In, and why you are running for district 7 supervisor. Well start alphabetically with ben. Hello. Good evening, and thank you very much to the league for hosting us tonight. Hello. My name is ben matranga, and im running for district 7 supervisor. I want to fight for working families and ensure that our city emerges from this Health Crisis stronger than before. As a new father and firsttime homeowner, i know the stakes are high in this election. I know the city is calling out for genuine leadership, for common sense, and frankly, for people that will deliver on their promises. Let me tell you a little bit about my background. I was born and raised in district 7. I live in west portal seven blocks from where i grew up. I met my wife in high school at st. Ignatius, and were raising our young daughter in that district. Professionally, ive spent 15 years building largescale thank you, ben. Thank you. And now, well move to emily. Youre muted, emily. All right. Good evening, everyone. Im emily murase, and i want to be your supervisor. 2020 marks the millennial of womens right to vote, and yet, after the departure of supervisor yee from the board of supervisors, we will have two women on the board of supervisors. Im the only candidate whos been elected to office, serving two terms on the school board, including as president. My spouse and i have lived in the lake shore neighborhood of district 7 for over 15 years, where we raised our two now adult daughters. My priorities are bolstering Public Health, enabling voters, and accelerating Public Health. Well go to joel. Hi, everyone. Im joel engardio. I live in the district 7 neighborhood. Families care about the basics housing, schools, quality of life. The budget has doubled the last decade, and nothing is twice as good, and now, were facing massive deficits. We need to audit every program and only pay for what works. I grew up in the gm town of sag saginaw, michigan. Ive lived in San Francisco for 22 years, lived in district 7 for a decade. As a journalist, i held city hall accountable and gave people a voice. Ill do the same as your supervisor. Its time to get it right. Clean streets, smaller deficits, and better services, and id be glad to be your candidate. Thanks, joel. Ken . My name is ken [inaudible] we lived off of every muni met metro line, and for the last 14 years, ive lived just a couple of blocks up in district 7 on ocean avenue. Ive been successful here. Both my wife and i were able to build careers. One is at u. C. Davis and another ones at roll, and buena vista horace mann. I feel with my experience, i understand district 7 well. Families are important. Doct from cradle to grave, everyone should be able to live in district 7. Thanks, kenneth. Next will be myrna. Hi, everyone. My name is myrna melgar. Two years ago, i live in district 7 with my husband and family. Ive worked in the community for 15 years in housing and Economic Development and workers rights. Im running because our city is experiencing changes. Changes to our global environment, inequality and income inequality. Im running because i want to use my skills and experience to plan for those changes. The policy changes that we make today will have a profound effect how we get out of this pandemic, and whether we continue to be that city of opportunity and that shining example that we have always been to the world. I would appreciate your support, and i am the candidate with the most experience. Thank you. Thank you, myrna. Next will be stephen. Youre muted. Steven martin pinto. I live in district 7. I just want to ask one question. Are you better off than you were five years ago . Ladies and gentlemen, im running on a campaign of straight talk. When i began my campaign, it was just me, myself, and i, and one promise. Tell it like it is and dont hold back. Ive been one of the most successful nondemocratic candidates in the last decade. The reason why is because i tell it like it is, i speak the truth, and i have a lot of credibility. Im a firefighter, a fifth generation san franciscan, a veteran of iraq and afghanistan and the war, and ive seen a lot of the effects of homelessness. Vote for me in november. Thank you, steven. Last one will be polasca. Hi. My name is polasca. I loved growing up in a union household. My mother worked the post office, the graveyard shift, her entire career, so they really instilled a deep value for Public Service and hard work. I came here to San Francisco, u. S. F. School of law, where i met my wife. We currently live in parkmerced, and my kids go to school or they did before covid right across. Im proud to have the endorsement of the nurses and people in the sierra club. I ask that you allow me to be your champion at city hall and standup for working class families. Thank you, velasca, and thank you all, candidates. Well now move onto the questions for tonights forum. Question one. What type of forum will you support to increase housing availability in district 7. Do you agree with the approaches that promote more housing density . Just yes, which approaches. If no, what other approaches do you favor . And we will begin with joel, and joel, you have one win. Hi. So theres three areas of district 7 where more housing is coming. Par merced, balboa reservoir, and stonestown mall, and those are all appropriate areas for housing. I do not support anything that would restrict singlefamily zoning. We have 40 communities, and theyre all gems. West portal has a five story art deco thats been there 90 years. We can match the height of that without harming any single neighborhoods. We have a plan for seniors to age in place so they dont have to leave the home they love. We have a plan to keep singlefamilies in San Francisco, and the housing along train corridors can support those needs. Thank you, joel. Thanks. Next, well have kenneth. Hi. Joel said a lot, and i agree with what he said. The transit corridors and the housing around should grow. I dont agree with scott wieners bill. I think we need to be smart about it. I think we just gave away the deal of the century. Less than 600,000 an acre for balboa terrace, so im ready to put a stop for future development. I want to see hwhats going to come out of that and how thats going to affect district 7. Thats a district 7 deal. I want to be smart when we have housing, but i want to remind people this is district 7. We are built on singlefamily homes in small neighborhoods, and i do not want to lose that character, so it has to be an equal balance. Thank you. Thank you, kenneth. Next is stephen. Okay. So kind of what a lot of people have been saying. Im im for increasing density along transit corridors. I feel like theres plenty of space to add a story to onestory buildings along west portal. It wouldnt change minimal impacts to the neighborhood. It wouldnt change much to the neighborhood if we do it right, but theres also one thing that i think we also need to reduce the [inaudible] weve found out that telecommuting is possible. Recent survey said that two thirds of all tech workers would leave San Francisco if they could. Theres a latent demand to get out of San Francisco. If they had a chance to get out of San Francisco and still work here, they would do so. That would make it easier for those who want to live here to be able to afford houses. Thank you, stephen. Now well move to question number two. How would you address providing more Affordable Housing