San Francisco, California, Proposition E, Limit Police Department Administrative Task Time and Increase Use of Camera and Drone Technology Initiative (March 2024)

San Francisco Proposition E
Election date March 5, 2024
Topic Local law enforcement
Status Approved
Type Initiative

San Francisco Proposition E was on the ballot as an initiative in San Francisco on March 5, 2024. It was approved.

A "yes" vote supported: limiting the amount of time a patrol officer may spend on administrative tasks to 20% of on-duty time;  requiring written reports for use-of-force events only when a physical injury occurred or if a firearm was removed from an officer's holster;  allowing body camera footage to satisfy reporting requirements;  allowing use of drones along with or instead of vehicular pursuits; and allowing installation of surveillance and facial recognition cameras without approval from the police commission or board of supervisors.

A "no" vote opposed changing the requirements surrounding police department administrative tasks, use-of-force reporting, and increasing use of drone and camera technology.

Election results

San Francisco Proposition E
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		120,529	54.09%
No		102,288	45.91%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title for Proposition E was as follows:

“

Shall the City allow the Police Department to hold community meetings before the Police Commission can change policing policies, reduce recordkeeping and reporting requirements for police officers, set new policies for police officers to report use-of-force incidents and to engage in vehicle pursuits, authorize the Police Department to use drones and install public surveillance cameras without further approval, and authorize the Police Department to use new surveillance technology unless the Board of Supervisors disapproves?

”

Full Text

The full text of this measure is available here.

Support

Supporters

Officials

• Mayor London Breed (Nonpartisan)
• County Supervisor Matt Dorsey (Nonpartisan)
• County Supervisor Joel Engardio (Nonpartisan)
• County Supervisor Catherine Stefani (D)

Political Parties

• San Francisco Republican Party

Arguments

• San Francisco Mayor London Breed: "Prop E gives officers 21st-century technology tools. Prop E changes city policies to allow police officers to use publicly-owned cameras and public safety drones to prevent, investigate, and solve crimes. Right now, SFPD officers are prevented from using these tools in real-time to help prevent and solve crimes like retail theft, auto theft, and car break-ins. Prop E gets more officers out on the street. Prop E eliminates duplicative reporting requirements, reducing the amount of time officers are behind a desk and getting them back on the street. In most cases, the officers can use technology like body-worn cameras to record incident information, instead of filling out excessive paperwork, which keeps officers from patrolling our streets. Prop E changes rules to get more officers pursuing criminals. Prop E changes the rules to allow officers to actively pursue suspects of felonies and violent misdemeanors, including retail theft, vehicle theft, and auto burglaries, so long as the pursuit can be done safely. Right now, our officers are restricted in the actions they can take. Prop E prevents the Police Commission from putting ideology before community safety. Prop E prevents the Police Commission from micromanaging the Chief of Police and ensures that any new policies put in place do not require more than 20% of an officer's total on-duty time spent on administrative duties. Give our police officers the TOOLS to do their jobs with 21st-century technology, and change the RULES to get more officers out on the street deterring crime and pursuing criminals."
• San Francisco County Supervisor Catherine Stefani: "San Franciscans rightly expect that our police officers spend their time fighting crime on our streets––not filling out paperwork behind their desks. The Safer San Francisco initiative will cut needless bureaucracy to allow police to focus on what matters most, without sacrificing critical reforms. As we work to recruit and retain the best and brightest, this initiative marks a significant step toward making sure San Franciscans have the efficient and effective Police Department they deserve."
• San Francisco County Supervisor Matt Dorsey: "This is a smart-on-crime approach that will remove needless inefficiencies and enable our police officers to do their jobs more effectively. Especially in this time of unprecedented police understaffing, San Francisco needs the flexibility to use cameras and surveillance technology to protect public safety in the same way other California counties do. This ballot measure will streamline onerous restrictions on police officers’ use of cameras, and help hold criminals and drug dealers accountable. It will make San Francisco safer and it will help save lives."

