Social Policy Positions

Child Care

Objectives of this position: Support measures to increase quality child care for school-age children and provide adequate subsidies for families in need. Create awareness that childcare is a societal as well as a family responsibility.

Support a mix of formal and informal (drop-in) school age childcare programs which:
  a) provide programs suited to the age of the children;
  b) are located at or close to school sites throughout the city;
  c) encourage monitoring of attendance at formal and informal childcare programs.
Support measures to ensure adequate financial support from federal, state and local government sources and from private sources for school age childcare programs, including:
  a) use of public facilities at little or no rent (e.g. local, state, and federal government office
  b) buildings, school sites, etc.);
  c) start-up funds for non-profit child care programs;
  d) tax incentives for corporations providing child care programs;
  e) use of Community Development Block Grants for child care programs;
  f) creation of local tax base to support both formal and informal child care programs;
  g) provision of adequate number of subsidized spaces in San Francisco Unified School District’s Children’s Centers and other State Department of Education funded programs.
Support measures to ensure transportation for school age child care programs, including reasonable Muni fares.

LWVUS Positions:

Child Care – Support programs and policies to expand the supply of affordable, quality child care for all who need it.
Early Intervention for Children at Risk – Support policies and programs that promote the well being, development and safety of all children.

LWVC Positions in brief:

Child Care – Support state and local policies, legislation and programs that meet the need for accessible, affordable, and quality childcare.

Community Policing

Objectives of this position:

We strongly support the San Francisco Police Department’s primary role of law enforcement and crime prevention. The Department should continue to improve the technologies which will assist in this standard role.
Strengthening the relationship with the many communities within the city is vital to this primary objective.
We encourage outreach and communication with the public in order to foster this relationship. This should include personal contact, visibility, public meetings, meetings with officers, access to Department information and activities via the internet as well as methods for those who do not have access to the internet.
Although educating and mentoring is of vital importance in the community, it is important to relate resources to the budget realities. Efficient and cost effective programs such as awareness of crime, intervention in disputes, anger management, and rehabilitation services should be addressed primarily by community leaders with SFPD support to the extent possible.
All personal data collected should receive the privacy deserved, for example, financial disclosures of officers, or personal data or DNA of residents.
Demographics of the department should generally reflect the community though quality of the employees and sworn officers must be maintained.

Comparable Worth and Pay Equity

Objectives of this position:

Support measures that reduce barriers to education, training and employment for women and minorities and eliminate inequities in pay rates based on race and gender. The need for comparable worth is the result of the traditional “undervaluation” of certain job categories commonly held by women and minorities.
Support efforts to educate the public on pay equity and comparable worth.
Support systematic and objective means for studying and eliminating the inequities in pay rates based on race and gender.
a) the City Civil Service should include pay equity studies when determining wage rates for city jobs;
b) the Board of Supervisors and the Mayor should support upward adjustments in pay rates based on the results of the Civil Service pay equity studies.
Support government policies that would encourage job and pay equity in the private sector.

Education

Objectives of this position: Support a public schools system that meets the educational needs of all students.

Community, parents, students and educators should formulate district education goals. Similar groups at the local school site should determine specific objectives. Both groups should have the responsibility of ongoing monitoring and evaluation of these goals.

The San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) should develop and implement a master plan for continuing comprehensive and well-coordinated School Improvement Programs for all kindergarten through 12th grade students. The Board of Education should see that necessary funds are obtained to carry out this plan. The master plan should be evaluated regularly to make sure its objectives are being obtained.

The Board of Education should:

Retain the power to establish school attendance areas;
Improve communications between it and the public;
Publish its policies;
Evaluate its program periodically.
Evaluation of administrative job performance should be strengthened.

The following criteria should be given greatest weight in determining budget priorities for the selection of program:

Coordination of programs to avoid duplication and to promote the most effective use of money available;
Academic effectiveness of programs;
Promotion of effective career training related to marketable job skills.

Evaluation of programs should be improved by:

Training of principals, teachers and parents involved at the school site
Implementing the SFUSD Board of Education policy which enforces results of program evaluation;
Employing professional staff trained in evaluation procedures to administer program evaluation.

The following social programs are considered legitimate functions of the school:

Nutrition programs (breakfast and lunch);
Driver education (classroom education and vehicle training)
Military Science (ROTC) is not considered a legitimate function of the school district.

The following programs should not be limited to students of economic or special physical need (whether or not the program is administered by the school district):

Nutrition (breakfast and lunch)
Driver education (classroom education and vehicle training);
After-school athletics (team sports and after school playground activities);
Children’s centers.

Social programs should be funded in the following manner (whether or not the program is administered by the school district):

Nutrition: federal, state, parent fees on a sliding scale;
Driver education: state;
After-school activities: city;
Children’s centers: federal, state, city, parent fees on a sliding scale;
Military science (ROTC) should receive no funding.

LWVUS Positions:

Equality of Opportunity; Support equal access to education, employment and housing.

LWVC Positions:

Education; Support a comprehensive pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade public education system that meets the needs of each individual student; challenges all students to reach their highest potential; develops patterns of lifelong learning and responsible citizenship.

Housing

Objectives of this position: Support measures that provide for the needs of low, moderate and middle-income groups. Equal opportunity for access to housing without discrimination based on race, color, gender, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation or disability.

Equal opportunity for access to housing without discrimination based on race, color, gender, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation or disability.
A housing information service, which would collect, organize and disseminate information and work with existing public agencies and civic groups.
Adequate funding for the City Planning Department to allow it to act effectively in the area of housing.
Streamline the building permit process
Subsidized housing programs which:
  a) include low, moderate and/or middle income housing in all housing developments;
  b) omit or severely reduce new housing projects which would serve only low income groups;
  c) provide rent subsidies to those who qualify for aid;
  d) provide incentives to builders to construct such housing;
  e) provide incentives to owners to rehabilitate existing housing;
  f) are primarily funded by federal and state sources.
Condominium conversion legislation which includes:
  a) non-transferable lifetime leases for the elderly;
  b) more than 35% tenant approval;
  c) preservation of low/or moderate units;
  d) tying condominium conversion permits to the building of new rentals by an agreed upon ratio;
  e) compliance with the housing code;
  f) requires a structural integrity report in a prospectus for buyers.
Temporary rent regulation with provisions for review which should include:
a) regulating the amount of rent increases;
b) making exceptions for specified circumstances.
Support temporary anti-speculation regulation with provisions for review which should include:
a) tax on property held less than three years;
b) exceptions for hardship.
Support measures, which increase the housing, supply in the South of Market area.
a) Require developers of office buildings in the South of Market area to provide for new or rehabilitated housing in San Francisco.
b) Rehabilitate present housing in the South of Market area where feasible.

LWVUS Positions:

Equality of Opportunity – Support equal access to education, employment and housing.
Meeting Basic Human Needs, Housing supply – Support policies to provide a decent home and a suitable living environment for every American family.

LWVC Positions:

Support of State programs to increase the supply of safe, decent, and adequate housing for all Californians.
Support for action at all levels of government for the provision of affordable housing for all Californians.

Social Policy Positions

Child Care

Community Policing

Comparable Worth and Pay Equity

Education

Housing

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