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 multiplechoice
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: Sandra Lee Fewer
Phone Number: (415) 506-9305
Web site: www.sandrafewer.com
Email: sandra@sandrafewer.com
Name of Campaign Manager: Chelsea Boilard
Are you receiving public financing: Yes
Signed voluntary spending limit: Yes
2nd, 3rd endorsements in District: None
Major Endorsements: SF Democratic Party; SF Labor Council; Teachers; Nurses; Sierra Club; Tenants
Union; Supervisors Mar, Peskin, Kim, Avalos, Campos, and Yee; and Board of Education members
Haney, Mendoza, Walton, and Mendoza.
Favorite Incumbent Supervisor: N/A
Least favorite: N/A
If the election were held today, who would you support as Board President: N/A
Who would be your second and third choices: N/A
Who did you endorse for Mayor in 2015 (all 3 choices, if applicable): I didn't endorse anyone.
Who did you endorse for Sheriff in 2015: I didn't endorse anyone.
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 District Elections for the Board of Supervisors because it allows more grassroots candidates who do not have major financial backing to be viable, and it strengthens neighborhood and resident accountability. That said, I would not support district elections for the school board. I think the intention of IRV is good; it saves money that might be spent on a runoff election, and I think given the decrease in turnout for runoff elections, I think it allows for more voter participation in the democratic process. That said, after many years of IRV, too many people are still confused about how ranked choice voting works. IRV is also limited in that it doesn't allow for a real debate between the front runner candidates. Overall I think we need more education and awareness for voters to understand how the process works.
+ Subgovernment such as Neighborhood Assemblies, Networks or District Councils
+ Some commissions should be democratically elected
- The Mayor should appoint all commissioners
+ Voters' right to recall elected officials
+ Residency requirements for elected officials should be strictly enforced
? Ethics Commission should be disbanded
+ Ethics Commission meetings should be televised
+ Ethics Commission should prioritize investigating violations from well-funded campaigns
- My campaign accepts corporate contributions
+ 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 them.
I believe that the pressing environment issues include affordable housing, open space, air quality, and
overall, livable and sustainable communities. We also need to ensure preservation of SF's ecosystem,
including the wetlands, parks, coastline and bay. Since 70% of Golden Gate Park is in District 1, I think
the overall maintenance and preservation of the park as well as accessibility are central concerns. We
are surrounded by 3 natural borders (the beach, the Presidio and Golden Gate Park), and we have a
huge responsibility to protect and preserve those natural resources and open space. Planning for
development in the Richmond and SF is a huge issue - we have been experiencing large scale building
in the city with seemingly disregard for open space, light and air and neighborhood character. We
have an opportunity in the Richmond to plan before we build for more density to ensure that
community is heard, new developments are well thought out in terms of displacement and
ensuring protection and growth of green spaces in our urban environment.
+ Phasing out diesel tour buses
+ Public Power
+ Community Choice Aggregation
+ Tidal power that might be harnessed in San Francisco Bay should be publicly controlled
? Reducing or eliminating parking minimums in new housing and commercial developments
? Congestion tolls on Doyle Drive
+ Natural Areas Program
? 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?
We must move beyond providing a bed for one night for homeless residents and work to provide
a path to self-dependency
and self-reliance,
with diverse strategies that address the diverse needs
of homeless populations. We need to look outside of traditional partnerships for increased
transitional housing with case management on site. I've also interested in expansion of the
program EMS6,
which pairs paramedic captains from the Fire Department with members of the
Homeless Outreach Team - because rather than just transporting people who might be on the
streets with mental illness to general hospital with no infrastructure for follow up, this appears to
be a stronger model for connecting people to actual services.
+ Project Homeless Connect
- Care Not Cash
+ Community courts
+ Healthy SF
+ SF's sick leave requirements
- 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?
The major issue I see facing our city is one of economic inequality (deeply connected to racial disparities in our city for communities of color) - and that encompasses several other policy issues, including: the development of affordable housing; tenant protections; longterm infrastructure planning for our growing population (like do we have a transportation system or enough schools in place)- how we are treating workers in San Francisco- and even decisions about how our city collects and disseminates our resources (and from/for who). I believe that we must think outside of the box with regard to strategies for building affordable housing, and look at surplus public lands, community land trusts, small site acquisitions, and financing options from pension funds for affordable housing development.
+ Impacts of all new development should be paid for in advance by fees on developers
+ Community Land Trusts
- Rent Control is too strong
+ Elected Rent Board
- Condo conversion is currently too difficult
4) Nonviolence: What are your solutions for SFPD accountability while making the streets safer?
I believe we need to look at the findings of Blue Ribbon Commission in terms of what are we doing now, and what can we implement moving forward. We should separate the Office of Citizen Complaints from the SFPD. And I think that POA does not necessarily represent all of its officers, so in addition to listening to the community, I also think we should be listening to the members the department, especially Officers for Justice, Asian Police Officers Association, and the PRIDE officer association to hear about their experiences in the police department.
+ Prioritize SFPD enforcement of moving violations
+ Support expansion of foot patrols
+ Demand stricter accountability in future MOUs with the SFPD
+ The Board of Supervisors should be able to set policies and priorities for the SFPD through legislation
- 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?
I'm sorry to say that I am not familiar with this but would be interested in learning more about this
issue to become better informed.
+ Bring the Housing Authority under the Board of Supervisors
+ Will you create formal district councils to advise you?
