What Do S.F.'s Mayoral Candidates Stand For? Ask Them

On Monday, March 19, KQED, the Horizons Foundation and the Bay Area Reporter newspaper will present a Candidate Forum for San Francisco Mayor at the Castro Theatre. The forum will focus on neighborhoods and issues of concern to the LGBTQ community.

We’re also partnering with By The Bay to feature residents’ questions to the candidates. Film and submit your question here and it may be featured during the forum.

All candidates who got at least 5 percent support in an independent and scientific poll were invited to the forum. Here are the candidates confirmed to participate:

London Breed

Breed, the Board of Supervisors president, has represented District 5 since 2012. After Mayor Ed Lee died in December, Breed served as acting mayor until January. Breed is a native San Franciscan who was raised in public housing in the Western Addition. While on the board, she has authored legislation to increase residential density and prioritize access to affordable housing developments for those living nearby.

Jane Kim

Kim has represented District 6 on the Board of Supervisors since 2010. She is the first Korean-American to win election in the city. In 2016, Kim ran for a state Senate seat and lost in the general election. While on the board, Kim led the push to make City College free for San Francisco residents. She also authored the ballot measure that increased San Francisco’s minimum wage to $15 an hour.

Mark Leno

Leno represented San Francisco in the state Legislature for 14 years, serving six in the Assembly and eight in the Senate. He was the first openly gay man to serve in the California State Senate. At the Capitol, he authored legislation that will eventually raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour. He also pushed to create a single-payer health care system in the state and to expand workplace protections for transgender people.

Richie Greenberg

Greenberg is a business adviser and a delegate on the Republican Party Central Committee. Greenberg is also a volunteer disaster services worker and previously operated a tax and payroll service.

Angela Alioto 

Alioto served on the Board of Supervisors from 1988 to 1997, including a stint as board president from 1993 to 1995. Her father, Joseph Alioto, was the city’s mayor from 1968 to 1976. After her time in office, Alioto started a law firm whose work includes civil rights and employment law cases. This is her third run for mayor.