in district 7 . Do you support programs that encourage the building of more accessory dwelling units, commonly known as granny flats or inlaw units . And well start with myrna. Thank you for the question. Yes, i absolutely support building more accessory dwelling units. I will point out that just because we think its a good idea and put together the legislation rights the state has doesnt mean it will actually happen. We have to do more that. We have to support homeowners to adapt their housing spaces and age in space. To do that, the city can help by making the process easier, friendlier, more expeditious, and more affordable. Its not just about development, its also about money because access to wealth is not equal in our society. If youre on a fixed income or youre a women, you tend to have woman, you tend to have less abhe is sccess to the mari support all of those things. Thank you. Thank you, myrna. Next will be emily. Can you please repeat the question . Yes. How would you address providing more Affordable Housing in district 7 . Do you support programs that encourage the building of more accessory dwelling units, commonly known as granny flats or inlaw units . Yes. I do want to start out by saying d7 is primarily singlefamily homes, and that keeps families here, not retreating to the suburbs, so its a very important part of our contribution to the city. We have over 40 neighborhoods that are very distinct from each other. Lakewood is different from Forest Knolls which is different from westwood park. And within that, there is a state law that allows for two accessory dwelling units within a single property. I do think there is an opportunity to be creative. Not only a. D. U. S, but coHousing Units and other ways to live together. Primarily, im looking at the new development for housing density. Balboa reservoir appropriates 1500 units, of which 50 will be affordable. Parkmerced and stonestown also promote ideas for more housing density. Thank you, emily. Next will be polanco. Im in favor of supporting housing. My concern is in terms of providing the Housing Units we need. I think there are sites here in district 7 where we can begin from day one after the election to really dedicate Affordable Housing to the working class families like educators. Back in 2018, the leadership of uesf, our educators and teachers actually identified a space that is owned by the School District at somerton and lawton. This is the per expect area where we dont have to treat these like theyre mutually exclusive, meeting the character of district 7 while still providing housing that will make a real impact and still provide the time thank you, polanca. Well move onto question three. Will the planned guidance of the guidance center, also called the juvenile justice center, provide an increased housing in district 7. If so, what type of housing would you favor . And well start with ben. So the closing of y. G. Yc. , think its the perfect example of the sugar high we see at city hall. Ive walked the facility several times. Over half of the board of supervisors voted to close it, but theyve never been there. Folks voted to close the facility but didnt know all the great programming, all the rehabilitation that was happening there. If you talk to the folks in capital planning, they say you cant use that site, so i think its fiscally responsible to do that. It would cost too much. The taxpayers are still paying off the rebuilding of the participation of y. G. C. From a decade ago. We need to figure out how to keep young kids in San Francisco that need that rehabilitation. Thank you, ben. Next will be joel . Yeah, i dont think we should have closed it in the first place. Juvenile haul, you know, you know, is a place that has good programs thats, like, helping kids get back on their feet and be more productive members of society, and we shouldnt give up on that. I dont want to put housing there. I dont think we should have closed it in the first place because obviously, you risk shipping kids out of county. Thats not going to be helpful for them, and theres good programs there already. I think we need to be mindful of the use of the land allaround that area, laguna honda. We want to make sure that were not using up land that the hospital might need. Thank you, joel. Next will be kenneth. Hi, thank you very much. I think ben hit it on the nose. That is a sugar high. The idea that juvenile crime is down forever and we are in some magic wonderland. The reality is that were heading into a recession thats already showing its teeth. California is now flattening at 11 unemployment. We know that during times of recession and high unemployment that crime does go up, particularly with youth. We likely have pressed it with the lows in Violent Crime that existed. So the magic that were going to be able to deal with our juvenile problems without Juvenile Hall is a sugar high. When we have a problem that manifests, we should look at fixing and solving that problem, not necessarily shutting it down. Thank you very much. Thank you, kenneth. Well move onto question number 4. What are the primary issues regarding homelessness in district 7. What programs or services would you bring to the community to address these issues, and well start with stephen. In my experience as a first responder, every day i go to work, im right there in the trenches, dealing with homelessness. I worked at some of San Franciscos busiest fire stations, where i ran up to 20 or 30 calls a day, most of which were homeless calls, and in my experience, the homeless crisis in San Francisco is very much closely tied to a drug and mental Health Crisis. We had nearly 300 fentanyl deaths in 2018, nearly 400 last year, and the number is on pace to be even higher this year. So one of the biggest things we can do to solve the homeless problem not only in district 7 but citywide is really crack down on these drug dealers who are imprisoning people in a cycle of poverty, misery, and drug addiction. Thats one of the biggest things we can do to start. The other thing is lobby for those increased conservatorship laws, and im willing to go to sacramento to do that. Thank you, stephen. Next will be myrna. Thank you, dee. Your question was about district 7, and i just want to point out that district 7 is very different than district 6 or district 5 in terms of our homeless epidemic. The majority of folks who are experiencing drug problems are not drug addicts, theyre working people, living in homeless encampments and vans. The other day, my friend who owns a coffee shop called me and said there was a young woman on the street with no place to go. Hes, like, myrna, what do i do . We dont have the Wraparound Services that exist in other districts, and we need them. We need to have shower sites where people can dispose of our waste so that it doesnt go into our sewer drains and people can be treated with dignity. Thats what we need. Thank you. Thank you, myrna. Next will be emily. Yes, i believe strongly that its a human rights violation to let people sleep on the streets. Were one of the wealthiest cities in the world. We cannot tolerate this situation anymore. Unfortunately, homelessness is not just a d7 issue. Its a citywide issue. Ive been on the record opposing a Navigation Center in d7 because its too costly. The embarcadero Navigation Center is 12. 