San Francisco, California, Proposition F, Refuse Collection and Disposal Governance, Rates, and Rules Measure (June 2022)

San Francisco Proposition F
Election date June 7, 2022
Topic Local utility tax and fees and City governance
Status a Approved
Type Referral	Origin Lawmakers

San Francisco Proposition F was on the ballot as a referral in San Francisco on June 7, 2022. It was approved.

A "yes" vote supported making the following changes to the city's refuse collection and disposal governance: create the position of ratepayer representative nominated by an organization that advocates for ratepayers and appointed by the mayor; replace the controller with a ratepayer representative on the three-member the refuse rate board; make the controller the refuse rate administrator, who would be responsible for monitoring and recommending refuse rate changes to the rate board; require rates approved by the rate board to be in place for at least two years and no more than five years; and make other changes to the process for setting refuse rates, including public hearings on rate change proposals before the commission on the environment and the commission on sanitation and streets.

A "no" vote opposed this measure to change the membership of the refuse rate board and the governance of refuse rates, thereby leaving the following in place: a refuse rate board consisting of the general manager of the public utilities commission, the city administrator, and the controller and a process for rate changes that includes a rate change application process, a recommendation from the director of public works, and public hearings.

A simple majority was required for the approval of Proposition F.

Election results

San Francisco Proposition F
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		144,129	70.68%
No		59,796	29.32%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title for Proposition F was as follows:

“

Shall the City change the membership of the Refuse Rate Board, how refuse rates and regulations are set and the rules governing future changes?

”

Full Text

The full text of this measure is available here.

Support

Supporters

Officials

• San Francisco Mayor London Breed (Nonpartisan)
• San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin (Nonpartisan)

Arguments

• San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin: Paying more than you need to for garbage pickup? Well, that’s just garbage. Proposition F brings ratepayer advocacy, regular audits and anti-corruption safeguards to the city’s management of residential and commercial garbage and recycling contracts with the potential to save San Francisco customers hundreds of millions of dollars. One private company, Recology, is responsible for the city’s waste hauling and recycling services, but the city approves rates. The problem is the people in city government approving rates allowed Recology to overcharge customers by up to $200 million. This current system of approving garbage rates is over 90 years old and is broken. This system allows employees in the Department of Public Works to oversee rates – a job they are not always trained to do. And because the current system lacks ratepayer advocacy and regular audits it is vulnerable to cronyism and corruption. Proposition F is the change we need to stop overcharging. By creating full transparency and ratepayer advocacy, Proposition F will do more than prevent unjustified rate increases. It will make sure everyone is treated fairly, so, residents and small businesses are not being overcharged while powerful downtown businesses get better deals. The people who pick up our waste and recycling work hard. They are not the problem. The problem is a system that allows massive overcharges. A system we will change with Proposition F. The price of food, gas and rent keeps going up and up. It is time our government steps up to make sure you are not being overcharged for a service you need. By creating ratepayer advocacy, regular audits and anti-corruption safeguards, Proposition F will ensure you are not paying more than you need to for garbage service.

Opposition

Arguments

• David Pilpel: Please vote NO on Proposition F. Garbage rate-setting is one of the most obscure and yet important functions of City government. There is a complicated and yet elegant process approved by the voters in 1932 that still serves us well. I respectfully suggest that Proposition F is not a solution that we need at this time. Recology is often in the news, and not always for good reasons. A recent scandal involving the former Director of Public Works and a recent rate miscalculation have been widely reported. What does not get much coverage is day-to-day collection, processing, and disposal of compostables, recycling, and garbage, including San Francisco's leading position as a City that minimizes waste, separates and processes it, minimizes sending it to landfills, minimizes environmental impacts, supports local hiring and cleanup programs, and does so at a reasonable cost to ratepayers. Proposition F has already caused great uncertainty in a system that needs more stability, not less. As someone who follows this issue closely, I have attended garbage rate hearings for years and brought objections to the Refuse Rate Board. The rate-setting system works fine in my opinion, and this proposal would change powers and duties here in ways that are not helpful to garbage collection, the environment, or ratepayers. It would create more bureaucracy with no meaningful public benefit. This proposal was also developed in secret, with limited participation from selected interests and no substantial public involvement. Businesses and residents would be affected, bills might go up, services might go down, and new oversight mechanisms are not clear. We don't need new City Departments, unnecessary spending, or other gimmicks during a pandemic or at any other time. We should be using existing resources and oversight mechanisms more effectively. Please vote NO on Proposition F. Thank you.

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing local ballot measures in California

On March 1, 2022, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to put Proposition F on the ballot.

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 2022
• Local utility tax and fees on the ballot
• City governance on the ballot
• San Francisco County measures

California

• California 2022 local measures
• Local ballot measures, California
• San Francisco, California

News and analysis

• State and local preemption conflicts
• Measures advancing national agendas

External links

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