{"id":34460,"date":"2024-06-21T12:12:29","date_gmt":"2024-06-21T19:12:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=34460"},"modified":"2024-06-21T12:12:30","modified_gmt":"2024-06-21T19:12:30","slug":"district-5-candidates-discuss-sf-budget-and-their-priorities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2024\/06\/21\/district-5-candidates-discuss-sf-budget-and-their-priorities\/","title":{"rendered":"District 5 candidates discuss SF budget and their priorities"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/missionloca.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/cropped-IMG_6941-scaled-1.jpg 2x\" height=\"80\" width=\"80\" src=\"https:\/\/missionloca.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/cropped-IMG_6941-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"A smiling person with glasses standing in front of a red background.\"> by\u00a0 <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/missionlocal.org\/author\/elenib\/\">ELENI BALAKRISHNAN<\/a><\/strong> JUNE 18, 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\/06\/District-5-Banner.png?fit=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Illustration of District 5 with 2024 supervisorial race candidates Bilal Mahmood, Dean Preston, Allen Jones, Autumn Looijen, and Scotty Jacobs depicted below the skyline.\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Here\u2019s the latest in our \u201cMeet the Candidates\u201d series for District 5, in which we ask each candidate to answer one question per week leading up to the election. Four candidates are challenging incumbent Supervisor Dean Preston to represent District 5, which spans from the east end of Golden Gate Park through Haight-Ashbury, Japantown and the Western Addition, the Lower Haight and Hayes Valley, and most of the Tenderloin.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Everyone\u2019s talking about Mayor London Breed\u2019s proposed budget, so we will, too. And a city budget as massive as San Francisco\u2019s \u2014 nearly $16 billion \u2014 deserves some scrutiny. Why do some departments get so much money, while others get so little?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This week\u2019s question is:&nbsp;<strong>What are your thoughts on the budget, and which departments do you think should have gotten more or less funding?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stay informed and engaged! Sign up for Mission Local&#8217;s newsletter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our candidates shared their thoughts, but many didn\u2019t quite answer the question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Note: I will be at Cafe R\u00e9veille, 201 Steiner St, on Thursday, June 20, at 4:30 p.m.<\/em>&nbsp;<em>Come say hi and share your thoughts about District 5.<\/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\/missionloca.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Autumn-Looijen-640x640.png?resize=640%2C640&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Illustration of a smiling woman with glasses and long hair in a circular frame.\" class=\"wp-image-594267\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-autumn-looijen\">Autumn Looijen<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Job<\/strong>: School board recall co-founder<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Age<\/strong>: 46<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Residency<\/strong>: Tenant in District 5 since December 2020, landowner<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Transportation<\/strong>: Public transit<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Education<\/strong>: Bachelor\u2019s degree from California Institute of Technology<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Languages<\/strong>: English<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019re facing serious budget issues in the years ahead.&nbsp;Office attendance is&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sf.gov\/data\/san-francisco-office-attendance\">down 50 percent<\/a>, and there are 20 Salesforce Towers worth of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/sfstandard.com\/2023\/12\/18\/san-francisco-office-real-estate-vacancy-salesforce-tower\/\">empty space downtown<\/a>. That means less money for city services \u2026 and it\u2019s not a quick fix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By 2027-2028, the city expects a<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sf.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/2023-12\/Joint%20Report%20FY%202024-25%20through%20FY%202027-28.pdf\">&nbsp;$1.3 billion annual shortfall<\/a>. We cannot spend money we don\u2019t have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I would&nbsp;<strong>preserve safety and infrastructure<\/strong>,&nbsp;<strong>audit nonprofits<\/strong>, and compare our current staffing to 2018 levels, and to other cities with satisfied residents. I would entirely&nbsp;<strong>cut foil and pipe distribution<\/strong>,&nbsp;<strong>reduce administration<\/strong>&nbsp;to preserve workers\u2019 jobs, and make sure we spend our limited money wisely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Endorsed by<\/strong>: San Francisco police union.<\/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\/missionloca.