? Charter amendment allowing voters to choose the replacement of an elected official being recalled on the same ballot as the recall vote
? 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?
I generally support progressive taxation and ensuring that large corporations pay their fair share in taxes and revenue to local government. I also believe that public resources should be used for public goodwhile on the Board of Education, I fought a proposal to sell a surplus school district property to a developer for market rate condos, and instead negotiated a deal to sell the property (1950 Mission) to the Mayor's Office of Housing, where there will be shortly 150 units of 100% affordable family housing constructed. I am strongly in support of more of these strategies being used, like looking at surplus public lands, community land trusts, and more.
+ Legislation limiting formula retail outlets/chainstores
+ Conditional Use permit required for big box stores
+ Municipal broadband
+ Local hiring requirements should be enforced
? Conversion of some golf courses into soccer fields
+ 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 do. Men are overrepresented in political leadership and elected office and from my experience,
women are not taught to believe that they belong in visible leadership positions, and there are
systemic barriers along the way that block their path to such positions. I have mentored and
supported the leadership of young women, single moms, lowincome
grandmas, and high school
students and I am proud to have supported each of these powerful women on their path. I think that
we need to develop and support more women in political leadership, while also supporting the next
generation of women leaders to be accountable to the communities that they represent.
+ The City should help SFUSD provide child care for children of working parents
+ The DPH should provide reproductive health services
- Require parental consent for minors seeking an abortion
- 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 has never been a city just for the very rich, and we cannot become that city now. With
economic diversity comes racial and ethnic diversity, and diversity of thought. Without economic
diversity, we risk losing diversity of all kinds and with it the soul of the city. I think some of my other
responses about working to ensure economic security for all kinds of people in San Francisco is
applicable here (with regard to tenants rights, affordable housing, living wage jobs and local hire, and
more).
+ Multilingual government and education
+ Undocumented immigrants should have equal access to education and health care
+ Noncitizen residents should be able to vote in all local elections
+ Full rights for transgender persons
- Boards and commissions now reflect the ethnic diversity of San Francisco They do not currently.
- Boards and commissions now reflect the political diversity of San Francisco
+ 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?
I think it entirely depends on the situation. I think it can be helpful for the city to weigh in on some of
these broader issues but again, it for me depends a bit on the issue.
? City government cooperating with the PATRIOT Act
? City government cooperating with ICE/Secure Communities
? City government should boycott Israel until it complies with UN resolutions
? 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)?
I think my endorsements speak broadly to who I want to be accountable to. 80% of my donors are SF residents. I am supported by the Tenants Union, Teachers, Nurses, the Labor Council, the Harvey Milk Democratic Club, by environmentalists and housing activists and immigrant rights advocates. Throughout my eight years on the Board of Education, I think I have consistently voted my conscience. But I also actively seek out the expertise and insight from community stakeholders to help me better understand key policy issues, and I will continue to do so as a Board of Supervisors member.
? Fleet Week and the Blue Angels flyover
- In a severe recession, environmental regulations should be suspended to create jobs
- Business taxes are too high
10) Sustainability: What does the Transit First City Charter provision mean to you? How has Transit
irst fared in recent years, and how would you enforce that Charter Provision if elected?
Transit First I think means that we set our sights high to develop and maintain a world class public
transit system that is efficient, reliable, affordable and accessible. We are not there yet and have a
ways to go. I have proudly supported free MUNI for youth, seniors and people with disabilities and
would support expansion. I do think we need a citywide transit master plan that seems to be missing
as we take 15 years to implement a particular neighborhood upgrade plan and hope to help make
that happen as a member of the Board of Supervisors.
+ MUNI should be funded greater levels and be free to the rider
? Downtown Transit Assessment Tax to support MUNI
? Citywide Transit Assessment Tax to support MUNI
? Higher residential construction along neighborhood transit corridors, which may include raising height limits by two to three stories.
- State law change that lets bicycles treat stop signs as yield signs and red lights as stop signs
- I ride MUNI, bicycle and/or walk instead of driving on a regular basis
? Bus Rapid Transit on Geary
+ Allow residents to park on the sidewalk without getting a ticket, unless their neighbors complain
? Congestion pricing for parking
+ Power more City vehicles using corn-based ethanol
+ Residents should be allowed to park in the street in front of their own driveway for free
- Support expanding parking meter hours to include later evening hours and weekends
+ Remove parking spots and car lanes to create dedicated bike and bus lanes or wider sidewalks
Your positions on selected current and past Propositions:
- Nov 2016 Prohibiting tents on public sidewalks
- Nov 2016 Neighborhood crime unit
+ Nov 2016 Vacancy appointments
+ Nov 2016 16-17 y.o. voting, local elections
+ Nov 2016 Noncitizen voting, school board
+ Nov 2016 Prop 62 (Ending Death Penalty)
+ June 2016 Prop B (Rec and Park legislation)
+ 2015 Prop F (Short Term Rental Regulation)
+ 2015 Prop I (Mission Luxury Housing Moratorium)
? Nov 2014 Prop H (Natural Grass in Parks)
+ June 2014 Prop B (Waterfront Height Limits)
+ 2011 Prop C (Mayor's Pension measure)
- 2011 Prop D (Adachi's Pension measure)
- 2010 Prop L (Ban on Sitting on Sidewalks)
- 2010 Prop M (Foot Patrols)