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The 1979 mayoral election was held to elect themayor of San Francisco. Incumbent mayorDianne Feinstein, who had succeededGeorge Moscone afterhis assassination the prior year, was elected to her first full term as mayor of the City and County, the first woman to be elected to the position in the city's history. Feinstein, with 46.63%, andQuentin L. Kopp, with 44.72%, were the top two finishers in the first-round, and advanced to a runoff. In the first round the two of them had beat out former Board of Permit Appeals president David Scott, musicianJello Biafra,Sylvia Weinstein, Cesar Ascarrunz,Steve L. Calitri,Tibor Uskert, Joe Hughes andPatricia Dolbeare.
Feinstein and Kopp participated in the December 11 runoff, in which Feinstein won with 53.96% over Kopp's 46.04%. Feinstein was sworn into office on January 1, 1980.
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Feinstein was seen as having more liberal support than Kopp, including support among the black and homosexual electorate.[1] In turn, Kopp was seen as having more conservative support than Feinstein.[1]
David Scott, the former president of the Board of Permit Appeals, placed third in the first round.[2] His performance, as an openly-gay candidate, was seen as another sign of the growing political influence ofthe city's LGBT community.[2] The city that had two years earlier seen the election of the lateHarvey Milk (who had since been assassinated alongside mayor George Moscone) to theSan Francisco Board of Supervisors, and had the previous year seen the passage by the Board of Supervisors of an ordinance banning discrimination on sexuality in housing, jobs, and public accommodations.[2] Additionally that year theWhite Night riots had occurred, energizing the gay community's activism. For the runoff, Scott gave his endorsement, which had been strongly sought by both remaining candidates, to Feinstein.[1][2]
A major issue of the campaign was addressing a projected budget deficit of $117 million.[1] Kopp positioned himself as a fiscal watchdog.[1] As solutions to the deficit, he proposed leasing the city-owned zoo and golf course to private entities, making civil service reforms, and cutting costs.[1] Feinstein proposed doubling parking fines, hiking transit fares, and extending the amortization schedule for city pensions from nineteen to twenty years.[1]
Feinstein placed a focus on her ties to the administration of United States PresidentJimmy Carter, strategically timing her announcements of federal grants being made to the city.[1] Amid the campaign, she also announced that theUnited States Department of Defense had reversed its earlier decision to decrease operations at thePresidio.[1]
A rainstorm on the day of the election was faulted for what was considered a low turnout of 55%.[1] It had been believed that the lighter turnout was to Kopp's advantage, as Feinstein's more liberal supporters were viewed as less likely to vote than Kopp's more conservative supporters.[1] However, Feinstein still won.[1]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dianne Feinstein (incumbent) | 81,115 | 42.15 | |
| Independent | Quentin L. Kopp | 77,784 | 40.42 | |
| Nonpartisan | David Scott | 18,506 | 9.60 | |
| Nonpartisan | Eric "Jello Biafra" Boucher | 6,591 | 3.79 | |
| Nonpartisan | Sylvia Weinstein | 3,529 | 2.03 | |
| Nonpartisan | Cesar Ascarrunz | 1,739 | 1.00 | |
| Nonpartisan | Steve L. Calitri | 1,285 | 0.74 | |
| Nonpartisan | Tibor Uskert | 739 | 0.43 | |
| Nonpartisan | Joe Hughes | 601 | 0.35 | |
| Nonpartisan | Patricia Dolbeare | 573 | 0.33 | |
Turnout was approximately 55%[1]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dianne Feinstein (incumbent) | 102,233 | 53.96 | |
| Independent | Quentin L. Kopp | 87,226 | 46.04 | |