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/D5-Bilal-Mahmood-640x640.png?resize=640%2C640&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"District 5 candidate Bilal Mahmood\" class=\"wp-image-582662\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-bilal-mahmood\">Bilal Mahmood<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Job<\/strong>: Founder of private and philanthropic organizations<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Age<\/strong>: 37<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Residency<\/strong>: Tenant in District 5 since May 2023<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Transportation<\/strong>: Walking<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Education<\/strong>: Bachelor\u2019s degree from Stanford University, master\u2019s degree from University of Cambridge<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Languages<\/strong>: English, Urdu<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>San Francisco has had a record budget for years. And yet,&nbsp;<strong>bureaucracy and corruption<\/strong>&nbsp;have held back appropriate delivery of services. Due to bureaucracy, we are nearly 14 percent&nbsp;<strong>understaffed<\/strong>&nbsp;across various government departments, with some even at 20-percent-vacancy levels. As a result, nearly $500 million across public health and safety is&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/opinion\/openforum\/article\/san-francisco-city-jobs-18334860.php\">unspent or inefficiently spent<\/a>&nbsp;as overtime, as I documented in my research last year.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If elected,&nbsp;<strong>I will ensure our departments are working efficiently and hold them accountable<\/strong>&nbsp;to taxpayers. We don\u2019t have a budget problem, we have a results problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Endorsed by<\/strong>: San Francisco YIMBY, State Senator Scott Wiener and DCCC Chair Honey Mahogany.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/missionloca.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/D5-Dean-Preston-640x640.png?resize=640%2C640&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston\" class=\"wp-image-582663\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-dean-preston\">Dean Preston<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Job<\/strong>: Incumbent, tenant attorney<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Age<\/strong>: 54<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Residency<\/strong>: Homeowner, in District 5 since 1996<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Transportation<\/strong>: Public transit<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Education<\/strong>: Bachelor\u2019s degree from Bowdoin College, juris doctor degree from University of California Law, San Francisco<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Languages<\/strong>: English<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The budget is a statement of values. We should&nbsp;<strong>prioritize critical services<\/strong>&nbsp;for our residents, and make sure to meet the needs of the most vulnerable. That\u2019s especially important when we face budget deficits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Progressive taxes on the ultra-wealthy&nbsp;<\/strong>saved this city from economic ruin during the pandemic. I wrote Prop. I, which has brought in more than $300 million for housing, transit and parks; I\u2019ve strongly backed other successful taxes on billionaires.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We should&nbsp;<strong>cut the administration\u2019s multi-million dollar PR operations, travel budgets, and bloated\/ever-increasing police budgets<\/strong>, and&nbsp;<strong>invest more in food security, affordable housing, overdose prevention, and youth programs<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Endorsed by<\/strong>: Bernie Sanders, United Educators of San Francisco, San Francisco Labor Council, San Francisco Tenants Union, National Union of Healthcare Workers<\/em>.<\/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\/06\/Scotty-Jacobs-640x640.png?resize=640%2C640&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Cartoon illustration of a man with short hair, glasses, a beard, and a blue collared shirt, set inside a circular teal background.\" class=\"wp-image-635044\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-scotty-jacobs\">Scotty Jacobs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Job<\/strong>: Marketing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Age<\/strong>: 30<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Residency<\/strong>: Tenant in District 5 since November 2022, homeowner<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Transportation<\/strong>: Public bicycle<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Education<\/strong>: Bachelor\u2019s degree from Washington University<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Languages<\/strong>: English<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>San Francisco doesn\u2019t have a revenue problem;&nbsp;<strong>we have a spending problem<\/strong>. In order to address the projected $800 million budget shortfall, we need more scrutiny around where our leaders are spending taxpayer money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On Day 1 in office,&nbsp;<strong>I\u2019ll demand an audit of outside vendors<\/strong>&nbsp;(comprising approximately $5.8 billion of the fiscal year 2024 budget) to remove duplicative services. I\u2019ll also work to establish a clear framework of&nbsp;<strong>performance metrics<\/strong>&nbsp;to ensure we are investing in proven outcomes. We need to find efficiencies in our existing city revenues before&nbsp;<strong>levying incremental taxes<\/strong>&nbsp;to get our city back on the right financial footing.