{"id":97306,"date":"2025-12-16T21:49:46","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T21:49:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/97306\/"},"modified":"2025-12-16T21:49:46","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T21:49:46","slug":"supervisor-pushes-2026-measure-barring-ex-lawmakers-from-running-again-and-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/97306\/","title":{"rendered":"Supervisor pushes 2026 measure barring ex-lawmakers from running again \u2026 and again"},"content":{"rendered":"

A San Francisco supervisor wants to permanently lock the doors to City Hall for termed-out colleagues who boomerang back into their old jobs after a break from politics.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Freshman Supervisor Bilal Mahmood said he will announce a 2026 ballot measure Monday alongside members of the San Francisco Young Democrats that would limit supervisors and mayors to two four-year terms, arguing that the current rules make it difficult for fresh faces to get into politics.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is about the next generation and equal access to the opportunity to run for office,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The city charter bans former supervisors and mayors from serving more than two consecutive terms but allows them to run for office again after sitting out an election cycle.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mahmood noted that last year\u2019s elections ushered in several new members on the board, which now includes six millennials<\/a>. He said the younger board has already helped balance a budget, while passing laws to build more housing and increase public safety.<\/p>\n

The measure appears to target former Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin, an old-school progressive who termed out this year after dominating San Francisco politics for two decades. Peskin remains a thorn in the sides of Mayor Daniel Lurie and other moderate Democrats at City Hall, and his opponents worry that he could stage a comeback in 2028.<\/p>\n

Mahmood denied that his proposal is about Peskin. \u201cNo one should be able to exploit the loophole to run for a third term,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Supervisors have the authority to place a measure on the ballot, normally with four votes. Because Mahmood\u2019s proposal would amend the charter, he needs five cosponsors, which he claims he has secured.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The measure would not apply to other citywide elected offices, including district attorney, city attorney, treasurer, sheriff, public defender, and assessor-recorder.<\/p>\n

Peskin: \u2018I\u2019m flattered\u2019<\/p>\n

While Mahmood is pitching his measure as a much-needed reform, it\u2019s unclear how much of an effect it would have, considering how rare it is for former supervisors and mayors to term out and return to the same City Hall position.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Since San Francisco returned to district elections 25 years ago, Peskin has been the only supervisor to serve more than two terms (opens in new tab)<\/a>. He was first elected in 2000 and served on the board for eight years, then took a seven-year hiatus before returning in 2015. He unsuccessfully ran for mayor last year after terming out again, and moderates fear he might challenge his successor, Supervisor Danny Sauter, in 2028.<\/p>\n

\"AaronFormer Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin dominated local politics for two decades and remains a thorn in the sides of Mayor Daniel Lurie and other moderates. | Source: Justin Katigbak\/The Standard.<\/p>\n

Peskin on Friday told The Standard he feels targeted by Mahmood\u2019s effort.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it only applies to one person, it seems like a huge waste of space on the ballot,\u201d Peskin said while enjoying a brownie at Caffe Trieste, his de-facto clubhouse in North Beach. \u201cBut I\u2019m flattered. I have no plans to run for any office.\u201d<\/p>\n

Former Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier, who served two terms representing the Marina and Pacific Heights from 2004 to 2011, was rumored this year to be eyeing a 2026 campaign for her old seat. She said in an interview that she wouldn\u2019t run again but criticized the proposal as limiting voter choice.<\/p>\n

\u201cFurther restricting term limits in San Francisco only serves to restrict candidate debate and the ultimate choice of the voters,\u201d Alioto-Pier said. \u201cAt the end of the day, voters choose who they want to represent them, and nothing plays a bigger role than a well-organized campaign and a well-fought race.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mahmood\u2019s effort coincides with a campaign by two board members of the San Francisco Young Democrats to change the city\u2019s term-limit rules<\/a> with a June 2026 ballot measure, an effort the pair announced Friday in an op-ed in The Standard.<\/p>\n

The coalition behind the effort is holding a rally Monday at City Hall to \u201cend this practice once and for all.\u201d Mahmood is expected to attend and announce his proposal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSan Francisco stands for progress. But our city charter stands for something else: a policy that lets termed-out politicians wait in the wings and reclaim their seats, again and again,\u201d the petition\u2019s organizers, Ruth Ferguson and Adrianna Zhang wrote.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mahmood said working with the coalition that\u2019s pushing the 2026 measure has inspired him to clear a path for a new generation that wants change.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While Mahmood said his effort is about creating more opportunities to shape the city\u2019s political future, he noted President Donald Trump\u2019s public musings about seeking a third term as part of his motivation.<\/p>\n

\u201cSan Francisco leadership is committed to two terms,\u201d Mahmood said. \u201cWe want to send a clear message to Washington: Two terms, and you\u2019re done.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A San Francisco supervisor wants to permanently lock the doors to City Hall for termed-out colleagues who boomerang…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":97307,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[20500,6702,101,103,102,104,106,105],"class_list":["post-97306","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-francisco","tag-aaron-peskin","tag-board-of-supervisors","tag-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco-headlines","tag-san-francisco-news","tag-sf","tag-sf-headlines","tag-sf-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97306","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97306"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97306\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97307"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97306"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97306"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97306"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}