by KELLY WALDRON MAY 25, 2024 (MissionLocal.org)
Welcome to “Meet the Candidates,” where Mission Local asks supervisor hopefuls questions in the lead-up to the November election. In District 7 — which includes the Inner Sunset, Parkmerced and West Portal — Matt Boschetto and Stephen Martin-Pinto are running against incumbent Myrna Melgar.
Between now and November, Mission Local will ask each candidate one question per week, and candidates will get 100 words to respond. Take a look at all the answers from District 7 candidates here.
This week, we asked the candidates: How has the L-Taraval project been allowed to go on for so long? Are there any ways in which you think this project could be improved? See their responses below.
The L-Taraval Improvement Project is a plan to update transit infrastructure along Taraval Street. While on time, construction, which began in 2019, is ongoing, and local merchants and neighbors have complained about disruption along the corridor.
Do you have a question for the candidates? Let me know at kelly@missionlocal.com, or come to meet me for coffee. Next week, I’ll be at SFSU Station Cafe (1600 Holloway Ave.) on Thursday, May 30 at 11:30 a.m.
Stephen Martin-Pinto
- Firefighter/major, U.S. Marine Corps reserves
- Age: 46
- Housing: Tenant in SF, Property owner and landlord in Lemon Grove, Ca.
- Languages: Spanish, Russian, Georgian
- Education: University of California, Davis
- Residency: Living in District 7’s Sunnyside since 2014 and, earlier from 1983 to 1998
A lack of urgency by the SFMTA and poor judgement in planning has delayed project completion. First, there are too many stops. The industry standard for light-rail stops is no closer than a quarter of a mile apart. The new L-Taraval has stops spaced as close as an eighth of a mile. More stops, most of which were made ADA-accessible, means longer construction time and more parking spaces removed. Secondly, construction should have been approached with urgency — nearly round-the-clock construction, seven days a week, until the L-Taraval is back online, so impact to merchants is mitigated. I wrote about it in detail here.
Endorsed by: Former District 7 Supervisor Tony Hall, former Planning Commissioner Michael Antonini, former Police Chief Tony Ribera, drug policy advocate Tom Wolf, BART Board Director Debora Allen … Read more here.
Myrna Melgar
- District 7 supervisor
- Age: 56
- Housing: Homeowner
- Transport: Bike
- Languages: Spanish, French, Swedish
- Education: Bachelor’s degree, Excelsior College; master’s degree in urban planning, Columbia University
- Residency: Living in District 7’s Sunnyside since 2014 and, before that, from 1983 to 1988
Infrastructure repairs can be disruptive, and the L-Taraval improvement project is no exception. However, it will be completed on time and within budget. Train service will be restored in September from the ocean to downtown with repaved roads, redone ADA-accessible islands, and safety improvements, which is good for everyone on the Westside. We were able to provide mitigation funds to Taraval businesses for their temporary loss of income. I asked the budget analyst for a study to help us in creating a fund for businesses experiencing disruption during these types of projects in the future.
Endorsed by: SF Labor Council, SF Tenants Union, Supervisor Aaron Peskin, Supervisor Hillary Ronen, Supervisor Connie Chan, Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, Supervisor Catherine Stefani, Senator Scott Weiner, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins … Read more here.
Matt Boschetto
- Small business owner
- Age: 35
- Housing: Homeowner
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in philosophy, Saint Mary’s College of California
- Residency: Living in District 7 since 2014
San Francisco’s vibrancy depends on thriving small businesses and common-sense planning. The L-Taraval project exemplifies SFMTA’s overreach and lack of due diligence. This issue isn’t confined to Taraval Street; similar experiences occur citywide, marked by contract disputes and unforeseen project additions and, consequently, delays. The worst part is the disregard for small business owners, who suffer the most from these major disruptions. Moving forward, we must ensure the MTA properly vets its projects and considers the interests of all San Franciscans. We need a balance that fosters small business vibrancy and uses common sense when improving our city.
The order of candidates alternates each week. Answers may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling, and grammar.
Read the rest of the series here. Illustrations for the series by Neil Ballard.
You can register to vote via the sf.gov website.
MORE RESPONSES FROM THE DISTRICT 7 CANDIDATES
Meet the Candidates: San Francisco’s District 7 supervisor race
KELLY WALDRON
Kelly is Irish and French and grew up in Dublin and Luxembourg. She studied Geography at McGill University and worked at a remote sensing company in Montreal, making maps and analyzing methane data, before turning to journalism. She recently graduated from the Data Journalism program at Columbia Journalism School.More by Kelly Waldron
