by XUEER LUJULY 18, 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.
Many neighbors in District 11 complain about the inefficiencies of community outreach, for example, with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.
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So for week 21, we are asking: What do you think of the trade-offs between community outreach and efficiency, and how would you make the process more productive as district supervisor?
Next week, I will be at Excelsior Coffee (4495 Mission St.) at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 25. You can also reach me with questions, comments, and tips at xueer@missionlocal.com
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
Community outreach ensures that constituents’ voices are heard and that policies reflect their needs, fostering trust and engagement. And at a minimum it’s the job of the Supervisor to listen and I love to listen.
As supervisor, I would create specialized task forces with community representatives to focus on specific issues, allowing for targeted and efficient problem-solving and dedicated timelines. It’s important to have a cooperative process with the community. And with SFMTA in particular, I believe that good planning, design and engineering of transit lanes and bike paths will ensure pedestrian safety, reliability and accessibility.
Endorsed by: United Educators of San Francisco, Green Party, Run for Something, Police Commissioner Debra Walker, … read more here
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
I envision a district united in solidarity, where every resident feels supported, challenges are tackled together, and opportunities for growth are attainable. I plan to work with the community to achieve this vision and ensure inclusivity in decision-making processes.
My strategy includes providing language access, hiring the right staff with connections to the community, and addressing the fundamental challenge of balancing community outreach and efficiency. Grassroots outreach builds trust and gathers diverse perspectives but is time-consuming, while efficiency allows prompt decision-making but may reduce community interaction. Early input is key to making the late portions of the workflow quicker.
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
Current community outreach options are limited to in-person meetings that few know about and attend or expensive, like polls. We should practice a transparent and time-boxed approach to outreach in various languages, with more extensive processes for major projects and streamlined ones for smaller improvements.
Given how diverse District 11 is, it’s really important to offer multiple engagement formats, especially online, and in different languages, especially Cantonese, Spanish, and Tagalog. Redesigning a main corridor may require community meetings, online surveys, and extended comment periods, while installing a bike rack may only need a brief online feedback form.
We also should fundamentally reimagine community outreach with bigger ideas, such as demographically representative citizen assemblies.
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
There should be no trade-offs when it comes to community outreach and efficiency because they both work hand in hand. We will establish monthly community meetings with labor unions, community leaders, nonprofit organizations and neighbors so that everyone can feel that they are a part of the discussion. We will establish accountability and follow-ups with what is demanded by the neighborhoods. We need to also focus on using technology to reach more people with news and updates on a faster level. Community outreach and efficiency are necessary tools, for positive results.
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
I believe community outreach must be accessible to everyone, not just those who have the time to attend city hall meetings, which often feel like a ‘pay to play’ environment. Effective community outreach is essential for creating solutions that truly reflect the needs of our community. Unfortunately, the SFMTA has a history of ignoring these needs.
We must hold our agencies and elected leaders accountable and ensure they provide better community outreach. This will help us create efficient and meaningful change. By utilizing digital platforms, transparent communication, and continuous feedback, we can make the process more inclusive and productive.
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 don’t think we need to choose between community outreach and efficiency. Indeed, I think the lack of community outreach in many areas has made SFMTA and other agencies less efficient.
In my experience as a labor and community organizer, I have fought that when we bring residents and stakeholders together at the outset, we can identify problems and ideas early and better implement solutions that will have wide support.
It is a misconception that community outreach “blocks” efficient programs. Good community outreach creates pathways for success because residents feel engaged and empowered. We need to stop seeing our residents as a “problem” that we must circumvent and start recognizing that government should be working for them.
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.
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
