The one word missing from Connie Chan’s China policy platform: Taiwan

Power Play recently transitioned to a subscriber-only newsletter. Click here for a limited-time offer starting at $1 for the first month (and the cost of a beer every month thereafter). Supervisor Connie Chan has planted her progressive flag, publishing a policy platform Wednesday packed with left-of-center positions such as government-funded social housing, community banking, and free community college programs. Buried within her rollout was a refreshed, region-by-region breakdown of her foreign policy positions, but with one hot-button topic conspicuously missing: Taiwan. That’s an eyebrow-raiser in a congressional district with tens of thousands of Chinese voters. Rising tensions between the U.S. and China have fueled anti-Asian hate in the district before. Knowing her specific policies on Chinese-Taiwanese relations is key. “Connie has said repeatedly that she supports productive dialogue, peace, and stability in Asia as elsewhere, and that has not changed,” said Julie Edwards , Chan’s campaign consultant. It is true, Chan’s campaign page notes, that China and the U.S., the largest economies in the world, “can engage with one another through mutual respect, accountability, and peaceful coexistence.” But her policy omits key details: whether she supports U.S. arms sales to Taiwan or the One China policy, as her supporters told Mission Local that she did, earlier this year . Chan, a Chinese immigrant who attended elementary school in Taiwan, has to balance the positions of Chinese San Franciscans whose support she needs with those of Democrats who may more forcefully support Taiwan — including Rep. Nancy Pelosi , Chan’s biggest endorser, a China-hawk who famously visited Taiwan in 2022, prompting an angry response from Chinese President Xi Jinping . “Beijing’s continued aggression against Taiwan is cowardly and cannot be met with silence,” Pelosi said on the one-year anniversary of her visit . “Make no mistake: America’s commitment to freedom and human rights — in Taiwan and around the world — remains formidable.” State Sen. Scott Wiener , who is running against Chan, offers a more detailed position on Taiwan . He supports the current U.S. approach and “opposes any forceful attempt to change the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.” He also said the U.S. should compete with China on semiconductor manufacturing — an industry in which Taiwan leads and is key to its geopolitical importance. Retired judge Julie Tang, who said Chan told her she supports the One China policy, thinks the candidate is wise to keep her position ambiguous. “Scott talks about competition and hot-button issues that stir up people’s fears of China,” she told Power Play. “I think Scott is taking the Trump administration’s position, and I’m ashamed of him for doing that.” — Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez LOOK OUT, LARSEN : Organizations fighting against billionaire spending on politics plan to make the issue personal Thursday, hosting a press conference outside the Russian Hill home of Ripple founder Chris Larsen . The groups — California Common Good and the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment — say they expect 30 to 50 people to show up for the 11 a.m. event, which marks the release of their report ranking the top California political donors. Larsen is being targeted because he has donated tens of millions of dollars this year to oppose a proposed billionaire tax and elect centrist Democrats across the state, among other issues. He backs the agenda of Mayor Daniel Lurie , including this year’s charter reform measure , as well as philanthropic causes to spruce up the city. Thursday’s event reflects a growing anti-billionaire sentiment across California, most visible in the aforementioned proposed one-time 5% tax on the state’s richest residents, which will be put before voters in November. Power Play readers might recognize ACCE as the group that organized a “People Over Billionaires” march through Pacific Heights last year, at which protesters performed a line dance outside the home of White House crypto czar David Sacks . The group is planning simultaneous press conferences Thursday at the Malibu home of venture capitalist Marc Andreessen and outside Google’s San Diego corporate headquarters, targeting company cofounder Sergey Brin . Organizers said their aim is to “make visible the small group of billionaires whose political spending is increasingly shaping decisions that affect 40 million Californians.” — Emily Shugerman GRAB-BAG DONORS : Stump speeches and fancy websites tell part of a candidate’s campaign story. Donor lists tell another. Wednesday’s Federal Election Commission filings revealed far more than how Pelosi is flexing her fundraising muscle to benefit Chan. Chan’s progressive platform has attracted support from a long list of unions, so it should come as no surprise that major labor organizations are helping fuel her campaign, which has raised $1.08 million from 3,000 donors since her November launch . Chan has reported receiving tens of thousands of dollars from unions representing teachers, plumbers and pipefitters, firefighters, airline pilots, and construction workers. It’s not as clear why other donors are shelling out for Chan. San Francisco philanthropist and Republican megadonor Diane Wilsey gave $7,000 to Chan and also gave $3,700 to Wiener, who is considered the more moderate Democrat. Wilsey has donated to Democrats, including Gov. Gavin Newsom , in years past. But why would she support one of San Francisco’s most progressive politicians? Wilsey could not be reached for comment. She was one of the biggest donors to a 2022 ballot measure to reopen John F. Kennedy Drive to cars , a position Chan also supported after opposing the street’s conversion to permanent pedestrian use. The American Crystal Sugar Company’s PAC gave $5,000 to Chan. The PAC, which represents a cooperative of sugar beet farmers, was among the top industry group donors who contributed to the nearly 150 lawmakers who refused to certify Donald Trump ’s election loss on Jan. 6, 2021, according to a 2022 analysis by the progressive group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. A representative for the PAC did not respond to a request for comment. William Shihara , the former CEO of cryptocurrency exchange Bittrex, gave $3,500 to Chan’s campaign. Bittrex agreed to pay a $24 million settlement with the SEC over allegations that it operated an “ unregistered national securities exchange, broker, and clearing agency .” Shihara has donated to many Asian American congressional candidates over several years, according to FEC filings, but his contribution to Chan is noteworthy given her call for more industry regulation. Shihara could not be reached for comment. Wiener’s spokesperson Joe Arellano said in a statement that the donations “contradict the working-class narratives that Connie is trying to portray about her campaign and demonstrate that she is tapping into wealthy individuals to help fund her race.” Chan’s spokesperson Edwards said the support from people who are “so different than Connie” is “evidence that our campaign has built a broad coalition, including those who may disagree with Connie but still can respect her work and integrity and know they cannot trust Scott Wiener.” Edwards said the American Crystal Sugar Company has many union workers. — Hannah Wiley ETHICS ISSUES : A slew of ethics reforms is headed to the Government Audit and Oversight Committee on Thursday, but whether they can be implemented anytime soon remains to be seen. Board President Rafael Mandelman is carrying the legislation package, which, among other changes, could raise the contribution limit for candidate campaigns from $500 to $1,000. Supporters of the tweak argue that it will encourage grassroots candidates and counter wealthy PACs, whose influence has grown in recent years as well-heeled supporters plow millions into committees that aren’t subject to donation limits. The $500 figure was set in 2000 and hasn’t been adjusted for inflation. Other provisions in the reform package have drawn scrutiny , notably from 48Hills writer Tim Redmond , who questioned parts of the legislation that would change how developers and campaign consultants disclose their work. “The move makes little sense — the disclosure requirements are not onerous or expensive,” wrote Redmond. But Mandelman said not to expect the ethics reforms to be voted on Thursday. In fact, it could be months before the board votes on any of the changes. He is seeking amendments and trying to secure support from eight supervisors, since a supermajority vote is required for this type of legislation. The lawmaker said Wednesday he had not reached that threshold. — Gabriel Greschler

