{"id":34930,"date":"2024-07-18T19:49:15","date_gmt":"2024-07-19T02:49:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=34930"},"modified":"2024-07-18T19:49:16","modified_gmt":"2024-07-19T02:49:16","slug":"in-district-5-most-all-candidates-say-theyre-progressive-are-they","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2024\/07\/18\/in-district-5-most-all-candidates-say-theyre-progressive-are-they\/","title":{"rendered":"In District 5, most all candidates say they\u2019re \u2018progressive.\u2019 Are they?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"A by\u00a0ELENI BALAKRISHNAN<\/a><\/strong> JULY 16, 2024, 12:50 PM (MissionLocal.org)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Five
Five candidates are running for supervisor of District 5.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As conservative groups and opponents have put up heaps of money to unseat Supervisor Dean Preston, the city\u2019s only elected Democratic Socialist, an odd political metamorphosis has unfolded. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bilal Mahmood, a challenger backed by the opposition money, nonetheless sees value in labeling himself as the most progressive of them all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At other times, however, he talks more like a law and order conservative. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Political analysts said that oscillating between the two is both a measure of Mahmood\u2019s views and a recognition of the political reality that District 5 is one of the city\u2019s most progressive districts. Take the March election \u2014 when the solid majority of the city voted in favor of Mayor London Breed\u2019s Proposition E, limiting police oversight, District 5 was in opposition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Mission<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Stay informed on local elections \u2014 sign up for Mission Local’s free daily newsletter<\/strong> today!Sign up<\/p>\n\n\n\n

District 5 has \u201cset the tone for progressivism for the last half century,\u201d said political consultant David Ho. Since district-level elections were reinstated in 2000, D5 residents elected two Green Party candidates through 2012, and twice put Preston in office. Breed, who held the seat from 2013 to 2018 was an \u201coutlier,\u201d Ho said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This reality, political analysts said, may explain Mahmood\u2019s sometimes progressive bent. This separates him from two other challengers \u2014 school board recall initiator Autumn Looijen and newcomer Scotty Jacobs \u2014 who have remained stalwart in their ideas calling for more deportations and more carceral approaches to crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mahmood has received backing from big-tech names like Chris Larsen<\/a> and Garry Tan<\/a>, angel investor Ron Conway<\/a> and his family, and moderate to conservative city figures like Josephine Zhao<\/a> and Laurance Lem Lee. As of January, a political committee to remove Preston from office had pulled in nearly $300,000; up-to-date contribution amounts will be available at the end of this month.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, he is, according to a weekly Q&A by Mission Local<\/a>, often in agreement with Preston. Out of 23 weeks of questions, he has agreed with Preston or shared similar views 10 times. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like Preston, he supports safe drug consumption sites, calls for better and expanded drug treatment options and voted against Prop. F, the mayor\u2019s successful ballot measure to require drug screening for welfare recipients. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the mayor proposed a curfew for convenience stores in the Tenderloin, Preston and Mahmood were the only two candidates who had reservations<\/a> about the idea. Mahmood called it a \u201ctemporary crutch,\u201d and both called for more comprehensive plans to address street conditions. (Preston worked out adjustments to the proposal, and Mahmood told Mission Local he is fine with the outcome.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At a recent campaign event, he called for \u201cdoubling down on our progressive values\u201d, and added that it is \u201cprogressive to build housing at all<\/em> levels: affordable, middle income, market rate.\u201d He talks of \u201ccompromise\u201d and \u201ccollaboration,\u201d and he was an advocate for climate justice before launching his political campaigns this year.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At other times his conservative guns are blazing. At the same event, he zealously called for arresting drug dealers, to applause from his audience. He supported Prop. E on the March ballot to reduce oversight of the police, despite concerns he had<\/a> about other clauses in the ballot measure like easing restrictions on police chases. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think that it\u2019s gonna be hard for Bilal to get to the left of Dean Preston, but he has to make himself acceptable to the progressive voters in the community,\u201d said political consultant Jim Ross, adding that with ranked-choice voting, candidates \u201cwant to be as broadly appealing to as many voters as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Mahmood isn\u2019t as far right as his competitors at the end of the day \u2014 he says he supports progressive ideas like public banking, social housing, and a ceasefire in Gaza \u2014 he \u201cwould fall pretty solidly in the conservative side of things,\u201d Ross said, when it comes to the main indicators: Regulation of industry, taxation or development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Housing: Where the rubber meets the road<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Mahmood says the \u201cprimary contrast\u201d between himself and Preston is over housing. And on that topic, Mahmood, a YIMBY, defines himself as a  true progressive by national standards. He compares himself to left-wing politicians like Democratic Socialist and Assemblymember Alex Lee, or New York representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez<\/a>. The similarities? They, too, are YIMBYs, he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe question of what does it mean to be progressive on housing? It is progressive to be \u2018yes in my backyard,\u2019\u201d Mahmood said. \u201cSo I think that\u2019s where I draw contrast to where I don\u2019t feel [Preston] is progressive enough.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preston, for his part, called the argument \u201csilly.\u201d He noted his record pushing for affordable housing, keeping tenants from being evicted, and stronger rent control. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo frame the deregulation of market rate housing \u2014 that is not affordable to working class people in San Francisco \u2014 to frame that as a progressive position is really a triumph of propaganda,\u201d Preston said. He added that he supports upzoning, but he prioritizes protecting the working class and vulnerable, an objectionable stance to YIMBYs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s more, political consultant Jim Stearns noted that Mahmood has failed to take \u201ca really strong YIMBY stance on stuff.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stearns points to Mahmood\u2019s wavering on Parcel K, a contentious piece of land in Hayes Valley long slated for affordable housing. That land, Parcel K<\/a>, is adjacent to Patricia\u2019s Green and has been temporarily used as an outdoor cinema, gym, and pop-up food site. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked whether the city should proceed with its housing plans for Parcel K, Preston is unequivocal, noting that its interim use has been successful and popular with the community, but adding, \u201cI\u2019m committed to delivering affordable housing there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mahmood took less committal position: He suggested \u201cbuilding adjacent to Parcel K\u201d or \u201cbuilding affordable housing on the parcel, but with an atrium on the ground floor,\u201d but then appeared to suggest dropping the issue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis parcel has been debated for more than 20 years \u2014 it\u2019s time we focus on progress over parcels. Let\u2019s focus instead on where we can build affordable housing fastest,\u201d he wrote. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Progressive, wishy-washy or simply unformed?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Some, like Stearns, see Mahmood\u2019s contradictions as a reluctance to take a stance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Others see Mahmood as a classic case of a candidate finding their place. Ho said candidates diving into such \u201cpost pandemic pop-up activism\u201d like Mahmood are still trying to find their political identity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOftentimes people manufacture a narrative,\u201d Ho said. \u201cCandidates like Bilal come and go, and if they win they\u2019ll probably end up evolving into a political identity that suits them best.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mahmood dismisses the charge that he is trying to straddle both sides; he not only sees his challenge to Preston as a \u201cprogressive on progressive fight\u201d \u2014 and his YIMBY values, he says, make him the true progressive in the race. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And on other issues, like dealing with illicit drug markets, he sees his favored Drug Market Intervention<\/a> approach as taking components of progressive and moderate frameworks that can\u2019t be \u201cpigeonholed\u201d \u2014 for example, he calls for arrests of drug dealers, but does not believe in arresting drug users. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To be or not to be a progressive<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Political consultants agreed that if District 5 were to change out of progressive hands, it could be a strong bellwether for progressives\u2019 power citywide. But \u201cIf the progressives can\u2019t hold D5, they\u2019re not going to be able to maintain a very slim majority on the Board of Supervisors,\u201d Ho said.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The meaning of \u201cprogressive,\u201d however, has become malleable, allowing candidates throughout the political spectrum to claim it as their own. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s just an obsession with the word, and it\u2019s an obsession with the idea that there\u2019s some moral superiority to being a progressive,\u201d said Stearns. \u201cSo let\u2019s just twist the words around and make it fit. So I\u2019m now magically the progressive \u2014 but that doesn\u2019t work in real life.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mahmood is not the only one seeking the progressive label. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At times, even Looijen uses similar language, and told Mission Local she wants the city to achieve its \u201cprogressive values.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But her record tells another story: Looijen has been supported by well-known conservative figures in San Francisco politics \u2014 Republican investor David Sacks backed and funded the school board recall she led, and she is one of few candidates endorsed in this election by the police union. She calls for police intervention to resolve the issues in the Tenderloin, along with compelled drug treatment and chipping away at the city\u2019s sanctuary protections. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looijen said she has accepted \u201cthat does make you a little further to the right\u201d than her competitors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat I want to do is lay the foundation of safety and stability in the Tenderloin,\u201d Looijen said. \u201cAnd then on top of that, we can build our progressive paradise.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preston said it was not believable for Mahmood or Looijen to claim progressive values, considering the large amounts of money both have accepted from conservative interests, and the issues they have focused on in their campaigns. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhether someone agrees or disagrees with all my policies,\u201d Preston said, \u201cI don\u2019t think that it is really in dispute that I am an unapologetically progressive politician advancing unapologetically progressive policies to benefit those who are struggling the most and to stand up to big money.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u2018mushy middle\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

