SEC. 14.103. RECALL.
§ 14.103
Elected officials in San Francisco, including the Mayor, City Administrator, Controller, and members of certain commissions, can be recalled by voters through a petition process governed by state law and this Charter. A recall petition cannot be filed against an officer who has served fewer than six months, and once signatures are verified, a special election must be held between 105 and 120 days later (or consolidated with an upcoming general election if one falls within that window).
San Francisco voters can try to remove certain elected officials through a recall election. You cannot start a recall effort against someone who has been in office for less than six months. Once enough people sign a recall petition and it's verified, the city must hold a special election to let voters decide whether to remove the official. This election happens 105 to 120 days after the petition is approved, unless a regular election is already scheduled in that time, in which case the recall vote gets added to that election instead.
- Controversial:Recall procedures are a tool for voter power over elected officials and can be contentious during political disputes or unpopular policy decisions.
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Official text
(a) An elected official of the City and County, the City Administrator, the Controller, or any member of the Airports Commission the Board of Education, the governing board of the Community College District, the Ethics Commission or the Public Utilities Commission may be recalled by the voters as provided by this Charter and by the laws of the State of California, except that no recall petitions shall be initiated with respect to any officer who has held office for less than six months.
(b) Upon certifying the sufficiency of the recall petition's signatures, the Director of Elections shall immediately call a special municipal election on the recall, to be held not less than 105 nor more than 120 days from the date of its calling unless it is within 105 days of a general municipal or statewide election, in which event the recall shall be submitted at such general municipal or statewide election.
(Amended November 1996; Amended by Proposition E, 11/4/2008)