SAN FRANCISCO (Map, News) - The candidate field is growing in tough races for Board of Supervisors seats as moderates fight to shift the political power away from the board’s current progressive majority.

Seven of the 11 seats on the Board of Supervisors are up for grabs this November. Three districts involve incumbents, who traditionally have a political advantage, setting up heated contests for four other seats to be vacated by left-leaning leaders being termed out of office: Jake McGoldrick in District 1, Aaron Peskin in District 3, Tom Ammiano in District 9 and Gerardo Sandoval in District 11.

Moderates are looking to break the current progressive majority on the Board of Supervisors to give Mayor Gavin Newsom the four allies needed on the 11-member board to assure veto power on legislation. It takes eight votes to override a mayoral veto. The cutoff date for candidates to file is in August.

Political analyst David Latterman said that it would be “extremely difficult” for moderates to pull off a majority on the board with this election, but that moderates really only need to turn one seat — any of the four open races — to consider it successful.

The latest campaign news is that Dee Dee Workman, executive director of the nonprofit San Francisco Beautiful, told The Examiner on Friday that she is “considering” a run for the District 9 seat. A relative moderate, Workman could benefit from the potential vote split in the District 9 race with three candidates — David Campos, Eric Quezada and Mark Sanchez — each backed by a different progressive member of the Board of Supervisors — Ammiano, Supervisor Chris Daly and Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, respectively. Eric Storey is also considered to be a moderate candidate, said Michael Sullivan of the advocacy group Plan C.

In District 1, school board member Eric Mar, a progressive, leads in fundraising among the candidates in that race, according to the most recent campaign finance papers. Educator Alicia Wang is considered to be a moderate. BART board member James Fang is planning a run for the office, Sullivan said.

In District 3, newcomer David Chiu has picked up the endorsements of Peskin, Ammiano and Daly. He is challenged by Claudine Cheng, the former president of the Organization of Chinese Americans who raised the most of all challengers at $44,145, according to the latest finance filings. She is considered a moderate contender, along with lawyer Joseph Alioto Jr. and North Beach leader Lynn Jefferson, Sullivan said.

To date, the front-runners in the race for District 11 include John Avalos, legislative aide of Supervisor Daly, and Newsom aide Ahsha Safai. San Francisco College Board member Julio Ramos is expected to jump into the race.

Incumbents face almost no formal opposition

Currently, District 4 Supervisor Carmen Chu — Mayor Gavin Newsom’s recent appointee to replace ex-Supervisor Ed Jew — is running unopposed, as is District 5 Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, a progressive.

Supervisor Sean Elsbernd, who was initally appointed to his District 7 seat by Mayor Gavin Newsom in 2004 and then elected by voters a few months later, has raised more than $140,000 for this year’s contest, according to the most recent campaign finance filings.

He may face opposition from Mara Kopp, community leader and wife of San Mateo Judge and former state Senator Quentin Kopp, who told The Examiner she is “being asked by people to consider” a run, but remains undecided.

jsabatini@examiner.com

On the ballot

Potential and declared candidates for the The City’s Board of Supervisors race this November

District 1

» Nicholas Belloni

» George Flamik

» Eric Mar

» Joseph Tham

» Alicia Wang

» Sue Lee*

District 3

» Joseph Alioto, Jr.

» Harold L. Brown

» Claudine Cheng

» David Chiu

» Bobby Coleman

» Mike DeNunzio

» Frank Lauria

» Anthony Gantner

» Lynn Jefferson

» Wilma Pang

» Bill Lee*

District 4

» Supervisor Carmen Chu

District 5

» Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi

District 7

» Supervisor Sean Elsbernd

» Mara Kopp*

District 9

» David Campos

» Martin Ford

» Eric Quezada

» Mark Sanchez

» Eric Storey

» Dee Dee Workman*

District 11

» John Avalos

» Ahsha Safai

» Cecilia Chung

» Julio Ramos*

* Considering a run, yet to officially declare

Source: Department of Elections, Examiner interviews

Comments from Examiner Readers

1:36 PM MST on Fri., Apr. 4, 2008 re: "Smile, city government, you�re on webcast camera"

Examiner Reader said:
$131k per year to implement...how about if the Supervisors kick in portions of their own salaries to cover the cost?

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7:46 AM MST on Fri., Apr. 4, 2008 re: "Smile, city government, you�re on webcast camera"

Kimo Crossman said:
The ordinance only requires digital recording. SFGTV on it's own initiative is expanding that to audio webcasting in August 2008.

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3:57 PM MST on Tue., Mar. 11, 2008 re: "Outgoing supervisors vie for sway"

Examiner Reader said:
Mayor Newsom is hardly a stranger to political power plays.

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3:46 PM MST on Sun., Mar. 9, 2008 re: "S.F. eateries may start counting calories"

turtle head said:
How in the world would it help make people healthy? If you don't know deep fried food makes you fat, you are likely fat because you are too stupid too be able to read.

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3:04 AM MST on Tue., Feb. 19, 2008 re: "Modicum of moderation on the way?"

King of the Dynasty said:
Chris Daly endorses David Chiu in D#3. Voters need to remember that connection when they vote. Do we want more of the same political dysfunction?

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6:39 PM MST on Mon., Feb. 18, 2008 re: "Modicum of moderation on the way?"

CRS said:
Sabatini states: "Moderates are looking to break the current progressive majority on the Board of Supervisors to give Mayor Gavin Newsom the four allies needed on the 11-member board to assure veto power on legislation." This is not particularly so. The mayor already has his veto power. Moderates are running with no reference to the mayor. They're running because they feel the need to bring some sanity and responsibility to the supes' side of the second floor, that's why. Andrew Ferguson

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1:46 PM MST on Thu., Feb. 7, 2008 re: "S.F. eateries may start counting calories"

Native San Franciscan said:
I sometimes wonder if Tom Ammiano isn't going to be happy until every restaurant in San Francisco is closed and either turned into a homeless shelter or crack house. So now were going to turn every restaurant menu into a document the size of the Tokyo phone book putting yet another cost on San Francisco restaurants in order to inform people of something they should take the individual responsibility to learn themselves. Why anybody whould want to own a restaurant in San Francisco with the current pinhead on the Board of Supervisors is beyone me.

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