milk were alive, I can’t see Harvey Milk supporting either Wiener or Dufty. I think the owner of the building who I suspect is a “conservative” (he might charade as a “centrist,” UGH) is simply exploiting the name of Harvey Milk, in part, to get the tourist business. Dufty’s campaign sign is uninteresting looking (the colors used are navy blue and green with white letters….very dull), just like Dufty is uninteresting/dull as a politician in my opinion. I remember reading where Dufty said that “Wiener has a covenant with the Castro,” (what?) which is bull shit. Dufty also claimed that Wiener won by an overwhelming margin which is also bull shit. No candidate in D8 got 51% of the votes in the first round. And Wiener either had 54% or 56% (I forget which) in the end which is not overwhelming. I guess Dufty didn’t bother to check the numbers from the Department of Elections. He just says anything. I just found it a little odd that Harvey’s managers or the building owner have decided this early that they are supporting Dufty without seeing who all the candidates will be. Wonder who paid off whom for that?
April 21, 2011 at 7:45 pm
Alberto,
You write well but you’re not a legitimate voice for me. That’s because I read the link you provided in your first post and it’s clearly the work of a PR firm hired to shoot down IRV. Give your legal name or I, for one, will not reply to you.
Rob, you old cynic. IRV works because the best candidates usually don’t have a prayer and if you vote for them under the old system, you ‘waste’ your vote. Under IRV I don’t have to hold my nose and vote for the ‘better’ of 2 losers.
Thus, I was able to vote for Jim Meko for D-6 supe and then hold my nose and vote for 2 others who had a better chance but who, to me, ran compromised campaigns. Neither of them, incidentally, was Jane Kim whose red light I could see hanging out of her Downtown window for several years now.
Alberto. You’re an honest person, right? Who do you work for? No shame in being a shill if you’re honest about it. I’m betting that if I gave you enough money you’d come on this site under a different ‘handle’ and praise IRV. David Chiu’s firm (Grassroots Enterprises) did exactly that on the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste depository. Used their own name to support the dump and then registered a false front to work against it. And, charged both parties.
Go Giants!
h.
April 21, 2011 at 4:26 pm
The biggest fallacy in the RCV system is that there can possibly be more than one candidate worth voting for. It’s often a challenge to find one worthy canidate. It saves money by not having to stage run-off elections. Otherwise, it’s a system devised by people who don’t really understand politics or elections.
April 21, 2011 at 12:59 pm
Luke,
“Isn’t this instant runoff process similar to a runoff minus the expense of a second election?”
No, as Top-Two Runoff elections (if no one achieves a majority in first election) guarantees the winner has the support of the majority. RCV is plurality with lipstick.
And yes, the D10 election had 21 candidates, but consider, 31 candidates have pulled papers with the intent to run in this years mayor’s race. Recall that Measure A – the RCV measure, ensured “majority winners”
Nevertheless, it doesn’t matter how many candidates run, as it is still difficult to achieve a majority.
Here’s an example: in Pierce County WA, 6 candidates competed for County Assessor. Dale Washman won with 98,366 votes from 262,447 or 37% support. BTW – Pierce County repealed RCV and went back to a majority winner. Something SF will consider after the mayor’s election which is heading to be a train wreck.
While allowing votes for as many as there are candidates is laudable, but it cannot be compulsory. This will also not achieve majority as yo are asking too much of the electorate and it will just be a crapshoot.
April 21, 2011 at 8:49 am
Alberto, 2nd and 3rd place votes are clearly not 1st place votes, but they are nonetheless votes for alternative candidates.
Isn’t this instant runoff process similar to a runoff minus the expense of a second election?
And although Malia Cohen won with only 4,321 votes, there were 21 candidates each vying for a slice of the 18,508 vote pie.
My only complaint with San Francisco’s version of RCV is that only three candidates are ranked on the ballot. All candidates should be ranked, in my opinion.
April 21, 2011 at 7:57 am
Ranked Choice Voting is preparing to deliver to San Francisco a Mayor that a majority of voters did not select, and did not want.
