by Garrett McAuliffe
Barbara Lee
Voters in California may begin casting ballots for the Nov. 4 Presidential General Election, as Early Voting Centers opened on Monday, Oct. 6. In San Francisco, registered voters may cast an early ballot at City Hall in room 48 on the ground fl oor. Oct. 6 also marked the first day the Elections Office could begin mailing the official Vote by Mail ballots.
Registered voters wishing to vote by mail can complete an application at the Department of Elections website for the city of San Francisco. Vote by Mail ballots may be returned in the mail, or at any Early Voting Center. On Election Day, they can also be dropped off at any polling station.
Congresswoman Lee votes in Support of bailout plan
After voting against the initial financial bailout package on Monday, Congress woman Barbara Lee (CA-09) voted in support of the revised Senate plan, which passed on Friday, Oct. 3.
“The bill before us today is a better bill,” Lee said regarding her decision, specifically mentioning the revision to extend Unemployment Insurance.
After speaking with the California State Treasurer, Lee said she realized the risk of inaction was too great.
“I’m really confident that this is the right vote,” Lee wrote in a statement released the day the bill passed, “but I know it’s not the popular vote.”
District 11 candidate criticizes San Francisco Chronicle for omission
A candidate running for District 11 Supervisor objected to her omission from an article in the SF Chronicle detailing the race last week.
In a letter to the newspaper, Myrna Lim expressed her disappointment, claiming the reporter had deliberately excluded her from the story, and dismissed claims that she had not garnered enough in contributions and endorsements to be considered for the article.
Lim, the only candidate to have grown up in District 11, said she believed the Chronicle was manipulating public perception in featuring four men, all City Hall political insiders.
Running against incumbent Gerardo Sandoval in 2004, Lim received 42 percent of the votes, and says she has raised more than $50,000 for her current campaign.
City grants property devaluation to some homeowners
Almost half of the San Francisco homeowners requesting reassessment of their property value from the city have received a temporary devaluation, according to the Assessor’s office, which conducted the reviews. Out of 1,673 requests, 810 residential properties have been granted a reduction, saving an average of $1,594 per reduction.
Due to the reassessment in value, the city’s overall property roll value has decreased by nearly $96 million, which translates into a $1.1 million decrease in property taxes paid to the city.
Due to restrictions, homeowners who purchased their homes prior to 2005 have little chance to qualify for reassessment because in most cases the property tax value is still well below the actual market value.
City celebrates walk to school day
Students from over 20 San Francisco schools celebrated Walk to School Day, an annual global event, on Wednesday, Oct. 8. To promote health, safety and concern for the environment, students joined the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and the Department of Public Health, sponsors of the event.
Walk to School Day activities will continue throughout the month of October. To learn more, visit www.sfwalktoschool.com.
