Instructions:
1. There are 10 sections to this questionnaire. Each section
corresponds with the 10 Key Values of the Green Party.
2. Each section begins with a written question and ends with several
multiple-choice questions. Please don't skip the written question.
3. The multiple-choice questions are answered by checking the box in the appropriate column to indicate which is closest to your position.
+ = Support / Agree / Yes
- = Oppose / Disagree / No
? = Undecided / Don't know / No opinion
4. The world is too complex to always break down neatly into
yes/no/maybe choices, so feel free to clarify any answers to multiple
choice questions with a few words.
Candidate Name: Joshua Arce
Phone Number: (415) 860-2150
Web site: joshuaarce.com
E-mail: info@joshuaarce.com
Name of Campaign Manager: Jen Kwart
Are you receiving public financing: Yes
Signed voluntary spending limit: Yes
2nd, 3rd endorsements in District: none
Major Endorsements: Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom, State Senate Pro Tem Kevin De Leon, State
Board of Equalization Chair Fiona Ma, SF Firefighters, District 9 Tenants Alliance
Favorite Incumbent Supervisor: London Breed
Least favorite: I plan on working with all members of the Board of Supervisors.
If the election were held today, Who would you support as Board President: Most likely London Breed
Who would be your second and third choices: It depends on composition of the Board.
Who did you endorse for Mayor in 2015 (all 3 choices, if applicable): Ed Lee
Who did you endorse for Sheriff in 2015: Did not endorse
1) Grassroots Democracy: What are your thoughts on Instant Runoff
Voting, and District Elections? How have they worked to date? What
would you change in the future?
I support both instant runoff voting and district elections. District elections give many the opportunity to
run for office who might not other be able to compete in a citywide election. District elections also
allow for a more diverse representation.
+ - ?
[ x ] [ ] [ ] Sub-government such as Neighborhood Assemblies, Networks or District Councils
[ x ] [ ] [ ] Some commissions should be democratically elected
[ ] [X] [ ] The Mayor should appoint all commissioners
[X] [ ] [ ] Voters' right to recall elected officials
[X] [ ] [ ] Residency requirements for elected officials should be strictly enforced
[ ] [X] [ ] Ethics Commission should be disbanded
[X] [ ] [ ] Ethics Commission meetings should be televised
[X] [ ] [ ] Ethics Commission should prioritize investigating violations from well-funded
campaigns
[ ] [X] [ ] My campaign accepts corporate contributions
[ ] [X] [ ] My campaign accepts contributions from paid lobbyists or related entities having any
interest in City and County of San Francisco
2) Ecological Wisdom: Please outline your view of the major
environmental and ecological issues facing San Francisco and your
proposed policies to address.
Between my work as President of the Environment Commission, an Executive board member of the
Sierra Club, and the Executive Director of Brightline Defense working to shut down dirty power plants, I
have the strongest environmental record of any candidate running for District 9 Supervisor. I have a
proven, progressive track record of delivering environmental win after win.
Climate change is real and I am supportive of efforts to move forward implementation of renewable
energy projects under CleanPowerSF. For nearly ten years, I have been one of the City's loudest,
most consistent, and, if I can so say humbly, most effective voices pushing for solar and local
renewable energy projects.
I have supported CleanPowerSF for eight years and spent many of those in the trenches pushing for
the program. After rate-setting for CPSF stalled in 2013, I worked for two years to increase labor
support for the program and neutralize the Labor Council's opposition to the program as thenproposed.
The local build-out was a big part of my work with organized labor. Earlier in the year, I joined
members of my union Laborers Local 261 and elected officials to announce that we are the first labor
union to early enroll our members, up to 3,000 of whom we have in the City, in CPSF. Efforts like this
will help us generate revenue earlier and give us resources we need for our local build-out. We might
also consider the use or GoSolarSF resources to complement this revenue.
We need to work hard to make Muni a 21st-century transit agency that demonstrates what a Transit-
First City really looks like. Our current District 9 representatives displayed a major lack of leadership in
this regard recently by allowing the debate around the Mission street "red lanes" to descend into
chaos. We hear from Muni riders and bicyclists that the red lanes are making their commute much
faster and buses more efficient. Neighbors and local businesses, however, have expressed concerns
and opposed the "red lanes" at hearing. As a Supervisor, I will lead on Transit First and work to resolve
community and business concerns instead of allowing discord to become the norm on important
issues such as transit.