5 Community Funds for 200 beds. Families and women are not well served by tents or cots. I advocate for the flexible subsidy pool that aims to provide 200 apartments with a door and a key and an address. And i want to make sure that women dont get lost in this. Domestic violence is the number one cause of homelessness on the streets. We need to Fund Domestic Violence services. Thank you, emily. Well move onto question five. What programs do you support that address homeless and Mental Health problems in San Francisco . Well start with polasco. Mental health access, if its fully funded, i think we can make a visible impact on our streets. This goes hand in hand with the reform that we want at the criminal justice level. If Police Officers can be focused on just reporting to crime, we can actually have social workers and folks that are really trained and know the nuances of deescalation and Mental Health intervention, and that really stems from Mental Health sf, and i think it is a much needed program citywide. I think here in district 7, i think we can all echo the same underlying issues that, you know, the unhoused issue is very different from the other districts, but that is one program and policy that im fully in support of. Thank you, velasquez. Next will be ben. Thank you. I had a young kid that worked for me four years ago that died of a Drug Overdose. Was born and raised in San Francisco and died of a Drug Overdose on our streets in San Francisco just two months ago. We have an epidemic on our streets. We need to make sure we have treatment on demand and the services that actually deliver for folks like that. This is an issue that hits folks of all backgrounds, of all neighborhoods, of all parts of the city, and i think the city has been slow to respond. You see it in the numbers, you see it in the raise in fentanyl deaths. Mental health sf is a good program, but in a way, its a repaneli repackaging of the services that already existed. It really is just the first step forward, but we need new services, and thats what ill do as supervisor. Thank you, ben. The next is joel. We will be solve our homeless crisis until we deal with our mental Health Crisis. In San Francisco, theres something called the Mental Health court. This is if someone attacks someone while having a Mental Health attack on the street, they dont get jail time. And this is a good thing because we dont want jail to be the de facto services. I think we should be supporting conservatorship laws. This doesnt mean going back to the awful days of nurse ratchet and the mental asylum. I know thats a reference to netflix and a show in the 70s, but its a new idea that will give people the treatment they need. Thank you, joel. Well move to question 6. The increase in crime, including burglaries and breakins have become a concern to the residents of district 7. What actions would you propose to the police and the City Administration to handle the increase in property crimes . Well start with kenneth. Hi. Thank you very much. Our current district 7 supervisor and president of the board held a meeting for our neighborhood. He lives here in westwood park, and i was surprised at the feedback. It was specific to crime, exactly what youre asking about, and it was predominantly property crime, and the conversation moved onto home invasion. What i could tell in that meeting was people were scared. They were scared about the change thats occurring now. You ask what we should be doing. First of all, we need to be much tougher on car breakins and home invasions. I agree that we need to help these people, but as soon as we have those Property Damage that actually scare people from wanting to go out to their car as night, from locking their door at night, triple locking, triple checking, we need to make sure we have a beat cop on the street and my time is up. Thank you, kenneth. And next is stephen. One of the things i think we can do right now as a community to help make our neighborhoods more safe is form Neighborhood Watch programs, and theyve actually shown great success. There is a particular block in Diamond Heights where the Neighborhood Watch program is wired very tight, and its actually an anomaly of no crime in the middle of a neighborhood which has signature criificanto thats one thing we can do. The other thing we can do is join programs like sf safe, which teaches residents how to be safer and look out for each other. Im always a big proponent of hiring more cops. Im one of the few candidates that have gone on record saying defunding the police is the wrong way to go. We need more training, more police, and the crime thats happening times up. Thank you, stephen. Next, well hear from myrna. Thank you. There have been other communities who have come up with really innovative communitybased approaches to keep better eyes on the streets. Folk who are embedded in the Community Know their neighbors, who know the patterns, know the businesses. One that im fond of in chinatown is the peace collaborative. Its young folks and retired folks who have been trained to do that. When things are kind of off, they have a person to call, and then, theres a person thats already been Building Trust in that community. I am a big proponent of programs like that. They are actually quite Cost Effective and less violent than, you know, having folks with arms on the street, but it also builds trust and a knowledge of the community and theyre remarkably effective. Thank you, myrna. Now well move to question number 7. How would you approach potential proposals to reallocate funds from policing excuse me to Mental Health and social services while still prioritizing Public Safety . And well start with emily. So ive been on record opposed to defending police, disbanding police. We have had an uptick in property crime, home invasion. There was a suspected arson of one of our local businesses, dragon printing. There was a robbery at miracle cleaning on ocean. We cant expect an Immediate Response if were going to cut the Police Budget. Now within the Police Budget, i do believe im very data driven and evidence based, and u. C. Berkeley did a study of foot patrols in sfpd. In 2017, when chief scott reassigned more officers to foot patrols, there was a 20 decline in assaults. Thats evidencebased interventions. We need more foot patrols, community policing, crime spotting, and antibias training in the Police Department. Thank you, emily. And next is polasca. Yeah, i agree with emily. I think when were being smarter about our Police Budget, we dont need Police Officers responding to noncriminal Mental Health crises. There is a world where we can be smarter about our Police Budget while reallocating that saved money to folks and social workers at the department of Public Health that can actually do that outreach for those folks going through a mental Health Crisis. Its unfortunate that weve gotten into slogans into defunding the police, abolishing the police, but i think if were truly committed to police accountability, well see our Police Budget getting smaller, and we can use that money for much needed services here in San Francisco. Thank you, velasca. Next is ben. We can certainly all agree, if you would have watched this same debate when i was growing up 20plus years ago, it was the same concepts that came out. We want more beat officers. Over the years, the same promises get made, and nothing changes. Right now, four out of ten positions at one precinct is vacant. Theres some very