COMPASS FAMILY SERVICES’ 2020 ENDORSEMENTS FOR THE SAN FRANCISCO BALLOT

Dear supporters,

With so much at stake in the November 3 election—and so many ballot propositions to read up on!—we at Compass Family Services would love to share what’s at stake for our families on the San Francisco ballot. Which measures will help create deeply affordable housing and lasting pathways out of homelessness? Which measures will unlock game-changing revenue streams and support essential nonprofit workers in the homeless response system? Which measures will help address structural racism related to affordable housing? Read on to find out.

Compass Family Services’ 2020 Endorsements for the San Francisco Ballot

PROPOSITION K: YES Affordable Housing Authorization

Prop K authorizes the City and County to own, develop, construct, acquire, and/or rehabilitate up to 10,000 units of affordable rental housing. This could significantly expand the housing options available to Compass families and improve their housing stability over the long term. It is important to note the reason why Prop K is on the ballot: Article 34 of the California Constitution requires voter approval before a jurisdiction can develop public housing. Article 34 blocked low-income housing creation for decades, driving discrimination and displacement impacting communities of color. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has called it “a white supremacist chapter in the state’s history,” though Article 34 remains on the books despite a few attempts to repeal it over the years. This November, San Francisco voters have the opportunity to vote YES on K and remove a barrier to affordable housing creation rooted in structural racism.

PROPOSITION A: YES Health and Homelessness, Parks, and Streets Bond

Prop A is a general obligation bond for health and recovery, not to exceed $487.5 million. It would finance acquisitions and improvements of real property that would directly benefit Compass families, including: $239 million for parks and open space; $147 million for permanent supportive housing, transitional housing, and shelters; $60 million for programs providing mental health and substance use support; and $42 million for our streets. During the COVID-19 pandemic especially, Prop A will promote equitable access to open space—and in doing so, provide safe opportunities to socialize outside—in and around many of the neighborhoods where Compass families live, from SOMA to the Bayview. It will also create jobs and facilitate the city’s economic recovery. The new debt would be taken on as existing debt is retired. A Yes on A is a yes for Compass families.

PROPOSITION F: YES Business Tax Overhaul

Prop F would complete San Francisco’s years-long transition from a payroll tax to a gross receipts tax (a reform decided by voters in 2012). There are winners and losers in any tax reform, but Prop F would generate $97 million more revenue annually and provide hundreds of millions of public dollars for homelessness and childcare, which could make all the difference for homeless and at-risk families in the aftermath of the pandemic. Prop F represents an important compromise as San Francisco charts the course toward economic recovery: it would raise tax rates for many companies, but it would delay rate increases and provide much-needed relief for small businesses and specific industries hit hard by the shutdown (industries that traditionally employ low-wage workers and Compass parents). Critically, Prop F would also generate one-time funding that the Board of Supervisors has allocated for emergency nonprofit relief, including a temporary wage increase for the lowest-paid nonprofit workers providing homeless services. A YES on F strikes the right balance for Compass and our families, who need targeted funding and support to get safely to the other side of the pandemic.

Compass extends a heartfelt thanks to all our supporters for remembering our families when you vote.