Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
San Francisco Chronicle - June 9, 2005
Ilene Lelchuk, ilelchuk@sfchronicle.com.
Mayor Gavin Newsom, who tried to raise taxes and failed at the ballot a year ago, isn't so sure.
In a political role reversal, Chris Daly, who opposed Newsom's previous sales tax plan, wants to ask city voters to increase the tax from 8.5 percent to 8.75 percent. Their plans are nearly identical, except Daly wants to dedicate the additional revenue to San Francisco General Hospital and other emergency health services that have suffered under past budget cuts.
Newsom's proposal, Proposition J, had a companion measure called Proposition O that recommended using new revenue to serve low-income residents, seniors, the disabled, children and homeless people. Prop. O was only advisory.
Daly, who represents poor areas including the Tenderloin, last year called Newsom's plan a regressive tax that would reduce the buying power of working poor families.
Daly sees it differently this time. "Although I think that some on the progressive side have had concerns about some of the regressive elements of a sales tax, I think that elections in history and time have proven that voters who pay this tax ... are willing to pay if they know it's going to a service they need and they care about," Daly told the Board of Supervisors this week.
Newsom said he's confused by Daly's change of heart. "When the voters reject something, we should take time to pause and reflect on why they rejected it," the mayor told reporters Wednesday. Prop. J failed in November with about 42 percent of the vote.
Daly's measure will need two-thirds of the vote.
But first he needs seven other supervisors to vote by Aug. 10 to put his special tax on the November ballot. He has six: Tom Ammiano, Jake McGoldrick, Aaron Peskin, Sophie Maxwell, Ross Mirkarimi and Gerardo Sandoval.
The seventh won't be Supervisor Sean Elsbernd, whose constituents, west of Twin Peaks, hated the idea last year and sent city officials the message that they should reduce city spending before asking for more taxpayer dollars. "I don't know if now is the time to go back to the voters to ask for an increase," he said.
Daly's support outside the board includes the Service Employees International Union Local 790. Union representatives said a poll last month shows a sales tax gets substantially more support if voters have a say over how the revenue is spent. "It is very clear that San Franciscans support the Department of Public Health, its clinics, the two hospitals, Laguna Honda and General, which is the only trauma center between Santa Rosa and Stanford," said Josie Mooney, executive director of the union that represents health care workers.
Public health suffered about $44 million in general fund budget cuts during the past three years. In Newsom's plan to balance his $5.3 billion budget for the fiscal year starting July 1, proposed cuts included support services for people with AIDS and HIV, as well as AIDS-prevention programs. The dialysis unit at San Francisco General Hospital also may be shut down.
On Wednesday, Daly was removed from the Board of Supervisors' Budget & Finance Committee by Peskin, the board president, whose office described the move as routine shuffling. Daly, often in the minority, has expressed frustration with the committee.
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