San Francisco Races

Race to Watch

Mayor

Why does this race matter?

Five leading Democratic candidates are vying to be San Francisco’s next mayor and lead a city of 800,000 people with a nearly $15 billion budget. Tech and business leaders are pouring millions of dollars into the race as candidates push for increased public safety, housing and accountability in City Hall.

What does a mayor do?

A mayor’s role varies from city to city. In some jurisdictions, a mayor leads council meetings, but largely has similar responsibilities as other council members: voting on city ordinances, development proposals, contracts and the budget. In San Francisco, the mayor has broader powers to sign or veto bills, oversee city departments and make appointments.

Key Candidates

This list represents the most notable candidates running for the seat.
London Breed
London BreedMayor, San Francisco
Mark Farrell
Mark FarrellFormer Interim Mayor, San Francisco
Daniel Lurie
Daniel LurieFounder, Tipping Point Community
Aaron Peskin
Aaron PeskinPresident, San Francisco Board of Supervisors
Ahsha Safaí
Ahsha SafaíSupervisor, San Francisco

Key Supporters

This list represents notable organizations and individuals who have taken a position on the ballot measure or candidate, or who are funding campaigns in support or opposition. This list is not exhaustive, and may be updated.

For Breed

  • The San Francisco Democratic Party
  • The San Francisco Police Officers Association (SFPOA)
  • SF YIMBY
  • Scott Wiener, state senator
  • The League of Conservation Voters

For Farrell

  • San Francisco FireFighters Local 798
  • San Francisco Building and Construction Trades Council
  • Catherine Stefani, supervisor, District 2
  • Chinese American Democratic Club
  • San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs Association

For Lurie

  • Paul Yep, retired commander, SFPD
  • Robert Yick, retired captain, SFPD
  • Frank Jordan, former mayor, San Francisco
  • John Rahaim, former planning director, San Francisco
  • Nadine Burke Harris, former surgeon general, California

For Peskin

  • Phil Ting, state Assembly member
  • Julie Tang, former judge, Superior Court
  • Art Agnos, former mayor, San Francisco
  • Mark Leno, former state senator
  • SEIU 1021

For Safaí

  • United Educators of San Francisco
  • SEIU Local 87
  • The San Francisco Building and Construction Trades Council
  • The National Union of Healthcare Workers (#2)
  • UNITE HERE, Local 2
 

Positions on Key Issues
Candidate summaries are based on interviews with the candidates, questionnaires, statements made at debates and public events, and past news coverage.

What should San Francisco do to reinvigorate the downtown economy following the pandemic slump?

Breed says she will offer tax breaks for small businesses, retail and hospitality companies to galvanize more business downtown. She wants to bring more residents, students and artificial intelligence companies to the city’s core. She touts the Vacant to Vibrant program she launched to fill vacant storefronts with pop-up businesses, and plans to continue that program. She says she will also continue to fund cleaning crews and community ambassadors to work alongside police.
Farrell wants to build thousands of new housing units downtown, along with “massively” increasing police and other public safety programs. He also wants to create new tax incentives to encourage employees to return downtown, reopen Market Street to cars, and build a new park in Embarcadero Plaza.
Lurie plans to increase police staffing and create a new police district for downtown areas including the convention center, San Francisco Centre, Yerba Buena Gardens, and Union Square. He says he’d use more surveillance technology to disrupt drug trafficking downtown. To boost business in the area, Lurie says he would offer property tax incentives to reduce downtown vacancies and streamline the business permitting process.
Peskin hopes to turn downtown into more of a mixed-use neighborhood, rather than one occupied primarily by businesses. He wants to launch more programs that support artists living and working downtown, continue efforts to incentivize office-to-residential building conversions, expand rent controls, and enforce storefront vacancy taxes to open gallery space and new businesses. He also hopes to create a new park for the Tenderloin community and host a convening of global diplomats and technology leaders.
Safaí’s plan to help businesses downtown involves adding police foot patrols downtown, creating a new fund to buy buildings and attract long-term tenants like universities, reducing taxes on businesses throughout the city, and lowering the transfer tax to encourage office-to-residential conversions and new housing downtown.

In recent years, City Hall has been tainted by scandals, including the Department of Public Works corruption case. How would you keep corruption out of City Hall and rebuild voter trust?

Breed has directed the controller and city attorney to launch a public integrity review process. She points to cutting spending for nonprofits in the latest budget as an example of her administration rooting out corruption, a move that came after reports of financial misconduct at several organizations the city contracts with. “I had to make tough decisions to pull back funding from programs and organizations that are not delivering,” she says.
Farrell wants to centralize all of the city’s third-party contract work under the mayor’s office, which he says will “reduce fraud and waste while bringing greater accountability.” He also wants to digitize all city services within two years.
Lurie wants to prevent money laundering in campaigns by closing fundraising loopholes, fully funding the Ethics Commission, and centralizing the city’s contract work. He plans to create a scorecard to track contracts over $1 million, require large nonprofit representatives to register as lobbyists, and reform the Department of Building and Inspection. “It is imperative to address these issues head-on and implement stringent ethics reforms to restore integrity and trust in our city's leadership,” he says.
Peskin touts a ballot measure he authored to create an inspector general position whose task is to identify corruption and hold leaders accountable. He says the plan will make it so that San Francisco will no longer “rely on the FBI to maintain public integrity.”
Safaí plans to require ongoing auditing of the city’s homelessness and housing services, establish term limits for department heads, and overhaul the Department of Building Inspection’s review and approval procedures. “As a supervisor, I have been one of San Francisco’s leading voices against corruption,” he says. “I led the fight to protect the city’s ethics oversight committee after the current mayor tried to cut its budget.”

