Millions of Americans took to the polls this week to forcefully reject Trump’s cruel, divisive, and corrupt reign—and demanded a new era of politics that delivers on affordability, accountability, and protecting our rights. From historic firsts to statewide sweeps, what seemed impossible a few weeks ago is now our reality. There’s so much to celebrate and feel hopeful about.
The story in California and San Francisco is more complicated. We won important victories for our communities – protecting public transit, securing funding for affordable housing, healthcare, and education, and defending our voting rights. But not everything went our way. Let’s unpack the wins and the work ahead:
- We protected public transit. Regional Measure RTM and San Francisco’s Prop H passed, securing critical funding for Muni, BART, Caltrain, and other transit systems that serve hundreds of thousands of Bay Area residents a day.
- We invested in affordable housing. California voters approved Prop 1, authorizing $11.25 billion for affordable housing and anti-displacement programs, while San Francisco voters approved Prop C to dedicate more money towards the city’s Housing Trust Fund.
- We secured funding for public education and healthcare. Prop 3 passed, permanently extending a tax on the wealthy to protect critical funding for public schools and essential services.
- We defended voting rights. Nearly 59% of California voters rejected Prop 39, a MAGA-backed voter ID measure that threatened to create new barriers to the ballot box.
- We safeguarded community investments and health clinics. Voters rejected Prop 43 and Prop 44, protecting funds for community-led projects and clinics built to serve immigrant and limited-English-speaking communities.
Billionaires bankrolled local and state politics at historic levels. Billionaires, flush from Trump’s tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy, outspent our side 250-1, funneling over $379 million against Prop 40 and for Props 41 and 42. They used fear-mongering tactics to confuse and mislead voters while flooding California with radio, TV, and digital ads and mailers to avoid paying their fair share. Their tactics paid off, and we can expect billionaires to amass more and more power in state politics for decades to come. Locally, billionaires have spent at least $18 million this election cycle, fueling wins for Props A, D, and F. These billionaire-backed measures raise serious concerns about community oversight, transparency and accountability, and the concentration of political power under this mayor and all future mayors—good and bad.
There are a few silver linings: a more powerful executive branch means less ability to deflect blame and a clear target for our continued advocacy on behalf of our clients and community. Overcoming billionaire opposition will require a broader coalition to fight for much-needed revenue generation, which voters in San Francisco and California do support (see passage of Prop 3 above and 55% of San Francisco voters chose yes on Prop 40).
These results remind us why building year-round community power matters. San Francisco is rapidly changing and billionaires have spent record-breaking amounts to buy influence in local politics. We saw voters choose less checks and balances in city government, making the city less transparent and less accountable to the needs of local residents, especially marginalized groups. Against this backdrop, our communities grapple with existential questions: the cost of living crisis and soaring rents, keeping our neighbors safe from ICE, the growing risks of AI in our communities and schools, the proliferation of data centers and surveillance in our streets, and the need for new revenues to backfill federal cuts to healthcare and nutrition programs. While we don’t know what the future holds, we do know that working class immigrant communities will not be silenced or left behind.
This election showed us both what we can accomplish together and why we must keep building it. We may not have the backing of billionaires, but we have people power and we’re not done fighting. We will continue to make San Francisco more accessible to Chinese American, immigrant, and other communities of color, while strengthening our voice in the decisions that shape our future.
Thank you for making these victories and this work possible. We’re proud of what we accomplished together. We couldn’t have done this without your support. Your contributions made these efforts and these wins possible! So thank you, let’s celebrate and keep the fight going — there’s more work to be done.