At our July general meeting, DSA SF voted to endorse Dean Preston for District 5 Supervisor, along with two potential ballot measures Dean has introduced. An active member of DSA SF, Dean was elected as supervisor last year in a special election to fill the seat vacated by Mayor London Breed, making him the first democratic socialist elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors since the late Harry Britt in 1979. This year, Dean is running for his first full term on the Board of Supervisors, and he’s doing so with the full support of DSA SF!

As District 5 supervisor, Dean has already been a force for change on the Board, fighting to fully fund San Francisco’s tenant right to counsel through Prop F, a 2018 ballot initiative he championed. Dean has also fought to provide housing to our unhoused neighbors, oppose the citywide curfew imposed at the outset of the protests in response to the police murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and help stop evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. DSA SF will work with Dean’s reelection campaign to make sure his work on the Board of Supervisors can continue for the next four years.

DSA SF also voted to endorse the Transfer Tax and Social Housing ballot initiatives Dean has introduced. The Transfer Tax initiative would double the tax on real estate transactions of over $10 million, unless properties are sold to the city or to non-profit housing developers to create more affordable housing in San Francisco. With the additional revenue from the tax increase on the city’s most expensive real estate deals, the city can also better fund housing security programs for our neighbors most in need of assistance.

The Social Housing ballot initiative confronts Article 34 of the California Constitution, racist legislation from the 1950s that prohibits local governments from building public housing without voter approval. So, Dean is asking for just that voter approval – if this measure passes, San Francisco will have the authority to build 10,000 units of public, affordable housing. The city is in dire need of affordable housing to guarantee a San Francisco for all, not just for those who have the money to pay exorbitant rent prices. We’re looking forward to fighting alongside Dean to realize that vision!

Want to help? Follow Dean on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for campaign updates, and check out his campaign website. There will also be opportunities to participate in phone banks, lit drops, and campaign events – and opportunities to help organize those events! To get involved, reach out to the Electoral Committee at electoral@dsasf.org or head to https://www.votedean.com/get-involved.