{"id":34027,"date":"2024-05-29T11:54:42","date_gmt":"2024-05-29T18:54:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=34027"},"modified":"2024-05-29T11:54:43","modified_gmt":"2024-05-29T18:54:43","slug":"meet-the-district-7-candidates-how-has-the-l-taraval-project-been-allowed-to-go-on-for-so-long","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2024\/05\/29\/meet-the-district-7-candidates-how-has-the-l-taraval-project-been-allowed-to-go-on-for-so-long\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the District 7 candidates: \u2018How has the L-Taraval\u00a0project been allowed to go on for so long?\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/missionloca.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/cropped-headshot.jpg 2x\" height=\"80\" width=\"80\" src=\"https:\/\/missionloca.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/cropped-headshot.jpg\" alt=\"Avatar photo\"> by\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/missionlocal.org\/author\/kellyw\/\">KELLY WALDRON<\/a><\/strong> MAY 25, 2024 (MissionLocal.org)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/District-7-Banner.png?fit=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"District 7 supersonic race 2014.\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Matt Boschetto, Stephen Martin-Pinto and Myrna Melgar are running for District 7 Supervisor in the November 2024 election.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/missionlocal.org\/2024\/02\/conozca-a-los-candidatos-contienda-electoral-para-supervisor-del-distrito-7-de-san-francisco\/\">Leer en espa\u00f1ol<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Welcome to \u201cMeet the Candidates,\u201d where Mission Local asks supervisor hopefuls questions in the lead-up to the November election. In District 7 \u2014 which includes the Inner Sunset, Parkmerced and West Portal \u2014 Matt Boschetto and Stephen Martin-Pinto are running against incumbent Myrna Melgar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/missionlocal.org\/2024\/02\/meet-the-candidates-all-2024-district-7-supervisor-answers\/\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.invinciblebarbell.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.broadstreetads.com\/assets\/89db997d-777b-433f-b1c8-c1fcf2c859c6.webp\" alt=\"End of December\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This week, we asked the candidates:&nbsp;<strong>How has the L-Taraval project been allowed to go on for so long?<\/strong>&nbsp;Are there any ways in which you think this project could be improved? See their responses below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfmta.com\/projects\/l-taraval-improvement-project\">L-Taraval Improvement Project<\/a>&nbsp;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&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/sfstandard.com\/2024\/02\/08\/san-francisco-taraval-street-nightmare\/\">disruption along the corridor<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Do you have a question for the candidates? Let me know at&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:kelly@missionlocal.com\">kelly@missionlocal.com<\/a>, or come to meet me for coffee. Next week, I\u2019ll be at SFSU Station Cafe (1600 Holloway Ave.) on Thursday, May 30 at 11:30 a.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/D7-Stephen-Martin-Pinto-640x640.png?resize=640%2C640&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"A cartoon of a man in an orange circle.\" class=\"wp-image-583197\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-stephen-martin-pinto\">Stephen Martin-Pinto<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Firefighter\/major, U.S. Marine Corps reserves<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Age<\/strong>: 46&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Housing<\/strong>: Tenant in SF, Property owner and landlord in Lemon Grove, Ca.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Languages:&nbsp;<\/strong>Spanish, Russian, Georgian<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Education:<\/strong>&nbsp;University of California, Davis<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Residency:&nbsp;<\/strong>Living in District 7\u2019s Sunnyside since 2014 and, earlier from 1983 to 1998<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>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&nbsp;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 \u2014 nearly round-the-clock construction, seven days a week, until the L-Taraval&nbsp;is back online, so impact to merchants is mitigated. I wrote about it in&nbsp;detail&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/StephenMPinto\/status\/1774147470622392332\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Endorsed by:&nbsp;<\/strong>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 \u2026&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.stephenmartinpinto.com\/supporters\">Read more here<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.littlemissionstudio.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.broadstreetads.com\/assets\/c5b173b6-ea7a-474e-ad52-735f71db3002.png\" alt=\"SR. Little Mission Studio \"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/D7-Myrna-Melgar-640x640.png?resize=640%2C640&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"A cartoon of a woman in a business suit.