So how does an initiative get on the ballot in SF?

Unfortunately we do not have a Schoolhouse Rock song to explain. But here is a TL;DR of the process we are going through.

  • Write the initiative text. DONE!
  • Submit to Department of Elections, receive City Attorney title and summary. PENDING
  • Publish “Notice of Intent to Circulate Petition” in a newspaper
  • Receive affidavit of publication from newspaper representative
  • Submit affidavit of publication from newspaper representative
  • Collect signatures! About 10,000 valid signatures are needed to qualify
  • Submit completed petition. It is unfortunately too late for the November 2024 election, so this would be on the June 2026 midterm primary ballot

But we are also contacting the Board of Supervisors in parallel; Supervisors can refer an Ordinance to the ballot or simply pass it directly. You can find and contact your Supervisor here.

Update 2024-08-19: Unfortunately, due to the timing of SB 1524, we will have to resubmit the initiative text. The City Attorney’s summary (which every prospective petition signer will see) indicates that state law already bans junk fees, which was true when the summary was issued but became false mere days afterwards.