What You Need to Know About Measure G in San Francisco

In California, policy change often happens on the ballot, and many of the ballot initiatives—especially the local ones—can be hard to understand. That’s why, for every election, the TechEquity Action team combs through all the measures, identify the ones that have a relationship to TechEquity Action’s advocacy platforms​, and provides information to our community to support their preparation for election day.

For the upcoming June 7, 2022 primary election, there are very few ballot measures—in fact, only one—that directly connects to our issue areas. 

What is San Francisco Measure G?

The measure would require employers with more than 100 employees worldwide to provide paid public health emergency leave, not to exceed 80 hours a year, for their employees in San Francisco.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government enacted the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) which required employers with 500+ workers to provide emergency paid sick leave to employees who were unable to work due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The federal law ended on December 31, 2020. The city of San Francisco passed an emergency ordinance to extend these protections, requiring private employers with 500 or more employees to provide paid public health emergency leave for many of the same purposes.

Measure G would provide paid leave for workers in the event of any public health crisis, not just the public health crisis related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This ensures protections are in place for workers the moment a crisis strikes and would prevent the City Council from needing to pass such an emergency ordinance in the future. 

Position: Vote Yes

At TechEquity Action, we believe that all workers deserve basic health and safety protections. Ensuring that workers have the ability to take time off when a public health crisis arises will keep workers—and the community at large—safe. 

For millions of low-wage workers who are living paycheck to paycheck, missing a few days of work without paid leave can be the difference between being able to pay rent that month or sliding into homelessness. As we saw during the coronavirus pandemic, many workers had to make a very difficult choice between losing pay and potentially exposing their colleagues and the public to the virus. Measure G would ensure that workers never have to make that choice again. Furthermore, lack of access to paid leave disproportionately impacts women, people of color, low-wage and gig workers, undocumented immigrants, and people with disabilities, exacerbating inequality. 

Proponents and Opponents

In Support

Alice B. Toklas LBGTQ Democratic Club

Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club

San Francisco Democratic Party

San Francisco Labor Council

In Opposition

San Francisco Republican Party

Additional Resources

There are dozens of other measures on everything from school funding to park maintenance in municipalities across the state. We recommend you check out Voter’s Edge from the California League of Women Voters for information on all of the ballot measures that fall outside the scope of TechEquity Action’s issue areas and expertise.