After Swalwell and Platner, Cheyenne Hunt is building a new #MeToo movement

Former East Bay Rep. Eric Swalwell dodged more than a decade of misconduct rumors on Capitol Hill. Maine U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner withstood allegations of physical misconduct, disturbing Reddit posts, and a Nazi tattoo. Then they encountered Cheyenne Hunt. A 29-year-old political activist, attorney, and content creator with a vast social media following, Hunt has spent several months organizing women behind the scenes to amplify allegations of sexual misconduct, including rape, against both Swalwell and Platner . She has connected accusers with lawyers, therapists, and reporters while using her own online platforms to share their stories. The result: Swalwell resigned from Congress, shelved his campaign for governor , and has largely disappeared from public view amid multiple investigations into his alleged misconduct. Platner is thought to be on the verge of dropping out of his Senate race after losing critical endorsements from key progressives , including Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and California Rep. Ro Khanna. Swalwell and Platner have denied the allegations. “This is a reckoning,” Hunt told The Standard on a Thursday morning in June from the living room of the inland Orange County house she shares with her boyfriend, where stacks of law books fill three large shelves and a vase of pink peonies serves as the backdrop to the Zoom calls that fill her schedule. “No predators in power.” Hunt hasn’t had time for a break in the three months since the Swalwell story broke. Her days start early and end late, a drumbeat of staff meetings and check-ins with organizers. She forgets to stop and eat, she said, and her boyfriend often reminds her she needs a meal. During a day spent shadowing Hunt, The Standard watched her prepare for another cycle of chaos. In between back-to-back meetings, she was on frequent, feverish calls with a Politico reporter working to break the Platner story. Even she is shocked by what has unfolded in the weeks since her friend Annika Albrecht texted to ask if Hunt would post a video about the sexual harassment Albrecht claims she experienced from Swalwell . Hunt didn’t know that her March 31 video , which has generated more than 150,000 views on TikTok and Instagram, was the beginning of not only Swalwell’s downfall but her new mission. But Hunt wasn’t working alone. Arielle Fodor, a content creator and former teacher who goes by “Mrs. Frazzled” online, had also been posting cryptic messages about rumors of misconduct by Swalwell. Hunt, Fodor, and Albrecht teamed up to take the allegations that were circulating on social media to reporters. They collaborated with CNN for a story that broke April 10 with Albrecht’s allegations, along with accusations from three other women that ranged from harassment to sexual assault. Hunt has since resigned as executive director of the advocacy organization Gen-Z for Change and started Reckoning Action, a political organization with the goal of ending misogyny in places of power. Fodor is an adviser to the group, as are some of Swalwell’s accusers. Hunt said the group’s goals are to change sexual harassment laws and raise enough money to build a robust network of legal aid and other support services for victims. But this is not a millenial #MeToo movement. A key pillar of Reckoning Action is leveraging social media to inspire cultural change. TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram are increasingly where people — especially Gen Z — find, read, and talk about serious issues, Hunt said. And with her 220,000 followers on TikTok and 222,000 on Instagram, she is uniquely positioned to use social media as a tool to spark another #MeToo chapter, this one adapted for a digital-first era. “If you’re not having conversations with people where they’re listening, then you’re not in the conversation at all,” Hunt said. “It was content creators that blew the door open and found all these sources and made it happen.” ‘I had something to say’ Hunt’s political activism began in California’s rural Lake County, where she was raised by her single mom and grandmother. Hunt moved to Orange County when she was 14 and, two years later, graduated early from high school. She went to the University of Denver and moved back to Orange County for law school at UC Irvine. It was at law school in 2020, when she joined Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s office as a Senate Judiciary Committee law clerk, that Hunt found her calling in politics. She arrived in D.C. just as the first impeachment trial against President Donald Trump was beginning. It was evident how toxic a workplace the Capitol could be, Hunt said, especially for the many “hungry, ambitious young women” staffing lawmakers’ offices. “Many of whom this is the first job that they have ever had, and they’re looking for their big break,” she said. She returned home for law school graduation and to take care of her dying grandmother, then moved back to D.C. to work as a Big Tech accountability advocate at Public Citizen, a left-leaning consumer advocacy organization. “She’s a troublemaker,” Robert Weissman, co-president of Public Citizen, said of Hunt. “A good troublemaker.” Weissman said he was impressed by Hunt’s creative approach to using social media to identify and solve problems. “It’s not just having the information, but how to frame the information, present the information, in a way that excites people in the algorithm nowadays,” he said. “And she had found a key.” Disillusioned by the lack of Gen Z representation in Congress, Hunt returned to Orange County with a plan to run for Congress in 2024 against Republican Rep. Michelle Steel in what was then California’s 45th District. She lost badly, earning just 8% of the vote in the March primary. “At the end of the day, like, I had something to say,” Hunt said of the experience. “There was a generation of women that was completely unrepresented at the federal level, and I wanted to take my swing at it.” As executive director of Gen-Z for Change, an organization that uses social media as an advocacy tool for progressive causes, it became her job to be “chronically online,” she said. But after the Swalwell news broke, Hunt said it became clear that she needed to focus on the strategy full time. She started Reckoning Action and, as executive director, oversees a team of about half a dozen women and men. “I have a habit of doing things that people think are insane,” she said. “But I think them through. I didn’t want to start something unless it was really clear that there was a place in the movement for it and that it would be sustainable.” Responding to #MeToo backlash Hunt said hundreds of women have reached out in the weeks since Swalwell resigned with their own experiences of sexual misconduct. It became clear from those conversations how much had changed since the #MeToo movement first went viral in 2017. What she learned: #MeToo is out; the manosphere is in. “I just think that we see politics so often function as a pendulum, where there’s progress, and then there’s backlash,” Hunt said. “And the backlash to the #MeToo movement was a generation of men that, for the first time, was realizing that they may not be able to act towards women with impunity anymore, and that was stark.” Young men are increasingly enamored with media figures like Joe Rogan, Jordan Peterson, Christopher Rufo and the late Charlie Kirk, and even far-right extremists like Nick Fuentes, an antisemitic white nationalist streamer. Hunt blames much of the rise of the manosphere on social media and its proliferation of right-wing accounts that once existed on the fringe but in recent years have exploded into the mainstream. Right-wing content creators have gamed the algorithm to prey on lonely young men, Hunt said, “offering them something that looks like community and is really just isolation, for their own kind of political agenda.” Hunt worries about women too. After a decade of the #girlboss, women seem less interested in the C-suite and more intrigued by the “Make America Healthy Again” and “trad wife” movements. From Hunt’s perspective, the same digital rabbit hole that pulls men into the manosphere is working to drag women back to the 1950s. “That’s why MAHA content exists,” Hunt said. “It starts because they’re, like, making banana bread, and then at some point they start talking about, I don’t know, fucking ivermectin or something.” A key pillar of Reckoning Action is promoting “narrative change,” not just through stories in traditional news outlets but through social media. Hunt wants to replicate the right-wing playbook of going viral, but to the left’s benefit. To do that, she envisions contracting with left-wing influencers on paid anti-misogyny campaigns, leveraging their specific brands to appeal to broader audiences. Hunt imagines collaborating with the podcast “The Basement Yard,” a comedy show with Joe Santagato and