FREE//GRATUITO
Published by Acción Latina
Special Muertos coverage inside
Noviembre 5-18, 2015
Vol. 45 No. 22
Election day yields mixed results for housing advocates Elecciones producen resultados mixtos para derechos de viviendas
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ess than 24 hours after Proposition I—the measure calling for a temporary moratorium on luxury housing in San Francisco’s rapidly economically and ethnically changing Mission District—was voted down, community activists celebrated the measures that did pass, and vowed to move forward in their fight for affordable housing. “I would be lying if I didn’t acknowledge some disappointment,” said Proposition I supporter Christina Olague from the steps of City Hall on Nov. 4. Olague is the former president of the city’s planning commission and a former supervisor. “But what I know from personal experience, is that there is much to learn from losing. We will not hide in the shadows of this moment, but we will continue to build a citywide movement that we have witnessed emerging over the past few months.” Proposition I garnered 55,543 votes (42.65 percent) citywide. That tally was one that supporters viewed with optimism, given the vast amounts of funding given to the “No on Prop I” campaign from large developers and real estate firms. Gabriel Medina, policy manager of the Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA), was confident that the only reason Proposition I was defeated was
Francisco Herrera. Photo Santiago Mejía
due to money, calculating that developers spent $24 per vote to defeat the measure, while supporters spent less that $3 per vote. But despite voters turning down Proposition I, supporters of the measure say they’ll continue to resist luxury development until the city’s affordable housing needs are met, and will likewise continue with their neighborhood stabilization and affordable housing strategies. “The Mission has not been as united as it is now,” said Scott Weaver, a former tenants’ rights attorney and author of Proposition I. “And we’re moving that momentum forward.” That unity within has spread from the Mission to surrounding neighborhoods, all of which are facing similar issues to those that are plaguing the Mission. Prominent figures who voiced support for the Mission community included: Bayview pastor Yul Dorn; Richmond District Program Director at the Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco Joseph Smooke; Excelsior resident and City College trustee Brigitte Davila; Soma activist John Elberling; and Tenderloin native and Plaza 16 member Chirag Bhakta. “As good as we are individually, I understand that we’re better together,” said Dorn. “I am more ready to fight than I was yesterday.” The “Yes on I” campaign
menos de 24 horas de que la Proposición I fuera rechazada —medida que pretendía una moratoria temporal a la construcción de viviendas de lujo en San Francisco, que rápidamente está cambiando económica y étnicamente a la Misión—, activistas de la comunidad celebraron aquellas medidas que sí fueron aprobadas y se comprometieron a continuar la lucha para conseguir viviendas asequibles. “Estaría mintiendo si te digo que no siento un poco de decepción”, dijo la partidaria de la Proposición I, Christina Olague, desde las escaleras del Ayuntamiento. Olague es ex presidente de la Comisión de Planificación de la ciudad y ex supervisora. “Pero lo que sé por experiencia, es que hay mucho que aprender de una derrota. No vamos a escondernos en la sombra de este momento, vamos a seguir construyendo un movimiento en toda la ciudad que se ha visto crecer los últimos meses”. La Proposición I obtuvo 55,543 votos (42.65 porciento) en toda la ciudad. Ese número fue visto por los partidarios con optimismo, dada la enorme cantidad de fondos que los grandes desarrolladores y empresas de bienes raíces invirtieron en la campaña ‘No a la Prop I’. Gabriel Medina, gestor de
El Tecolote
El Tecolote
ong-time activist, musician, and cultural worker Francisco Herrera came in second place against incumbent San Francisco mayor Ed Lee in the Nov. 3 election, earning 31.59 percent of the vote in the city’s “ranked choice” voting system to Lee’s 56.1 percent. Herrera and candidates Amy Farah Weiss and Stuart “BrokeAss Stuart” Schuffman comprised “The People’s Campaign” coalition, whose “Vote 1-2-3 against Ed Lee” mantra aimed to send a message to City Hall, asking for a change in direction for the city. “The city is changing,” Herrera, who is Mexican-American, said in a statement. “But it doesn’t have to be for the worse. With leadership that values affordability, cultural heritage, and equity, the city can continue to grow.” San Francisco’s ranked choice
l activista, músico y promotor cultural Francisco Herrera quedó en segundo lugar en las elecciones de este 3 de noviembre, al obtener el 31.59 por ciento de los votos frente al 56.1 por ciento que dio el gane al actual alcalde de San Francisco, Ed Lee. Herrera y los demás candidatos Amy Farah Weiss y Stuart Schuffman ‘Broke-Ass Stuart’, integraron la coalición ‘Campaña del Pueblo’ cuyo ‘Voto 1-2-3 contra Ed Lee’ envió claro mensaje al Ayuntamiento, pidiendo un cambio de dirección para la ciudad. “La ciudad está cambiando”, declaró Herrera, que es un mexicoamericano. “Pero no tiene que ser para empeorar. Sino con un liderazgo que valore la accesibilidad, el patrimonio cultural y la equidad, la ciudad puede continuar creciendo”. El sistema de rango de elec-
See election, page 5
Vea ELECCIÓN, página 5
See Herrera, page 12
Vea ALCALDÍA, página 12
Alexis Terrazas El Tecolote
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Francisco Herrera places second in mayoral race Herrera obtiene segundo lugar en la carrera por la alcaldía Camilo Landau
Camilo Landau
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1. Simpatizantes de la Prop I, la cual no fue aprobada, reunidos en las escaleras del Ayuntamiento un día después de las elecciones para anunciar que continuarán la lucha por la vivienda accesible. Supporters of Proposition I, which did not pass, gather at the steps of City Hall the day after the election to announce their continued fight for affordable housing. Photo Drago Rentería. 2. El candidato a la alcaldía, Stuart Schuffman se dirige a la audiencia reunida en El Río en la noche de la elección. Schuffman ocupó el cuarto lugar en la contienda al obtener el 8.28% de los votos. Mayoral candidate Stuart Schuffman addresses the audience at El Rio on election night. Schuffman came in fourth place with 8.28 percent of the vote. Photo Elisa Parrino