basic times around response times and now that correlates to staffing in the Police Department. I think chief scott when talking about the budget this year was accurate. We want a Police Department thats more diverse, speaks multiple languages. We have young kids coming through the department thats coming through with advanced degrees in criminalology, and we only do that by funding by the Police Department. Thank you, ben. Now we move to the next question. What specific changes would you support in defunding the police, and what changes would you like to see . Well start with ben. I agree with joe biden and governor newsom. Calls for mentally ill people can better be handled by social workers. Im Vice President s of a Victims Rights Group called stop police sf. I see that home burglaries are up 60 this year. Homicides and firearm shootings are both up 30 , so we still need police to do the detective work. We need police to protect the public, and we cant forget about the victims of crime. I do not believe in defunding or disbanding the Police Department. The New York Times recently featured our Police Department as a model of reform, so we should continue that process, and takes more funding, not less, but we should recruit more officers from Diverse Communities and those who only serve at the highest standards. Thank you, joel. Next will be kenneth. So lots of smart people, and i think if you vote for any of us, youre going to get a good supervisor. So velasco said it well. Defunding the police is a bad term. Its a horrible term. It sounds like you want to get rid of them, but in reality, its a reallocation. Im with our current chief. He has some really good ideas about how to use funding for Mental Health and Domestic Violence in particular, and i think those are two areas absolutely that we could have specialists that dont need to be police. That being said, i am a metricdriven individual. I come from the business side, and i believe firmly if we are going to allocate funds into just about anything, you track what occurs, and then, you make decisions about how successful it is, and if it doesnt meet the metrics you put in place and the goals you put in place, you take that money back, and you put it to better use. Thank you. Thank you, kenneth. And next will be stephen. I want to be very, very cautious about replacing Police Officers by Mental Health workers to deal with people with mental Health Crisis because human nature is very, very unpredictable. When youre high on drugs, even more so, and i have personal experience with this. Ive been on multiple calls where people have overdosed, and theyre sedated or passed out. You give them narcan, and even the smallest personal temporarily displaced can have super human strength. It happened to me, but this is the thing. People can act very violently very quickly, and a Mental Health worker alone by himself is not trained to deal with that. So while im not opposed to having Mental Health workers and Homeless Team outreach people to accompany police, i dont believe at any time they should be a total replacement for the police. Thank you, stephen. Now well move onto question number 9. How will you ensure that residents of district 7 have access to services and resources that will help them meet their basic needs as they struggle with the challenges of covid19, and well start with myrna. Thanks for the question. I think that district 7 has, for many, many years, been short changed in the services that we receive. Theres a perception that were all right. Were wealthy, and theres nothing that we need when, in fact, we have a very Large Population of folks that are elderly, immigrants, people who dont speak english. Were a quite diverse district that has a lot of needs. I think in terms of my priorities that you asked about are food security. When the pandemic started, we started working at the food bank thattum emily has started and my daughter, as well. We thought we were going to see 200, and we saw 700. Foot security, transportation, housing, all of those services are needed in district 7, and i will prioritize them. Thank you. Thank you, myrna. Next is emily. Yeah. So among the 40 different neighborhoods in district 7, there are varying degrees of organization. So, for example, i know ben has worked very hard to help the west portal neighborhood be organized. Lake shore was not very well organized, so actually, joel, whos a neighbor, and i helped standup resilient lake shore, and we put out hundreds of door hangers with resources for covid for our neighbors. Id like to make sure theres seed funding for every neighborhood to band together, whether its crime or covid, and really create Community Within the neighborhood. We have the strongest along access ordinance in the country, and we are obligated to provide services to english language learners at the same level as native speakers, so i will make sure that services for example, briefings by the police are in multiple languages. Thank you, emily. And next is velasco. Im extremely proud of my criminal justice experience, being a public defender going on my 16th year now. Every day, walking into court, that is a phenomenal responsibility to provide a voice to those who are forgotten and marginalized. I think as an extension of my advocacy as a public defender, we need a leader at city hall who is going to speak up and advocate and really ensure that district 7 has all the resources that our community needs. Myrna and emily touched upon some of our most vulnerable, particularly the elderly. And with the population and communities being comprised of 17 chinese, particularly a lot of elderly folks who dont have a lot of family support, we need a mixture and every resource available to make sure that theyre not isolated, and to make sure their health and wellbeing is taken care of during this pandemic. Thank you, velasca. Now well move onto question number 10. What is your plan to bring back business and encourage new businesses in the west portal and 9th and irving shop districts . Well start with ben. Thank you. And i would expand that question to include both ocean avenue, lakeside, taraval, and 19th. Our neighborhood commercial corridors are amazing. They are the envy of so many areas of San Francisco, and theyre a Gathering Place for so many in our community. And frankly, theyre not getting enough attention, and, you know, what we early on in covid, i helped set up the largest covid19 response effort in district 7, and one of the things that we did right at the beginning was we brought in the merchants. We knew how difficult it was going to be. That type of Small Business advocacy doesnt take place right now. The city loves to tout being in partnership with Small Business. Im a Small Business owner. I dont think that anybody in the city feels genuinely that the city is in partnership with them. Theres a lot of fees that you just dont know about. Theres an opportunity to have clarity, and i will certainly champion Small Business. Thank you, ben. Next, well hear from joel. Even when the economy was booming, our Small Businesses were in trouble. We have to remember that last year, 500 restaurants closed in San Francisco, and why did that happen . Its because city hall was killing Small Businesses with all of its permits and fees and regulations. So we need to acknowledge that Small Businesses were dieing before the pandemic because we cannot go