Frank Alvarez, who spend an hour gabbing about random topics. Under Hunt’s playbook, they would be paid to spend a few minutes railing against misogyny. “The people that listen to ‘Pod Save America,’ they already agree with us,” Hunt said. “That’s not going to reach new audiences and make meaningful difference. It’s not going to break out of the echo chamber. We need content that can compete with their content. Entertainment-first content.” Fodor has been doing this for years. Users might come to her initially for education news , but they will also find her “gentle parenting” spoofs on political topics, like a recent video in which she pretends to talk to a kid about how “yucky” it is that the Supreme Court ruled in favor of states with bans on transgender kids playing in girls sports . “I think everybody tries to hit it differently. And that’s kind of a cool thing about content creators,” Fodor said in an interview. “Is that everybody is pulling on their little thread in their corner in their own way.” Omar Wasow, an assistant professor of political science at UC Berkeley, said social media has always been an incubator for social and political movements, many for progressive causes. The #MeToo movement started with a hashtag, of course, and the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 began with the video of George Floyd’s murder spreading online. “In the U.S. and around the world, we’ve seen movements that can emerge almost out of nothing,” Wasow said. But the right has commanded social media in recent years, to great political effect. “It’s not just activists who are taking this up. It’s the most powerful people in the world in the current presidential administration,” Wasow said. Hunt noted that right-wing influencers have become “masters” at pushing online fringe ideas that eventually make their way into real-life politics. What was once considered “radical” is now law, Hunt said, like the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade and subsequent state legislation to criminalize women who get abortions. That same strategy won’t have an immediate impact for Hunt’s cause, she conceded over a lunch of vegan pho at a favorite Orange County Vietnamese restaurant. “I’m known for being pretty impatient, but I also understand that’s going to take time,” she said. “Institutional change takes time.” Her goal of ending misogyny in places of power is going to require a coalition of “unlikely bedfellows” working together. One of her goals, for example, is to change House ethics rules to make it safer for accusers to come forward with claims of inappropriate behavior. Reckoning Action is already working with the Democratic Women’s Caucus on the effort, but Hunt acknowledged, “we’re gonna need everybody on board,” perhaps including some Republicans. Old and new media partnerships But there could be limits to Hunt’s vision. Putting such an emphasis on social media is risky, said Juliet Williams, a gender studies professor at UCLA. The country’s major tech companies are run by “a bunch of super regressive dudes” who have cozied up to Trump. Old-school, grassroots organizing is still important, she said. “There’s no feminist Elon Musk,” Williams said. “Technology, social media, influencing — these platforms are not why #Metoo didn’t go where we wanted it to, and it’s not what is going to save us now.” There’s also a line that content creators can’t — or shouldn’t — cross. Both Hunt and Fodor said there was a limit with the Swalwell allegations that they felt comfortable posting on their pages. That’s when they turned to legacy newsrooms with the story. “I don’t want to see creators thinking that they should be talking about sensitive sexual assault stories or anything that’s of that level of consequence,” she said. “Because they don’t have the resources to do the corroboration and the independent fact-checking and what needs to be done for those [stories] to be told in a way that’s absolutely unimpeachable.” But even news organizations can’t prevent the repercussions victims may face after coming forward. A private investigator has contacted at least one former Swalwell staffer about her time working for the congressman, according to the news site NOTUS . Swalwell’s attorney Sara Azari confirmed to the outlet that she had hired the New York firm Beau Dietl & Associates as part of an investigation into the allegations. Azari did not respond to The Standard’s request for comment. “That is purely an intimidation tactic that is all about intimidating these women and trying to silence other ones from coming forward,” Hunt said. It’s why many women never come forward with their stories, said Gloria Allred, a women’s rights attorney who has represented victims in cases against Harvey Weinstein , Bill Cosby, R. Kelly , and Jeffrey Epstein. Allred said she wants women to know there is “another option.” “And that’s within the justice system,” she said, which allows victims to receive compensation for alleged abuse without any impact on their public image or threat of retaliation tactics like defamation lawsuits. “There are still some people who do not wish to live their life on the internet.” Allred said. “I understand the desire that young women have to hold the accused accountable. I agree that the accused should be held accountable. The real issue is, how can they best achieve that with the minimum harm to themselves and a maximum benefit to themselves?” If there’s anything Sacramento lobbyist Samantha Corbin has learned since she helped launch “ We Said Enough ,” the #MeToo movement in the California Capitol, it’s that “no one cares about women.” Corbin said since the coalition launched with an October 2017 letter exposing the “pervasive” culture of sexual harassment in the Capitol, she has received weekly calls from people alleging misconduct in and around the Legislature. The group notched some initial wins when several lawmakers resigned amid allegations of misconduct. Additionally, the Legislature in 2019 launched a Workplace Conduct Unit to independently investigate anonymous complaints of wrongdoing in the Capitol. The unit has received roughly 840 complaints, according to a February report, and “resolved” around 97% of them. Corbin acknowledged how difficult it is for advocates to maintain the momentum and progress made after a news cycle ends and public attention inevitably turns to other issues. “You consistently have to have people who have energy, who have a new way of telling the story and engaging people,” Corbin said. If Hunt is willing to carry the baton — and use new tools to tell women’s stories — then “fuck yeah, girl, get it.” Beyond Swalwell and Platner During a recent Zoom meeting with Reckoning Action organizers, Hunt was grappling with what comes next. The group was planning several weeks’ worth of social media and Substack content, not just on Swalwell but on other topics that could help push their anti-misogyny message. She was also preparing, ahead of Politico’s Platner story, to face down the same accusations that surfaced during the Swalwell allegations: that she was secretly working with Republicans to sabotage Democrats, that she was a shill for billionaires who want to buy U.S. elections. In his statement denying the allegations, Platner accused “out-of-state establishment operatives” of working to sabotage his campaign, a characterization that Hunt laughed at during her CNN interviews . These are the moments when Hunt refers back to her mission: No predators in power. “Period,” she said. “Women should not be sacrificed at the altar of the next election,” she argued. “If you think that it’s politically strategic to knowingly put someone in power that has a history of violence against women, then you are ceding the moral high ground that we so frequently claim to differentiate ourselves as Democrats.” Hunt, and Reckoning Action at large, has called on Platner to withdraw from the Senate race before a July 13 deadline for Democrats to replace him. Beyond Swalwell and Platner, Hunt has big plans over the next year for Reckoning Action. She wants to hire more organizers, and dreams of getting federal legislation introduced this year to ban politicians who are accused of misconduct from using campaign funds for legal bills. (Swalwell has used more than $300,000 in campaign funds to pay his attorney , according to state financial records.) The team also wants to ramp up messaging around the “Epstein class” and to target vulnerable Republicans in the midterms who voted against making the Epstein files public . Hunt was spending her birthday Tuesday evening recovering from the exhausting media blitz following the Platner revelations and fielding a steady stream of profile requests from reporters. “Eventually, this reckoning media moment, it will end,” Hunt said. “Does that freak me out, that we won’t squeeze every bit of juice out of it that we possibly can? To hold every single predator accountable that we possibly can? Yeah.” For now at least, the reckoning is still trending.

