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State of the Bay

City Visions: Is San Francisco’s November ballot a failure of direct democracy?

 Host Ethan Elkind and guests investigate the origins of San Francisco’s 25 local ballot measures.  Is direct democracy in San Francisco broken?  

Is the ballot more politics than substance, as critics believe?  What are the consequences of citizen driven legislation on San Francisco?  What can be done to reform the system?  And, do voters want reform?

Bruce Cain, Professor of Political Science at Stanford University, Director of the Bill Lane Center for the American West, and author of numerous publications including the book Democracy More or Less: America's Political Reform Quandary.

Joe Eskenazi, Senior Editor at San Francisco Magazine and author of the recent articles “San Francisco Votes on More Stuff Than Anyone. It's a Disaster and We Love It and Won't Stop” and “The Gangs of City Hall”. 

Quentin L. Kopp, Member of the San Francisco Ethics Commission, retired California Superior Court judge, former San Francisco Supervisor, and prior California State Senator.