The recent Supreme Court ruling in Grants Pass v. Johnson has made it easier to clear encampments, but San Francisco still lacks enough beds to meet the current demand. What should we do to meaningfully reduce homelessness?

Breed says she has expanded the city’s shelter capacity by 66% since entering office, reaching about 3,900 total beds in 2024, and she vows to continue increasing that number. She also wants to add more sober-living options in the city and says she is “aggressively” enforcing anti-camping laws. She additionally plans to offer unhoused people more bus tickets out of the city.
Farrell plans to enforce anti-camping laws and “immediately shift to a shelter-first approach to massively expand our shelter system and make sure there’s access for everyone who needs it.” That includes declaring a state of emergency to bring in the National Guard and other agencies to help clear all tent encampments, building a new 24/7 intake center with drug treatment beds, and increasing the number of bus tickets out of the city offered to unhoused people.
Lurie supports enforcing anti-camping laws, but says removing people without offering another place to go is ineffective. In his first year, he plans to open nearly 4,000 emergency and interim shelter units using modular construction, hotel units, safe parking sites and traditional shelters in order to move people off the street quickly. He wants to increase bus tickets out of the city and ramp up accountability for heads of departments that work on homelessness.
Peskin’s plan to address homelessness focuses on preventing San Franciscans — and school children in particular — from losing their housing in the first place by implementing stronger tenant protections like rent control and housing subsidies. He also wants to use Medi-Cal and Proposition 1 funding to help increase the availability of temporary shelters and long-term behavioral health services.
Safaí says he does not support sweeping encampments or arresting people who are homeless if there is not an alternative shelter. To enforce anti-camping laws, he says the city needs to open more temporary housing such as tiny homes, safe parking sites and converted hotel rooms. He also wants the city to also collect better data on homelessness, and aims to fund at least 1,000 bus trips home for unhoused people who want to leave the city.

The current administration has called in the National Guard and CHP to crack down on drug dealing and increase arrests of users, yet overdoses have remained high. What would you do to make more progress in addressing this crisis?

Breed believes her administration’s work with CHP, the National Guard and other law enforcement partners is working, and says voters “can expect more of the same. She says she will continue to arrest drug dealers, “and in some cases, arrest flagrant drug users that repeatedly refuse our help.” However, she notes, she does not support putting armed troops on the streets.
Farrell wants the city to shift to more “abstinence-based” approaches in addressing the overdose crisis, such as increasing treatment and detox programs within jails and ramping up enforcement of drug laws. He also wants to issue a fentanyl state of emergency in order to bring in federal agencies to support local police. And he wants to utilize existing facilities to make more treatment beds available.
Lurie is calling for increased behavioral health and law enforcement responses to the overdose crisis. His plan involves creating a new position in the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice to coordinate city agencies that respond to drug use and overdose issues. He says he will implement a “deflection program to get people into treatment, or face arrest,” and wants to open a 24/7 crisis drop-in center where people can get connected to treatment.
Peskin believes “drug addiction is a public health crisis.” His approach calls for focusing law enforcement energy on arresting dealers but also connecting drug users to treatment, housing and other social services. “I will work to ensure that we address the root cause of this issue, and support people struggling with addiction to get the help they need.”
Safaí promises to fully fund Mental Health SF, the city’s mental health legislation passed in 2019. Supporting the legislation, he says, will help create on-demand resources for mental health and drug addiction using Proposition 1 funds. He also wants to expand the city’s ability to provide medications that treat opioid addiction, like buprenorphine, and he says he will open up both overdose prevention centers and abstinence-based housing sites.

San Francisco needs to add 82,000 housing units by 2031 to meet state housing mandates. What would you do to address the city’s housing crisis?

Breed, a renter, plans to push for housing reforms that make it easier to add more units at all income levels, including rezoning neighborhoods and further streamlining project review and approval processes. “I will also kick-start housing on large sites like Stonestown and Treasure Island, which will create over 10,000 units of housing alone once completed,” she says.
Farrell supports building more housing at all income levels across the city. To increase the city’s housing supply, he plans to reduce zoning requirements and certain development fees, and repeal the city’s transfer tax to encourage development. He wants to provide housing assistance to first responders and teachers, and create tax breaks to incentivize converting offices to residential units.
Lurie, a City Hall outsider, touts being the only candidate in this race who has actually built affordable housing “on time, under-budget, with good-paying union labor” through his work with the poverty nonprofit, Tipping Point. He believes the city needs to build more housing for all income levels. To finance projects, Lurie plans to “explore creating a combined public financing entity such as a Joint Powers Authority to build or rehabilitate middle-income workforce housing.”
Peskin says his plan will create 15,000 new units of affordable housing for working San Franciscans, such as educators, health care workers, and first responders, and points to legislation he led that creates tax-exempt revenue bonds to finance projects. Increasing renter protections for families and individuals is also key to his housing platform.
Safaí supports building both affordable and market-rate housing. He says he will simplify the housing permitting process, audit the Department of Building Inspection, and increase height density along commercial corridors for 6-to-8 story buildings. He also wants to reduce transfer taxes on projects that include 100% union labor and reduce fees to build ADUs. To keep people in homes, he wants to expand rental assistance.

Related Coverage

City Attorney

What does a city attorney do?

The city attorney is a city’s top legal advisor. Staff in the city attorney’s office provide guidance to elected officials during public meetings, help draft ordinances and appear on behalf of the city in legal proceedings.

Candidate Statements

Candidate Statements are excerpted from the statements provided to election offices, where available.

