{"id":36991,"date":"2024-10-14T13:17:42","date_gmt":"2024-10-14T20:17:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=36991"},"modified":"2024-10-14T13:17:43","modified_gmt":"2024-10-14T20:17:43","slug":"homeless-people-told-us-their-picks-for-san-francisco-mayor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2024\/10\/14\/homeless-people-told-us-their-picks-for-san-francisco-mayor\/","title":{"rendered":"Homeless people told us their picks for San Francisco mayor"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

(sfstandard.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Tugboat Rainwater said Republican candidate Ellen Lee Zhou courted him for his vote. | Source:David Sjostedt\/The Standard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Share<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By David Sjostedt<\/a>Published Oct. 08, 2024 \u2022 6:00am<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Homelessness is a top issue in the San Francisco mayoral election for voters who live in homes. It\u2019s also front of mind for voters who don\u2019t: the people who sleep on city streets, in vehicles, and in tents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Standard canvassed 10 homeless people this week to find out who\u2019s got their vote for mayor in November. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of the 10, only three knew details of the candidates; The Standard walked the others through the options. Just one was registered to vote, according to public records. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But most agree that they want a mayor who won\u2019t throw away their belongings and will get them into housing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s what they had to say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018All these laws against us\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Several people said a recent uptick in encampment sweeps<\/a>, overseen by Mayor London Breed, has made it harder to escape homelessness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For that reason, they said, they\u2019re more likely to vote for Supervisor Aaron Peskin, whose website <\/strong>criticizes the approach of moving homeless people from block to block. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Breed and Peskin\u2019s campaigns didn\u2019t respond to requests for comment by publication time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dan Laughlin said his stance against encampment sweeps means he’ll vote for Supervisor Aaron Peskin. | Source:David Sjostedt\/The Standard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Dan Laughlin said he\u2019s lived in an RV in San Francisco for 27 years and was recently ticketed for illegal parking for the first time. Laughlin said he\u2019s a registered Green Party voter and will likely vote for Peskin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen you start having all these laws against us, it doesn\u2019t help,\u201d Laughlin said. \u201cThere\u2019s not going to be enough shelter for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Watch: Mark Farrell says he would have cleared homeless despite court order: \u2018Sue me\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

SF has been busing homeless people all over the U.S. \u2014 and it\u2019s just getting started<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Several<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Homeless camp complaints have spiked in these neighborhoods<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I don\u2019t trust anyone\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Tugboat Rainwater, who lives in a tent on the streets of SoMa, said he got involved in the election after Republican candidate Ellen Lee Zhou<\/a> approached him while he was panhandling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rainwater said he was holding a sign that read \u201chomeless hungry veteran\u201d near a freeway off-ramp when Zhou pulled over in her campaign van and promised to house him if elected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Rainwater shows a campaign card the candidate handed him. | Source:David Sjostedt\/The Standard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe goes, \u2018If you vote for me and I get inducted as mayor, I promise that we\u2019ll get as many homeless people off the street as want to get off the street,\u2019\u201d Rainwater said, pulling Zhou\u2019s campaign card from his wallet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a phone interview, Zhou said she often stops and talks to \u201cnon-Tenderloin\u201d homeless people as part of her religious practice \u2014 but not for campaign purposes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said that if she becomes mayor, she\u2019ll call an emergency declaration to fingerprint every homeless person, allowing her to determine whether they are homeless by choice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those who are \u201cprofessional homeless,\u201d as she puts it, would be reprimanded. Everyone else would receive around-the-clock care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOnce I fingerprint and facial recognition each person in San Francisco who claims to be homeless, then we were able to root out the problems,\u201d Zhou said. \u201cIf they are professional homeless, and they choose to be homeless, then we have to give them a warning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rainwater, who said he is from Alaska, became homeless after his little brother stole his car, leaving him stranded in the city three years ago. He\u2019s frustrated by politicians and social workers, who\u2019ve repeatedly broken promises to house him, he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI jumped through every one of their hoops, and they never called me back,\u201d Rainwater said. \u201cI don\u2019t trust anyone. But I like what [Zhou] says and the way she says it.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Connections would help the city\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Rick Lint, who has been homeless at various times over 29 years in the city, said critics don\u2019t understand how difficult it is to find a job once you\u2019ve become homeless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lint dreams of working as a chef, cooking beef Stroganoff, halibut, and oysters, he said. But the city\u2019s shelters don\u2019t offer job training or sufficient rehabilitation services to help him accomplish his goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe just get moved along, tossed into the garbage,\u201d Lint said. \u201cThe uppity type, upper-echelon people think, \u2018Oh, they can go get a job.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Rick Lint said he would consider voting for Daniel Lurie because the nonprofit leader is well-connected. | Source:David Sjostedt\/The Standard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

He was unfamiliar with any of the candidates running for mayor. But when The Standard showed him a list of the candidates and their positions, he made his pick: Daniel Lurie<\/a>, a nonprofit founder and heir to the Levi\u2019s fortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHis connections would help the city out tremendously,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lurie\u2019s plan to combat homelessness includes auditing nonprofits and expanding shelters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe City Hall insiders rubber-stamped billions in unaccountable contracts and failed to get results for our communities and unhoused neighbors alike,\u201d Lurie said in a statement. \u201cIf they want more of the same, there will be plenty of that on the ballot, but if they want accountable, results-driven leadership, I hope to have their support.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018More affordable housing\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Kali Donlin said she lived in an apartment near 19th and Valencia streets for 26 years before being evicted six months ago. Since then, she\u2019s been cited for illegal lodging, had her tent confiscated by the city, and woke up with men sleeping next to her, forcing her to sleep with a knife under her pillow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Donlin, who lost her husband in 2021 and survives on disability benefits, said the Mission has become unaffordable, leading her to choose Peskin<\/a> because of his promise to stop evictions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Kali Donlin said she would vote for Peskin for his stated focus on halting evictions. | Source:David Sjostedt\/The Standard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf they\u2019re ticketing people for not having a home, shouldn\u2019t they give us a home?\u201d Donlin said. \u201cThey need to add more affordable housing in the Mission. That\u2019s what it used to be all about. This was the affordable neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

None of the 10 people polled by The Standard named Mark Farrell<\/a>, Ahsha Safa\u00ed<\/a>, or Breed as their pick for mayor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

David Sjostedt can be reached at david@sfstandard.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(sfstandard.com) Share By David SjostedtPublished Oct. 08, 2024 \u2022 6:00am Homelessness is a top issue in the San Francisco mayoral election for voters who live in homes. It\u2019s also front of mind for voters who don\u2019t: the people who sleep on city streets, in vehicles, and in tents.  The Standard canvassed 10… Continue reading → <\/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\/36991"}],"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=36991"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36991\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36992,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36991\/revisions\/36992"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36991"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36991"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36991"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}