back to the way things were. The chronicle reported that San Francisco is one of the most difficult cities to open a food truck. We should be the easiest city to open a food truck, especially during a pandemic. Some regulation is necessary to keep people safe, but beyond that, we should let an entrepreneur with a good idea try anything they want. Give them a long runway to see if it works, and we need to foster that creativity because we dont know what the great new idea is thats going to save our economy, but we want to make sure that we create the economy where that can happen, and were not stifling it. Thank you, joel. Next, well hear from kenneth. Hi, thank you. So excellent points already from joel and ben. Very consistent. I will tell you this, that the San Francisco does not city a Small Business as a help to the city, they see it as a tax base. The burden to open up a business is ridiculous in this city. It is easier, less regulation to put a satellite in space than it is to open up a basis in San Francisco. Thats a bit of a joke. If prop 13, this new amendment, passes on commercial development with commercial debt lessening that burden, some of that is going to be passed onto Small Businesses. The reality of the day is weve got a lot to change. Weve got a lot of regulation to get rid of. The last thing is this city may have changed. Look at whats happening downtown. And if the Office Workers dont even come back to 80 to 90 , the Small Businesses there are going to get hurt, and its going to permeate itself through the city. Thank you, kenneth. And next, well move onto question number 11. There is concern that the California Environmental act, ceqa, regulations are being used to create significant delays in the revenue of city projects. How will you approach this issue . And well start with stephen. Okay. So i think that the ceqa may have become a little bit convoluted. It was meant to be protecting the environment and ensuring the wellbeing of people, but i think its kind of become a little bit weaponized at times. People use it to stop other businesses and really burden new startups from ever happening. So one thing id like to see is if theres a way to simplify the processes, if the community has the ability to speak on behalf of their community if theres a new business coming in. I feel like we can do a lot to simplify the process, reduce the time that a business spends in approval, and really, i think that would go a long way to improving the economy, at least more Small Business startups. Thank you, stephen. Next will be myrna. Ceqa is a good tool, its an important tool. Not only does it help us protect the environment, it also helps protect our historic resources. It can be cumbersome and lengthens the time that a project takes to completion, but i am a Firm Believer in democracy, and this is the way our communities have had a say in whether we preserve something or we clean something up before something gets built. It is very important, and i think we need to not shortcut it or cut people out of the process or only let the loudest voices or the people who have the most resources weighin. I think we need to keep using it as a way it was intended, as a democratic tool for people to weighin on development. Thank you. Thank you, myrna. Next is emily. Yes. So my approach is generally to listen and lead for our neighborhoods. Community Stakeholder Input is essential in things like the ceqa. Were seeing sort of the negative impacts of environmental unsustainable behaviors with the fires and with the pollution, so ceqa is very important. Neighbors must have a say in things that go up in the neighborhood. On the other hand, it shouldnt be the case that a Single Person can halt a project. So there was a big article in the chronicle. A project should be halted by at least 50 people. I agree with that, and it shouldnt be at least one person. Thank you, emily. Okay. Well move onto question number 12. San francisco has a significant deficit in the upcoming budget, which, due to covid19, will likely persist in the future. What specific policies will you champion to address the likely current and future issues related to budget decisions . And well start with vela asca but in 2008, i remember being calling into my offices conference room, and i remember my boss asking if anyone wanted to take an unpaid voluntary leave. And i remember being shocked, angry, and pretty scared for about a year as a relatively new lawyer practicing. And im not comparing what we went through over a decade ago to this unprecedented pandemic, but it did serve us in terms of the rainy day funds that we prepared for this particular scenario. Im looking out the window, and it is absolutely pouring. If this is not a scenario to rely to those rainy day funds, i dont know what is. But we dont have to rely only on those rainy day funds. There are measures on the ballot in november that will enable us during this pandemic to survive. Thank you, velasco. Now well hear from ben. Were in an economic crisis, certainly in the state of california, and certainly in San Francisco. The challenge is the district 7 supervisor has historically been a leader on the budget and really been a longterm thinker. I think fundamentally in this race, voters are going to make trade offs. Because in a city that has a 13. 6 billion budget, there are 8. 6 billion of asks. I come from a 15year experience asking for money and getting results for causes. Whether thats large scale housing, whether thats building in ports, whether thats access to the internet. I think those skills are absolutely needed. Theres a misconception somehow that were one audit short from Better Outcomes of homelessness. It is a workmans journey thank you, ben. Next is joel. We have to acknowledge that the budget was too big the past decade. It doubled, and nothing got better. City hall just spends whatever it wants, and it uses residents like its a nonstop a. T. M. That needs to stop. The hard truth . We need to cut salaries and cut jobs, just like mayor newsom did during the great recession. Back then, we had 26,000 employees, which was too many. Today, we have 40,000, which is not sustainable. Theres never going to be enough revenue for what we need. We talk about rainy day funds. It was irresponsible yesterday or today to use our rainy day funds to give City Employees raises. We should be saving so we dont have to lay people off. Thank you, joel. Well move onto question number 13. Many residents take advantage of open space and nature for recreation and health benefits. How would you ensure that these resources are maintained not only for district 7 but for all of san franciscans, and well start with kenneth. At this, thank yhi, thank y. I really wish i could have answered that last question because ive got a lot to say here. Certainly, the open space in this city is fantastic. Actually, in district 7, its reasonably limited, so i am a huge fan of the parks. I think the parks are one of the most wonderful things that we have here in the city. Golden gate park running from the middle of the city to the ocean, mclaren park being the biggest park in the city over here not too far from the district. What i think we need to do is maintain them. Theres been calls to open up some of the nonused areas for development, and i am completely against that. What i want to say is the twablt to actually access them and for people to feel