Nancy Pelosi’s retirement plans: launching a $50M democracy institute at UC Berkeley

Nancy Pelosi may be leaving Congress after nearly 40 years in the House of Representatives, but Congress isn’t leaving her. Pelosi, 86, plans to announce Monday that her political legacy will live on at UC Berkeley via a new nonpartisan institute focused on “strengthening American democracy.” The Nancy Pelosi Institute for Representative Democracy, scheduled to launch in January 2027, will serve as a research, teaching, and civic engagement hub focused on challenges facing the country and how to solve them, according to a draft announcement obtained by The Standard. The institute will be housed in the Charles and Louise Travers Department of Political Science. “The work of democracy is never finished, and securing its future is our greatest calling,” Pelosi said in the announcement. “UC Berkeley has a long, proud history of challenging the status quo and producing leaders who run toward the greatest challenges of our time. I am honored to partner with this exceptional community of scholars and students so we can equip the next generation with the tools they need to strengthen our democratic institutions and forge a future that serves the public good.” She may have made her career in Washington — home to some of the nation’s most prestigious political science programs — but Pelosi’s choice in partnering with UC Berkeley for her next chapter is testament to her roots, and her impact not just in San Francisco, but across the broader Bay Area and California. UC Berkeley is also known for its elite status and research rigor, and has graduated notable political figures including the late Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren and former California Gov. Jerry Brown. “The purpose and impact of the [Nancy Pelosi Institute] will be defined and strengthened by Berkeley’s ability to bring together world-class faculty and extraordinary students, and by our commitment, as the country’s preeminent public university, to advancing the greater good,” Chancellor Rich Lyons said in the announcement. “We intend to do more than simply study democracy; we are building this institute to strengthen it.” Pelosi announced her retirement from Congress in November, ending her tenure as arguably the most powerful woman in U.S. politics . Though her retirement plans were expected, they set off a fierce battle in San Francisco over who would replace her in Washington. Pelosi endorsed progressive Supervisor Connie Chan , who will face state Sen. Scott Wiener, a moderate Democrat, in the Nov. 3 general election. According to the announcement, Pelosi is turning her 39 years on the House floor into a course that she will co-teach with Eric Schickler, the university’s co-director of the Institute of Governmental Studies and a congressional scholar. The course was designed to “provide students with unprecedented access to an unequaled source of insight about the mechanics and nuances of our democratic process,” the announcement says. “Speaker Pelosi’s career has shaped the course of our state and nation in profound ways,” Schickler said in the announcement. “This institute will carry forward her legacy by facilitating dialogue, conducting research for the public good and preparing the next generation of leaders to strengthen democracy.” The institute will focus on “evidence-based solutions to democracy’s pressing problems” through its courses and research programs, according to the draft announcement. The institute’s four pillars include: strengthening the country’s “democratic institutions” and solving its “greatest challenges,” along with promoting human and civil rights nationally and globally, and “ensuring political leadership that represents the full spectrum of perspectives and backgrounds in California and the country.” The university plans to include new faculty research initiatives and undergraduate courses as part of the institute, and to court national and global leaders as teachers through a visiting fellows program. The institute is also expected to host an annual nonpartisan forum. Its research will focus on climate change, wealth inequality, criminal justice, the impact of artificial intelligence on democracy, and electoral reforms aimed at reducing “polarization,” The university’s Bancroft Library is also scheduled to host a public exhibit in spring 2027 dedicated to Pelosi’s life and congressional tenure; the institute will also follow with an exhibit that documents her career. More than $32 million in donations have been raised for a permanent endowment, according to the draft release, as part of an initial $50 million campaign.

