San Francisco term limits measure edges toward passage in early count

A measure that would force San Francisco’s mayor and supervisors out after two four-year terms was ahead in the first tally, a result that could reshape who gets to build power at City Hall and how often voters face open-seat contests.

City election results posted June 2 showed Measure B with 62,928 yes votes, or 54.98%, to 51,522 no votes, or 45.02%. The San Francisco Department of Elections said the count was still preliminary and could change as remaining ballots were processed, with final certification allowed up to 30 days after Election Day. As of the latest update, 125,086 ballots had been cast from 533,546 registered voters, for turnout of 23.44%.

If the lead holds, the charter amendment would replace San Francisco’s current consecutive-term rule with lifetime limits for the mayor and Board of Supervisors, making it impossible for an official to serve, leave for four years, and then return to the same office. The change would not apply to other citywide elected posts, including district attorney, city attorney, treasurer, sheriff, public defender and assessor-recorder.

For neighborhoods across San Francisco, the practical effect would be less time for incumbents to accumulate the kind of institutional advantage that can lock in relationships, fundraising networks and committee influence. It would also mean more frequent races without sitting officeholders on the ballot, especially in supervisor districts where incumbency often shapes attention, endorsements and turnout.

The Board of Supervisors voted 7-4 to place the amendment on the June 2 ballot. Supporters, including Mayor Daniel Lurie, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and more than half of the current supervisors, said the change would bring in new voices and make the city’s term-limit system more intuitive. SPUR said the measure would amend city charter sections 2.101 and 3.101 and would also apply the lifetime cap to the mayor’s office.

Opponents cast the measure as a political shot at former Supervisor Aaron Peskin, the only person to return to the Board after terming out and a fixture in city politics for more than 17 years between 2001 and 2025. Former Governor Jerry Brown opposed the measure and called it “Trumpian.” If approved, San Francisco would have the strictest local term limits in California, setting a new ceiling on how long elected power can be rebuilt once it is lost.