HOUSING
What policies do you support to alleviate San Francisco’s housing and rental crisis?
Dorsey says he supports Proposition D, a November ballot measure backed by Mayor Breed to help streamline affordable housing projects — but with a lower threshold for what is considered “affordable” than Proposition E, a competing measure brought by the Board of Supervisors. Dorsey says he wants to be the “conscience of housing” on the board, and plans to urge his colleagues to build more housing in their own districts.
Mahogany notes that more housing has historically been constructed in District 6 than in any other part of the city, and advocates for other neighborhoods to “do their part.” She says she supports streamlining the housing approval process, especially to galvanize more housing development on the city’s notoriously low-density west side, where she grew up.
PUBLIC SAFETY
What can San Francisco do to reduce crime while enacting criminal justice reform?
Dorsey believes making progress on drug addiction treatment will help reduce crime on the streets. He says he thinks police are lagging in reform due to political shake-ups in the Department of Justice — which helped lead the effort — under former President Donald Trump. He thinks the city may need to spend more money to retain police, in addition to the wage hike officers received in the current budget cycle.
Mahogany says people in many communities throughout the city want more police presence, and that no one community — including the Black community — is uniform in its desire to defund, reform or expand the police force. She says many police stations are dangerously understaffed, to the detriment of the most vulnerable communities, particularly the transgender community. And while she supports recent pay raises for police officers, she also wants the city to conduct an audit to ensure that the SFPD is using its funding in the most effective way possible.
SCHOOLS
Though supervisors have no jurisdiction over schools, what can you do to support students and families in your district?
Dorsey says he would support plans to create a new elementary school in the Mission Bay neighborhood, the city’s newest community, where a significant number of young families have moved in recent years. He has also pledged to co-sponsor a charter amendment called the Student Success Fund that would direct $60 million annually to city schools, using revenue from property taxes. Following the racist comments made by Board of Education Commissioner Ann Hsu, he is no longer supporting her re-election campaign, although he has stopped short of calling on her to step down.
Mahogany advocates for a community-based safety plan to ensure kids get to school safely, particularly in high-crime areas. She believes more work should be done with community benefit districts to ensure areas around schools are kept clean and safe. Mahogany opposed the February recall of three San Francisco school board members, and also did not call for Hsu to resign.
TRANSPORTATION
What can be done to improve transit access in District 6?
Dorsey stresses the need to bolster safety for pedestrians and bicyclists, and touts his support for a recent unsuccessful state bill to allow a handful of California cities, including San Francisco, to use speed-enforcement cameras. Dorsey also says he plans to push for Caltrain to extend to the Transbay Terminal, which currently only accommodates buses, and for the Downtown Extension of high-speed rail to be implemented there. He also says he opposes a proposed toll for cars on Treasure Island, citing unintended consequences for providers of delivery services and for visitors traveling to see relatives on the island.
Mahogany notes that she grew up taking Muni, and wants to see the city’s transit systems become much more reliable. She advocates for pumping more funding into Muni, in part through future tax hikes, like a renewal of Proposition A which failed at the ballot earlier this year. Unlike her opponent, she supports a toll for cars on Treasure Island saying it is needed to mitigate growing congestion, and also to fund new transit options, like a ferry. As a legislative aide, Mahogany worked to ensure that low-income residents on the island would be exempted from the toll.
DOWNTOWN
With people increasingly working from home and office-tax revenue in sharp decline, how can San Francisco’s downtown be revitalized?
Dorsey advocates for tweaking a gross receipts tax on employees of businesses to incentivize companies to bring their employees back downtown. He also sees an opportunity to reshape the downtown area by exploring ways to convert underused commercial buildings into housing.
Mahogany says she doesn’t think downtown office use will ever return to pre-pandemic levels, and encourages the city to really “think about what the future is.” That might mean attracting new industries, beyond tech, or re-envisioning the area as a hub for shopping and nightlife, geared specifically to residents, not tourists, she says. To that end, Mahogany supported an unsuccessful state bill this year to extend bar closing hours to 4 a.m.
Key Supporters
For Matt Dorsey
- London Breed, mayor, San Francisco
- Scott Wiener, state senator
- Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club
- Grow SF
For Honey Mahogany
- Matt Haney, state assemblymember
- San Francisco Democratic Party
- San Francisco Women’s Political Committee
- United Educators of San Francisco