SF school chief survives congressional grilling designed to embarrass her

San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Maria Su opened her statement at Wednesday’s congressional hearing in Washington, D.C., with an admission. “As you can hear,” she said, “I am suffering from laryngitis, and I’m having a difficult time using my voice.” Three hours later, by the time the hearing closed, the laryngitis had given her more trouble than any member of Congress. After preparing with the city attorney’s office over the past few weeks, according to sources, Su presented testimony that was careful and articulate. The hearing, “Breaking Trust: Attacks on Parental Rights, Inappropriate Content, and Legal Abuses in America’s Schools,” was convened by the GOP-dominated House Committee on Education and the Workforce to question leaders of schools in San Francisco, Chicago, and Virginia’s Loudoun County on how they handle teaching about race, gender, and identity. The session featured repeated questions about “drag queen story hours,” locker room access, and transgender policies. Democratic committee members failed to engage with any of the Republican lines of inquiry and instead suggested that the hearing should have focused on budget cuts, teacher shortages, and school closures. Su took a cautious, nonconfrontational approach. Her go-to answers when questioned on issues ranging from “white supremacy culture” to transgender bathroom use were to claim that the incident in question happened before she took over as superintendent 18 months ago, and that she remains committed to a high-quality education for SFUSD students. Notably, Elise Stefanik, the Republican congresswoman from New York whose 2023 questioning preceded the resignations of two Ivy League presidents, was absent from the hearing. The partisan nature of the proceeding was broken, surprisingly, by a back-and-forth between Su and Kevin Kiley, the independent congressman from California’s third district who until recently was a registered Republican. Rather than challenge Su on where SFUSD has fallen short, Kiley used his time to praise the district for improvements on algebra in middle school, a phonics-based reading curriculum, the school board recall of 2022, the state takeover of the SFUSD budget, the effort to rename schools away from U.S. presidents, and the homegrown ethnic studies curriculum. “There have been some very good changes on all of those items in recent years,” Kiley said, before giving Su an opportunity to describe her team’s improvements. “Thank you for your leadership, and I hope this can set a good example for other districts across the state of California,” he said afterward. Early in the hearing, Su was challenged by Tim Walberg, the Michigan Republican who chairs the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. Walberg pressed Su on drag queen story hour, saying an ethnic studies teacher had promoted it as beneficial. Four times he asked at what age students should be exposed to it, and four times Su declined to directly answer. “We welcome all 49,000 students as they are,” she said. “We support our students. We work really hard.” Only when Walberg asked whether the district allows a parent with a religious objection to opt their child out of the story hour did Su answer directly: “Yes, we do.” The pattern repeated when Robert Onder, a Republican from Missouri, asked Su whether “biological men” should be allowed in locker rooms with “biological girls.” Su answered, twice, “We follow state and federal law.” Onder said he’d take that as a yes. He then pressed Su on whether her schools notify parents when a student changes gender. Su said she is not a lawyer, and the district is adjusting its practices and training staff to comply with Mirabelli v. Bonta, the Supreme Court order from March that blocked California’s gender-identity nondisclosure rules in schools. “Parents are our students’ first teachers,” she said, without answering the question directly. At times, committee members made statements about issues not within the school districts’ purview. Joe Wilson, a Republican from South Carolina, asked Chicago superintendent Macquline King if the fact that she highlights working with Planned Parenthood means she has a preferred method of carrying out an abortion. “There are different forms of abortion. Which do you support: suctioning the baby out intact, or should the baby be dismembered and part by part removing the arms, legs, head, and body? Which form of abortion do you think would be the most preferable?” Wilson asked. King responded: “I’m very disturbed by that question, and I want to say that Chicago Public Schools’ sexual education curriculum is in compliance with Illinois state law. I also would like to say that I’m here to represent Chicago Public Schools, and I’m willing to answer questions on Chicago Public Schools’ policies.” The Democrats in the hearing spent much of their time defending the superintendents. Jahana Hayes of Connecticut told them not to be intimidated. “Do not buy into the bull,” she said. Suzanne Bonamici of Oregon thanked the witnesses “for all you are doing for public education during a time when it is under attack” and said the committee was ignoring the threats parents actually worry about: ICE operations disrupting schools, gun violence, and students’ mental health. Instead, she said, the committee was focusing on “hyped-up political perceived risk.” Meredith Dodson, director of the SF Parents Coalition, which sent three members to D.C. with Su, believes the superintendent represented SFUSD well in what was perhaps the most formative challenge a city leader has faced from the federal government since President Donald Trump’s threat last summer to send in the National Guard. “While MAGA Republicans and irresponsible news outlets foment outrage to garner headlines, Superintendent Su and Democrats kept the focus on what matters: the education and support of our students,” Dodson told The Standard. Phil Kim, president of the San Francisco Board of Education, echoed Dodson’s sentiment. “There’s nothing radical about treating students with dignity,” he said. “I was really pleased to see the committee recognize the improvements we’ve made over the last two years. All of that speaks to the work we have done at SFUSD to focus on the right things.”

