San Francisco Ceasefire Resolution Sent from Committee to the Full Board for a Vote
Today, after over a month, the ceasefire resolution that was introduced at the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on December 5th was heard in committee.
The committee meeting was scheduled to begin at 10AM, and people started lining up early in the morning. The line was so long that it ran from outside the board chambers and twisted down a separate hallway. I estimate than more than 100+ people in line by the time the chamber doors opened. This was the final time for the public to comment on the ceasefire resolution before it went to the full Board of Supervisors for a final vote.
The public comment ran for ~5 hours and I approximate that 85–90% of the speakers (~200–250 people) spoke in favor on the ceasefire resolution with no amendments. One-sided amendments had been introduced that morning, but the overwhelming majority of speakers called these amendments out as problematic, divisive, and racist, and reiterated speaker after speaker not to include them and send the resolution as is to the full Board for a vote.
Despite the comments against the problematic amendments, this version of the resolution was put forward for a vote. There were two rounds of voting:
- Round 1) Supervisor Dorsey introduced his amended resolution and voted Yes; Supervisors Safai & Walton both voted No.
- Round 2) Supervisor Safai moved to vote on sending the resolution as is without amendments to the full Board of Supervisors: Supervisor Safai — Yes; Supervisor Walton — Yes; Supervisor Dorsey — No
The outcome was what we wanted: the resolution moves as is to the full Board of Supervisors for a vote tomorrow, January 9.
The ~5 hours of comment today and ~7 hours of comment on December 5th brings the total number of hours of constituent comment given on this to ~12 hours from hundreds of people. That doesn’t include the at least ~28,000 emails Supervisors have received asking them to support a ceasefire resolution since early December.
The message from San Francisco to our elected officials is clear: constituents and voters want you to pass a ceasefire resolution without any further delay.
Once this resolution passes, San Francisco will be the largest U.S. city to pass a ceasefire resolution. A Democratic stronghold and city that often sets the direction for California politics, this will be a massive win for the ceasefire and anti-war movement. It will be a huge signal for other cities, the party, and the Biden administration.
This ceasefire effort received an unprecedented show of support both when it was originally introduced on December 5, 2023, and it was ultimately passed in an 8–3 vote on January 9, 2024.
