The ultimate irony is that Sean Elsbernd himself is the poster child for what’s wrong with the old December runoffs and what’s right with RCV. Look at the results above for District 7: Supervisor Elsbernd won in 2004 in an “instant” runoff race with nearly 50% more votes than his predecessor Tony Hall had in 2000 in a delayed December runoff, 13,834 votes versus 9333 (in comparable turnout years). And Elsbernd had 43.7% of the “whole contest” vote total compared to 30.9% for Hall. No matter how you want to count it, more District 7 voters were able to have a say in who their supervisor is because Sup. Elsbernd was elected with ranked choice voting in a much higher turnout November election.
As we were leaving, we spotted some commotion around a sidewalk tree on the edge of the Plaza. We encountered “Robin,” a young man in his 20s, who is currently dwelling in a three-level tree platform which has been labeled “Ohlone Land.” Robin shouted down to us that “we are not coming down until Jean Quan agrees to let people camp at the Plaza again.” He explained that the platforms were built by Running Wolf and Black Foot, who wanted to have a presence in the Occupy Movement on behalf of Indigenous Peoples and their rights; to make a point that the City Hall complex is on stolen lands. Robin also pointed out that eco-justice issues need to have a more prominent place in the Occupy Movement.
Federal, state and local officials plan budget cuts instead of help. Human deprivation isn’t discussed in high places, only ways to grab more wealth and power. In plain sight, America’s no longer fit to live in. Neither are other Western countries, depriving the many for the few.
When I first arrived, a pow-wow of participants were engaged in introductions of the many organizations that were represented (Labor Council, ILWU, UHW, Coalition on Homelessness, etc). Individuals were invited to identify as newly visiting or having been with OccupySF for a while. The congenial crowd then did a run-through of linking arms and creating a human chain in anticipation of protecting the tents in front of the Federal Reserve.
According to final results published today by the San Francisco Department of Elections, Prop H failed to pass by 115 votes. The measure was previously leading with a small margin but failed after all ballots, including provisional ballots, were processed.
Citing health and safety issues, Nuru states, “The occupants of the tents and encampment on Market Street and Main Street, near the Federal Reserve, are hereby notified that they are in violation of City and County of San Francisco codes and must take down all tents and structures and vacate immediately.”
The public has the right to know what members have ties to what industries or lobbies, not only in the past, but also since the Super Committee was formed. For example, public action committees (PACs) associated with lawmakers on the Committee have shown a surge of contributions, and PACs representing corporate biggies like Pfizer and Lockheed Martin contributed more than $83,000 during August alone.
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