Live updates: Hilton extends lead over Becerra; Wiener tops poll

Who is funding the 2026 California Primary? We dig into the money on PST

Lurie’s permit project gets grilled after SF Standard investigation

This article is from Power Play, a twice-weekly newsletter rounding up the latest City Hall and local politics gossip. To sign up, visit The Standard’s newsletter page . Hours after The Standard’s investigation into Mayor Daniel Lurie ’s permit overhaul was published, Supervisor Connie Chan had sharp questions for department heads at a Wednesday-afternoon Budget and Appropriations Committee meeting. Former employees of OpenGov, the company hired for Lurie’s permitting modernization effort, told The Standard they knew the firm would miss deadlines, and current city staffers said the software lacks important features. Lurie awarded OpenGov in a no-bid contract , claiming it was the only company that could meet its deadlines. But deadlines have been blown through. SF Planning’s director, Sarah Dennis Phillips , and the interim Department of Building Inspection director, David Kane , were in the hot seat as Chan had pointed questions about the permit overhaul in light of The Standard’s reporting. The exchanges became tense at times. The city is seeking to renew the OpenGov contract for six years, at a price of $6.5 million — a decision that must go before the Civil Service Commission before heading to the supervisors for approval. Chan’s suspicions are part of a bubbling skepticism against Lurie’s permit efforts. The Civil Service commissioners have already delayed a hearing to approve OpenGov’s contract renewal after claiming that the city did not provide them with enough information about opposition to the project from a public-sector union. Some commissioners expressed serious concern about the contract during a May 4 meeting before pushing the vote to this Monday. Phillips defended the adoption of the software, stating that the department is “very happy with the results” and that the “system is performing.” She conceded that there had been bumps in the road on timelines: “We are erring on the side of doing permits correctly, rather than in volume. That does take more time, and it means things are moving more slowly than we think.” The current contract was set to deliver 15 permit types by March onto a new OpenGov-powered platform. Today, fewer than half are available. Chan remains wary of the project’s trajectory. She asked the departments to provide evidence that OpenGov is making permitting more efficient and to outline a Plan B if OpenGov is shelved — a nightmare scenario for Lurie. She quoted The Standard’s reporting in which a city employee said San Francisco is essentially subsidizing OpenGov’s product advancements. “I’m not inclined to fund the research and development of OpenGov,” Chan said. “What I’m inclined to fund is the development of a permanent permitting system that actually works for San Franciscans.” — Gabriel Greschler Got tips? Send to us at powerplay@sfstandard.com . In the pipeline THE BIG SAIKAT SPEND: The centimillionaire congressional candidate Saikat Chakrabarti has pledged to spend whatever it takes to win. Now he’s helping local propositions too. On Tuesday, Chakrabarti dropped a cool $100,000 into the campaign for Proposition D, the Overpaid CEO Tax. If approved on the June’s ballot, it would raise taxes for any company with a wide pay gap between the CEO and the median salary of workers worldwide. The measure is backed by a bevy of unions that hope the funds will plug San Francisco’s budget hole: SEIU Local 2015, SEIU Local 1021, IFPTE Local 21, AFSCME 3299, and Teamsters Joint Council 7. That begs the question: Will Chakrabarti’s contribution help him finally make inroads with labor? “Labor bases its support on the shared values candidates have with working families,” a spokesperson for the Prop. D campaign stated succinctly. Chakrabarti is certainly making his case. “These companies just received massive federal tax breaks under Trump, so asking the largest corporations, that are paying CEOs more than 100 times their median employee’s salary, to contribute a little more isn’t going to hurt them,” Chakrabarti said. “But cutting homelessness services, emergency response programs, and public safety resources would hurt thousands of San Franciscans.” For her part, Chan has so many unions supporting her congressional run she could practically start her own labor council. Though Chakrabarti shares labor’s values, unions are loath to endorse wealthy candidates for any office. But if the alternative is state Sen. Scott Wiener, who pissed off SEIU California enough that they un-endorsed him, it’ll be interesting to see if progressive labor collectively holds its nose to back either of them in June. — Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez YOU’RE WELCOME, L.A.: San Franciscans are generally proud to beat L.A. with our superior burritos, walkability, and fog over smog. However, we’ll have to begrudgingly concede that we’re on par in one respect: Both are now the scene of the political shenanigans of Jay Cheng , the consultant who earned Lurie’s ire and recently parted ways with Neighbors for a Better San Francisco under mysterious circumstances. Power Play readers will recall the rumor of an ethics investigation into Neighbors that may have ensnared Cheng. Cheng makes a cameo in an L.A. Times article last weekend detailing a dark money campaign to attack Los Angeles City Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, a Democratic Socialist. Dark money refers to political spending wherein entities fund other entities, which fund other entities, to disguise the true source of attack ads. The piece highlights Cheng’s role as a consultant for a nonprofit working to elect “centrist” and “moderate” candidates to office in the City of Angels. It’s one of the first clients of his new shop, Jay Cheng Strategy. When reached by text, Cheng said he now has clients in multiple cities to “help them move in a moderate direction, like we did in SF.” He declined to name those cities but said he will do so in the coming weeks. When asked about the accusations in the article, Cheng replied, tongue in cheek, “Wherever there is dark money, there is Jay Cheng!” You don’t say! — J. F. R. THAT WAS FAST: Conor Johnston and Eric Kingsbury, who were staffers to Mayor London Breed , came forward Monday to accuse their former boss of appointing Supervisor Stephen Sherrill to his position in the hopes that she’d get a job from Michael Bloomberg. Sherrill issued a statement asserting that the vetting process for the supervisor seat was rigorous, and that she’s proud of Sherrill’s record but, curiously, doesn’t outright deny the chief allegation of a quid pro quo. Either way, we’ll be darned if Sherrill’s chief opponent in the June election, community activist Lori Brooke, didn’t move quick to capitalize on the accusations. Her campaign snapped up www.stephensherrill.com , which redirects to The Standard’s article. Cheeky! And it whipped up attack mailers using the most salacious quotes from Mission Local and The Standard, which will flutter into District 2 voters’ mailboxes this week. “District 2 deserves better than a supervisor who has made their career in backroom political deals,” Brooke told Power Play. We doubt that’s the only hit coming. Considering the avalanche of money from four independent expenditure committees supporting Sherrill, Brooke will need every swing. — J. F. R. TABLOID TIME: San Francisco’s media ecosystem is apparently booming , and we sure welcome some competition — for better or worse. The infamous San Francisco Inquirer, which the Chronicle , Standard , and San José Spotlight debunked three years ago as a political operation backing a Bay Area-based tribe , is active again, publishing sensational headlines about the race to succeed Rep. Nancy Pelosi . Recent stories on the site, with no authors listed, are critical of Wiener and Chan, while offering more favorable treatment to Chakrabarti. “Pelosi declines to endorse Wiener, widely seen as a stunning rebuke,” one headline says . Well, stunning to who? We all know who the speaker emerita’s preferred candidate is. The site’s founder, Matt Ricchiazzi , an East Coast-based consultant accused of running fake news websites , denied any involvement with the campaigns. “I don’t have any client interests in the race. I’m just sharing my opinion about the contenders,” Ricchiazzi told Power Play. Chan’s campaign blasted a story on the site linking the Chinese American immigrant to the Chinese government’s influence. “These are dirty and racist tactics. Whoever is paying for this is a coward and is furthering anti-Asian hate for personal and political gain. It’s despicable,” said Julie Edwards , Chan’s spokesperson. Federal campaign filings do not show payments to Ricchiazzi connected to the race, but Chakrabarti may have a friendly relationship with the tribe that paid Ricchiazzi, according to a 2025 social media post . His campaign denied any relationship with Ricchiazzi. If there’s one good thing to say about the website, it’s packed with ads promoting local businesses — including our favorite Hook Fish Co. and City Lights Bookstore. — Han Li KUMBAYA: Four years ago, Supervisor Shamann Walton was scrutinized for dressing down a sheriff’s cadet who was serving as City Hall security. Walton called the cadet the N-word and later accused staffers of the Sheriff’s Department of targeting him for his scrutiny of the office. Recriminations followed, alongside hurt feelings and a lot of fear . Breed called on Walton to apologize. My, how things have changed. At the Board of Supervisors’ regular meeting Tuesday, Walton led a round of praise for the sheriff’s cadets, who, importantly, are not sheriffs in training; it’s just a classification of an unarmed segment of the sheriff’s staff. It was a wonder to see. Led by Walton, nearly every supervisor heaped kind words upon the cadets — who stood by a podium at the Board of Supervisors chambers, beaming — for their demeanor and professionalism. So, what gives? Are we all friends now? That’s right, Sheriff Paul Miyamoto told us outside the chambers. The relationship has “had its ups and downs,” Miyamoto admitted, but Walton “actually reached out and wanted to recognize the cadets for the work they do. I think it was intentional to make sure they feel appreciated.” “Everything else,” the sheriff said, “is water under the bridge.” — J. F. R.

