By Robert Holgate and Jennifer Kroot–
(Editor’s Note: This issue marks the launch of a new column jointly authored by Jennifer Kroot and Robert Holgate. Both are extremely successful in their respective fields: Kroot is a well-known filmmaker whose documentary The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin is currently streaming on Netflix; Holgate is one of the city’s top interior designers who for years has supported such LGBTQ nonprofits as the National AIDS Memorial Grove, Keshet, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and more. As longtime friends, the two have enjoyed many conversations about politics, local issues, and much more. This column brings just some of these thought-provoking topics to the San Francisco Bay Times.)
San Francisco residents needed extra recycling cans this fall because of a barrage of vicious political mailers dumped on the city by a massive super PAC with Republican billionaire backers. That’s right, this was the SF election, not national politics.
The negative, misleading mailers—along with door-hangers, online ads, texts and TV ads—came from a super PAC with the folksy name “Neighbors for a Better San Francisco” (NFBSF), aimed at defeating progressive supervisor candidates and influencing two local measures.
NFBSF was a “mother” super PAC shepherding another layer of propaganda entities, making it a challenge to follow the money. The child entities included: another super PAC, eight slate mailer organizations, and two single purpose committees (one pro Measure H and one anti Measure I). All these entities had treasurers associated with real estate interests. Other supporters included big tech and SF’s Chamber of Commerce.
An estimated $3.4 million was donated to NFBSF. Three top donors each gave $300k. One donor, William Oberndorf, is also a major Republican donor, who has donated $1 million to Mitch McConnell—yes, that Mitch McConnell.
Political consultant Jim Stearns, who worked for Dean Preston’s D5 supervisor campaign, told us for the San Francisco Bay Times: “The scale of this was significantly larger than is normal for SF.” He continued, “They attempted to paint an apocalyptic picture of District 5, with homeless encampments on every block. However, people could walk outside and see that this was a total fabrication. In fact, Dean and his team have worked overtime to get the unhoused into sleeping villages, hotels, and other places, so there are fewer homeless in D5 now then there were before the pandemic.” Despite the malicious attacks, Dean defeated his opponent Vallie Brown decisively.
Leo Wallach, a campaign consultant for Brown, said via email: “Vallie does find it disturbing that a donor supporting Senate Republicans was involved in a super PAC that had a position in District 5 … . Of course, she has no control over that because it’s illegal to communicate or coordinate with outside independent expenditure groups.”
Preston, however, questions that there was no coordination. “Vallie’s campaign messaging was often identical to the super PAC messaging,” he says. “One day I would get a mailer from her campaign claiming that I was recklessly giving out thousands of tents and also blocking affordable housing. The next day, a mailer from the super PAC would say the same lines, with the exact same photos. If this wasn’t coordination, it was certainly one hell of a coincidence.”
Wallach notes that Brown “supported the local Democratic Party resolution this year that called for this type of money to stay out of San Francisco races and, in fact, she wanted to go further in condemning outside spending in races.” Regarding Oberndorf, Wallach writes, “Vallie has never met the PAC donor … . He’s given to Republican party causes (plenty of bad ones), but also gave to support Hillary Clinton … .”
Proposition I, authored by Preston, was also under attack. Prop I increases tax on real estate sales over $10 million, and it passed by a wide margin. Preston explains that NFBSF spent millions to defeat the Prop I. “They wasted an incredible amount of money on their lies, then they doubled down on their lies, but it backfired.”
Stearns says spurious attacks on local candidates are unacceptable: “They were brutal, fact-free, smear campaigns and, in the case of D7 supervisor candidate Vilaska Nguyen, racist.” Nguyen is Filipino American, and one mailer attached his head on a lion, calling him ‘The Lyin’ King.’ We all know the ugly history of depicting people of color as animals, so that was particularly disturbing.” Nguyen was defeated my Myrna Melgar.
Stearns had never heard of Oberndorf before October. “It’s an outrage that this guy pulls $300k out of his wallet, the way that you and I would pull out 30 bucks. He’s basically saying, ‘You are little people, but I am a rich, white, powerful man, and my voice is 300 times more powerful than anybody, and I’m going to destroy you with my power and wealth.’”
Thankfully, Mitch McConnell’s neighborhood is not in our backyard!
Jennifer Kroot is a filmmaker, known for her LGBTQ themed documentaries, including “The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin” and “To Be Takei.” Kroot is a Bay Area native, and has lived in San Francisco for 31 years (15 years in District 5). She studied filmmaking at SFAI, where she has also taught. She is a member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
A humanitarian, as well as a designer, Robert Holgate is dedicated to critical social issues. With his hands-on approach to philanthropy and social justice, he supports the advancement of local and national social causes. For more information: https://www.rhdsf.com/
Published on December 3, 2020
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