Mayors Daniel Lurie, Barbara Lee Stand With Firefighters & Frontline Workers to Sound the Alarm on Prop 43

As voters begin receiving ballots in the mail, leaders sound the alarm on corporate power grab that would strip communities of the power to invest in local priorities

San Francisco -  San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie and Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee joined elected officials, firefighters, nurses, labor and affordable housing advocates in San Francisco today to encourage voters to vote no on Proposition 43, a measure that would make it harder for communities to fund life-saving local services including local fire departments, emergency services, affordable housing, or backfill federal health care cuts. Prop 43 lets a small minority block funding from citizen-backed initiatives even when a clear majority of voters say Yes. 

Prop 43 hands more power to the corporations that already have an outsized say in our elections. To avoid paying their fair share, they would only need one-third of the vote. Speakers will explain what that could mean for local public safety, affordable housing, and health care.

“Prop 43 undermines democracy by upending majority rule, making it harder for communities across California to support first responders, parks, libraries and affordable housing,” said San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie. “Voters know what our communities need to keep our neighborhoods safe, keep Muni moving, and build more housing. I’ll fight against any special interest that tries to silence the voice of everyday San Franciscans.”

“Oakland voters know what local measures can do. They have helped us build affordable homes, fund our firefighters, and move our unhoused neighbors into housing. But Prop 43 aims to stop this community-driven progress. That’s why my message is to vote no,” said Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee. “Oakland voters know what our city needs better than anyone. Voting no on Prop 43 means keeping the power to shape our city’s future within our community, where it belongs. 

"In San Francisco, we elect our leaders by majority, we pass our budgets by majority, and voters should keep the power to fund their own priorities by majority. Prop 43 will allow a small minority and corporate interests to block our community's priorities,” said San Francisco District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood. “Prop 43 will take us backwards. It tells San Franciscans that if they organize their neighbors, gather the signatures, and win a majority, a third of the electorate can still overrule them. That’s unfair and undemocratic.” 

“Firefighters are sounding the alarm about the dangers of Prop 43 because voters’ ability to fund life-saving local emergency services is on the line,” said Darrell Roberts, President of California Professional Firefighters. “Communities across the state are coming together to prepare for wildfires and other disasters, voting to invest in safety measures and the equipment firefighters need to save your life. Prop 43 is designed to give corporate interests the power to block what the majority of a community wants, making a no vote count twice as much as a yes vote. California firefighters say: Vote no on Prop 43.”

“The workers who serve the Bay Area in our public hospitals, libraries, and mental health clinics say vote no on Prop 43,” said Theresa Rutherford, President, SEIU Local 1021. “The motivation behind Prop. 43 is clear: corporations want to rig the system to prevent everyday people from having a say in their own community. Prop 43 doesn’t help a single working family, but it will let corporations avoid paying their fair share. A no vote means keeping the power to strengthen life-saving services where it belongs, with our communities.” 

“Bay Area communities want to see more affordable housing for working people, seniors, and veterans. But Prop 43 takes away our communities’ power to build affordable rental homes,” said Amie Fishman, Executive Director, Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California. “Worse, it hands even more power to the same interests that caused the crisis in the first place. Bottom line: Prop 43 will mean fewer homes that Bay Area residents can afford — vote no.”

“California public schools depend on local revenue to ensure our students and teachers have the resources they deserve,” said Ben Grieff, Executive Director, Evolve California. “Prop. 43 would make California the most difficult place in the country to raise this type of revenue. Protect our schools by voting no on Prop. 43.”

WHAT’S AT STAKE:

• Slower 911 response. Prop 43 makes it harder to fund local fire departments, meaning fewer firefighters and longer waits in an emergency.

• Worse wildfire protection. Communities could lose the ability to staff and equip fire stations before the next major fire hits.

• $3 billion each year:  If Prop 43 had been the law, California communities would have lost nearly $3 billion a year in funding for firefighters, 911 response, childcare, homelessness solutions, street repair, parks, and libraries. 

• A minority gets the final say. One-third of voters could block what two-thirds of their community wants.