10/11-12: We Need You to Save Rent Control; Save Homeless; Support Public Power

We have just three weeks to save rent control, stop the scapegoating of the homeless and finally bring public power to San Francisco. We need your help now in defeating the anti-workingclass
Propositions N and R and passing the public power initiative, Proposition D.

THREE WEEKS TO ELECTION DAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2002

Supervisor Tony Hall, the anti-abortion supervisor and proponent of Proposition R, was one of 2 votes against the peace resolution urging the US Congress to oppose war in Iraq passed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on October 7, 2002. The other warmonger was Supervisor Gavin Newsom, the proponent of Proposition N. Both Props. N and R are supported by the anti-labor, anti-public power Committee on Jobs and Government, a friend of “mayor” Willie Brown, the election-frauding, fascist thug sitting illegally in the mayor’s office with 40% of the vote and now only 20% support. Willie Brown, Tony Hall and Gavin Newsom are all official opponents of Proposition D, the public power initiative. If you are a supporter of the peace movement, you must also actively oppose Props N and R and support Prop D with precinct walking, phone banking and/or financial contributions.

At the same time we participate in the peace movement, we all must make it possible for the peace community to live in San Francisco, which is what rent control does. That is why we must DEFEAT PROPOSTION R, the repeal of rent control initiative with its massive condominium conversions of all buildings, large and small. We can do it if everybody does what they can. Top priority is given to precinct-walking as every precinct we walk, we win and it is by walking precincts that tenants win. The 30-plus years of experience of the San Francisco Tenants provides us with key pro-tenant precincts that we know we must cover. You do not have to talk to anybody walking precincts; you simply leave as many doorhangers as there are doorbells at a given residential building. We have beautiful doorhangers with color photographs of the many faces of the people of San Francisco, all of whom will be adversely affected by Proposition R. On the reverse side, we have a clear explanation of the disastrous effects of Prop. R on San Francisco. The color scheme and layout are very impressive. The precinct-walking mobilizations are every weekend at a different location. For the weekly location, see http://www.saverentcontrol.com. If you cannot attend the Saturday mobilization, call the SF Tenants Union at 282-5525 to arrange for a convenient time to pick up precinct maps and doorhangers. If you cannot walk precincts, we have phone-banking on a weekly basis. If you cannot participate in the campaign, please consider making a financial contribution. The full contact information is as follows:

From: http://www.saverentcontrol.com/contact.htm
Committee to Save Rent Control
558 Capp Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
415-282-5525
General Contact:
info [at] saverentcontrol.org
To Volunteer or Donate:
support [at] saverentcontrol.org

PROPOSITION N MUST BE DEFEATED. The other anti-workingclass ballot proposition is the horrifying Proposition N which will take money away from the homeless with no guarantee of housing and services in place of the tiny sum given to them. The latest targets of this viciously reactionary scapegoating initiative are single people on general assistance, who often use the small amount of money they receive to pay for sleeping on a couch in someone’s home and other such shared rental housing. There is simply no reason to have this on the ballot other than scapegoating the homeless for political gain, and that is the whole reason for Prop. N. Supervisor Gavin Newsom is running for mayor by scapegoating the homeless, and as the October 2002 issue of Street Sheet describes, Prop. N has become an excuse to beat up the homeless, sending them to the hospital, just like Nazi Germany. The increase in hate crimes against the homeless since Prop. N made the ballot has been noticed by the staff of San Francisco General Hospital. Buy a copy of the October Street Sheet from a homeless person and read the excellent article describing one such attack on page 3 by Willie Warren, entitled “Drunken Proposition N Supporters Commit Hate Crime in the Tenderloin.” There are Saturday and Sunday mobilizations for precinct-walking for No on N as well as weekly phone-banking and an opportunity to make financial contributions. See http://www.nomorehomelessness.org/Committee.htm

PROPOSITION D FOR PUBLIC POWER is long overdue in San Francisco. Let’s finally get this passed. The only way to conserve energy, promote alternative uses of energy so we are not so dependent on oil, and have lower utility rates is with public power. These blood for oil wars exist because of the profit motive and a good way to end these wars is to promote public power. There are weekly precinct walks and phone banks for Prop. D. If this is your top priority, please participate in this campaign NOW. See: http://www.powertothepeople.org/volunteer_activities.html

REGISTER TO VOTE TODAY
Voter information can be found at:
http://www.sfgov.org/election/contact.htm
Information on the San Francisco ballot propositions can be found at: http://www.sfgov.org/election/guides/measures110502election.htm
Information on the California ballot propositions can be found at:http://www.ss.ca.gov/elections/elections_j.htm#2002General
and with pro and con explanation and references at: http://www.calvoter.org/2002/general/propositions/index.html

Tenant Voter recommends:
This tenant voter does not usually support bonds. It is far better if the money comes from the general fund and the sooner people send that message to the Legislature, etc., the sooner they will have to cut back on prisons, the police and the military.
California: Yes on 52, No on all the rest. (You would be safe in voting a Bingo No on the California propositions).
San Francisco: Please note, on Prop A, the water bond, and Prop B, the housing bond, tenants will be expected to pay for those bonds.
San Francisco Community College Board: ABEL MOUTON
No on A, B, C, M, N, Q, R, BB
Yes on D through L, O, P, S
No on R:
http://www.saverentcontrol.com
No on N:
http://www.nomorehomelessness.org/
Yes on D:
http://www.powertothepeople.org/