David Chiu

  • City Attorney, San Francisco
  • Accountability: “As city attorney, I’ve stood up for San Franciscans and held special interests accountable.”
  • Drug Crisis: “Made the opioid industry pay $350 million for flooding our city with dangerous drugs.”
  • Gun Violence: “Established a Gun Violence Restraining Order program removing firearms from those who threaten public safety.”
  • votedavidchiu.com

Richard T. Woon

  • Attorney/football coach
  • COVID Restrictions: “I got arrested in 2021 while protesting unlawful COVID mandates. In 2022, I led the Patriot Pub Crawl to end the unreasonable, shortsighted and illegal restrictions.”
  • Transparency: “I promise to be your ferocious advocate, to defend your rights, protect your city’s funds and finally establish transparent government with checks and balances.”
  • Public Safety: “Public safety and law enforcement are my priorities, and I’ll enable them to provide health, safety, prosperity and order.”
  • takesfback.com/

Race to Watch

District Attorney

Why does this race matter?

District Attorney Brooke Jenkins is facing reelection after leading a successful recall of her predecessor, Chesa Boudin. Running to replace her is Ryan Khojasteh, a prosecutor who was among more than a dozen staff members Jenkins fired after she took office in 2022.

What does a district attorney do?

The district attorney is the county’s top prosecutor. Lawyers in the district attorney’s office assist with crime investigations, make charging decisions and prosecute cases in court.

Key Candidates

This list represents the most notable candidates running for the seat.
Brooke Jenkins
Brooke JenkinsDistrict Attorney, San Francisco
Ryan Khojasteh
Ryan KhojastehFormer Assistant District Attorney, San Francisco

Key Supporters

This list represents notable organizations and individuals who have taken a position on the ballot measure or candidate, or who are funding campaigns in support or opposition. This list is not exhaustive, and may be updated.

For Jenkins

  • Gavin Newsom, governor, California
  • Scott Wiener, state senator 
  • Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club
  • Chinese American Democratic Club
  • San Francisco Firefighters Local 798

For Khojasteh

  • United Educators of San Francisco
  • American Federation of Teachers Local 2121
  • National Union of Healthcare Workers
  • San Francisco Tenants Union
  • Chinatown Community Tenants Association
 

Positions on Key Issues
Candidate summaries are based on interviews with the candidates, questionnaires, statements made at debates and public events, and past news coverage.

Reported property crime and violent crime has decreased in 2024 compared to 2023, yet many residents continue to feel unsafe. What caused the decrease?

Jenkins says that increased convictions under her administration and “preventing criminals from reoffending directly contributed to the decrease in property crime and violent crime over the past year.” She acknowledges many people may still feel unsafe, which she blames on ongoing street-level disarray and crises.
Khojasteh believes that for most San Franciscans, crime rates do not feel like they have improved and points to increasing storefront vacancies as a symbol of people losing trust in the city’s public safety. “It’s disingenuous for those in power to now say ‘crime is down’ and ‘everything is fine,’” he says. “Not a single person I’ve spoken to believes in the credibility of these crime statistics.”

What should San Francisco do to address those ongoing safety concerns?

Jenkins wants to increase services for victims of crime. She also says that “cutting off the supply of fentanyl” will be her top priority for her next term, which she plans to do by continuing to prosecute drug dealers. “My office is taking an aggressive approach to fentanyl dealers and doing everything it can to address repeat offenders of retail theft and auto burglary,” she says.
Khojasteh says he will focus on improving internal management at the District Attorney’s Office, advocate for victims services, and improve relationships with other city agencies to reduce crime. “The current district attorney blamed everything on her predecessor and now that she is in charge, has spent two years relentlessly attacking judges. This erodes faith in the criminal justice system,” he says. “We must rebuild the trust that has been lost.”

Felony narcotics convictions have increased in 2024, yet overdose deaths remain at epidemic levels. Is the current approach heading in the right direction? What changes should San Francisco make to further address the crisis?

Jenkins says her primary approach to handling the overdose crisis is going after drug dealers, noting that she created a narcotics prosecution team and has gotten more than 300 convictions since entering office. She also supports expanding mental health and addiction treatment services. “My hope is that once people have access to more treatment options, we’ll start to see those overdose numbers trend down even further in conjunction with the work my office is doing.”
Khojasteh plans to push city leaders to increase residential treatment beds and shelter spaces, while also vigorously prosecuting drug dealers and making conviction data more publicly accessible. But he says Jenkins’ prosecution of drug users is misguided. “The answer for drug users is not the criminal justice system,” he says. “It has made our jails less safe … and contributed to the massive backlog of cases which has led to mass dismissals of serious cases.”

Data shows convictions have increased in San Francisco since 2022, but jails are often overcrowded. Should the city focus more on diversion and jail alternatives?

Jenkins says she will “absolutely support diversion and jail alternatives, especially for first-time offenders and young people who made one bad decision.” However, she believes diversion is not enough for people who commit more serious or violent offenses, and says those incidents must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. “If someone is repeatedly breaking into businesses or assaulting people, we need to keep them off the street,” she says.
Khojasteh supports restoring previous rates of referrals to treatment courts and diversion programs for drug users to allow attorneys to focus on more serious, repeat offenders. And he says the reduction in sending cases to diversion programs has fueled the backlog of cases and subsequent case dismissals at the Hall of Justice. “We must responsibly strike the right balance between accountability and rehabilitation,” he says.

Related Coverage

Sheriff

What does a sheriff do?

The sheriff’s office is the main law enforcement agency overseeing  unincorporated areas of a county. The office also manages the county jail and provides law enforcement assistance in certain county buildings, such as courthouses.

Candidate Statements

Candidate Statements are excerpted from the statements provided to election offices, where available.

Michael Juan

  • Police officer 
  • Experience: “In law enforcement, I have worked for various agencies in San Francisco, with experience in both custody and patrol.”
  • Public Safety: “My mission is to help bring back public safety to San Francisco by working with the Police Department, as well as other city agencies and community members.”
  • Collaboration: “I will utilize interagency collaboration to provide community-oriented solutions.”

