Election Day: Races worth following on Bay Area ballots

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Election Day is here and even though 2019 is not the year for congressional or presidential elections, there's still some important races to keep track of on your local ballots. ABC7's election team identified some of the important and controversial issues on the ballot:

SAN FRANCISCO MAY GET A NEW MAYOR:

Current Mayor London Breed succeeded Ed Lee following his death in Dec. 2017 in a special election. Wrapping up Lee's four-year term, Breed will be running once again, but this time against five other candidates who don't have as much funding or name recognition as her. Incumbent London Breed is expected to be back for another term but who knows... that's what elections are for.

SAN FRANCISCO VOTES ON A NEW DISTRICT ATTORNEY:

Mayor London breed appointed Suzy Loftus as the city's top prosecutor following George Gascon's resignation on Oct. 3. The appointment is controversial and lead to protests because as incumbent DA, some say it gives Loftus an unfair advantage over the other three candidates who are running. This is a race worth watching.

Meet the candidates: Chesa Boudin, Leif Dautch, Suzy Loftus, Nancy Tung

SAN FRANCISCO COULD GET MORE FUNDING FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING:

A 'Yes' to Proposition A will allow the city to give out $600 million worth of bonds for repairing and constructing affordable housing units for low income residents, seniors, and educators in the city. Mayor London Breed and Board President Norman Yee cosponsored the largest affordable housing bond in San Francisco's history. The bond doubled when the San Francisco Controllers office calculated that the city could take on a bigger debt without having to raise property taxes. Instead of building new subsidized homes, the measure would allow up to 2,800 new affordable housing units within existing buildings built within 4 years. A solution to the housing concern here in the Bay? We will find out!

THE SALE AND DISTRIBUTION OF E-CIGARETTES AND VAPING PRODUCTS COULD BE LEGAL AGAIN:

In June 2019, San Francisco banned the sale and distribution of e-cigarettes and vaping products in the city. A 'Yes' on Proposition C wants to overturn the ban.

Juul, San Francisco based electronic cigarette company recently announced they will withdraw support of Prop C. Juul was the sole funder contributing millions of dollars in support of the 'Coalition for Reasonable Vaping Regulation' who founded the proposition.

'No' on Prop C hopes to keep e-cigarettes and vaping product sales banned. "San Francisco Kids Versus Big Tobacco" group is against the sale of the tobacco and vape products and has endorsements from many elected officials such as U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, U.S. Representative Jackie Speier and Mayor London Breed.

Though major funding is halted by Juul, the proposition remains on the ballots with advertisements still running from both sides, this is an interesting proposition to keep your eyes on.

YOUR RIDE-SHARE RECEIPTS COULD GET PRICIER:

A 'Yes' for Proposition D approves a tax on rideshare rides such as Uber and Lyft. A 1.5 percent to 3.25 percent tax (depending on the ride) will be placed on every ride. Revenue will go towards public transportation, pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure improvements. A 'No' on Prop D does not approve a tax on each ride. For anyone who rides with Uber or Lyft in San Francisco this proposition affects you.

THE CITY OF BRENTWOOD'S URBAN COMMUNITY COULD GET LARGER:

In Contra Costa County, the city of Brentwood is voting on expanding the city's western border. A 'Yes' on Measure L approves the construction of 2,400 new homes in an initiative called Vineyards at Deer Creek Project by Blackhawk-Nunn Partner's developers. 80 percent of the homes are reserved for residents aged 55-years and older.

Voting 'No' on Measure L rejects urban growth of 815 acres northeast of Balfour and Deer Valley Roads in Brentwood. Traffic is a big concern for the area, but housing is also a big Bay Area dilemma... so we'll see what the people vote.

TAXES COULD BE SET FOR CANNABIS BUSINESSES IN BRISBANE:

Since cannabis usage became legal in 2016 and businesses and industries gained authority to sell and distribute cannabis products in 2018, cities are starting to tax the products - Brisbane being one of them. A 'Yes' on Measure E will allow the city to impose a marijuana business tax of up to six percent of gross receipts, with actual rates set by the city council and determined by the type of business. Funds will go towards city services. A 'No' on Measure E will reject the city on imposing a tax of up to six percent on marijuana businesses. Residents of San Mateo County can vote for this.

Take a look at the latest stories and videos about the election.