San Francisco’s Mayor will be elected with a plurality of support, rather than a majority, just like Malia Cohen who won with 4,321 votes from 18,508 voters or 24% support!
This video explains what happens in SF’s RCV races:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ng-wEzXMV3A
A Majority Matters.
Honolulu’s City Council unanimously rejected RCV just yesterday. Glad to see sanity returning to other cities.
See the article here:
http://www.civilbeat.com/articles/2011/04/20/10487-honolulu-city-council-no-instant-runoff-voting/
April 20, 2011 at 2:04 pm
Rob,
Good to see you’re still breathing. I wouldn’t have believed the post was actually from you if you hadn’t mentioned bicycles in the last paragraph.
Trust me, Parkmerced redux won’t be built in my lifetime or yours. This is just a long line of speculators stacking up permits that make the property more salable when they turn it over.
Go Giants!
h.
April 20, 2011 at 8:35 am
“I think it’s important to stand for something.”
Avalos is for pension reform—who isn’t?—and retaining a safety net for the poor—who isn’t?—and for bringing out the best in San Francisco.
He’ll have to be more specific. What about the awful Parkmerced project? The 19th Avenue Corridor Study tells us that traffic will be a lot worse and life in that part of the city will be degraded if we allow the speculators that now own Parkmerced to proceed with that project.
http://sfmea.sfplanning.org/19th_Ave_Corridor_Study.pdf
What about the city’s approach to planning in general, the dense development, smart growth dogma? 40-story highrises at Market and Van Ness (the Market/Octavia Plan)?
What about Congestion Pricing and Critical Mass? Avalos needs to discuss these issues, as do the other candidates.
April 19, 2011 at 3:02 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og7-6YubuS4
April 19, 2011 at 2:44 pm
Good report…Some interesting comments by Avalos.
April 19, 2011 at 1:32 pm
Ooops – wrong link.
Tempus fugit. The End of Days ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og7-6ubuS4
April 19, 2011 at 1:29 pm
Tempus fugit. The End of Days ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMiTqcB2tns
April 19, 2011 at 1:04 pm
John Avalos speaks for me!
April 19, 2011 at 12:51 pm
Si Swami, though I kinda doubt the first three will run ?? if they do they should ‘collaborate and conspire -despite what Chris says !!!
ANOINT THE FREAK
FEAR THE BEARD
April 19, 2011 at 12:34 pm
Well, well,
Y’all recall the dragging over the coals that Avalos arrogantly subjected Adachi to in John’s first days running the Budget committee? Now Adachi’s not so bad? Avalos threatened the constitutionally mandated right of the poor to a competent legal defense. He stood shoulder to shoulder with Sean Elsbernd who said that if cutting the budget for the Office of Public Defender meant outsourcing cases that the clients would get a better defense than Adachi’s office would provide. That was an incredible insult to a man who has proven himself to be one of the best PD’s in the nation. And, supposedly, not just a fellow Progressive, but the senior elected Progressive in SF after Chris Daly.
Hey, I like the guy. Wonderful person. Great family man. But, he owes a bended knee to Adachi.
And, the unbelievable chutzpah of Peskin and Daly with their track record for picking losers to think that they can announce a ‘unity’ candidate of their own choosing?
And, he wants to run with David Chiu on a slate? Are you pooping me? The self-annointed leader of the Left running with the Uber-Conservative hit man of all things Left?
I want to see two things:
1. I want to see an honest poll.
2. I want to see John’s first financial statement to Ethics.
What did Bruce Willis say in the first ‘Die Hard’?
Oh yeah: “Welcome to the party.”
Adachi for Mayor!
Gonzalez for Mayor!
Campos for Mayor!
Avalos for Mayor!
(in that order please)
Go Giants!
h.
April 19, 2011 at 12:16 pm
“If you can’t take their money, drink their liquor, screw their women, and then come in here the next day and vote against them, you don’t belong here.”