Paul Miyamoto

  • Sheriff, San Francisco
  • Public Safety: “In my 28 years with the Sheriff’s Office, I have always prioritized the safety of our community, staff, and those in our custody and care.”
  • Drug Crisis: “I launched Operation Safe Streets, deploying deputies to patrol and make arrests to help address the city’s drug crisis, while still supporting treatment for those suffering from addiction — including harm reduction, jail-based treatment, and abstinence-based residential treatment.”
  • Inmates Rights: “I remain committed to protecting the rights of the incarcerated, and providing opportunities for rehabilitation.”
  • reelectsheriffmiyamoto.com

Treasurer

What does a city treasurer do?

The city treasurer is responsible for collecting, safeguarding and investing city funds.

Candidate Statements

Candidate Statements are excerpted from the statements provided to election offices, where available.

José Cisneros

  • Treasurer, San Francisco 
  • Small Businesses: “Founded SF Lends, which helps struggling small businesses secure loans.”
  • Income Inequality: “Reduced the burden of fines and fees that disproportionately affect lower-income San Franciscans by introducing payment plans and community service options.”
  • Revenue Collection : “My successful safe money management and revenue collection has helped San Francisco by ensuring resources for public safety, health care, education, transit, and other vital services.”
  • josecisneros.com

Board of Supervisors, District 1

What does a San Francisco supervisor do?

San Francisco supervisors draft legislation, often impacting local programs, departments and funding allocation.

Candidate Statements

Candidate Statements are excerpted from the statements provided to election offices, where available.

Jeremiah Boehner

  • Entrepreneur 
  • Ideological Gap: “Since 2000, District 1 has elected four progressives in a row to the Board of Supervisors and for many years the dialogue at City Hall has been between ‘Left and Lefter.’” 
  • Representation: “Small businesses, homeowners, soccer moms, and taxpayers have no voice or advocate at City Hall, which is why I’m running to become your next supervisor.”
  • Budget: “Like you, I’ve witnessed the quality of life deteriorate in the city. The only thing City Hall is successful at doing is throwing more money at problems and the problems only get worse.”
  • jeremiahforsf.com

Sherman D’Silva

  • Operations manager
  • Homelessness: “No more camping or sleeping on streets. Safe shelters and rehabilitation services.”
  • Environment: “Acquisition of additional open space. Distribution of recycled water for cleaning and irrigation.”
  • Public Safety: “A clean and safe neighborhood is what government is supposed to take care of first — before doing anything else.”
  • dsilva2024.com

Marjan Philhour

  • Neighborhood business owner 
  • Public Safety: “The ‘hands-off’ approach to public safety has hurt our neighborhood. We’ve had enough of the failed policies that have affected us all.”
  • Police: “As supervisor, I will fully fund the police department so that we can walk down the street without being accosted, assaulted, or worse.”
  • Homelessness: “Remove tents and encampments from our sidewalks; support the city attorney in his efforts to overturn the misguided court injunction.”
  • votemarjan.com

Connie Chan

  • Supervisor, District 1
  • Housing: “Secured funding for 100% affordable senior housing at 4200 Geary and an agreement for housing at the Alexandria Theatre.”
  • Transportation: “Advocated for traffic, pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements.”
  • Accountability: “As budget chair, I have held city departments and the administration accountable and will continue to work to make sure our government is working for us.”
  • conniechansf.com

Jen Nossokoff

  • Physician assistant 
  • Challenges: “Our district faces critical challenges — safety concerns, inadequate transportation solutions, and quality-of-life disparities — that demand immediate and innovative solutions.”
  • Public Safety: “My vision for the district includes strategic policing and community-driven safety measures to reduce crime and protect residents.”
  • Transportation: “Expanding and improving transit options to reduce car dependency and make our streets safer.”
  • jen2024.vote

Board of Supervisors, District 3

What does a San Francisco supervisor do?

San Francisco supervisors draft legislation, often impacting local programs, departments and funding allocation.

Candidate Statements

Candidate Statements are excerpted from the statements provided to election offices, where available.

Moe Jamil

  • Deputy City Attorney, San Francisco
  • Priorities: “We know what’s important: keeping our streets safe and clean, helping small businesses and protecting the character of our neighborhoods.”
  • Public Safety: “Let’s get back to basics to protect and preserve the city we love: safer, cleaner neighborhoods protected by fully-funded police, firefighters, and 911 operators within our existing budget. End open-air drug supermarkets, prevent fencing of stolen goods, arrest and prosecute drug dealers.”
  • Housing: “Demand developers put current residents first. Build affordable housing while preserving the character of our neighborhoods and waterfront.”
  • moejamil.com

Eduard Navarro

  • Urban designer/entrepreneur
  • Housing: “We must focus on the city’s design, transit and architecture to build 82,000 units of housing.”
  • Neighborhoods: “Preserve and enhance our neighborhoods, while increasing affordability and economic development.”
  • Affordability: “We’ll achieve safer, more affordable, healthier, diverse, and thriving neighborhood places where San Franciscans of all incomes can find their place, together with innovation and global influence.”
  • navarro.vote

Matthew Susk

  • Small-business owner 
  • Inclusivity: “Susk is deeply rooted in the community he hopes to represent, is focused on revitalizing San Francisco, and will ensure District 3 is a vibrant, inclusive, and thriving part of the city for generations to come.”
  • Priorities: “Susk’s campaign is built on three key promises: safe streets (fully fund SFPD), thriving businesses (cut small business fees), and government accountability (quantifiable success metrics).”
  • Housing: “With a decade of experience in the private sector Susk has demonstrated his business acumen by … helping thousands of renters become homeowners through a real-estate startup.”