<\/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\/missionloca.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/D5-Allen-Jones-640x640.png?resize=640%2C640&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"District 5 candidate Allen Jones\" class=\"wp-image-582664\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-allen-jones\">Allen Jones<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Job<\/strong>: Activist<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Age<\/strong>: 67<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Residency<\/strong>: Tenant in District 5 since November 2021<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Transportation<\/strong>: Wheelchair<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Education<\/strong>: Teaching Bible studies at juvenile hall<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Languages<\/strong>: English<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>SURPRISE! People are crying about Mayor Breed\u2019s $15.9 billion budget proposal. Closing a nearly $800 million shortfall will bring out 799,999,999 critics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>I support Mayor London Breed<\/strong>. And yes, I tried to get members of the Board of Supervisors to&nbsp;<strong>fund public electric wheelchair charging stations<\/strong>. In fact, all city agencies that have heard of this idea support it. But some supervisors are \u201cmad\u201d about Breed\u2019s budget proposal. Really? In life, I might have to eat less, which strangely might cost more, trying to lose weight. If grandstanding and crying fixes a budget, I\u2019ll supply the soapbox and tissue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This story was updated with a response from Autumn Looijen.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>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&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:eleni@missionlocal.com\">eleni@missionlocal.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Read the rest of the District 5 questions&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/missionlocal.org\/2024\/02\/meet-the-candidates-all-2024-district-5-supervisor-answers\/\">here<\/a>, and the entire \u201cMeet the Candidates\u201d 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;<a href=\"http:\/\/sf.gov\/register-vote\">sf.gov<\/a>&nbsp;website.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">READ MORE CANDIDATE ANSWERS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/missionlocal.org\/2024\/02\/meet-the-candidates-all-2024-district-5-supervisor-answers\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/District-5-Banner-1.png?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Meet the Candidates: San Francisco\u2019s District 5 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-5-supervisor-answers\/\">Meet the Candidates: San Francisco\u2019s District 5 supervisor race<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/missionlocal.org\/author\/elenib\/\">ELENI BALAKRISHNAN<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"mailto:eleni@missionlocal.com\">eleni@missionlocal.com<\/a><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/miss_elenius\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<a href=\"https:\/\/missionlocal.org\/author\/elenib\/\">More by Eleni Balakrishnan<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Source:  <a href=\"https:\/\/missionlocal.org\/2024\/06\/meet-district-5-candidates-week20-budget\/?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=Mission+Local&amp;utm_campaign=a7cc654876-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2024_06_20_04_43&amp;utm_term=0_-a7cc654876-[LIST_EMAIL_ID]\">https:\/\/missionlocal.org\/2024\/06\/meet-district-5-candidates-week20-budget\/?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=Mission+Local&amp;utm_campaign=a7cc654876-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2024_06_20_04_43&amp;utm_term=0_-a7cc654876-[LIST_EMAIL_ID]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by\u00a0 ELENI BALAKRISHNAN JUNE 18, 2024 (MissionLocal.org) Here\u2019s the latest in our \u201cMeet the Candidates\u201d series for District 5, in which we ask each candidate to answer one question per week leading up to the election. Four candidates are challenging incumbent Supervisor Dean Preston to represent District 5, which spans&#8230; <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2024\/06\/21\/district-5-candidates-discuss-sf-budget-and-their-priorities\/\"> 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\/34460"}],"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=34460"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34460\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34461,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34460\/revisions\/34461"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}