Hundreds more SF families are getting access to free or low-cost child care

More San Francisco families are about to get free child care. Mayor Daniel Lurie announced Thursday that the city is adding 750 slots to its free and low-cost child-care subsidy program this summer. More than half of those will be for infants and toddlers. “If you have a young child in this city, you should be able to find a place that you trust and can afford,” Lurie said. “That’s the standard that we are setting, because when we support families at the very beginning, we strengthen everything that comes after.” The effort comes a few months after the city expanded eligibility for Early Learning for All . The program allows a family of four that earns less than $230,000 a year to receive free child care , while those earning $310,000 are eligible for a 50% subsidy. The expansion is funded through a one-time surplus from 2018’s Proposition C measure. The additional slots will be available in neighborhoods across San Francisco as the city works to expand the number of providers in its early learning network, the mayor’s office said. Also on Thursday, the city opened applications for providers to join its roster of certified daycare centers and preschools so that families have more to choose from. There are about 700 families on the city’s waitlist for child care — about 81% of whom are looking for infant or toddler care — according to the city’s Department of Early Childhood. “An important first step that the mayor announced earlier this year was to make those subsidies available up to that amount,” said Kunal Modi, the mayor’s chief of health and human services. “Now what we’re really focused on is ensuring that you don’t just have a subsidy with nowhere to go.”

The real reason Jay Cheng is leaving Neighbors. Plus: Lurie’s China debut

For more than a decade, San Francisco political operative Jay Cheng has worn many faces: He’s a master of the political dark arts, a schemer , an alleged abuser , a gifted strategist , a leader , a risk-taker. The polarizing figure burst onto the public scene after he was embroiled in ethics snafus during the 2022 recall of District Attorney Chesa Boudin and the 2024 mayoral election . City Hall’s obsession with Cheng continued after he announced this week that he is stepping down as executive director of Neighbors for a Better San Francisco. Speculation abounds around one question: Why? Insiders bent Power Play’s ear with two theories. The first seems likely, because it has timing on its side. Sources say they have caught wind of an Ethics Commission investigation that, at least tangentially, involves Cheng — and Cheng told us there’s no investigation against him, specifically. Nobody we spoke to knows the allegations, but Neighbors had unflattering flirtations with Mark Farrell ’s mayoral campaign, like Cheng trying to hire a campaign manager , a potential violation of coordination between PACs and candidate campaigns. The Ethics Commission doesn’t comment on active investigations but revealed in a report published in March that it had 29 ongoing enforcement cases. The second rumor is that Mayor Daniel Lurie — who froze Cheng out after Neighbors ran afoul of the Ethics Commission — wanted a pound of flesh from the organization to get back in his good graces. And William Obendorf, the Republican billionaire who is a board member of Neighbors and its stalwart financial backer, served up Cheng to repair his relationship with Lurie. Obendorf didn’t respond to a request for comment. It’s less firm than the ethics allegations, but not wholly impossible. There’s not necessarily any timing that lends it credibility, beyond Neighbors trying to position itself to help Lurie in the November election, for which he’s juggling many competing priorities — from electing supervisor allies to his charter reforms — that may require outside help. Cheng has been caught and fined tens of thousands of dollars for ethics violations before, but still stayed on with Neighbors. Max Szabo , Lurie’s political spokesperson, told us the mayor will work with anybody, “irrespective of political affiliation,” to make San Francisco safer and more affordable. Translation: conservatives like Obendorf aren’t off the table if they’ve got the same goals as Lurie. Szabo denied any dealmaking. Of course, both explanations could contain shades of truth. And either story could serve as a convenient excuse for the other. Cheng said simply, “Everything I did was at the behest and direction of the board, and for the best interests of the organization. You live by the sword, you die by the sword.” — Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez & Han Li Got tips? Send to us at powerplay@sfstandard.com . CHINA DEBUT: Lurie wrapped his first full day in Shanghai with a packed schedule: playing soccer , attending a traditional folk music performance , and, in classic tourist fashion, taking a night cruise along the Huangpu River — complete with a skyline photo op. Chinese media coverage has been quieter this time compared with former mayor London Breed ’s 2024 visit, when her bigger group, a stop in Beijing, and panda diplomacy drew more widespread attention. The coverage that has emerged from the current delegation has largely focused on sister-city ties and cultural exchange. Lurie showed up at a United Airlines event to promote tourism, and signed collaboration agreements linking the California Academy of Sciences, SF Conservatory of Music, and SF Opera with their counterparts in Shanghai. One news article headline read, “See what he did with music,” underscoring the trip’s emphasis on soft diplomacy. Lurie has framed the visit around the idea that arts and culture can bridge geopolitical divides. “This partnership is more than education. It reflects the power of music to connect people across borders, even when other forms of dialogue may be more challenging,” Lurie said in Shanghai. The mayor is traveling with several city officials, including Chief of Protocol Penny Coulter and Airport Director Mike Nakornkhet . His wife, Becca Prowda , has appeared alongside him in multiple state media reports. A city disclosure form also shows his mother, Mimi Haas , is part of the delegation. Lurie is expected to stay in China for one more day before heading to South Korea. — H.L. & Gabe Greschler KIM’S TV SPOTS : Moderate-leaning group GrowSF has become one of the most dominant forces in city politics, and a recent TV buyout shows just how much it’s willing to throw down for local races that otherwise aren’t getting much attention. The group shared exclusively with Power Play that it has made ad buys in the six figures from its $300,000 war chest supporting school board candidate Phil Kim . It’s basically unheard of to run TV ads for school board candidates — but not for GrowSF, which has established itself as part of the moneyed Team Lurie and has connections to deep-pocketed techies. Kim was appointed by Breed in 2024. He’s running against two progressives in the June election to serve the remainder of his term, then will run again in November. The ads were bought through the GrowSF Voter Guide, an independent expenditure committee whose top donor is environmentalist and entrepreneur Nicholas Josefowitz . The ads, which are airing now, present Kim as a pragmatic member of the school board who has prioritized algebra, helped balance the budget, and supported a deal during the February teachers strike “without bankrupting our schools.” “Phil Kim helped save SFUSD from bankruptcy and prevented mass school closures,” one of the ads states. “He balanced a billion-dollar budget, protecting every classroom, and made sure teachers kept their jobs.” — G.G.

