With a little less than a week until election day, San Francisco Democrats and Republicans are bustling down to the wire to influence voters to either re-elect the self-described war President, George W. Bush, or Sen. John Kerry, who said hope is on the way, granted enough registered Democrats can find their way to the polls.

Next door to the Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender Community Center at the intersection of Market and Octavia Street, volunteers inside the Northern California campaign office of the California Democratic Party were busy mobilizing their staffers to walk most of the city’s 578 precincts, despite forecasters predictions of weekend rain.

Rain or shine, around 50 volunteers signed up to spread the liberal word throughout the city of San Francisco. With measures and propositions in leaflet form, “get-out-and-vote” staffers plan to streamline the voting process by informing voters which propositions they should pass and which ones they should vote down.

Organizers at the California Democratic Party campaign office said that it’s important that they glean over every block to get voters to the polls and President Bush out of office.

“It is so important that we target single moms and people with two jobs to get out and vote,” said Communications Director Mary Gutierrez, from the Democratic Headquarters in Los Angeles. “They need to know that they make a difference,”

Gutierrez said that this grass roots approach is designed to personalize the voting process and heighten voter awareness. This year, Gutierrez said Democrats are hammering voters to reform the three-strikes law and pass health care legislation for the working poor.

The colorful campaign office is busy with activity. The staff is comprised of a vibrant mix of young adults and senior citizens. Volunteers dash from one end of the room to another, answering phones and greeting visitors while munching on chocolate chip cookies.

Every inch of the wall is covered with large multicolored banners and, “Kerry for President,” posters. A hand-written sign that reads, “10 Days Left to Save our Country,” is taped above a fire extinguisher.

Kristy Young, field director for the San Francisco Democratic Party, sits in the middle of the floor in front of countless boxes and folders containing precinct information. She combs through each file to make sure the addresses and names are right. The two cubicles next to her are staffed with volunteers who are calling and reminding registered Democrats to get out and vote Nov. 2.

“People are very excited about the race this year,” said Young. “They just come in off the street and want to volunteer their time.”

It isn’t so busy at the Ronald Reagan Building on the 3000 block of Mission Street- just a stones-throw away from Bernal Heights. A middle-aged woman sits behind a desk stuffing hundreds of envelopes that invite nearby residents to a reception supporting Capt. Greg Corrales, a candidate for District 7 Supervisor and 35-year veteran of the SFPD.

Framed photos of President Bush, Gov. Schwarzenegger and former President Reagan hang on the stark white walls. New-carpet smell permeates throughout the office adding stature to the building, which is situated between a Mexican Tacqueria and a Safeway.

From this building, Leo Lacayo, vice chair of communications and spokesman for the San Francisco Republican Party, conducts numerous media interviews and operates his own business- an immigration consulting and tax preparation company.

Staffers from this office are not mobilizing any mass precinct walk; instead the four volunteers have been deployed to Arizona, Nevada and Florida; states where it is not dangerous to place a Bush/Cheney '04 bumper sticker on a car. States, Lacayo said, where the real battle for the presidency is taking place.

Lacayo said San Francisco Republicans are battling propositions J and K, measures that would raise the city sales tax by a quarter of a percent and tax business and companies until December 2008- the date the proposition is set to expire.

“We’re opposed to more taxes in this city that they mask under the guise of bonds,” said Lacayo, who believes the propositions would disproportionately affect 70 percent of San Francisco homeowners, a majority of which live in District 7, which has the city's largest voting area.

Lacayo said it is unfair to ask small business owners and homeowners to bail out a city that is notorious for wasteful spending. He suggested that San Francisco trim its $5.5 billion budget, a budget that is $5 billion more than Los Angeles County, by eliminating the number of people serving on the Board of Supervisors.

“We have these extreme budgets because we pay too many people too much money to do nothing,” said Lacayo.

At this stage of the election, Republicans are relying on phone banking and mass mailing to inform voters which measures they should pass and fail.

“We already know how San Francisco is going to vote. All we [Republicans] can do is try to change local city politics,” Lacayo said.