Sharon Lai

  • Director, economic nonprofit 
  • Priorities: “My priorities: strengthen public safety, fully staff our police department, improve pedestrian safety.”
  • Housing: “Grow housing options at all income levels in every neighborhood.”
  • Education: “Make San Francisco family-friendly with stronger schools, expanded child care, and afterschool and summer programs.”
  • sharonlaisf.com

Danny Sauter

  • Neighborhood center director
  • Businesses: “As the president of my neighborhood association, I worked on legislation to fill empty storefronts.”
  • Housing: “As your next District 3 supervisor, I will … make it easier for new homes to be built and strengthen renter protections … Reimagine our downtown with more housing and clean and safe streets.”
  • Drug Crisis: “Expand drug treatment programs, arrest drug dealers, and lower barriers to recovery.”
  • dannyd3.com

Wendy Ha Chau

  • Civil rights attorney
  • Statement pending or not available.

Race to Watch

Board of Supervisors, District 5

Why does this race matter?

Incumbent Supervisor Dean Preston is the only Democratic Socialist on the Board of Supervisors and is seen as one of the furthest left leaders of city government. District 5 also includes the Tenderloin, one of the neighborhoods most affected by the city’s ongoing homelessness and drug overdose crises.

What does a San Francisco supervisor do?

San Francisco supervisors draft legislation, often impacting local programs, departments and funding allocation.

Candidates

Scotty Jacobs
Scotty JacobsCorporate Brand ManagerDemocrat
Allen Jones
Allen JonesLongtime San Francisco ResidentRepublican
Autumn Looijen
Autumn Looijen2022 San Francisco School Board Recall CofounderDemocrat
Bilal Mahmood
Bilal MahmoodClimate Nonprofit Director, Electric ActionDemocrat
Dean Preston
Dean PrestonSupervisor, District 5/Tenant Rights AttorneyDemocrat – Incumbent

Key Supporters

This list represents notable organizations and individuals who have taken a position on the ballot measure or candidate, or who are funding campaigns in support or opposition. This list is not exhaustive, and may be updated.

For Jacobs

  • Mark Farrell, former interim mayor, San Francisco 
  • Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club
  • Marina Times

For Jones

  • N/A

For Looijen

  • Chinese American Democratic Club
  • San Francisco Police Officers Association
  • Stop Crime Action

For Mahmood

  • London Breed, mayor, San Francisco 
  • Matt Mahan, mayor, San José
  • Lateefah Simon, director, BART 
  • Nor Cal Carpenters Union 
  • San Francisco Democratic Party

For Preston

  • Nancy Pelosi, U.S. representative
  • Bernie Sanders, U.S. senator
  • California Nurses Association
  • San Francisco Tenants Union
  • United Educators of San Francisco
 

Positions on Key Issues
Candidate summaries are based on interviews with the candidates, questionnaires, statements made at debates and public events, and past news coverage.

Mayor London Breed said in July that she aims to make the city’s unhoused population so uncomfortable living on the streets that they have to take city offers of shelter or housing. What role do you think punitive measures and disincentives should play in tackling the homelessness crisis in San Francisco?

Jacobs says compassion needs to be part of the city’s response to homelessness, but that the city should do everything it can to get people off the streets, including continuing the clearing of homeless encampments. Jacobs says, as supervisor, he would prioritize increasing the city’s number of shelter beds. He also supports safe sleeping sites as an intermediary step while more shelters are constructed.
Jones says he disagrees with the mayor on this position and that his insight comes from living in his car from 2009 to 2019. Jones says unhoused residents deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. If elected, Jones would advocate for a city program that would buy old unused cars like Cadillacs and use them as temporary shelters.
Looijen says she doesn’t see the mayor’s efforts to create discomfort as punitive measures. “These are the boundaries we set up as a society, and we expect you to abide by them,” she says. “What it comes down to for me is, we need to spend the money to build the beds, and then we need to make sure that people take them.”
Mahmood says he does not believe in tent sweeps, calling them a band-aid solution. “If you sweep individuals off the street and there's nowhere for them to go, then you just kind of move people around from one district to another,” Mahmood says. He says he would like to create an interagency task force to better coordinate the city’s response and build a data framework to personalize care to each individual.
Preston has denounced Breed’s tactics, saying, “Cruel measures are not only wrong, but completely counterproductive.” City homelessness data shows that the unsheltered population in District 5 fell by about 20% between 2022 and 2024. Preston says he helped by calling attention to the fact that roughly 10% of permanent supportive housing beds in the city were empty, which led to filling more than 300 units thanks to those efforts.

State officials report that San Francisco is not building housing at the pace needed to meet the goal of 82,000 new units by 2031. As a city supervisor, how would you work to help the city meet that goal?

Jacobs criticizes Supervisor Dean Preston for his housing record, saying the supervisor’s prioritization of fully affordable housing projects means land stays empty longer than if the sites were approved for market rate development. As a supervisor, Jacobs says he would push to rezone areas along major roadways so more housing can be built there. Jacobs also supports eliminating, or severely limiting, any discretionary review or public comment for housing projects.
Jones says current Supervisor Dean Preston has stood in the way of certain housing developments for superficial reasons like its appearance. “Beggars can't be choosers, and San Francisco is begging for housing,” Jones says. “So my position: I will never, while San Francisco is needing housing, vote [down] or obstruct any housing project in San Francisco.”
Looijen says, as supervisor, she would advocate for by-right development, meaning if a project is compliant with all relevant codes, it is granted its necessary permits rather than requiring additional steps like neighborhood outreach meetings or discretionary approval from the city’s Planning Commission. Looijen says she would also want to reassess existing fees on developers and “make sure they all make sense.”
Mahmood says, as supervisor, he would aim to streamline the city’s building permitting process. While builders currently have to complete dozens of permits in a sequence, he would propose letting them complete the various permit processes simultaneously, “because when we cut the red tape, we make it faster to build it, and when we make it faster to build, we make it cheaper to build,” Mahmood says.
Preston says he is eager to build as much affordable housing in his district as possible. Regarding market rate housing, he says there are “tons of projects that are fully entitled and have all of their permissions” but that developers are choosing not to move forward on them. Preston denies allegations made by opponents that he often blocks housing and says that, unlike some of his colleagues, he does not exclusively focus on housing for “people who have a lot more wealth or are investors.”

