San Francisco, once a GOP city

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | December 7, 2003 | Mark Simon

[Paladin2b]

Quentin Kopp, the conservative lion who once prowled San Francisco's political scene, calls it "the break."

It's the 1975 race for mayor, and it's when everything changed.

That year, state Sen. George Moscone forged a modern political alliance of gays, minorities, unions and the city's dominant liberal political machine and defeated John Barbagelata. It was one of the closest races for mayor in the city's history -- Barbagelata lost by a scant 4,500 votes -- but it was the high-water mark for Republicanism in San Francisco.

[Paladin2b]

Few people realize that San Francisco was once a Republican city, and that as late as 1975 not just a Republican but a *conservative* Republican came close to winning the mayor's office. I thought it would be instructive to post this history as a cautionary tale, since SF's demographic changes that caused Tuesday's contest to be between a liberal Democrat and a Green are just about 30-35 years ahead of the rest of the country...but we are headed that way.

[xJones]

I thought it would be instructive to post this history as a cautionary tale, since SF's demographic changes that caused Tuesday's contest to be between a liberal Democrat and a Green are just about 30-35 years ahead of the rest of the country...but we are headed that way.

Yes, and with the vast illegal immigration population who will probably be mostly voting Democratic, it will be difficult.

It's hard now to even imagine Goldwater winning the GOP nod in 1964 in a San Francisco setting.

[KellyAdmirer]

It is precisely the San Francisco liberals and "Democrats" who have put California on the edge of fiscal catastrophe. That's a society that is hardly a model of anything except self-indulgence and destruction. It doesn't lead anywhere, and it will be a good time longer than 30 years, if ever, before the rest of America is anything like it.

[Enterprise]

I was talking with a friend about San Francisco today and I commented that it is tough for anyone to get parking, and there are no alleys for trucks to unload so they have to park in front of the businesses, which contributes to traffic hazards. He told me something that amazed me. I thought that companies like UPS could park outside and the police wouldn't bother them. HOW WRONG I WAS!! It doesn't matter to the police he said, and they regularly ticket UPS and other trucks which need the streets to conduct legitimate business operations. It seems that the UPS drivers simply submit the tickets to management, and management pays the tickets as a normal cost of doing business in San Francisco!

[Mr. Jeeves]

I saw a UPS truck get towed away on Sansome Street yesterday - in fact, I've seen it happen several times recently. Maybe UPS management has had a falling out with the city over ticket revenues?

The ticket scam is typical San Francisco city government thinking.

[hot4coulter]

the longer the feds, incl. republicans, allow illegal immigration to continue the rest of the US will continue to look more and more like SF and LA -- they're invading not just the farms of California and the South, but the Midwestern slaughterhouses as well, and servants quarters all over the nation... we're filling up with outsider commies

[CounterCounterCulture]

For comparison purposes

CALIFORNIA
Comparative Voter Registration and Participation
in Statewide General and Special Elections - 1922 through 2003

                                R e g i s t r a t i o  n                                                   V o t e s C a s t
                                                                                                Eligible Total    Turnout    Turnout
General Date 	Eligible 	Democratic 	Republican 	Other 		Total 		Percent   Votes   Registered   Eligible