safe. I think its one of the biggest issues for mclaren. You can look at it statistically as the biggest park in the city. There are safety concerns in the city that we really dont need to anymore. We need to use those parks and fund them. Thank you. Thank you, kenneth. Next, well hear from stephen. Im a huge proponent of open space. As a kid, i grew up within walking distance of mount davidson. Glen canyon park, one of the few creeks left running through the city. Whatever we can do to preserve those treasures, im all about it. One of the things that i want to say is some of our open spaces are looking a little bit rough. Mount davidson in particular, its overgrown with eucalyptus, thornberrys, ivy. I think from a safety toppstan approximate point, you need to open it up and let people access it to enjoy. Theres been talk of using our park open space for development. Im totally against it. Theres so little of it left. Thank you, steven. Thank you, myrna. Im a little surprised, steven, that you dont have a lot of open space in district 7. We have a lot of really great space. For the past four years, ive been on the planning commission. I was the president for the last year, and in conjunction with the recreation and parks department, we approved a plan for the maintenance of the wilderness areas, some areas that are open space in the city. As steven pointed out, we are experiencing some nonnative species that have taken over our parks. Like Everything Else in San Francisco, it is contentious, whether we get rid of the eukal eucalyptus, whether we keep it, but its one of the things that makes San Francisco a great place to live. Thank you, myrna. What would you do to cut down on the amount of emissions caused by fossil fuels . Well hear from emily. Thank you. We need to promote public transit. We need to get mouny back where it once was precovid. Since the pandemic, ive become an expert avid cyclist. We need to encourage walking, but i also want to acknowledge that there are some folks in the community would have to rely on who have to rely on cars. Perhaps theres people with disabilities, seniors, young children. So i dont envision a 100 car free environment, but i would like to see more options. For example, for rental bikes, if there are families that cant afford to rent those bikes, we should subsidize those, really, and encourage bike traffic. We also need to address our eating habits. Im a big proponent of meatless mondays perhaps in the schools and the city, and to buy local. Thank you, emily. Next. Well hear from velasca. I like the idea of meatless mondays. I think im going to adopt that. We need to get to a point in our city where taking Public Transportation is the preference in terms of efficiency and the first choice. I mean, i drive my minivan and my two kids around out of necessity, and i dont like this dichotomy where people are blamed for depending on their cars here in district 7. I think we have a long way to go in terms of improving our Public Infrastructure and transit system. I think theres a world where we can get there. Its going to take a lot of work, but i think in terms of starting with meatless mondays and then taking this as a top priority in terms of improving our infrastructure will be a long way, but we can get there. Thank you, velasca. Now well hear from ben. Im a father, and i have a young daughter thats 15 months old. When i think about our city, i think about our planet, it rightfully causes alarms for people across the planet. If you look at the fires raging across california, people are concerned about that. San francisco has consistently taken a leadership approach on this. I think one of the key elements is actually pushing towards a transit first city, and how that becomes possible is when muni is clean, safe, and reliable. Its very simple. You know, for 15 years, when everyone looked at the ridership surveys, it says clean, safe, and reliable. Right now, even before the pandemic hit, people did not feel that way on muni. We have an opportunity right now to be able to change a lot of the things that were thank about the Transportation System and move toward that. It starts with replacing some of the basics, and thats what ill champion. Thank you, ben. Final question for all candidates. What would be your top three priorities for your term as supervisor, and what is the boldest idea that you think that you will bring to the table . And so this is for all candidates, and well start with kenneth. Great. I really like this question. Thank you very much. So so so accountability. We can talk how much time do i have . Its just one minute. So ive got a lot to say. So accountability on the budget. The budget was a joke that we just passed. Its based on data that income is not going to come in if we dont pass all these measures come november. I think we need to hold these supervisors accountable, but of course they wont be held accountable. The one plan that i would like to see done is every public official in San Francisco take mass transit, public transit, for 80 of their work and be fined if they do not. If these Public Officials do not back public transit, they dont have a willingness to ride that public transit, then they should vote that way when theyre in office. Im all for every elected official taking Public Transportation for 80 of their work and fined if not. Thank you. Thank you, kenneth. Now well hear from myrna. Thank you, dee. Actually, the boldest idea that i have is we are going to have a woman as supervisor for district 7. Thats pretty he had bold. It would be the first time that thats happened. I also have lots of ideas about housing production. I think that we are remarkably uncreative with how we do this. The biggest area where i think that we could make progress is in workforce housing. We have a lot of major employers in San Francisco that dont have this as part of their business plan. I think folks could, you know, put some of their money into a fund that would be more flexib flexible and more patient than what we could get from wells fargo bank. I think its an idea that needs infrastructure and capacity, and i intend to push it forward. Thank you. Thank you, myrna. Next, well hear from velasca. Its supremeextremely scary think what our environments going to look like in the next ten years, and we need to focus on Environmental Justice if were going to take care of our city and our environment. I believe that working class families really make this city go, so ensuring that working class families can afford to live here and earn a living wage is going to be a top priority. But being a public defender, i am proud of my work in terms of criminal justice reform. I think on day one, one of my boldest plans would actually be to write policy that would essentially outline Police Officers not responding to noncriminal offenses, and i think that would be a first step in terms of really improving our Police Department but ensuring the safety of our community. Thank you, velasca. Next, well hear from emily. Yes. So modelled after president obamas american recovery and reinvestment act. I would call for a San Francisco recovery and reinvestment ordinance. The bold part of this is i would ask my colleagues, the mayor to set aside political differences and work towards a single goal of getting San Francisco back on track, to get businesses reopened, get people back to work. I would call for expanding