Election 2016: Prop R
Here's what you need to know to decide how to vote on San Francisco's Proposition R.
ICYMI: the 2016 election will be held on Tuesday, November 8, with early voting kicking off at San Francisco’s City Hall on Tuesday, October 11.
In addition to voting for officials at the local, state, and national level, San Franciscans will face a decision on 17 state ballot initiatives and 25 local propositions.
Not sure how to vote on Proposition R? We hope the brief voter guide below will help you decide!
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What Is Prop R?
In a nutshell, Prop R would require the city to create a Neighborhood Crime Unit to “prevent and investigate crimes that affect neighborhood safety and quality of life.”
The details:
- The Charter requires the San Francisco Police Department to have at least 1,971 full-duty uniformed officers, which is expected to be achieved by the end of 2017.
- Under Prop R, SFPD would be required to create a Neighborhood Crime Unit once it has achieved that threshold of 1,971 officers.
- SFPD would be required to assign at least three percent of all its sworn personnel to the Neighborhood Crime Unit, which would be tasked with preventing and investigating crimes that affect neighborhood safety and quality of life, such as robbery, auto and home burglary, theft, and vandalism.
- The Neighborhood Crime Unit would also work with other city agencies to help individuals who commit street crimes (such as obstructing the sidewalk and aggressive panhandling) transition off the streets and access shelters and health services.
Who Supports Prop R?
Key supporters of Proposition R include: Mayor Ed Lee and Supervisors Scott Wiener, Malia Cohen, Mark Farrell and Katy Tang.
Supporters argue that Prop R would make San Francisco safer by creating a dedicated Neighborhood Crime Unit to combat crimes like burglaries and car break-ins, which have increased significantly in the past few years.
Who Opposes Prop R?
Key opponents of Prop R include: the San Francisco Democratic Party, the Coalition on Homelessness, and Supervisors John Avalos and Eric Mar.
Opponents argue that the San Francisco Police Department is already working to prevent and investigate neighborhood crimes as part of its daily practices and that Prop R would set a dangerous precedent of micromanaging how department heads deploy their resources.
Opponents also contend that the proposition would criminalize poverty and encourage profiling by targeting homeless and low-income people of color.
Learn More about Prop R
To learn more, read the full text of Proposition R.
