Libertarian Party of San Francisco News | Page 16 | Libertarian Party of San Francisco

Libertarian Party of San Francisco News

  • PROPOSITION G

    DECLARATION OF POLICY OPPOSING CORPORATE PERSONHOOD.

    Opposes artificial corporate rights and giving corporations the same rights entitled to human beings. Maintains that the Constitution and Bill of Rights are intended to protect the rights of individual human beings("natural persons").  Maintains that United States Supreme Court ruling on Citizens United vs the Federal Elections Commission (January 21, 2010) presents a threat to democracy by allowing unlimited corporate spending to influence elections. NO.

  • PROPOSITION F

    WATER AND ENVIRONMENT PLAN:  This voter initiative was placed on the ballot by the “Restore Hetch Hetchy” group.  It calls for development of a long-term plan for creating a “more sustainable water system,” which would include development of local, as opposed to Hetch Hetchy, water sources.  It also calls for a plan of water recycling, reclamation, conservation, improved storm water capture, replacing hydropower with wind and solar energy, increasing salmon population on the Tuolumne River.  This plan must provide for sufficient water resources to “allow for the Hetch Hetchy Valley to be returned to the National Park Service and restored as part of Yosemite National Park.”  NO

     

  • PROPOSITION E

    GROSS RECEIPTS TAX:  This amendment to the Business Tax Regulations Code creates a new business tax based on gross receipts, and replaces the current business payroll tax gradually over 5 years, beginning in 2014.  Businesses with gross receipts of less than $1 million annually will be exempt from the gross receipts tax.  Rates will vary depending on the type of business and its annual gross receipts.  NO.

     

    Proponents argue that a payroll tax is a tax on hiring and reduces employment in San Francisco.  By the same logic, a gross receipts tax is a tax on selling goods or services, and reduces the economic activity from which wages are paid.


    Who benefits from Proposition E:

  • PROPOSITION C

    HOUSING TRUST CHARTER AMENDMENT:   Creates a Housing Trust Fund by setting aside general fund revenues to create, acquire and rehabilitate affordable housing and promote affordable home ownership programs.  $20 million would be set aside in 2013.  An additional $2.8 million would be set aside each year after that, for the next 11 years.  NO.

     

    With this measure City government is attempting to subsidize a much greater portion of residents.  As always, the gains of those who receive subsidies are made at the expense of those who do not.


    What changed:

  • PROPOSITION B

    CLEAN AND SAFE NEIGHBORHOOD BONDS:  This proposal incurs a bonded debt of $195,000,000 for the construction, reconstruction, renovation, demolition, environmental remediation, and/or improvement of park, open space, and recreation facilities.  It authorizes landlords to pass-through 50% of resulting property tax increase to residential tenants. NO.

     

    A bond issue is a tax on future taxpayers to pay for what present day voters want, and should be used more cautiously than done in this proposal.


    Who benefits from Proposition B:

    This project is city-wide so all residents benefit from the beautification provided by this project.

  • PROPOSITION A

    CITY COLLEGE PARCEL TAX:  Authorizes the Community College District to levy a special property tax of $79 per parcel for eight years for the purpose of funding City College.   NO.

     

    A parcel tax is always a compulsory payment which must be made without regard to the quality or value of the output.  This is especially true in the case of Proposition A.  Insisting in a full reform of serious, long-standing structural failings affecting City College would benefit students, teachers, and San Francisco more than accepting band-aid solutions.


    Who benefits from Proposition A:

  • S F PRIDE FESTIVAL JUNE 23-24, 2012

    The annual San Francisco Pride Festival is probably The City's biggest event.  Locals, tourists, kids, families, all colors and preferences have great fun watching the Parade and visiting the hundreds of Exhibitor Booths.  As has been the case for the past decade, Outright Libertarians will host an Exibitor Booth.  Outright's mission is to "serve as a two-way bridge between the Libertarian Party and those people with differing sexual orientations."  Through activism and outreach, Outright introduces to the LGBT community Libertarian principles of individual rights, inclusiveness, equal rights, equal responsibilities.   The Sunday Parade is along Market Street.  The booths, food and drink, and entertainment stages are at Civic Center, for both Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 am to around 5:00

  • Primary Elections June 2012

     

    Elections Update: 

     

    Local Measure A - Garbage Collection and Disposal:  Folks in San Francisco chose to stay with Recology, possibly because "If you love MUNI, you will love a City-owned Waste Management Center."

    Local Measure B - Coit Tower Policy:   A close call, but the Yes votes won. 

     

    Candidates:

    We are always proud of Gail Lightfoot's efforts, since a third-party candidate wages an uphill battle against the established political machine.  Under the new Top-Two rules, it will be difficult for a third-party candidate to participate in the General Elections at all.

  • Mayor Ed Lee implicated in old corruption scandal; new one in the making?

    This wasn't headline news, but should have been: In 2008, Deborah Vincent-James, former executive director of the Committee on Information Technology that qualified prospective city vendors, said in a court deposition that Ed Lee, then the city purchaser, told her to qualify a company called Government Computer Sales as a city contractor, after then-mayor Willie Brown had directed Lee to do an alternate evaluation process, according to a Feb. 14 article in the Chronicle.