child care resources, investing in neighborhoods, more foot patrols. But another big idea would be universal free wifi, to have it be government owned but bid out to operations. I wouldnt want the government to run the wifi system, but this universal free wifi could be an engine for new businesses, new connections, new economic activity. Thank you, emily. And next, well hear from ben. You know, the boldest thing that i would do is actually deliver. I think all of the things that we care about in San Francisco, the fundamental challenge is the announcement, and then, the day after, nothing seems to go forward at the same pace. And i think what we see in a lot of these debates in city hall is what i like to call policy popcorn, and idea, idea, idea. All the big challenges that we have in San Francisco, whether its homelessness, whether its tackling corruption in contracting, whether its pushing back against affordable, it takes experience, and it takes showing up every day. One of the things that i tell everyone is i work for you. I think a lot of times, we have supervisors that are chasing the next announcement, not chasing the end result thats g going to make your life better, so im running, and im fighting to deliver on that. Thank you, ben. Next, well hear from stephen. Okay. So ive got a couple of, i think, pretty good ideas. Well, first of all, i think the three biggest issues that were facing right now is San Francisco is corruption, homelessness, and crime. So for the corruption part of it, one thing that i want to do which i think is pretty bold is call for term limits. Two terms, and youre done forever. We have john avalos and aaron peskin that have served before, and now theyre running again. I feel like theyve had their time in the sun, sand now its time to step down and let somebody else run for a little bit. As far as crime goes, im going to call out our d. A. I think hes failing as our d. A. Its time we get somebody in there that knows what theyre doing and is not afraid to do it. I think we need to have stronger conservators. Im willing to go to sacramento and lobby and enforce to get it. Thank you, stephen. And finally, well hear from joel. Were facing a lot of challenges exacerbated by the pandemic, but this is an opportunity, and i think we need to get city hall to focus, focus, focus on the basics. Less crime, better services. Until we get those right, Everything Else is distraction. I want fiber for all. Im not talking about the fiber you eat, im talking about internet for all. Work has changed forever because of the pandemic. We need fiber infrastructure, and its something basic. I think fiber is the 21st century version of filling potholes. I think the city should lease it out to private enterprise and make money on it, and then make sure that everyone has access to subsidies because this is whats going to save our economy and allow us to be plugged in and open for business. So thats the bold idea. Thank you, joel. That concludes our questions for this evening. And now we kpcome to the candidates closing statements. Well do the statements in reverse alphabetical order, and well start with velasquez. I think when it comes down to district 7, it comes down to who do you trust to represent the voices here in district 7, and also, who is going to be Strong Enough and unafraid to push against the status quo . I am proud to be the only candidate that is supportive of having a Navigation Center in district 7. I was equally as proud to be a candidate to support supervisor mars public advocate. I think this is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what were going to see as the corruption unfolds, and more individuals are indicted. And i also am extremely proud that when i started my campaign, i was the only candidate that objected to the mayors nominee of the police commission, a prosecutor who wasnt dedicated to criminal justice reform. I am the leader because i am unafraid to take bold action and represent the folks out here in district 7. Thank you, velasca. Thank you. Now well hear from steven. As long as were talking status quo, i dont think theres anybody less status quo or business as usual than i am. Im not afraid to speak truth to power. When i began my campaign, i made one promise to myself. That is always tell the truth and dont hold back, and the response has been tremendous. I started my campaign with myself and my accountant, and people have come out from all over the city to say, thank you, stephen, for speaking the truth. Someone thats not afraid to speak their mind and identify the problems in our city and talk about them honestly and frankly, and thats me. Im offering a different approach. Im offering common sense politics. Im no b. S. I dont have time for political correctness. Ive only got time to make good decisions and speak truth to power. Thank you for voting for me. Thank you, stephen. And next well hear from myrna. Four years ago, we had a National Election where a guy that convinced millions of american that policy experience and lemgs lay tiff experience were unnecessary in gorcvernin and that has not worked out so well for us. I will tell you that i have decades of experience in public policy, and i have more than just opinions about the things that really are affecting san franciscans. I can show you programs that ive developed and legislation that i have written, organizations that i have worked on that have produced results for thousands of families, housing projects that have been built and financed, and i think thats what we need. We need someone who has experience, who has relationships, who will be able to do the things that we need for district 7, to drieliver services for our community. I hope you pick me as your number one choice. Thank you, myrna. Next, well hear from kenneth. Hi, thank you very much for having me today. Youve heard a lot from all of us, and think any of us would be fine. Ive also heard a lot of platitudes. And it didnt take long to bring up trump. The idea of having business in government is incredibly important. Take a look at what people are expecting. Rather than solving a business crisis, you want to chase reality. You want someone with a good solid business background that can solve problems. What you have is people who have been receiving government checks for a very long time who want to keep doing so. I hope i get your vote for district 7 supervisor. Thank you. Thank you, kenneth. And next, well hear from joel. Hi. Im joel engardio. Ive lived in San Francisco for 22 years. I was a journalist, and my role was to hold the city accountable, and ill do the same as supervisor. I think city hall should be treating residents like customers because without them, we dont have a city. Kids should be able to attend their neighborhood schools, and entrepreneurs should be able to open a business without facing road blocks. City hall should be focused on the basics and getting the basics right. I have 24 years left on minority gage, so mortgage, so i wonder what San Francisco is going to look like by the time its paid off. We need a combination of innovation and common sense. Im joel engardio, and i would love to have your number one vote. Thank you. Thank you, joel, and next, well hear from emily. Thank you so much for the opportunity to share my ideas and platform. I served 28 years under five mayors. I was held accountable for every public dollar i spent. I