by ELENI BALAKRISHNAN APRIL 2, 2024 (MissionLocal.org)
Here’s the latest in our “Meet the Candidates” series for District 5, where we ask each candidate to answer one question per week leading up to the election.
All the responses will ultimately be compiled onto a single page, where readers can peruse the potential District 5 supervisors’ stances on upwards of 40 topics before it’s time to vote in November.
San Francisco has dozens of neighborhoods with distinct personalities and communities. These neighborhoods also have very different needs, but are joined together as districts under one leader expected to advocate for them all.
This week’s question is: What do you love about District 5, and what makes it special?
Note: I will be in District 5 this week on Thursday, April 4, at 11:00 a.m. at Alamo Square Cafe (711 Fillmore St.). Come say hi and share your thoughts.
Living in District 5 since Nov. 2021
Allen Jones
I love the challenge of the Tenderloin, where I live. Haight Ashbury reminds me of my late father. The Panhandle reminds me of some of my naughty and nice times … I mean strolls through the park on a sunny day. And I think the Fillmore is majestic, in need of a new caretaker.
And though I would not use the word “special” for any district in the city, it is because I reserve that word to describe all of San Francisco.
Living in District 5 since Dec. 2020
Autumn Looijen
District 5 is the best district.
We’re an incredibly diverse district, a microcosm of the City — but, even more important, we’re the heart of the City, where movements begin.
The Harlem of the West. The Summer of Love. The school board recall I led from my apartment in Lower Haight to turn our schools around. The fight to save our Safeway. The AI revolution. All here in District 5.
In our darkest times, District 5 is where we’ve found hope.
Hope in the faces of the Safe Passage volunteers guiding kids to school in the Tenderloin. Hope as new restaurants … See more.
Living in District 5 since May 2023, lived adjacent since May 2021.
Bilal Mahmood
Our people.
District 5 spans a wide array of perspectives that inform district values. Each neighborhood has rich character, from Yemeni and Vietnamese refugees in the Tenderloin to multi-generational Black families in Western Addition to seniors in Japantown — we host an incredible tapestry of culture and vibrant communities.
Our food is unmatched, our small businesses fight hard to succeed, our residents come together for their neighbors. The people here inspire me every day.
Living in District 5 since 1996
Dean Preston
District 5 has been my home for 28 years. We have deep roots here and are happy to be raising our kids in this amazing place.
The diverse people, small businesses, and neighborhoods make our district special. From the Fillmore to Japantown, to the Haight, Lower Haight, Tenderloin, Divisadero, NOPA, and Hayes Valley, we have some of SF’s most incredible, resilient and celebrated neighborhoods. D5 is walkable, historic and transit-rich, with great parks, slow streets, restaurants, music venues, nonprofits, cafes, thrift stores, schools, local grocers, and much more.
It’s been an honor to serve D5 through the pandemic and recovery.
The order of candidates is rotated each week. Answers are capped at 100 words, and may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling, and grammar. If you have questions for the candidates, please let us know at eleni@missionlocal.com.
Read the rest of the District 5 questions here, and the entire “Meet the Candidates” series here. Illustrations for the series by Neil Ballard.
You can register to vote via the sf.gov website.
READ MORE CANDIDATE ANSWERS
Meet the Candidates: San Francisco’s District 5 supervisor race
ELENI BALAKRISHNAN
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