But the strategy of anointing oneself as a progressive \u2014 if only semantically \u2014 is a worthwhile one to win voters, especially in a truly left-leaning enclave like District 5, analyst Ross agreed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe\u2019s sort of trying to be all things to all people,\u201d Stearns said of Mahmood. \u201cIt\u2019s a really hard place to run from because politics is about making choices, and I don\u2019t think you can just mush your way into a majority.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But that may be the path Mahmood chooses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take his responses to Mission Local\u2019s question on the Grants Pass v. Johnson Supreme Court ruling<\/a> about criminalizing homeless encampments, even when no shelter beds are available. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preston called the ruling unconscionable. Looijen said the city must still act compassionately regardless of the ruling. Jacobs said he supports sweeps if people refuse shelter. Allen Jones expressed the futility of the ruling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mahmood said we must \u201cfocus on addressing the root of the problem.\u201d He did not answer the question. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

LATEST NEWS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Fire<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Fire scene: SF mayoral candidates bring heat at firefighters\u2019 debate<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"At<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At District 10 town hall, residents want answers, not excuses and promises <\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"See<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

See how they run: Former mayoral candidate Matt Gonzalez offers Daniel Lurie advice<\/a><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

ELENI BALAKRISHNAN<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

eleni@missionlocal.com<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

REPORTER. Eleni reports on policing in San Francisco. She first moved to the city on a whim more than 10 years ago, and the Mission has become her home. Follow her on Twitter @miss_elenius.More by Eleni Balakrishnan<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by\u00a0ELENI BALAKRISHNAN JULY 16, 2024, 12:50 PM (MissionLocal.org) As conservative groups and opponents have put up heaps of money to unseat Supervisor Dean Preston, the city\u2019s only elected Democratic Socialist, an odd political metamorphosis has unfolded.  Bilal Mahmood, a challenger backed by the opposition money, nonetheless sees value in labeling… Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34930"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34930"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34930\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34931,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34930\/revisions\/34931"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}