by XUEER LU JULY 12, 2024 (MissionLocal.org)
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Welcome back to the “Meet the Candidates” series for District 11, where we ask each candidate to answer one question every week leading up to the election. They must answer the question in 100 words or less. We will link to longer answers.
With District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safaí termed out and running for mayor, seven candidates have thrown their hats in the ring to represent the Excelsior, Oceanview and the Outer Mission.
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On Wednesday evening, five of the six District 11 supervisor candidates came together at the Italian American Social Club at 25 Russia Ave for the fourth forum this election season.
You can read about it here and learn about their second choices in the race and stances on issues such as childcare, park facility accessibility, and transit.
This week, we are asking the supervisorial hopefuls: What would be your boldest piece of legislation if you are elected as district supervisor?
Next week, I will be on the mayoral campaign next week but you can reach me with questions at xueer@missionlocal.com
Chyanne Chen
- Job: Worker organizer, community facilitator and educator
- Age: 39
- Residency: Homeowner, landlord, living in District 11 since August 2000
- Transportation: Walk, public transportation, rideshare, and car
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from University of California, Davis, master’s degree from Cornell University, doctoral degree in education in progress at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- Languages: English, Mandarin, Cantonese
I plan to create free before- and after-school programs for all at schools and in community settings, and I will design them based on families’ needs.
Speaking to lifelong San Franciscans, many remembered a time when recreation centers in every neighborhood provided free programs after school and in the summer. They provided meals, and regardless of whether a child enrolled in the program, there were extra meals, and no child went hungry. It was much easier for working families to make their dollars stretch and not have to worry about their kids.
The pandemic has significantly changed school and work schedules … read more here
Endorsed by: Assemblymember Phil Ting, former police commissioner Larry Yee, San Francisco Board of Education commissioner Jenny Lam, former supervisors Norman Yee, Sandy Fewer and Mabel Teng.
Adlah Chisti
- Job: Public policy analyst, caregiver
- Age: 40
- Residency: Live with parents and caregive for them, born in District 11 in 1983 and lived there since, moved out in 2013 and back in 2017
- Transportation: Public
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in politics and in environmental science, and master’s degree in education from University of San Francisco, master’s degree in public policy from Georgetown McCourt School of Public Policy, juris doctorate from University of California Law, San Francisco
- Languages: English, Spanish, Hindi
If elected as District Supervisor, my boldest legislation would be to champion universal childcare funded by Prop C, which imposes a gross receipts tax on commercial property.
Childcare is vital to a flourishing economy. This initiative would provide high-quality, affordable childcare to all families, supporting working parents, boosting workforce participation, and promoting early childhood development. By investing in our youngest residents, we ensure a more equitable and prosperous future for our community. Additionally, this initiative would create jobs in the childcare sector, stimulate the local economy, and make San Francisco a more attractive place to live and work, aligning with our city’s values of inclusivity and support for working families.
Ernest “E.J.” Jones
- Job: Community advocate
- Age: 38
- Residency: Tenant, living in District 11 since November 1985 and has lived here always, except for time away at college
- Transportation: Public, car
- Education: Bachelor’s degree, Dominican University, master’s degree in public administration from University of San Francisco
- Languages: English, Spanish
If elected to the Board of Supervisors, my piece of legislation would have an immediate impact, which would be to make child locks on apartment windows above the first floor mandatory. Last week, we saw a child fall out of the window in the mission, and we would want to prevent this from happening to additional families.
Secondly, It would be to honor Rose Ann Harris, a devoted resident and tireless community advocate, by dedicating Persia Triangle to her and her life’s work. Rose Ann’s life was marked by dedication to San Francisco, and dedicating the Persia Triangle to Rose Ann Harris would commemorate her legacy and inspire future generations.
Endorsed by: Supervisors Shamann Walton and Myrna Melgar, Assemblymember Matt Haney, Former SF mayor Willie Brown Jr., Transit Workers Union Local 250A… read more here
Michael Lai
- Job: Early education director, elected to the San Francisco Democratic Party
- Age: 31
- Residency: Tenant, living in District 11 since February 2024
- Transportation: Public
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in government at Harvard College with coursework at Harvard Graduate School of Education
- Languages: English, Mandarin
Michael Lai has not provided an answer to the question.
Endorsed by: Attorney General Rob Bonta, Senator Scott Wiener, Sheriff Paul Miyamoto, Supervisors Joel Engardio and Matt Dorsey, NorCal Carpenters Union. read more here
Roger Marenco
- Job: Transit operator
- Age: 42
- Residency: Tenant, living in District 11 since May 2014
- Transportation: Public
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in environmental sustainability and social justice from San Francisco State University. City College San Francisco
- Languages: English, Spanish
My boldest piece of legislation would be to immediately stop the never ending second chances that are given to criminals and implement stricter penalties for criminals.
By now we’ve all seen YouTube videos of criminals breaking car windows in broad daylight, we’ve seen criminals shoplifting right in front of our eyes and we’ve seen criminals engaging in drug use freely and openly on the streets. We live in a backwards society where you walk into Walgreens and the Cheetos are locked up, but the criminals are set free. Enough is enough. Let’s stop protecting criminals and start protecting our families.
Jose Morales
- Job: Sales professional, small-business owner
- Age: 28
- Residency: Tenant, born in District 11 in 1995 and has lived there since, except for time away in college from 2014 to 2017 and living in Idaho from 2021 to the end of 2022
- Transportation: Car
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in economics from Sonoma State University
- Languages: English, Spanish
My boldest piece of legislation would focus on increasing public conservatorship for those suffering from severe mental conditions and drug addictions in San Francisco.
Having a huge mentally ill and drug-addicted population on our streets, intermingled with our everyday citizens, is dangerous and flat-out irresponsible. Our parents, grandparents, wives, and kids should feel safe walking to the corner store without having to step over people lying on the ground or tiptoeing around needles.
It is our job as leaders to protect our residents, especially our most vulnerable populations like the elderly and children, but unfortunately, we have failed.
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
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