What are your thoughts on the debate between harm reduction versus criminalization in addressing the city’s drug overdose crisis?

Jacobs says he believes in an approach that balances the two. “As a city, we have over-indexed toward harm reduction without using law enforcement and the legal system as a way to compel people into treatment,” Jacobs says. He adds that when people are not capable of deciding for themselves to go into treatment, the city should use available laws to order them into treatment.
Jones says his brother died of an overdose in 2016 while in a city-provided hotel room and he does not fully believe in either approach. Jones says he is also opposed to safe consumption sites, and proposes an alternative called “get clean lounges.” “A person can go in there, take a shower, and they can get all the information they need on how to get clean, drug-wise.”
Looijen says she does support some harm-reduction-based programs like needle exchanges, but does not support safe injection sites or harm reduction overall. “We've been trying harm reduction in San Francisco and on the whole West Coast, and the result has been chaos on our streets,” Looijen says. She adds that she believes fentanyl is so addictive that most people will not go into treatment voluntarily and she supports compelling people into treatment.
Mahmood says he supports safe consumption sites as a way to prevent overdose deaths and provide a gateway to care, and he does not support forcing people into care. But he says that those policies should be balanced with abstinence-based treatment, and sober housing programs. Mahmood adds that he would support a Cash Not Drugs program which pays people for every day they remain sober. He also supports more arrests of drug dealers and increased foot patrols in troubled areas like the Tenderloin.
Preston says he worked with the city to develop a comprehensive overdose prevention plan and opposed the closure of the Tenderloin Center, an overdose prevention or safe consumption site in 2022. Preston says he supports reducing barriers to drug treatment, including expanding access to medication-assisted treatments, and thinks arresting drug users does not help address the crisis. But he added that he does think law enforcement has a role to play, including enforcement against drug dealers and addressing violence related to the drug trade.

Board of Supervisors, District 7

What does a San Francisco supervisor do?

San Francisco supervisors draft legislation, often impacting local programs, departments and funding allocation.

Candidate Statements

Candidate Statements are excerpted from the statements provided to election offices, where available.

Matt Boschetto

  • Small-business owner
  • Budget: “Balancing a budget and making essential strategic changes are essential to running a small business like ours. I pledge to bring that level of creative problem-solving and accountability to the role as your next supervisor.”
  • Public Safety: “My highest priority is restoring public safety to ensure thriving commercial corridors and neighborhoods everyone can call home.” 
  • Accountability: “Most importantly, what I say now is what I will stick to over the next four years, and I urge you to hold me accountable to that.”

Myrna Melgar

  • Supervisor, District 7
  • Public Safety: “I’m delivering practical solutions to public safety — adding $25 million to put more police officers in Westside neighborhoods, expanding the community ambassador program to keep West Portal, Ocean Avenue and Inner Sunset safe, and securing funding for license plate readers in crime hotspots like the Twin Peaks Overlook.”
  • Housing: “As a housing policy expert, I’ve worked on practical solutions to increase housing opportunities and protect tenants so more people can continue to call the Westside home.”
  • Education: “I … invested in programs that improve academic success in our public schools.”
  • myrnamelgar.com

Stephen Martin-Pinto

  • Firefighter/military reservist
  • Commissions: “I will reduce the number of commissions and departments by consolidating and eliminating redundant and unnecessary positions, saving taxpayer money.”
  • Public Safety: “I will restore SFPD to full staffing while reforming the SFPD commission to allow them to provide high-quality public safety.”
  • Education: “I will advocate for world-class public education. As a Lowell High School graduate, this is very personal to me.”
  • stephenmartinpinto.com

Edward S. Yee

  • No designation.
  • Statement pending or not available.

Race to Watch

Board of Supervisors, District 9

Why does this race matter?

For decades, San Francisco’s District 9 — which includes the Mission, Bernal Heights and Portola neighborhoods — has been a hub of labor and immigrant activism. In a crowded race to succeed termed-out Supervisor Hillary Ronen, four candidates have drawn support from various influential community groups in the district.

What does a San Francisco supervisor do?

San Francisco supervisors draft legislation, often impacting local programs, departments and funding allocation.

Key Candidates

This list represents the most notable candidates running for the seat.
Trevor Chandler
Trevor ChandlerPublic School Teacher
Jackie Fielder
Jackie FielderClimate Nonprofit Director
Roberto Hernandez
Roberto HernandezCEO, Cultura y Arte Nativa de Las Américas
Stephen Torres
Stephen TorresBartender

Key Supporters

This list represents notable organizations and individuals who have taken a position on the ballot measure or candidate, or who are funding campaigns in support or opposition. This list is not exhaustive, and may be updated.

