2018 San Francisco Board of Education election

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The 2018 election for the San Francisco Board of Education was held on November 6, 2018, to elect the next three commissioners for the San Francisco Board of Education.

Background[]

The 2018 San Francisco Board of Education election drew 19 candidates, which is "the most crowded in recent memory" according to San Francisco Chronicle.[1] They originally competed for two seats, with Commissioners Shamann Walton and Hydra Mendoza declining to seek re-election.[2] Walton ran for the District 10 seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors[3] while Mendoza opted out for a job with New York State Education Department.[2][4] Mendoza's last meeting was in the end of September.[4] On October 15, 2018, Mayor of San Francisco London Breed appointed candidate Faauuga Moliga to fill Mendoza's seat for the remaining three months of her term.[5] Moliga was the first Pacific Islander to serve as a citywide official.[6]

Commissioner Emily Murase did not file for reelection in the 2018 San Francisco Board of Education race.[7] This opened up a third seat for the election.[1]

Candidates[]

  • Alison Collins, educator[6]
  • Monica Chinchilla, education advocate[6]
  • Alida Fisher, member of the SFUSD’s Community Advisory Committee for Special Education[8]
  • Phillip Marcel House
  • Phil Kim, consultant and former teacher at the public charter school KIPP[9]
  • Paul Kangas, private investigator[10]
  • Connor Krone, founder of a high school financial literacy non-profit[9]
  • Lex Leifheit, works at San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development[10]
  • Gabriela López, bilingual fourth grade teacher[11]
  • Li Miao Lovett, academic counselor at CCSF[12]
  • Faauuga Moliga, former school social worker[6]
  • Michelle Parker, former president of the district parent–teacher association[10]
  • Darron A. Padilla, organization development consultant[6]
  • Martin Rawlings-Fein, audiovisual technician and leader at Congregation Sha'ar Zahav, a predominantly LGBT synagogue[9]
  • Mia Satya, employment specialist at San Francisco LGBT Community Center[9]
  • Roger Sinasohn, writer and technology worker[10]
  • Lenette Thompson, firefighter and president of the West Portal Elementary PTA[9]
  • John D. Trasviña, former law school dean[6]
  • Josephine Zhao, paraprofessional educator[13][better source needed]

On September 10, 2018, candidate Josephine Zhao withdrew from the race amid the resurfacing of previous racist, homophobic, and transphobic remarks made in Cantonese. Zhao was considered a leading candidate, as she fundraised more than her opponents and had support from many prominent San Francisco political figures.[14][15] Her withdrawal, however, came after the deadline to withdraw; she still appeared on the ballot, and on October 13 supporters of Zhao canvassed at the district's annual enrollment fair.[16]

Election[]

Endorsements[]

San Francisco Examiner endorsed Alison Collins, Gabriela López, and Faauuga Moliga.[17] The San Francisco Chronicle endorsed Phil Kim, Michelle Parker, and Alida Fisher.[18] The Bay Area Reporter endorsed Martin Rawlings-Fein, Mia Satya, and Faauuga Moliga.[19] The San Francisco Bay Guardian endorsed Allison Collins, Faauuga Molina, and Li Miao Lovett.[20]

Mayor London Breed endorsed Faauuga Moliga, Michelle Parker, Monica Chinchilla, and Josephine Zhao.[5][21]

Results[]

On November 6, 2018, San Francisco residents chose three new members for the Board from among nineteen candidates, with Alison Collins, Gabriela López, and Faauuga Moliga being elected with the most votes.

Lopez became the first bilingual Spanish speaker and youngest woman ever elected to the school board.[22]

2018 San Francisco Board of Education election results[23]
Candidate Ballots cast Percentage
Alison Collins 122,865 15.02%
Gabriela López 112,299 13.73%
Faauuga Moliga 107,989 13.2%
Phil Kim 76,017 9.29%
Michelle Parker 65,740 8.04%
Li Miao Lovett 61,412 7.51%
John Trasviña 46,601 5.7%
Alida Fisher 37,735 4.61%
Monica Chinchilla 34,193 4.18%
Lenette Thompson 30,496 3.73%
Josephine Zhao 27,761 3.39%
Mia Satya 17,540 2.14%
Paul Kangas 13,967 1.71%
Martin Rawlings-Fein 12,950 1.58%
Darron A. Padilla 12,439 1.52%
Connor Krone 12,251 1.5%
Roger Sinasohn 12,018 1.47%
Lex Leifheit 9,605 1.17%
Phillip Marcel House 2,491 0.3%
Write-in 1,551 0.19%
Total 817,920 100%
Under votes 282,075
Over votes 16,041

Special appointment to replace Matt Haney[]

