San Franciscans approved an $887 million rebuild of San Francisco General Hospital in Tuesday's election, but decisively rejected initiatives on renewable energy and the decriminalizing of prostitution, as well as a measure to memorialize outgoing U.S. President George W. Bush at a city sewage plant.
According to preliminary election results, voters approved Proposition A by 84 percent, which will issue $887.4 million in general obligation bond funds to build the new San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, in order to comply with state law requiring hospitals be seismically safe.
Proposition H, which would have set deadlines for San Francisco to meet clean and sustainable energy usage goals and reduce the city's dependence on fossil fuels, was rejected by 59 percent of voters.
The measure aimed to have the city derive all its power from clean energy by 2040, and called for an evaluation of whether public control over local utilities would be best suited to achieve that goal.
Pacific Gas and Electric Co., which provides most of San Francisco's power, mounted a fierce campaign to defeat Proposition H, spending more than $9 million, according to campaign officials.
Proposition K, which called for the decriminalization of prostitution in San Francisco, and for the full enforcement of laws against assault or rape in cases involving sex workers, was defeated by more than 57 percent of voters.
Mayor Gavin Newsom and District Attorney Kamala Harris were among those who had argued the measure would have made it harder to crack down on human trafficking.
A property tax measure allocating funds to support affordable housing programs in the city appeared headed to defeat by a very narrow margin, with 50.54 percent of voters disapproving, according to preliminary results.
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Proposition B aimed to create a San Francisco Affordable Housing Fund administered by the mayor's office to support housing for seniors, families, those in danger of becoming homeless, disabled persons, those living with HIV or AIDS, and at-risk youth.
Proposition R, which would have renamed the city's Oceanside Wastewater Treatment Facility the George W. Bush Sewage Plant, was flushed by 69 percent of San Francisco voters.
Voters also approved two non-binding measures addressing military issues.
Proposition U, setting city policy against further federal funding of armed forces in Iraq, except as used for withdrawal from the country, passed by nearly 60 percent.
Proposition V, in support of keeping the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Program in public high schools, passed by 53 percent.
