Remember That Time Jello Biafra Ran For Mayor of San Francisco?
The year was 1979, the season was autumn. Mayoral candidates all over the city were getting revved up for the upcoming election. An unlikely contender, Dead Kennedy's front man Jello Biafra, enters the race.
If you don't know who the Dead Kennedys are, go listen to their music right now. I'll wait.
Ok, now that you've been refreshed, it is no surprise that their political stance is to the far, far left of the spectrum. Most of their lyrics and songs take aim at the social issues of the time. It's almost not surprising that in '79 one of the members decided to get involved in local politics.
In San Francisco anyone can run for mayor with a petition of 1500 signatures or if $1500 is paid. Jello paid $900 and managed to get signatures over time, eventually meeting the necessary requirements to become a candidate. At the time, all candidates were meant to have their statements in voter pamphlets and receive airtime from local news stations. The slogan he used was the famous Jell-O tagline "There's always room for Jello".
What Was Going On In SF In '79?
White Night Riots
Today when you think of San Francisco, you probably think of it as a haven for the ultra wealthy, tech titans. However, back in the 70s it wasn't like that. San Francisco along with the rest of California is home to some of the worlds wealthiest and most successful. But, it is also a dwelling for the largest homeless population in the United States as well as an epicenter for drugs, racial tension and corruption. The year before the election, Mayor George Moscone along with City Supervisor Harvey Milk were assassinated by Dan White. Diane Feinstein was to act as the new mayor and serve out the rest of Moscone's term. Dan White was a former City Supervisor and was clearly very angry when Moscone refused to reappoint him despite his resignation. Additionally, he was upset with Milk because he lobbied against his reappointment. His lenient sentencing caused mayhem. The gay community held protests which lead to an explosion of violence known as the White Night Riots. Because Dan White was a former police officer, the tension between the LGBTQ+ community and the cops increased. Many were beaten by officers in riot gear and gay bars in the Castro District were raided.
What Was To Be Expected From The Upcoming Election?
The two frontrunners were Dianne Feinstein and Quentin Kopp. Feinstein, who was the current mayor was the democratic candidate, while Kopp was Republican but later became an independent. It was suspected that Feinstein would win, however the end results were surprising.
Jello Biafra's Campaign
Jello's campaign didn't have a platform at the beginning. He developed his objectives with some friends at a Pere Ubu concert using a felt tip pen and a napkin. When asked about his campaign and his opponents, he would later say to Louder Sound "She (referring to Feinstein) ruled the city with an iron fist, and the police were out of control, which she seemed to get off on. I have never been fond of her, and any grief I can cause that creature, I'm happy to oblige. But that wasn't why I ran for Mayor. It was more like: wouldn't this be a great prank?"
His platform consisted of these main goals:
Businessmen to wear clown suits within city limits.
Holding elections in which police would be voted into office by the neighborhoods they patrolled.
Appointing a board of bribery that would set fair bribery prices.
Tearing down Pier 39.
Legalizing squatting in vacant buildings.
Paying the unemployed to panhandle in wealthy neighborhoods including Feinstein's.
Banning cars city wide.
Erecting a statue of Dan White and having the parks department sell eggs, tomatoes and rocks with which to pelt it with.
Although a lot of these objectives were intended to piss people off and make a mockery of local politics, some of these points aren’t a bad idea. He would later say to Louder Sound that a lot of his campaign was directed at Feinstein for saying she wanted to "clean up" the city. Which to him meant getting rid of the homeless in vacant buildings.
Just like a lot of the punk ethos, his campaign was made up of volunteer staff as an entirely DIY affair. The campaign itself had few events, however it attracted plenty of media attention. He held rally's at City Hall, stops along the BART Line and a procession of "shaking babies and kissing hands". Some of the signs from supporters read "Apocalypse Now" and "If He Doesn't Win I'll Kill Myself". However absurd his campaign platform was, the young Biafra probably resonated with many of the young '79 SF voters.
Incredibly, he finished 3rd out of 10 participants and received 3.79% of the votes. Due to his involvement, there was a runoff between Dianne Feinstein and Quentin Kopp. And although it probably disappointed Biafra to see Feinstein win, I'm sure he was pleased with his efforts in giving her a hard time.
Punks In Politics
When you listen to the Dead Kennedys, the use of satire and sardonic lyrics are meant to reveal truths about society. Although this might have been some what of a prank, there is a clear desire to push social change. As time goes on, Jello continued his efforts in politics and actually ran for president at one point.
The first Dead Kennedys album Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables which was released only 1 year after the election is politically-supercharged with depraved sense of humor. This isn’t meant to be a promotional piece of the band but it's a classic album I recommend you check out. The quality, although amateurish offers that quintessential lo-fi production that makes a lot of great punk music fun to listen to. Messy, loud, kind of wrong but in an endearing and whimsical way.