\" class=\"wp-image-583196\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-myrna-melgar\">Myrna Melgar<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>District 7 supervisor<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Age:<\/strong>&nbsp;56<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Housing:<\/strong>&nbsp;Homeowner<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Transport:<\/strong>&nbsp;Bike<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Languages<\/strong>: Spanish, French, Swedish<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Education<\/strong>: Bachelor\u2019s degree, Excelsior College; master\u2019s degree in urban planning, Columbia University<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Residency:<\/strong>&nbsp;Living in District 7\u2019s Sunnyside since 2014 and, before that, from 1983 to 1988<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Infrastructure repairs can be disruptive, and the L-Taraval&nbsp;improvement project is no exception.&nbsp;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&nbsp;Taraval&nbsp;businesses for their temporary loss of income.&nbsp;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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Endorsed by:&nbsp;<\/strong>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 \u2026&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Myrna-Melgar-Endorsements.pdf\">Read more here<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/D7-Matt-Boschetto-640x640.png?resize=640%2C640&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"A cartoon image of a man with a beard.\" class=\"wp-image-583195\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-matt-boschetto\">Matt Boschetto<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Small business owner<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Age<\/strong>: 35<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Housing<\/strong>: Homeowner<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Education:<\/strong>&nbsp;Bachelor\u2019s degree in philosophy, Saint Mary\u2019s College of California<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Residency:&nbsp;<\/strong>Living in District 7 since 2014<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>San Francisco\u2019s vibrancy depends on thriving small businesses and common-sense planning. The L-Taraval&nbsp;project exemplifies SFMTA\u2019s overreach and lack of due diligence. This issue isn\u2019t confined to&nbsp;Taraval&nbsp;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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The order of candidates alternates each week. Answers may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling, and grammar.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Read the rest of the series&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/missionlocal.org\/tag\/meet-the-candidates\/\">here<\/a>. Illustrations for the series by Neil Ballard.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>You can register to vote via the&nbsp;<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sf.gov\/register-vote\"><em>sf.gov website<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">MORE RESPONSES FROM THE DISTRICT 7 CANDIDATES<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/missionlocal.org\/2024\/02\/meet-the-candidates-all-2024-district-7-supervisor-answers\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/District-7-Banner-1.png?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Meet the Candidates: San Francisco\u2019s District 7 supervisor race\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/missionlocal.org\/2024\/02\/meet-the-candidates-all-2024-district-7-supervisor-answers\/\">Meet the Candidates: San Francisco\u2019s District 7 supervisor race<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/missionlocal.org\/author\/kellyw\/\"><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/missionlocal.org\/author\/kellyw\/\">KELLY WALDRON<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"mailto:kelly@missionlocal.com\">kelly@missionlocal.com<\/a><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kellywaldro\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<a href=\"https:\/\/missionlocal.org\/author\/kellyw\/\">More by Kelly Waldron<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Source:  <a href=\"https:\/\/missionlocal.org\/2024\/05\/meet-the-district-7-candidates-how-has-the-l-taraval-project-been-allowed-to-go-on-for-so-long\/?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=Mission+Local&amp;utm_campaign=6b254dceb8-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2024_05_28_04_43&amp;utm_term=0_-6b254dceb8-[LIST_EMAIL_ID]\">https:\/\/missionlocal.org\/2024\/05\/meet-the-district-7-candidates-how-has-the-l-taraval-project-been-allowed-to-go-on-for-so-long\/?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=Mission+Local&amp;utm_campaign=6b254dceb8-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2024_05_28_04_43&amp;utm_term=0_-6b254dceb8-[LIST_EMAIL_ID]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by\u00a0KELLY WALDRON MAY 25, 2024 (MissionLocal.org) Leer en espa\u00f1ol Welcome to \u201cMeet the Candidates,\u201d where Mission Local asks supervisor hopefuls questions in the lead-up to the November election. In District 7 \u2014 which includes the Inner Sunset, Parkmerced and West Portal \u2014 Matt Boschetto and Stephen Martin-Pinto are running against&#8230; <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2024\/05\/29\/meet-the-district-7-candidates-how-has-the-l-taraval-project-been-allowed-to-go-on-for-so-long\/\"> Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr; <\/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":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34027"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34027"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34027\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34028,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34027\/revisions\/34028"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34027"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34027"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34027"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}