SF Chronicle Recommends 'No' Vote on Student-Sponsored Measure

SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE -- Perhaps no measure on the November 3 ballot has quite the feel-good story of Proposition E. It was conceived by students in David Lee’s online political science course at San Francisco State. In assessing San Francisco’s public meetings, the students found that many of the sessions were unattended, young people were underrepresented in the audiences that did show up, and that other cities were more innovative in trying to close what Lee called the “participation gap.” Their proposed remedy, Proposition E, is revolutionary. It would require all public meetings — among an estimated 120 boards and commissions, covering 2,000 meetings a year — to be streamed live on the Internet. We like both the spirit and the thought behind the measure. No other city has attempted such a digital-engagement project on anything close to this scale. It’s deserves testing before taking the leap. Vote no on Proposition E.