As a walker and bike rider, I'd also like to see Vision Zero fully implemented in our city. That should
include expediting our bike friendly roadways program, working with other local and state officials to
improve our road safety laws and advocating for stronger enforcement of dangerous driving which puts
riders lives at risk. We will only be able to get more riders onto our roads if they truly feel they can do
so safely.
+ - ?
[X] [ ] [ ] Phasing out diesel tour buses
[X] [ ] [ ] Public Power
[X] [ ] [ ] Community Choice Aggregation
[ x ] [ ] [ ] Tidal power that might be harnessed in San Francisco Bay should be publicly
controlled
[X] [ ] [ ] Reducing or eliminating parking minimums in new housing and commercial
developments
[ ] [ ] [ x ] Congestion tolls on Doyle Drive
[ ] [ ] [ x ] Natural Areas Program
[ ] [ x ] [ ] Artificial turf on City-owned athletic fields
3) Social Justice:
A) What is your assessment of homelessness in San Francisco, and what
solutions do you propose?
San Francisco has always had a "housing first" policy in addressing homelessness. This is the right
approach, but we should also be smarter about how we invest existing funds. The Navigation Center
model is an excellent example of how to get things right through coordination of services. I support
efforts to expand this model throughout our city and would support incentives for existing, more
traditional shelters to adopt some of the Navigation Center's inclusive housing policies.
Ultimately, in order to get our homeless brothers and sisters out of tents and into permanent housing,
we simply need to build more affordable housing. That's why as a board member of the Mission
Housing Development Corporation, I helped lead the effort to build hundreds of units of affordable
housing in our community with 30% of these units going to formerly homeless individuals.
+ - ?
[ x] [ ] [ ] Project Homeless Connect
[ ] [X] [ ] Care Not Cash
[ x ] [ ] [ ] Community courts
[X] [ ] [ ] Healthy SF
[X] [ ] [ ] SF's sick leave requirements
[ ] [X] [ ] Law against sitting down on SF sidewalks
B) What are your views on housing affordability, what public sector
strategies have worked, which have failed, and what are your proposals?
As Secretary of the Board of the District 9's biggest affordable housing non-profit, I am not only talking
about housing but helping lead the way to hundreds, and in time thousands, of units of affordable
housing. I will expand upon this work as Supervisor to build housing that is for all of us.
To protect tenants from evictions, we should continue to push the state to reform the Ellis Act and
Costa-Hawkins. I am also open to looking at ways to address the plight of tenants who are impacted
by aggressive unlawful detainer lawsuits.
+ - ?
[X] [ ] [ ] Impacts of all new development should be paid for in advance by fees on developers
[X] [ ] [ ] Community Land Trusts
[ ] [X] [ ] Rent Control is too strong
[ ] [ ] [ x ] Elected Rent Board
[ ] [X] [ ] Condo conversion is currently too difficult
4) Nonviolence: What are your solutions for SFPD accountability while making the streets safer?
The distrust between communities of color and law enforcement is at an all time high, and we have
seen too many tragedies involving our Black and Brown communities. We are only recently on the
road to tackling these issues following the Police Commission's adoption of community-backed police
reform and Supervisor Malia Cohen's leadership on the Police Accountability Ballot Measure.
I was proud to co-sponsor and help secure unanimous support for a June 2015 DCCC resolution
endorsing the Black Lives Matter movement. A month later, we also endorsed President Obama's
21st Century Policing Task Force Report. Earlier this month, I return to my roots as a civil rights activist
to work with the A. Philip Randolph Institute to advocate for full implementation of community-backed
police reform and secure passage of the Police Accountability Initiative this November.
As Supervisor, I will go further. On top of the reforms already endorsed by the Police Commission, I
will fight for full implementation of Campaign Zero in our city. These reforms should have happened
long ago, which is a big part of the reason our neighborhoods need new leadership at City Hall.
+ - ?
