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San Francisco Voters Reject CEO Pay‑Ratio Tax and Competing Measure

The twin defeats leave City Hall without an estimated $250 to $300 million in annual revenue and force officials to weigh new taxes or deeper cuts to services.

Overview

  • Voters turned down Proposition D by about 53.6% to 46.4% and also rejected the Chamber‑backed Proposition C by roughly two‑thirds, leaving neither measure to take effect.
  • The measures were meant to raise revenue by expanding the city’s CEO pay‑ratio tax and changing its calculation to use a company’s entire workforce instead of only San Francisco employees.
  • The campaign featured heavy outside spending with opponents raising roughly $6.6 million and prominent tech donations including a reported $500,000 from Sergey Brin to an anti‑D committee.
  • A city economist warned the larger Proposition D could reduce jobs and GDP over time while proponents said the roughly $250–$300 million a year would have shielded city services from cuts.
  • The June 2 ballot clash leaves Mayor Daniel Lurie and the Board of Supervisors facing urgent choices on filling a multi‑hundred‑million dollar shortfall and the likely next steps are new revenue proposals, service cuts, or layoffs.