For Chandler

  • Rafael Mandelman, supervisor, San Francisco
  • Chinese American Democratic Club
  • San Francisco Democratic Party (ranked #1 choice)
  • San Francisco YIMBY
  • Together SF Action

For Fielder

  • Aaron Peskin, supervisor, San Francisco
  • Hillary Ronen, supervisor, San Francisco
  • Democratic Socialists of America, San Francisco Chapter
  • San Francisco Tenants Union (ranked #1 choice)
  • SEIU 1021

For Hernandez

  • Dolores Huerta, civil rights and labor activist
  • Fiona Ma, state treasurer, California
  • Myrna Melgar, supervisor, San Francisco
  • Alice B Toklas Democratic Club
  • United Educators of San Francisco

For Torres

  • Bevan Dufty, member, BART Board of Directors
  • Sandra Lee Fewer, former supervisor, San Francisco
  • Mark Leno, former state senator
  • Juanita MORE!, LGBTQ activist
  • Laura Thomas, member, San Francisco Entertainment Commission
 

Positions on Key Issues
Candidate summaries are based on interviews with the candidates, questionnaires, statements made at debates and public events, and past news coverage.

KQED has spoken to dozens of small business owners throughout the district who say that fewer people are supporting their businesses. What do you think is needed to make District 9 a popular shopping destination again?

Chandler argues that for the district’s commercial corridors to recover, “We have to get the basics done right and ensure safe and clean streets.” He adds that many people avoid the 16th and 24th Street BART plazas due to safety concerns, which negatively impacts nearby businesses. He also advocates for stronger enforcement of the city’s graffiti laws and, to reduce shoplifting, supports pursuing misdemeanor charges for shoplifters who steal less than $950 worth of goods – the threshold for felony charges.
Fielder suggests organizing more community events to increase foot traffic, but identifies excessive red tape, limited city assistance, and high rents as challenges for small businesses. She claims many landlords keep storefronts vacant “because they're either absent or just want to hold on to these properties for the potential windfall that will come from luxury real estate development.” She also calls for stricter enforcement of San Francisco’s commercial vacancy tax, which voters approved in 2020.
Hernandez says during the pandemic, “there were all kinds of entrepreneurship out of the necessity of people who are very resilient and found ways to make some kind of income,” but lacked the investment needed to formalize their businesses. He calls for increased funding for organizations like the Mission Economic Development Agency and Clecha to expand financial support and suggests turning empty storefronts into business incubators. He also believes that a stronger police presence will reduce robberies and boost foot traffic.
Torres attributes the decline in foot traffic to the pandemic, technological shifts, and unregulated industries that he says “do not pay back to our city in the same way they extract.” He supports expanding subsidies and grants to legacy businesses, increasing funding for local artists and prioritizing brick-and-mortar restaurants over kitchens “that are built purely to feed [delivery] apps and contribute nothing to our local economy.”

Since 2020, street vending at the 16th and 24th Street BART plazas has grown significantly. This includes folks selling food, crafts and clothing – but there’s also the presence of individuals that sell stolen goods and drugs. In response, city officials, including Supervisor Ronen, have tried multiple strategies including setting up fences, increasing police presence and imposing a street-vending ban. What is your vision for these public spaces?

Chandler describes the situation in the plazas as a repeat of “what we’ve seen from City Hall … It's getting out of hand, it's a slow boil until it overflows.” He proposes creating permanent vendor spaces where vendors can rotate and receive some form of guaranteed income. Chandler also supports having law enforcement or community ambassadors present at both plazas 24/7 and confiscating the merchandise of vendors who cannot provide proof of purchase.
Hernandez says the current situation at the plazas “isn’t my first rodeo” and points to lessons learned from past vendor crackdowns. He proposes a strategy similar to what the city had in place during the 2000s: setting up custom-made tents with booth spaces on both plazas for vendors with permits and allowing them to sell on a rotating basis. He adds that individuals selling stolen merchandise on public property are hurting small businesses throughout the district.
Fielder says the problem stems from permanent vendors being “unfairly looped in with non-permanent vendors.” She aims to protect the economic well-being of “legitimate vendors” and create a pathway for vendors “that would like to become official small business owners.” She believes District 9 needs a long-term strategy that involves vendors, community groups, police officers and city workers to address safety and accessibility issues in the plazas.
Torres says an outright ban of street vending is not the right solution. He attributes many of the current problems to the city’s lack of a specific street vending strategy following California’s statewide decriminalization of street vending in 2018. He supports establishing more public markets throughout the district where street vendors can have their own stalls, and advocates for better training and security for city employees tasked with enforcing vending rules.

A recent Supreme Court ruling makes it easier for cities to fine or jail unhoused people for sleeping on public property, even if no alternative shelter exists. Since that ruling, city officials have ramped up sweeps of homeless encampments throughout San Francisco. Do you think increasing sweeps is a good decision?

Chandler says “we have to balance compassion and accountability.” He believes in offering shelter and services before clearing any encampment, but if unhoused individuals refuse help, “they don’t have a right to camp there.” Chandler supports moving individuals or escalating enforcement when they decline offers of shelter and services. “We have to draw a line in the sand somewhere,” he says.
Hernandez says the city’s homelessness response has been plagued by “bad management” and argues that “sweeps and just throwing people into warehouses has proven not to work.” He supports temporary housing that transitions to permanent housing, emphasizing that it must be tailored to individual needs. “If you have a drug problem, you need to go to housing that's a recovery program” and not housing for other demographics, like families, he says.
Fielder describes sweeps as “political theater” that merely moves “people from neighborhood to neighborhood.” She cites Houston’s 63% reduction in homelessness as a model and advocates for having San Francisco’s homelessness agencies adhere to one unified strategy. She also calls for increased funding for more beds and treatment for dual-diagnosis patients — individuals with both mental health and substance use disorders.
Torres says that sweeps are “not a solution, but rather the absence of a solution,” adding that this strategy “just moves the crisis around.” He adds, “People don't disappear when they get swept away, they just go somewhere else.” Torres advocates for “more strategized, more multilevel approaches” such as temporary and interim housing, supervised and regulated encampment areas and designated places for people living in RVs.

What should be the role of SFPD in District 9? What can be done to improve public safety and at the same time take into account concerns about over-policing?