Nov. 7, 1922 	2,420,000 	   319,107	  968,429  	  244,848 	1,532,384 	63.32 	1,000,997 	65.32 	41.36
Nov. 4, 1924 P 	2,754,000 	   397,962	1,183,672 	  240,723 	1,822,357 	66.17 	1,336,598 	73.34 	48.53
Nov. 2, 1926 	2,989,000 	   410,290 	1,298,062 	  204,510 	1,912,862 	64.00 	1,212,452 	63.38 	40.56
Nov. 6, 1928 P 	3,240,000 	   592,161 	1,535,751 	  185,904 	2,313,816 	71.41 	1,846,077 	79.78 	56.98
Nov. 4, 1930 	3,463,000 	   456,096 	1,638,575 	  150,557 	2,245,228 	64.83 	1,444,872 	64.35 	41.72
Nov. 8, 1932 P 	3,573,000 	1,161,482	1,565,264 	  162,267 	2,889,013 	80.86 	2,330,132 	80.65 	65.22
Nov. 6, 1934 	3,674,000 	1,555,705 	1,430,198 	  154,211 	3,140,114 	85.47 	2,360,916 	75.19 	64.26
Nov. 3, 1936 P 	3,844,000 	1,882,014 	1,244,507 	  127,300 	3,253,821 	84.65 	2,712,342 	83.36 	70.56
Nov. 8, 1938 	4,035,000 	2,144,360 	1,293,929 	  173,127 	3,611,416 	89.50 	2,695,904 	74.65 	66.81
Nov. 5, 1940 P 	4,214,000 	2,419,628 	1,458,373 	  174,394 	4,052,395 	96.17 	3,300,410 	81.44 	78.32
Nov. 3, 1942 	4,693,000 	2,300,206 	1,370,069 	  150,491 	3,820,776 	81.41 	2,264,288 	59.26 	48.25
Nov. 7, 1944 P 	5,427,000 	2,418,965 	1,548,395 	  173,971 	4,141,331 	76.31 	3,566,734 	86.13 	65.72
Nov. 5, 1946 	5,800,000 	2,541,720 	1,637,246 	  204,997 	4,383,963 	75.59 	2,759,641 	62.95 	47.58
Nov. 2, 1948 P 	6,106,000 	2,892,222 	1,908,170 	  261,605 	5,061,997 	82.90 	4,076,981 	80.54 	66.77
Nov. 7, 1950 	6,458,000 	3,062,205 	1,944,812 	  237,820 	5,244,837 	81.21 	3,845,757 	73.32 	59.55
Nov. 4, 1952 P 	7,033,000 	3,312,668 	2,455,713 	  229,919 	5,998,300 	85.29 	5,209,692 	86.85 	74.07
Nov. 2, 1954 	7,565,000 	3,266,831 	2,415,249 	  203,157 	5,885,237 	77.80 	4,101,692 	69.69 	54.22
Nov. 6, 1956 P 	8,208,000 	3,575,635 	2,646,249 	  186,937 	6,408,821 	78.08 	5,547,621 	86.56 	67.59
Nov. 4, 1958 	8,909,000 	3,875,630 	2,676,565 	  200,226 	6,752,421 	75.79 	5,366,053 	79.47 	60.23
Nov. 8, 1960 P 	9,587,000 	4,295,330 	2,926,408 	  242,888 	7,464,626 	77.86 	6,592,591 	88.32 	68.77
Nov. 6, 1962 	10,305,000 	4,289,997 	3,002,038 	  239,176 	7,531,211 	73.08 	5,929,602 	78.73 	57.54
Nov. 3, 1964 P 	10,959,000 	4,737,886 	3,181,272 	  264,985 	8,184,143 	74.68 	7,233,067 	88.38 	66.00
Nov. 8, 1966 	11,448,000 	4,720,597 	3,350,990 	  269,281 	8,340,868 	72.86 	6,605,866 	79.20 	57.70
Nov. 5, 1968 P 	11,813,000 	4,682,661 	3,462,131 	  442,881 	8,587,673 	72.70 	7,363,711 	85.75 	62.34
Nov. 3, 1970 	12,182,000 	4,781,282 	3,469,046 	  456,019 	8,706,347 	71.47 	6,633,400 	76.19 	54.45
Nov. 7, 1972 P 	13,322,000 	5,864,745 	3,840,620 	  760,850 	10,466,215	78.56	8,595,950 	82.13 	64.52
Nov. 6, 1973 S 	13,512,000 	5,049,959 	3,422,291 	  617,569 	9,089,819 	67.07 	4,329,017 	47.62 	32.04
Nov. 5, 1974 	13,703,000 	5,623,831 	3,574,624 	  729,909 	9,928,364 	72.45 	6,364,597 	64.11 	46.45
Nov. 2, 1976 P 	14,196,000 	5,725,718 	3,468,439 	  786,331 	9,980,488 	70.30 	8,137,202 	81.53 	57.32
Nov. 7, 1978 	14,781,000 	5,729,959 	3,465,384 	  934,643 	10,129,986 	68.53 	7,132,210 	70.41 	48.25
Nov. 6, 1979 S 	15,083,000 	5,594,018 	3,406,854 	1,006,085 	10,006,957 	66.35 	3,740,800 	37.38 	24.80
Nov. 4, 1980 P 	15,384,000 	6,043,262 	3,942,768 	1,375,593 	11,361,623 	73.85 	8,775,459 	77.24 	57.04
Nov. 2, 1982 	15,984,000 	6,150,716 	4,029,684 	1,378,699 	11,559,099 	72.32 	8,064,314 	69.78 	50.45
Nov. 6, 1984 P 	16,582,000 	6,804,263 	4,769,129 	1,500,238 	13,073,630 	78.84 	9,796,375 	74.93 	59.08
Nov. 4, 1986 	17,561,000 	6,524,496 	4,912,581 	1,396,843 	12,833,920 	73.08 	7,617,142 	59.35 	43.38
Nov. 8, 1988 P 	19,052,000 	7,052,368 	5,406,127 	1,546,378 	14,004,873 	73.51 	10,194,539 	72.81 	53.51
Nov. 6, 1990 	19,245,000 	6,671,747 	5,290,202 	1,516,078 	13,478,027 	70.03 	7,899,131 	58.61 	41.05
Nov. 3, 1992 P 	20,864,000 	7,410,914 	5,593,555 	2,097,004 	15,101,473 	72.38 	11,374,565 	75.32 	54.52
Nov. 2, 1993 S 	20,797,000 	7,110,142 	5,389,313 	2,043,168 	14,524,623 	68.01 	5,282,443 	36.37 	27.73
Nov. 8, 1994 	18,946,000 	7,219,635 	5,472,391 	2,031,758 	14,723,784 	77.71 	8,900,593 	60.45 	46.98
Nov. 5, 1996 P 	19,526,991 	7,387,504 	5,704,536 	2,570,035 	15,662,075 	80.21 	10,263,490 	65.53 	52.56
Nov. 3, 1998 	20,806,462 	6,989,006 	5,314,912 	2,665,267 	14,969,185 	71.94 	8,621,121 	57.59 	41.43
Nov. 7, 2000P 	21,461,275 	7,134,601 	5,485,492 	3,087,214 	15,707,307 	73.19 	11,142,843 	70.94 	51.92
Nov. 5, 2002 	21,466,274 	6,825,400 	5,388,895 	3,089,174 	15,303,469 	71.29 	7,738,821 	50.57 	36.05
Oct. 7, 2003 S 	21,833,141 	6,718,111 	5,429,256 	3,236,059 	15,383,526 	70.46 	9,413,494 	61.20 	43.12

