The Unusual Suspects: A Cadre of Wise Guys Run for Mayor of SF

Since pretty much anybody can run for San Francisco mayor (the 2019 election requires just 1,000 signatures or a filing fee of $500), over the years, pretty much everybody has—from punk singers to broke-ass bloggers. Here are few colorful troublemakers who've run for mayor over the years.

• Jello Biafra. Best known as the former lead singer/songwriter for the SF punk band Dead Kennedys, Biafra ran for the mayor's office in 1979 under the slogan "There's always room for Jello." Although his platform had a few solid planks—Biafra wanted to legalize squatting in vacant tax-delinquent buildings and allow the people to elect the police officers who would patrol their neighborhoods— Biafra's campaign included a few creakers, too, such as forcing businessmen to wear clown suits within city limits and allowing Parks and Rec to sell eggs and tomatoes for people to throw at them.
• Chicken John Rinaldi. A man of many talents—the showman, activist, events producer, and author was also part of the group that got Prop. R on the 2008 ballot—Chicken John ran for mayor in 2007 on a traditional progressive platform, but confessed that he found the issues we face endless. He described his campaign as an opportunity to examine the political apparatus of San Francisco: "Because this time it's not all gonna be two dickheads eating each other alive to look good. To win. Winning is overrated. The process, and being present for it, is the real win, and a protest vote for second place that makes a small dent is better than what anyone else is offering."
• Broke-Ass Stuart. Mostly known for his writings about living on the cheap, Stuart is a self-described "motherfucking hustler." In the 2015 election, Stuart ran on a platform he crisply described as "I'm not Ed Lee. Make more affordable housing. Get the homeless off the street and off of their feet. Eliminate human poop from the streets. A public advocate's office to fight corruption." Running for mayor also gave a boost to the readership of his 2015 voter guide.