Chandler supports a “community policing model,” which includes ensuring police officers can afford to live in the district, and increasing the number of beat officers. He believes that having officers be more visible “makes it more effective for preventing crime” and ensures accountability “for any bad apples that might be on the force.” He adds that he has never called for defunding the police and supports a fully staffed SFPD.
Hernandez outlines three strategies that he calls “community policing”: expanding the community ambassador program across the district; creating a senior escort program to accompany elderly residents on medical appointments, grocery trips and field trips; and boosting school safety by involving parents as hall monitors. To finance these initiatives, he proposes redirecting some SFPD funding.
Fielder calls for police officers to prioritize violent crimes and emergencies, while increasing the presence of unarmed community ambassadors. She supports holding officers accountable for incidents of excessive force and racial profiling. When it comes to street vending limits, she says officials “need to be very careful and surgical about the kinds of laws that we're enforcing,” ensuring that enforcement doesn’t violate San Francisco’s sanctuary policy, especially if Donald Trump wins a second term.
Torres says the responsibilities of SFPD to prevent crime have evolved “to include so much that is beyond their scope of training and capacity.” He believes crime prevention should also address underlying issues, like stabilizing small businesses, providing comprehensive health services, and shoring up aid programs for the district’s most vulnerable residents. By holding law enforcement accountable, Torres says, the department can regain public trust and close staffing gaps.

A significant number of District 9 residents are neither citizens nor fluent in English. If elected supervisor, how would you hold yourself accountable to those who cannot vote for you or speak English?

Chandler believes that “how someone runs for supervisor is how they're going to act as supervisor.” He mentions his campaign’s outreach efforts in Spanish and Cantonese and says he wants “every single person who lives in District 9 to be able to have access to City Hall, [regardless of] their citizenship status [or] language.”
Hernandez says, “I've never done anything by myself — I've done it in coalition.” As an example, he mentions how a group of parents from across the district are advising him on his education proposals. “The office will be an office for people to come in and out, and work with me side by side,” he adds.
Fielder says, “We need a lot more multilingual civic engagement,” and would support ongoing accessibility efforts by various city agencies. She highlights how community members helped craft her platform and says she values the conversations she has in Spanish with residents.
Torres says that in order to better serve vulnerable communities, the city needs more comprehensive data on their linguistic, cultural and public health needs. He adds that during the height of the pandemic, he supported testing and vaccination efforts as a member of the Entertainment Commission and learned from public health workers the importance of having complete data, especially concerning the needs of recently arrived immigrant residents.

Board of Supervisors, District 11

What does a San Francisco supervisor do?

San Francisco supervisors draft legislation, often impacting local programs, departments and funding allocation.

Candidate Statements

Candidate Statements are excerpted from the statements provided to election offices, where available.

Chyanne Chen

  • Parent/nonprofit director
  • Workers’ Rights: “For over 20 years, I’ve worked for San Francisco’s everyday people as a SEIU union organizer and community advocate. I pushed to empower workers, strengthen language access, promote cross-racial solidarity and improve services for families.”
  • Public Safety: “My priorities as supervisor: safer streets with increased community patrols and ambassadors.”
  • Housing: “More affordable housing for essential workers, working families and seniors.”
  • chyannechen.com

Ernest “EJ” Jones

  • Community organizer 
  • Housing: “As affordable housing director with Bernal Heights Housing Corporation, I advocated for policies supporting families staying in San Francisco.”
  • Collaboration: “I understand the importance of building strong community connections and working together to tackle the challenges ahead.”
  • Priorities: “As your supervisor, I’ll address safety, housing, our local economy, transit, and cleanliness through collaboration.”
  • ejforsf.com

Michael Lai

  • Early education director 
  • Child care: “During COVID, I raised $17.9 million to start 30 day cares that include teacher housing.” 
  • Public Safety: “Staff up the police department, arrest fentanyl dealers, stop illegal dumping, and get homeless people mental health beds and treatment.”
  • Corruption: “Root out corruption, reduce bureaucracy, and measure results for nonprofit contracts.”
  • votemichaellai.com

Jose Morales

  • Salesman 
  • Crime: “I’m fed up with the rising crime that frightens our elders and the addiction crisis plaguing our streets.”
  • Affordability: “It’s heartbreaking to witness businesses closing down and families being forced out due to soaring prices.”
  • Collaboration: “Together, we can turn things around and create a brighter future for everyone. Let’s work together to make our community safer, more affordable, and full of opportunity.”

Adlah Chisti

  • Policy analyst/planner
  • Public Safety: “I’m running for supervisor for District 11 to ensure our children, families, and seniors feel safe, have job and housing opportunities, and enjoy beautiful parks and libraries.”
  • Experience: “Several local supervisor campaigns including campaign manager for Supervisor Myrna Melgar’s campaign in 2020. Policy analyst, Vice President Kamala Harris 2016 U.S. Senate campaign.”
  • Education: “Education policy experience over 10 years. Teacher, eighth grade, James Lick Middle School.”

Roger Marenco

  • Organizer/transit operator
  • Crime: “Backwards-thinking politicians believe that giving more neverending second chances and more of our tax dollars to the homeless, to drug users, and to criminals, will reduce crime.”
  • Budget: “We need to open the books in City Hall and expose where the money is going, so that we can start fixing this broken system.”
  • Public Safety: “It’s time to clean the streets, fix the potholes, sanitize the buses, put students in school, workers to work, and criminals in jail.”

Oscar Flores

  • Project engineer 
  • Integrity: “I am running for District 11 supervisor because I have the courage to say and do what is necessary.”
  • Accountability: “As a Christian, I have a duty to challenge leadership that only brings decay, suffering, and a lack of means to thrive.”
  • Justice: “My approach is one of love, firmness, justice, and peace.”

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