by XUEER LU APRIL 25, 2024, 12:00 PM (MissionLocal.org)
Welcome back to the “Meet the Candidates” series for District 11, where we ask each candidate to answer one question per week leading up to the election, with answers in about 100 words.
District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safaí is termed out and running for mayor and, so far, seven candidates have thrown their hats in the ring to replace him as the representative of the Excelsior, Oceanview and the Outer Mission. We are able to hear from five of them.
In week 9, we are asking: How did you vote on Proposition E? What are the best and worst elements of this proposition?
Note: Next week, I’ll be in District 11 at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, May 1, at Excelsior Coffee at 4495 Mission St Drop by and share your thoughts!
Born in District 11 in 1983, and lived there since. Moved out in 2013 and back in 2017.
Adlah Chisti
Public policy analyst/caregiver
Public safety is a basic necessity for children, families, seniors and women.
Proposition E was poorly written. The pandemic led to less patrols and visibility due to low staffing at SFPD and support measures to hire staff.
My public-safety plan will include increased visibility of officers through foot and bike patrol. I support measures that allow officers to be in the community and to build relationships. The ambassador program and community policing is vital for safety. We should know our neighbors.
What we don’t know is if surveillance and drone technology will be in lieu of more officers … Read more
Living in District 11 since November 1985 and has lived here always except for time away at college.
Ernest “E.J.” Jones
Community advocate
I voted no on Proposition E in the March Election. In my opinion, Prop. E tackled three issues: Government surveillance, police pursuit and police accountability.
I support the use of technology, and I support the use of drones. However, it is important that there is a community process when new technology is proposed.
Police pursuits are inherently dangerous. Our officers use their experience and judgment to make decisions around chases. I have a trust for our department. However, I believe the laws that were on the books were sufficient and aligned with national standards.
Police accountability is essential to building … Read more.
Endorsed by: Supervisors Shamann Walton and Myrna Melgar, Assemblymember Matt Haney, Former SF mayor Willie Brown Jr., Transit Workers Union Local 250A. More here.
Living in District 11 since February 2024.
Michael Lai
I voted yes on Proposition E to increase police effectiveness, and gave speeches to support it in democratic clubs around the city.
Public safety is the No. 1 priority for District 11 residents. At a time when SFPD is short of about 486 officers (23% of sworn officers) and enforcement is down, officers need to do more with less while staying accountable. I heard from police officers that some beat cops spend 40% of their time on administrative paperwork, instead of doing their job, and they are unable to use technology that other Bay Area police departments allow to fight crime. This lowers officer … Read more.
Endorsed by: Attorney General Rob Bonta, Senator Scott Wiener, Sheriff Paul Miyamoto, Supervisors Joel Engardio and Matt Dorsey, SF Democratic Party Nancy Tung. More here.
Living in District 11 since May 2014.
Roger Marenco
Transit operator
Yes on E, because police should have more rights than criminals.
My birthplace of El Salvador is the epitome of what happens when you treat criminals like criminals. El Salvador went from being the most dangerous country in the western hemisphere to the safest, because it started treating criminals like criminals.
The best element of Prop. E is that it gives police more tools to do their job.
The worst element of Prop. E is that it doesn’t restore all the tools necessary for the police to do their job. Let’s protect the police, so they can protect us from criminals.
Living in District 11 since August 2000.
Chyanne Chen
Worker organizer, community facilitator & educator
Public safety is one of my top priorities, but I had serious concerns that elements of Prop. E would not make us safer.
In particular, I worry that weakening the car-chase policy could lead to more accidents, and more fatal accidents. 41 percent of cases initiated between 2018 and 2021 resulted in collisions and a number of those caused injuries to innocent bystanders. The SFPD has also stated that we did not need to change our car-chase policy.
While I’m open to measures to reduce paperwork, all in all, the possibility of serious accidents and injuries in the … Read more.
Candidates are ordered alphabetically but rotated weekly. Answers may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling, and grammar. If you have questions for the candidates, please let us know at xueer@missionlocal.com.
Read the rest of the District 11 questions here, and the entire “Meet the Candidates” series here.
You can register to vote via the sf.gov website. Illustrations for the series by Neil Ballard.
READ MORE CANDIDATE ANSWERS
Meet the Candidates: San Francisco’s District 11 supervisor race
by XUEER LUFEBRUARY 9, 2024, 5:00 PM
XUEER LU
Xueer is a California Local News Fellow, working on data and covering housing. Xueer is a bilingual multimedia journalist fluent in Chinese and English and is passionate about data, graphics, and innovative ways of storytelling. Xueer graduated from UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism with a Master’s Degree in May 2023. She also loves cooking, photography, and scuba diving.More by Xueer Lu