Commissioner Matt Haney was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in the concurrent 2018 San Francisco Board of Supervisors election in November 2018,[12] which allowed Mayor London Breed to appoint his replacement for the remainder of his term.[6] Haney had recommended that either a Chinese or transgender candidate replace him.[12]

On November 14, 2018, the Bay Area Reporter published an editorial pushing for Breed to appoint Mia Satya, who had placed 12th in the election, to the open seat, arguing that "it's time for the mayor to appoint a trans person" due to Breed's previous lack of queer appointees.[24] On January 22, 2019, Breed appointed Jenny Lam to Haney's seat on the board. Lam, who had been the Mayor's education adviser for the prior three months, is a social justice advocate as well as a parent and a second generation Chinese-American.[12] It was Breed's fourth appointment as mayor[24] and brought forth questions of potential conflict of interests between having a commissioner who also is serving as education advisor under the mayor. A similar incident occurred when Mayor Gavin Newsom's education advisor Hydra Mendoza was elected to the Board of Education in 2006.[25] Mendoza later became Mayor Ed Lee's education advisor while remaining on the Board of Education.[2]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Tucker, Jill (2018-11-07). "SF school board election: Collins, Lopez and Moliga win seats". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2021-03-24.
  2. ^ a b c Waxmann, Laura (15 June 2018). "Board of Education president will not seek fourth term, to step down from role in Mayor's Office". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  3. ^ Yates, Brett. "Board of Education President Shamann Walton in the Hunt for District 10 Supervisor". The Potrero View (December 2017). Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  4. ^ a b Williams, Ian (6 August 2018). "SF Board of Education president to take job in NYC". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  5. ^ a b Tucker, Jill (16 October 2018). "Breed appoints Faauuga Moliga to SF school board three weeks before election". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Tucker, Jill (2018-10-18). "SF school board's crowded ballot: 18 vie for 3 spots". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2021-03-24.
  7. ^ "Ballotpedia, Emily M. Murase". Ballotpedia.
  8. ^ Toren, Michael; Mark, Julian (April 20, 2018). "Mission Education Center clashes with SFUSD's efforts to put a charter school at its campus". Mission Local. Retrieved 2021-03-24.
  9. ^ a b c d e Madison, Alex (August 22, 2018). "LGBT candidates vie for SF school board". Bay Area Reporter. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  10. ^ a b c d Arroyo, Noah (October 3, 2018). "Youths Step Up to Question School Board Candidates". San Francisco Public Press. Retrieved 2021-03-24.
  11. ^ "Collins, Lopez, Moliga lead in San Francisco school board race". San Francisco Examiner. November 6, 2018. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  12. ^ a b c d Waxmann, Laura (January 22, 2019). "Breed appoints education advisor to fill seat on school board". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  13. ^ "We stand up to discrimination: Chinese and transgender leaders unite". The San Francisco Examiner. 2018-10-28. Retrieved 2021-03-24.
  14. ^ Eskenazi, Joe (September 10, 2018). "Josephine Zhao: Embattled school board candidate drops out — despite public support from SF political establishment". Mission Local. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  15. ^ Tucker, Jill (September 10, 2018). "Zhao withdraws from SF school board race after reports on transgender comments". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  16. ^ Eskenazi, Joe (October 15, 2018). "Josephine Zhao's backers campaign at public school enrollment fair — despite candidate's 'withdrawal' from Board of Education race". Mission Local. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  17. ^ Examiner Staff (October 7, 2018). "Endorsements: Supervisor races, BART board, Board of Education for November 2018". The San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved 2021-03-24.
  18. ^ Chronicle Editorial Board (October 1, 2018). "Editorial: Chronicle endorses Kim, Parker, Fisher for S.F. school board". The San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved 2021-03-24.
  19. ^ BAR Editorial Board (October 31, 2018). "Bay Area Reporter election endorsements". Bay Area Reporter. Retrieved 2021-03-24.
  20. ^ Redmond, Tim (2018-10-10). "San Francisco Bay Guardian | Our Clean Slate Voters' Guide for the November 2018 election". San Francisco Bay Guardian. Retrieved 2021-03-24.
  21. ^ Mojadad, Ida (2018-10-15). "School Board Race Takes a Turn: Breed Appoints Moliga, Zhao Campaign Continues". SF Weekly. Retrieved 2021-03-24.
  22. ^ Contributor (2018-12-13). "4th grade bilingual teacher becomes youngest-ever elected to SF school board". El Tecolote. Retrieved 2021-03-24.
  23. ^ "November 6, 2018 Election Results - Summary". sfelections.org. San Francisco Department of Elections. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  24. ^ a b BAR Editorial Board (November 14, 2018). "Editorial: Mayor Breed should name Satya to SF school board". Bay Area Reporter. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  25. ^ Tucker, Jill (2019-01-23). "SF mayor picks her own education adviser for school board, raising conflict questions". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2021-03-24.
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