The San Francisco mayoral election of 1971 was held on November 2, 1971, with incumbent

Joseph Alioto Joseph Lawrence Alioto (February 12, 1916 – January 29, 1998) was an American politician who served as the 36th mayor of San Francisco, California, from 1968 to 1976. Biography Alioto was born in San Francisco in 1916. His father, Giuseppe ...

being re-elected with 38.6 percent of the vote, from among 11 candidates, there being no provision for a runoff.

Campaign

The three major contenders—Mayor Joe Alioto;

Harold Dobbs Harold Stanley Dobbs (December 8, 1918 – August 14, 1994) was an influential civic leader in San Francisco, California. He was a lawyer, businessman, politician, and leader in the Jewish community, founding Mel's Drive-In and serving as presiden ...

, former

member Member may refer to: * Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon * Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set * In object-oriented programming, a member of a class ** Field (computer science), entries in ...

of the

Board of Supervisors A board of supervisors is a governmental body that oversees the operation of county government in the U.S. states of Arizona, California, Iowa, Mississippi, Virginia, and Wisconsin, as well as 16 counties in New York. There are equivalent agenc ...

; and

Dianne Feinstein Dianne Goldman Berman Feinstein ( ; born Dianne Emiel Goldman; June 22, 1933) is an American politician who serves as the senior United States senator from California, a seat she has held since 1992. A member of the Democratic Party, she was ...

, president of the Board of Supervisors—tried to outdo one another as advocates for law and order. Alioto challenged Dobbs to commit to keeping Police Chief Donald Scott and accused Feinstein of wanting to create a civilian review board to investigate police conduct. Dobbs would not commit to a particular police chief but did plan to appoint a new

police commission A police board is an appointed form of local government charged with the responsibility of overseeing a local police force. In the United States, the term is used for some police departments. For example, the Chicago Police Board oversees the Ch ...

. Feinstein planned to "serve notice on the pusher, the mugger and the thief" and "break the back of crime", while denying advocating a civilian review board but wanting a "strong and independent police commission." Feinstein, the only woman in the race, charged her opponents with distorting her positions, especially her position on school busing, which the two other main contenders, Alioto and Dobbs, opposed. The issue was raised by an unpopular court order forcing the S.F. school district to begin busing to achieve ethnic balance in elementary schools. Former newspaper editor

Scott Newhall Scott Newhall (January 21, 1914 – October 26, 1992) was a newspaper editor known for his stewardship of the ''San Francisco Chronicle''. Early life Scott Newhall was born on January 21, 1914, into the family that owned the Newhall Land and Farm ...

proposed staging a world ecology fair and replacing California's water plan by importing icebergs, and imputed little difference between the top three contenders, whom he lumped together as "Joe Dobbstein". Alioto was a slight favorite to win in spite of being scheduled to go on trial the following January on federal charges of conspiracy, mail fraud, and using the mail to promote bribery of a public official. As of November, Dobbs, the only Republican in the race, had passed Feinstein in polls and was gaining on Alioto.

Results

The result of the November 2 election was the re-election of Alioto by a 3–2 margin over his nearest challenger. Alioto quoted

Jackie Gleason John Herbert Gleason (February 26, 1916June 24, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, writer, composer, and conductor known affectionately as "The Great One." Developing a style and characters from growing up in Brooklyn, New York, he was know ...

—"How sweet it is!"—at a victory celebration and referred to his federal indictment as an attempt by the "national administration" to "knock out a mayor". Among other races on the ballot was

Richard Hongisto Richard Duane Hongisto (December 16, 1936, Bovey, Minnesota – November 4, 2004, San Francisco, California) was a businessman, politician, sheriff, and police chief of San Francisco, California, and Cleveland, Ohio. Early life and educatio ...

's surprise victory for sheriff over incumbent Matthew Carberry. On the ballot was a referendum limiting new-building heights to six stories, which was defeated. A referendum to make the school board an elective one, it being the only appointive such board in the state, passed. The school-board measure was regarded as a reaction to busing initiated by the school board under court order. Another measure approved was to keep cable car service at no less than current levels.

References

{{1971 United States elections, state=collapsed San Francisco mayoral election Mayoral elections in San Francisco

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

Mayoral election Mayoral election

Campaign

Results

See also

References