Opposition

Opponents

Political Parties

• San Francisco Democratic Party

Organizations

• ACLU of Northern California

Arguments

• American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California: "Proposition E is a dangerous and misleading proposal that knocks down three pillars of police reform: oversight, accountability, and transparency. The policies it targets are hard-won, community-supported initiatives that directly address SFPD’s ongoing pattern of violence, misconduct, and discrimination against communities of color. Proposition E would let the San Francisco Police Department hide officer violence by reducing the information police collect when reporting use-of-force incidents. A review of SFPD data found that in the last quarter of 2022, the department was 25 times more likely to use force on Black people than on white people. Proposition E also dramatically increases secret surveillance by allowing the police to track and monitor San Francisco residents without safety policies, public input, or oversight to protect our rights. It eliminates guardrails and lets police use highly invasive surveillance technology – even face-scanning drones, according to the City Attorney."
• Police Commission President Cindy Elias, Police Commission Vice President Max Carter-Oberstone, and police commissioners Kevin Benedicto and Jesus Yanez: "Vehicle pursuits can be a matter of life and death: Just this year, many innocent bystanders were killed or seriously injured by police car chases. SFPD's current vehicle pursuit policy, which was enacted 10 years ago, was drafted by the police department, and championed by then-Chief Greg Suhr. The Police Commission is already reviewing data and speaking to stakeholders-including police officers-to examine whether there are ways to increase apprehension of fleeing criminals while protecting the public from the inherent risks of high speed chases. The Mayor's poorly drafted measure, by contrast, was written without input from officers, the public, or consultation of data and it shows. It inserts vague, undefined, language that will cause confusion among officers and put the public at risk, while doing nothing to increase public safety. This issue is too important to be used as a political stepping stone for the Mayor's reelection. We urge you to vote no."

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing local ballot measures in California

The measure was placed on the ballot through an initiative petition sponsored by San Francisco Mayor London Breed.

How to cast a vote

See also: Voting in California

See below to learn more about current voter registration rules, identification requirements, and poll times in California.

How to vote in California

Poll times

All polls in California are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Pacific Time. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.

Registration

Check your voter registration status here.

To vote in California, an individual must be a U.S. citizen and California resident. A voter must be at least 18 years of age on Election Day. Pre-registration is available at 16 years of age. Pre-registered voters are automatically registered to vote when they turn 18.

Automatic registration

California automatically registers eligible individuals to vote when they complete a driver's license, identification (ID) card, or change of address transaction through the Department of Motor Vehicles. Learn more by visiting this website.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

California has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

California allows same-day voter registration.

Californians must be registered to vote at least 15 days before Election Day. If the registration deadline has passed for an upcoming election, voters may visit a location designated by their county elections official during the 14 days prior to, and including Election Day to conditionally register to vote and vote a provisional ballot, which are counted once county election officials have completed the voter registration verification process. The state refers to this process as Same Day Voter Registration.

Residency requirements

To register to vote in California, you must be a resident of the state. State law does not specify a length of time for which you must have been a resident to be eligible.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

California's constitution requires that voters be U.S. citizens. When registering to vote, proof of citizenship is not required. Individuals who become U.S. citizens less than 15 days before an election must bring proof of citizenship to their county elections office to register to vote in that election. An individual applying to register to vote must attest that they are a U.S. citizen under penalty of perjury.

As of November 2024, two jurisdictions in California had authorized noncitizen residents to vote for local board of education positions through local ballot measures. Only one of those jurisdictions, San Francisco, had implemented that law. Noncitizens voting for board of education positions must register to vote using a separate application from the state voter registration application.

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The secretary of state's My Voter Status website allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Voter ID requirements

California does not require voters to present identification before casting a ballot in most cases. However, some voters may be asked to show a form of identification when voting if they are voting for the first time after registering to vote by mail and did not provide a driver license number, California identification number, or the last four digits of their social security number. On September 29, 2024, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed SB 1174 into law prohibiting any jurisdiction in the state from adopting a local law that requires voters to present ID before voting.

The following list of accepted ID was current as of October 2024. Click here for the California Secretary of State page to ensure you have the most current information.

“

Current and valid photo identification provided by a third party in the ordinary course of business that includes the name and photograph of the individual presenting it. Examples of photo identification include, but are not limited to, the following documents: driver's license or identification card of any state; passport; employee identification card; identification card provided by a commercial establishment; credit or debit card; military identification card; student identification card; health club identification card; insurance plan identification card; or public housing identification card. Any of the following documents, provided that the document includes the name and address of the individual presenting it, and is dated since the date of the last general election…: utility bill; bank statement; government check; government paycheck; document issued by a governmental agency; sample ballot or other official elections document issued by a governmental, agency dated for the election in which the individual is providing it as proof, of residency or identity; voter notification card issued by a governmental agency; public housing identification card issued by a governmental agency; lease or rental statement or agreement issued by a governmental agency; student identification card issued by a governmental agency; tuition statement or bill issued by a governmental agency; insurance plan card or drug discount card issued by a governmental agency; discharge certificates, pardons, or other official documents issued to the individual by a governmental agency in connection with the resolution of a criminal case, indictment, sentence, or other matter; public transportation authority senior citizen and disabled discount cards issued by a governmental agency; identification documents issued by governmental disability agencies; identification documents issued by government homeless shelters and other government temporary or transitional facilities; drug prescription issued by a government doctor or other governmental health care provider; (R) property tax statement issued by a governmental agency; vehicle registration issued by a governmental agency; or vehicle certificate of ownership issued by a governmental agency.

”

See also

Local measures

• Local measures in 2024
• Local law enforcement on the ballot

California

• California 2024 local measures
• Local ballot measures, California
• San Francisco, California

News and analysis

• State and local preemption conflicts
• Measures advancing national agendas