[ ] [ ] [ x ] Prioritize SFPD enforcement of moving violations
[X] [ ] [ ] Support expansion of foot patrols
[X] [ ] [ ] Demand stricter accountability in future MOUs with the SFPD
[X] [ ] [ ] The Board of Supervisors should be able to set policies and priorities for the SFPD through legislation
[ ] [X] [ ] Support a public safety program modeled after NYC's "Stop and Frisk."
5) Decentralization: What are your thoughts on the Kaufman Charter
of 1996? Does it need revisiting?
+ - ?
[ ] [ ] [ x ] Bring the Housing Authority under the Board of Supervisors
[X] [ ] [ ] Will you create formal district councils to advise you?
[ ] [ ] [x ] Charter amendment allowing voters to choose the replacement of an elected official being recalled on the same ballot as the recall vote
[X] [ ] [ ] Immediately implement open-source voting system on the local level
6) Community Based Economics: What economic policies, including taxation and land use, would you propose that would drive capital into our communities and keep that capital here for residents?
We must fight income inequality by ensuring that local residents and disadvantaged workers have
access to the best jobs created in this booming economy. I championed the local hiring policy that
guarantees thousands of construction jobs for local residents, including formerly incarcerated workers
and limited English speakers. As Supervisor, I will work to expand this program to the healthcare and
technology sectors. I was a part of the Fight for 15 and will continue to fight for fair wages and benefits
for our workers.
+ - ?
[X] [ ] [ ] Legislation limiting formula retail outlets/chain-stores
[X] [ ] [ ] Conditional Use permit required for big box stores
[X] [ ] [ ] Municipal broadband
[X] [ ] [ ] Local hiring requirements should be enforced
[ x] [ ] [ ] Conversion of some golf courses into soccer fields
[X] [ ] [ ] Prop 13 limits on tax increases should apply only to residential properties
7) Feminism: Do you believe women are underrepresented in city
government? If so, why do you believe this is the case? Is this a
bad thing, and if so, what would you do to remedy the situation?
I absolutely believe that women and people of color are underrepresented in city government.
Representation that does not reflect the diversity of our communities does a disservice to everyone.
As President of the Environment Commission, I placed a emphasis on recommending strong women
of color to fill vacancies, including Latinxs such as Commission President Jacquelyn Omotalade, Vice-
President Elmy Bermejo and Commissioner Lisa Hoyos. It has been an honor to watch these women
exceed expectations in their positions.
For the first time in San Francisco history, the Environment Commission is entirely composed of
women, majority Latinx. Representation for people of color and women on boards and commissions is
how we will solve problems that disproportionately affect communities of color and women; it's how we
are tackling environmental injustices in this city. Under the guidance of these strong women of color,
the Environment Commission is stronger than ever. I will work to continue to expand opportunities to
extend support and opportunity to women and people of color in my career.
+ - ?
[X] [ ] [ ] The City should help SFUSD provide child care for children of working parents
[X] [ ] [ ] The DPH should provide reproductive health services
[ ] [X] [ ] Require parental consent for minors seeking an abortion
[ ] [X] [ ] Require parental notification for minors seeking an abortion
8) Respect for Diversity: Tell us what you believe are the best and the
worst aspects of San Francisco's diversity. How would you try to
protect the best while trying to change the worst?
San Francisco's diversity has created the vibrant neighborhoods that we all love and that have drawn
people to our city for decades. It is one of the best things about our City.
The perception that our political diversity is more diverse than it actually is can be unproductive at
times. We agree on more than we don't, and often times, arbitrary labels discourage people from
working together to find solutions to our City's problems.
+ - ?
[X] [ ] [ ] Multilingual government and education
[X] [ ] [ ] Undocumented immigrants should have equal access to education and health care
[X] [ ] [ ] Non-citizen residents should be able to vote in all local elections
[X] [ ] [ ] Full rights for transgender persons
[ ] [X] [ ] Boards and commissions now reflect the ethnic diversity of San Francisco
[ ] [X] [ ] Boards and commissions now reflect the political diversity of San Francisco
[X] [ ] [ ] My campaign reflects the diversity of San Francisco
9) Global and Personal Responsibility:
A) What are your thoughts on the
Board of Supervisors taking positions on state, national and
international issues?
In general, I believe that the Board of Supervisors should spend its time focused on city issues. We
have far too many pressing local issues that need attention.
