Jerry Brown blasts Prop. B as anti-democratic attack on Peskin

Jerry Brown turned San Francisco’s Measure B into a political grenade by comparing the term-limit proposal to tactics associated with Trump and Putin, a line that instantly shifted the debate from charter language to raw power politics. His criticism landed on a question voters now have to answer: is the measure a clean ethics reform, or a tailored move to keep Aaron Peskin out of City Hall?

Measure B is on the June 2, 2026 ballot and would amend Charter sections 2.101 and 3.101 to impose lifetime limits of two four-year terms on the mayor and members of the Board of Supervisors. That is a major change from the current rule, which bars officials from more than two consecutive four-year terms but lets them run again after sitting out a four-year break. The measure needs a simple majority to pass.

That distinction matters because San Francisco’s current system has long allowed political comebacks. Voters approved Proposition G in November 1996, restoring district-based supervisor elections and creating the present term-limit structure. SPUR says only one supervisor has ever used the break-and-return option: Peskin, who served from 2001 to 2009 and then again from 2015 to 2025. That history is why Measure B has become so closely tied to his name.

The proposal was introduced by Supervisor Bilal Mahmood with backing from the SF Young Democrats, according to SPUR. The Board of Supervisors approved putting it on the ballot by a 7-4 vote, with supporters including Mahmood, Myrna Melgar, Stephen Sherrill, Matt Dorsey, Danny Sauter and Alan Wong. The city’s ballot materials make clear that the measure would apply only to the mayor and supervisors, not to other elected citywide offices such as district attorney, city attorney, treasurer, sheriff, public defender or assessor-recorder.

Money has sharpened the fight. As of April 27, 2026, the San Francisco Ethics Commission showed supporters had raised about $321,750, while opponents had raised about $2,800. Chris Larsen was the largest reported donor on the yes side at $200,000, followed by Michael Moritz at $50,000 and Jerome Guillen at $20,000. That funding gap suggests the pro-measure coalition has far more muscle heading into the June vote.

Opposition is not limited to Brown. Willie Brown called the idea a horrible idea and argued voters already have the power to remove incumbents at the ballot box. Peskin, for his part, has said he has no plans to run again regardless of the outcome, which makes the practical effect of Measure B less about one candidacy than about whether San Francisco wants term limits to remain a temporary timeout or become a lifetime ban.