already have relationships with police chief scott, Health Director colfax. Ive been twice elected to will school board. I served as president when the School District put together its long range strategic plan, and im so pleased to say that plan is paying off. San francisco had a Graduation Rate of 89 , exceeding the state rate of 86 , and black graduates exceeded 90 for the first time. Im supported by assembby nume officials, and i respectfully ask for your vote. Thank you, and last, well hear from ben. My name is ben matranga, and i respectfully ask for your vote. Im endorsed by Public Safety leaders like sheriff vickie hennessy, former district 7 supervisor susie loftus. These are going to be a series of difficult decisions over the next four years, and some people arent going to be happy. You cant fund everything, and what i come to the table with is a life thats been grounded in district 7. I come to the availabtable wite of delivering products for people that i think creates the best scenario where we can actually move our city forward and recover from covid. Thank you. Thank you, ben. Okay. On behalf of myself and the league of women voters of San Francisco, our thanks to the candidates for participating. And thanks to each of our attendees for taking the time to inform yourself about your choices on november 3. Its coming right up. Please remember to register to vote if you havent already registered, and please urge others to registered. I just heard today, one in four is still not registered, so we have work to do. If youve changed your name or youve moved, you will need to reregister, so please check that. And if you will be voting by mail this year, please ensure your ballot is dropped off at a polling place or Voting Center early. Early is the keyword there. If you have any questions about voting, go to our website, lwvsf. Org. Thank you so much, all of you, for attending and participating. Good evening, and vote. Hi. I am alia, and i am running for San Francisco city college. I never knew that i would one day grow up and oversee the Free City College program at the department of children, youth, and their families, increasing access to Educational Opportunities for our Community Every day. In this role, i also monitoring the entire budget for the program. My passion for education started at a young age. I grew up in a lowincome household and have experienced firsthand the transformative nature of education both as a student and teacher. But over time, i realized how Education Systems failed our most vulnerable students. As a former legislative aide, i worked on legislation to ban the box on private college applications, making San Francisco the first city in the nation to do so. During this time of a Global Pandemic and a social movement to dismantle systemic racism, city College Needs a new voice and a proven leader in education. My lifes mission has been to ensure institutions are accountable to the people they are built to serve. I am running to make sure city college remains the peoples college. If elected, i will fight to invest in a permanent Emergency Grant Program for students, establish a jobs guarantee program, with clear career path days, and grow free city. I will advocate for increased transparency and further education resources. I would be honored to have your support. Please vote alia chifsky. You and are four your time. Hello. We have a choice of two paths. The road ccsf is traveling is one of financial challenges, instability, and a decrease of 18 in enrollment. I see a second healthier path. With strong experienced guidance, ccsf can gain financial stability, and reengage as an important and diverse institution. Ccsf is in danger of closing, creating a crisis in San Francisco. Ccsf must be saved, but electing the same type of candidates, politicians beholden to stakeholders will result in the same outcomes. I have declined all offers of consideration for endorisment by stakeholders so that i can focus on slufl doing what is right to save ccsf, i will not be beholden to interest groups. Im the only candidate who has raised over 40 million for educational and other causes and will bring creative funding ideas and other opportunities to ccsf. Im the only candidate who has served on a finance committee of a fiscally fit company. I believe that ccsf is a gem that must be preserved. I will be your independent and experienced voice on the board. Thank you, and please vote for me. Im juanita martinez, a family poor in money but rich in family history. My family came from northern mexico. My father was especially proud of his indigenous roots, comanche and navajo. We moved to california when my father was forced to retire. That opened up Higher Education for me because Community College was free in california. I studied at delta college, earned an associates agree. I transferred to s. F. State, and i was often the only student of color in any of my classes. My grassroots activism started in the ethnic strike. We didnt win all of our demands, but ethnic studies is now included and growing in area schools. In 2019, i was invited to speak at the city college ethnic studies teachin during black history month. I told the students that as a former student and Community College teacher and administrator, i was passing the baton onto them in the struggle for social justice. As i finished speaking, i should and could go one more lap on the City College Board of trustees. Im running with the support of students, faculty, and trustees that are just as concerned as i am. Too many classes have been cancelled, outcomes for black and brown students need to be improved. My campaign is not me, its about sharing what i learn frd my work experience, being a student, teacher, and vice chancellor at city college. Its about keeping city college a Community College, a college of and for the community. Hi. Im dr. Vic trolgary. Im a former Senior University administrator with 15 years of experience in Higher Education. I i am grated to the United States when i was 12 years old. My parents never even finished high school. I struggled through the e. S. L. System, and we were quite poor. I know just what our students are experiencing because this was my old life. I worked hard to transfer to a fouryear school. I worked hard by earning pell grants, and scholarships, and taking out some student loans. I went onto get a ph. D. In political science. I taught at a university level, and i game the chief of staff at the university of california riverside, and since then, ive helped manage universities, ive guided campus master plans. Ive helped hire some of the diverse faculty members across the state of california and directed budgets in the hundreds of millions of dollars. This is everything that city college desperately needs to be doing right now. Im still a professor of political science, because i will always return to teaching, but i have directed a workforce of companies here in San Francisco. Im currently serving as cochair of the California Democratic party, but i have worked on 600 resolutions to drive some of the best policies in the state. I have endorsements across the Democratic Party in San Francisco. Check out my comprehensive plans at victorforsf. Com. My name is jeremy peter, and im running to represent you on the ccsf board. Many people ask why im running in this years election. I have
vimarsana.com © 2020. All Rights Reserved.