However, when state, national, or international issues intersect with local issues like in the case of our
Sanctuary City policy or allowing non-citizen voting, it is appropriate for City leaders to take positions
or dictate policy on these issues.
+ - ?
[ ] [X] [ ] City government cooperating with the PATRIOT Act
[ ] [X] [ ] City government cooperating with ICE/Secure Communities
[ ] [ x ] [ ] City government should boycott Israel until it complies with UN resolutions
[X] [ ] [ ] SF supervisors should take a position on offshore oil drilling outside CA
B) Please describe how you make your political decisions. What is the
main basis for your decision making (e.g., consultation with your
constituents, political consultants, colleagues, unions, businesses,
donors, or your gut feelings)?
[x ] [ ] [ ] Fleet Week and the Blue Angels flyover
[ ] [X] [ ] In a severe recession, environmental regulations should be suspended to create jobs
[ ] [X] [ ] Business taxes are too high
10) Sustainability: What does the Transit First City Charter provision
mean to you? How has Transit First fared in recent years, and how would
you enforce that Charter Provision if elected?
Being a transit first city means that we should set policies that discourage individual car usage and
encourage transit, cycling and walking as alternatives. I would work to create a neighborhood plan for
Mission Street South of Cesar Chavez that creates a new 30th Street BART station to increase
ridership and connect to Muni's underutilized J-Church line. I would develop more bus rapid transit
projects while engaging in thorough community input processes, create Bike Superhighways and
increase safe cycling infrastructure throughout District 9 to work towards a citywide network of
connected bikeways for people of all ages and abilities, expand bicycle education and urban learn-toride
programs, especially in low income communities and communities of color, and ensure city
departments prioritize and fast track safety improvements to achieve our City's Vision Zero goal of
eliminating all traffic deaths by 2024 and our goal of doubling the number of bike trips citywide.
+ - ?
[ x ] [ ] [ ] MUNI should be funded greater levels and be free to the rider
[X] [ ] [ ] Downtown Transit Assessment Tax to support MUNI
[X] [ ] [ ] Citywide Transit Assessment Tax to support MUNI
[ x ] [ ] [] Higher residential construction along neighborhood transit corridors, which may
include raising height limits by two to three stories.
In appropriate circumstances
[X] [ ] [ ] State law change that lets bicycles treat stop signs as yield signs and red lights as
stop signs
[X] [ ] [ ] I ride MUNI, bicycle and/or walk instead of driving on a regular basis
[X] [ ] [ ] Bus Rapid Transit on Geary
[ ] [X] [ ] Allow residents to park on the sidewalk without getting a ticket, unless their neighbors
complain
[X] [ ] [ ] Congestion pricing for parking
[ ] [ x ] [ ] Power more City vehicles using corn-based ethanol
[ x] [ ] [ ] Residents should be allowed to park in the street in front of their own driveway for free
[ x ] [ ] [ ] Support expanding parking meter hours to include later evening hours and
weekends
[X] [ ] [ ] Remove parking spots and car lanes to create dedicated bike and bus lanes or wider
sidewalks
Your positions on selected current and past Propositions:
[ ] [X] [ ] Nov 2016 Prohibiting tents on public sidewalks
[X] [ ] [ ] Nov 2016 Neighborhood crime unit
[X] [ ] [ ] Nov 2016 Vacancy appointments
[X] [ ] [ ] Nov 2016 16-17 y.o. voting, local elections
[X] [ ] [ ] Nov 2016 Non-citizen voting, school board
[X] [ ] [ ] Nov 2016 Prop 62 (Ending Death Penalty)
[X] [ ] [ ] June 2016 Prop B (Rec and Park legislation)
[ ] [X] [ ] 2015 Prop F (Short Term Rental Regulation)
[X] [ ] [ ] 2015 Prop I (Mission Luxury Housing Moratorium)
[x] [ ] [ ] Nov 2014 Prop H (Natural Grass in Parks)
[ ] [X] [ ] June 2014 Prop B (Waterfront Height Limits)
[X] [ ] [ ] 2011 Prop C (Mayor's Pension measure)
[ ] [X] [ ] 2011 Prop D (Adachi's Pension measure)
[ ] [X] [ ] 2010 Prop L (Ban on Sitting on Sidewalks)
[X] [ ] [ ] 2010 Prop M (Foot Patrols)