Election season in San Francisco is upon us, and if you're not paying attention yet, now's the time. From School Board races to supervisor contests in Districts 2 and 10, the ballot is shaping up to be a real test of whether the city's recent flirtation with common sense governance has any staying power — or whether we're sliding back to business as usual.

Let's start with the School Board. Three candidates are vying for a single seat, which means voters actually have a meaningful choice for once. If the 2022 recall taught us anything, it's that San Franciscans do care about education governance when the dysfunction gets bad enough. The question is whether that energy holds during a lower-profile race. The number one issue for candidates? That varies, but let's be honest — it should be student outcomes. SFUSD is staring down a fiscal crisis, enrollment is declining, and families keep voting with their feet by leaving the district. Whoever wins this seat needs to treat the budget like it's their own money, not Monopoly bills.

Over in District 10, the Bayview is hosting candidate meet-and-greets — some of them, charmingly, over wine. Say what you will about San Francisco politics, but at least we do campaigning with a decent pour. D10 is a district that has long deserved better representation, and voters there should be asking hard questions about public safety, housing development, and whether candidates have actual plans or just vibes.

Meanwhile, the District 2 race just picked up a notable endorsement, with Stephen Sherrill getting the nod from the city's paper of record. D2 — covering the Marina, Pacific Heights, and surrounding neighborhoods — is one of the more fiscally moderate corners of the city, and the pick signals a desire for pragmatic, less ideological leadership.

Here's the bottom line: local elections are where policy actually touches your life. Your supervisor has more influence over your daily experience in San Francisco than your member of Congress does. So do your homework. Show up. And for the love of fiscal sanity, vote like your tax dollars depend on it — because they do.