San Francisco Voter Guide: June 2 Overview

San Francisco’s June 2 election is not just a state primary with a few local add-ons. It’s a mixed ballot — federal and state races on top, but also four San Francisco measures, a Board of Education contest, a District 2 supervisor race, and a Superior Court judgeship. That matters because the local questions are unusually practical this time — public safety borrowing, political term limits, and two competing business-tax ideas. Ballots start going out on May 4, so this is the point where the ballot stops being abstract and starts landing in mailboxes. (sf.gov) ### What’s actually on the local ballot? San Francisco voters will see four city measures: Proposition A on an earthquake safety and emergency response bond, Proposition B on lifetime term limits for the mayor and Board of Supervisors, Proposition C on decreases to business taxes, and Proposition D on increases to business tax tied to executive-to-wo(sf.gov)ne Board of Education seat, and Superior Court Judge Seat 16. (sf.gov) ### Why is Proposition A the biggest-ticket item? Because it’s the borrowing measure. Proposition A would authorize up to $535 million in general obligation bonds for earthquake and public-safety projects — including upgrades to the Emergency Firefighting Water System, fire and police facilities, and Potrero Yard-related transit infrastructure. Basically, this is the ballot’s largest direc(sf.gov)till treats seismic readiness as a core civic problem, not a hypothetical. (media.api.sf.gov) ### What does Proposition B change? Right now, San Francisco’s mayor and supervisors are limited to two consecutive four-year terms, but they can come back after sitting out for four years. Proposition B would make that a lifetime cap instead — two four-year terms total for each office, whether consecutive or not. The change(media.api.sf.gov)perienced city politicians. (media.api.sf.gov) ### Why are there two business-tax measures? Because San Francisco is still trying to balance two pressures that keep colliding — making the city cheaper to do business in, and preserving revenue when the budget outlook is tight. The city’s latest five-year financial update projected a $272.3 million shortfall for fiscal year 2025-26, which helps explain why tax changes are back on the ballot at all. (media.api.sf.gov) ### What does Proposition C do? Proposition C is the tax-cut side of that fight. It would exempt most businesses with up to $7.5 million in San Francisco gross receipts from the Gross Receipts Tax, and it would also pull forward a scheduled 2028 increase in the Top Executive Pay Tax so that higher rate would start in 2027. So(media.api.sf.gov)ready paying the overpaid-executive tax. (media.api.sf.gov) ### Then what’s Proposition D doing? Proposition D goes harder on the executive-pay tax structure. It would raise taxes within the existing system that charges some large businesses more when a top executive earns far more than the median San Francisco employee. Current rates for most affected firms run from 0.02% to 0.12% of San Francisco gross receipts, with scheduled increases later; Proposition D would push that framework upward. (media.api.sf.gov) ### Which local races should voters notice? District 2 has two qualified supervisor candidates, and the Board of Education contest has three candidates: Virginia Cheung, Phillip Kim, and Brandee Marckmann. Superior Court Judge Seat 16 is a two-candidate race between Phoebe Maffei and Alexandra(media.api.sf.gov) city institutions. (sf.gov) ### When and how do people vote? Every active registered voter in California will receive a ballot by mail, and in San Francisco those ballots begin arriving May 4. The city will open 37 official drop boxes, run the City Hall Voting Center from May 4 through June 2, and open 501 neighborhood polling places on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. (sf.gov)l register and vote in person after that. (media.api.sf.gov) The bottom line is simple: this is a long ballot, but the local choices are concrete. One measure asks whether to borrow $535 million for earthquake and emergency infrastructure. One asks whether city politicians should get only two terms for life. Two ask how hard San Francisco should lean on business taxes while the budget is under strain. And voting starts May 4 — not June 2. (media.api.sf.gov)