Dolores Huerta: Don’t name streets, schools after me

As California cities consider what to do with the vast set of landmarks named for the late Cesar Chavez, who was accused of sexual abuse in a New York Times story published March 18 , Dolores Huerta said she would not like her name used as a replacement. A spokesperson for Huerta, who cofounded the United Farm Workers with Chavez, told The Standard that streets, schools, and buildings “ should not be renamed after her, but the UFW martyrs, organizers, farmworkers, and families who sacrificed everything to build something bigger than any one person.” The 95-year-old Huerta, who showed up at San Francisco City Hall as recently as January in support of more pay for street cleaners, told The Times that Chavez raped her and coerced her into having sex in the 1960s, encounters that produced two children, which she secretly had others raise. She said she had never told anyone about the abuse, even her children. Since the revelations about Chavez, officials in San Francisco have been considering how to rename the 3.5-mile Cesar Chavez Street and Cesar Chavez Elementary on Shotwell Street in the Mission. Supervisor Jackie Fielder, whose district includes the Mission, is working with the community and labor groups to determine a renaming process, according to her chief of staff, Sasha Gaona. While Huerta said in a recent interview that she would prefer that Chavez landmarks be named after individuals associated with the UFW movement, Tuesday’s statement represented her clearest attempt yet to distance herself from the renaming process. “We understand that this news has stirred deep emotions for many people, and we respect that everyone is processing this in their own way,” said Huerta’s spokesperson, Erik Olvera. “Questions about the naming of public buildings, streets, and schools are local and municipal matters, and we believe those communities are best positioned to have those conversations on their own terms.” Some have followed Huerta’s suggestion. On Monday, Assemblymembers in Sacramento voted unanimously to change Cesar Chavez Day — a state holiday every March 31 — to Farmworkers Day. The name change requires the approval of the state Senate and the governor. But other U.S. cities have gone ahead with honoring Huerta. On Tuesday, Tucson renamed its March 31 Cesar Chavez Day as Dolores Huerta Day.

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judicial assignments; court administration (CRC 10.603); CEO direction

The Abatement Appeals Board provides a final review process for City permitting decisions. It ensures fair and efficient adjudication of permit-related disputes before an impartial panel. The board holds authority to make binding decisions on appeals concerning notices of abatement.

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The Access Appeals Commission provides final reviews for a wide range of City permitting decisions. It ensures an efficient, fair, and expeditious permit issuance process through an impartial panel. The commission holds authority to make binding decisions on appeals related to City permits.

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The Adult Day Health Care Planning Council advises on the development and improvement of adult day health care services. It provides expertise in healthcare planning, policy recommendations, and program evaluation. Key responsibilities include assessing community needs and advising on service delivery enhancements.

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Adult Probation Department supervises individuals on probation and facilitates their reintegration into the community. It provides reentry and rehabilitative services, including victim restitution and financial assistance for crime victims. The department values public safety, offender rehabilitation, and community partnerships.

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The Asian Art Commission determines policy and administers the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. It oversees museum operations and collaborates with the Asian Art Museum Foundation on fundraising efforts. Commissioners ensure the museum's strategic direction and financial sustainability.

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Asian Art Museum showcases Asian art and culture through exhibitions and educational programs. It offers diverse collections and hosts special events to engage the community. The museum fosters cultural appreciation and understanding by providing access to its extensive art collections.

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The Assessment Appeals Board #1 hears property tax assessment appeals in San Francisco. It evaluates evidence presented by taxpayers and the Assessor to determine property values. The Board has the authority to make final decisions on assessments regardless of property type or value.

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Richard Lee

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The Assessment Appeals Board #2 adjudicates property tax assessment appeals for San Francisco taxpayers. It evaluates evidence presented by taxpayers and the Assessor to determine accurate property values. The Board exercises authority to render final decisions on residential properties and specific real estate assessments.

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Claire Ervin Lee

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The Assessment Appeals Board #3 provides a platform for San Francisco taxpayers to contest property tax assessments. It conducts hearings where evidence from both taxpayers and the Assessor is evaluated. The Board makes binding decisions on property assessments based on presented evidence.

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Marc Dickow

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Assesses property, applies exemptions, collects transfer taxes, and records official documents.

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Joaquín Torres

The Ballot Simplification Committee ensures voter materials are clear and understandable. It reviews and revises ballot language to accurately reflect propositions and measures. The committee advises on simplifying complex legal and technical terms for voter comprehension.

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