Register to vote by Feb 20 to get mailed a ballot

Indivisible SF Newsletter
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You have less than a week to register to vote and get your ballot mailed to you. The registration deadline is Tuesday, February 20. If you are not yet registered to vote, or you want to change your party affiliation, and you want to get the ballot in your mail, you must register to vote ([link removed]) by that date. Register online at: [link removed]

After you’re registered, you may wish to sign up for ballot tracking ([link removed]) to get notified when your ballot has been mailed out.

You have three weeks left to vote. The deadline to cast your ballot is Tuesday, March 5.

First time voting in SF? Haven’t voted in a few years? We’ve published a new voting primer ([link removed]) for San Francisco voters that walks you through casting your ballot step-by-step.
We’re continuing to add more helpful information to our Vote ([link removed]) page, including links to voter guides, our voting primer, and ways you can help get out the vote. Feel free to share it with friends and family members who are eager to vote in the Democratic primary election.


** Show us your voter pride!
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Already voted? Send us a selfie with your “I Voted” sticker! You don’t have to show your face if you don’t want to.

Send your photo to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) , and we may include it in a future email or post it to social media. You can also post your own #IVoted selfie; if you want us to boost it, tag us at:
* @IndivisibleSF on Twitter
* @[email protected] on Mastodon
* @indivisible_sf on Instagram and Threads




** One more reason to flip the House: MAGA Republicans diverting blame to DHS Sec. Mayorkas
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President Biden’s Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, has been fulfilling his duties by executing the United States’s immigration and asylum policies. We strongly disagree with those policies, but changing them is the remit of Congress; Sec. Mayorkas’s job is to implement policy as it is.

Yesterday, the xenophobic MAGA Republicans controlling the House of Representatives impeached ([link removed]) (on their second attempt) President Biden’s Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, on bogus, trumped-up charges. This is nothing more than scapegoating; rather than have a serious conversation about whether America should be welcoming or paranoid, the MAGA Republicans have decided to point their fingers at the Secretary. And we’re concerned that there will be other sham impeachments to come.

Read our full statement ([link removed]) on this sham impeachment, and check our Vote ([link removed]) page for ways you can help take back the House this year.



** On your ballot: Prop. 1, to fund more mental health treatment facilities and supportive housing
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This statewide proposition would fund a $6.4 billion bond issue to build 10,000 in-patient and residential treatment beds in our state. A portion of this funding would also be set aside for permanent supportive housing.

We need more beds and more supportive housing, and proponents of Prop. 1 say that it does exactly that. We also need to fund community-based mental health services, yet opponents object to the fact that Prop. 1 reallocates money from these services to the new infrastructure. Prop 1 also includes funding for involuntary treatment, opposed by disability rights advocates.

For more details, check out the article on Proposition 1 ([link removed]) in CalMatters’s 2024 Voter Guide.



** On your ballot: Prop B, the police staffing ballot measure
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We hear a lot of debate, especially over social media, about how many police officers the City needs versus how many it has.

Currently, the Board of Supervisors controls how many officers SFPD can employ. They wield the power of the purse, so they can add or remove budgeted positions at any time, subject only to political will and budget limitations.

(About those budget limitations: We're entering a period of steep budget deficits. Increasing anything in the budget is going to be either entirely infeasible or at the expense of deep cuts to other services. For this year, Mayor Breed has asked for no new openings and the closure of existing vacancies.)

One of the propositions on your ballot is Proposition B, which its proponents claim would impose a new Charter mandate on police staffing levels. But it wouldn’t bring more cops to our City, nor would it address causes of crime.

Our Deep Dive ([link removed]) explores what Prop B would actually do, what it wouldn't, and the harms it might cause.



** Golden Gate Bridge tolls going up again
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The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway, and Transportation District, facing revenue shortfalls in the near future, is considering four possible schedules for annual increases to the toll paid by drivers coming to the City over the Golden Gate Bridge. One proposal is a 4 percent increase each year, and the other three are different fixed amounts each year.

The District will be holding virtual open houses today, Wednesday, February 14, at noon, and tomorrow, February 15, at 7 PM, and will hold an in-person public hearing on Thursday, February 22, at 9 AM.

For details of the proposed increase schedules, as well as instructions on how to give public comment, see the proposal ([link removed]) on the District’s website.



** Volunteers welcome: We’re looking for an Editor and a Social Media Person!
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This year is going to be a busy time, and we’d love a few more volunteers on board to help with editing our weekly newsletter and publishing ongoing social media posts.

Our newsletter team meets every Tuesday night, and our editor helps us make sure everything looks professional, all the links work, and all the commas are in the right places.

Several members of our team post on various social media websites (Twitter, Mastodon, Instagram, etc.). This is more of an ad-hoc role. We especially would like someone to help us create, schedule, and monitor posts on the Meta Suite (Facebook and Instagram) and Threads. No prior knowledge required—we can train you!

If you’re interested in volunteering, let us know at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .

[link removed]
Knock on Doors with the California Democratic Party in Tulare: Friday through Sunday in Danville, CA. Join CADem to canvass in Tulare. Three dates are available:
* Friday, Feb. 16, 3–5 PM
* Friday, Feb. 17, 9 AM–5 PM
* Friday, Feb. 18, 10 AM–1 PM

Once you’ve signed up, a volunteer will contact you to help with getting to the location. No experience necessary. $100 stipends a day are offered to offset the cost of gas and lodging. RSVP on Mobilize ([link removed]) .

Bay Area Coalition Phone Banks to CA, NV, and AZ: Wednesday, Feb. 21, 5–7 PM (and every Wednesday thereafter). Join to help elect Adam Gray in CA-13 and Rudy Salas in CA-22. This phone bank also calls into swing states Nevada and Arizona. RSVP here. ([link removed])


** About this week’s photo
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If you’ve seen our newsletter posts on social media, you might have noticed that we include a photo or graphic with each issue.

Today’s graphic is a slide from the Department of Elections’ presentation ([link removed]) on the ongoing primary election, featuring this year’s “I Voted” sticker design.

Keep Fighting,
The Indivisible SF Team ([link removed])

If you'd like to support our all-volunteer team:
DONATE HERE ([link removed])

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