Source:Secretary of State

[Enterprise]

That is truly amazing! I would make a suggestion though that maybe trucking companies can request of Governor Schwarzenegger. How about a law that mandates that cities without alleyways that don't provide short term parking zones for commercial vehicles, and who regularly ticket commercial vehicles, shall have the amount of fines they collect from those tickets directly deducted from any State Funds. It shouldn't surprise anyone that in a feces flowing city like San Francisco that working people are harassed. But then, there's no profit in harassing those who crap and pee in public in San Francisco.

[roadcat]

Excellent story, and very true. I'm a native San Franciscan, and I hate what's happened to San Francisco over the last 40 years. Last week I happened to be taking a Muni bus on Mission Street towards downtown, right through the middle of the hispanic heart of the City. Disgusting! Filth everywhere, iron gratings and grafitti on storefronts, homeless sleeping on the sidewalks in front of stores, lots of cheap 3rd-world storefronts. 40 years ago the Mission was a vibrant, clean neighborhood with upscale theaters, stores, and soda fountains (was primarily white, not hispanic). Now it's a hell-hole with beggars and hookers. That's part of the Democrat legacy.

[I_Love_My_Husband]

You're right. It's depressing. I live here now.

I can't stand the Mission.

[tubebender]

The late Herb Cain called it "Baghdad by the Bay". Ya I see the similarities...

[BobS]

But: The Jefferson Airplane came to town a year after the Grateful Dead. Janis Joplin a year after the Jefferson Airplane. A few years ago they had a band called the Butthole Surfers. Go figure. The Stones at Altamont were just a ripple. Those Hells Angels still exist. Even the Dykes on Bikes crew.

[just_living]

I think the Butthole Surfers are from Austin Texas.