October 28, 2010
Thomas Coates gives SF residents 200,000 reasons to vote against his chosen candidates
On Tuesday, Local 2 members joined a broad coalition of San Francisco residents as they rallied and picketed outside the office of Thomas Coates, the uber-rich landlord and real estate investor. Coates recently dumped $200,000 into the campaigns of four District Supervisor races, Mark Farrell in D2, Theresa Sparks in D6, Scott Weiner in D8, and Steve Moss in D10. Coates’ dollars comprise the largest donation to supervisor races in San Francisco’s 150 year history.
Why is Coates getting so involved in these local races? Back in 2008, Coates gave almost $1 million to the statewide initiative to get rid of rent control in California, Proposition 98. This new foray into politics has caused many to wonder if he’s attempting to buy the San Francisco Board of Supervisors (and San Francisco’s new mayor, if Gavin Newsom wins the race for Lieutenant Governor) in the run up to a new assault on rent control right here in San Francisco.
If you believe the working- and middle-class people who make San Francisco run should be able to afford to live in San Francisco, say no to Coates’ hand-picked candidates. Local 2 has endorsed Janet Reilly in D2, Carmen Chu in D4, Debra Walker in D6, and Rafael Mandelman in D8.
Read More:
- Republican who wants to overturn rent control pumps $200,000 into district elections, 10/22/2010
- The. Rent. Is. Too. Damn. High!, 10/26/2010
