Exclusive Bay Citizen/USF Poll: On Pension Reform, City and Unions in Driver's Seat

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- An exclusive poll conducted by The Bay Citizen and the University of San Francisco (USF) Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good shows that a pension-reform measure backed by interim Mayor Ed Lee and the city's labor unions is outdueling a competing proposal backed by maverick Public Defender Jeff Adachi.

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Pension reform has been one of the most contentious issues in San Francisco over the past year. If the election were held today, the poll shows, the city-backed measure, Proposition C, would prevail over Proposition D.

Proposition C appears to be riding on the coattails of Lee's popularity, according to a Bay Citizen analysis of the results. As reported Monday, the Bay Citizen/USF poll revealed that Lee is the runaway leader in the crowded San Francisco mayor's race.  

In other findings published Tuesday, former San Francisco Police Chief George Gascon is dominating the race for District Attorney, and Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi is leading a close race for Sheriff.

For more information and deeper analysis of the Bay Citizen/USF poll please visit: www.baycitizen.org/data/polls/sf-2011-elections/

The poll results are based on telephone interviews of a random sample of 551 likely San Francisco voters between Oct. 7 and Oct. 13, 2011. The survey was conducted by MAXimum Research, an independent research firm, in English and Cantonese; Spanish was not used because only 1 percent of San Francisco voters request ballot materials in Spanish. Of the respondents, 115 were contacted by cell phone and 436 by landline. After the interviews, the data were weighted to match the demographics of the known likely voting population. The sampling error for findings based on the overall pool of likely voters is +/- 4.2 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level. The margin of error for population subgroups is larger.

About The Bay Citizen

The Bay Citizen is a nonprofit, nonpartisan member-supported news organization that provides in-depth original reporting on Bay Area issues including public policy, education, the arts and cultural affairs, health and science, the environment, and more.  The Bay Citizen's news can be found online at www.baycitizen.org as well as in print in The New York Times Bay Area report on Fridays and Sundays. For more information, please visit www.baycitizen.org.

About the University of San Francisco (USF)

The University of San Francisco is in the heart of one of the most innovative and diverse cities and features a vibrant community of students and faculty who achieve excellence in their fields while building a more humane and just world. University of San Francisco students, faculty, and alumni are involved in the entrepreneurial city of San Francisco and work in all industries, from technology to nonprofits.  With dedicated professors and exceptional academic programs to choose from, the university offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional students the knowledge and skills needed to develop into ethical leaders who are sought after in their professions. USF's diverse student body benefits from direct access to faculty, small class sizes, and a broad array of programs and co-curricular opportunities. Informed by the university's 156-year-old Jesuit Catholic mission, the USF community ignites students' passion for social justice and the pursuit of the common good. For more information about the University of San Francisco, please visit www.usfca.edu.

About USF Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good

The Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good is dedicated to inspiring and equipping students at USF to pursue lives and careers of ethical public service and service to others. The Center provides a non-partisan forum for education, service and research in public programs and policy-making. The McCarthy Center values civic engagement and seeks to promote public interest research that encourages civil discourse and constructive interaction among the great diversity of residents and officials in the Bay Area. The Center strives to accomplish its goals by being transparent, nonpartisan and rigorous in designing its work and products. For more information please visit www.usfca.edu/centers/mccarthy/.

Contacts: The Bay Citizen, Keith Meyer, VP Marketing, [email protected]

SOURCE The Bay Citizen