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: Tony Kelly
Phone Number: 415 283 6607
Web site: https://www.tonykellysupervisor.com
E-mail: tonykellysupervisor@gmail.com
Name of Campaign Manager: Claire Lau
Are you receiving public financing: Yes
Signed voluntary spending limit: Yes
Campaign Manager: Claire Lau
2nd, 3rd endorsements in District: -
Major Endorsements: Supervisor Jane Kim, Democratic Socialists of America San Francisco, Sierra Club, California Nurses Association (#1), San Francisco Berniecrats, SF Tenants Union, David Campos, Chair of the Democratic Party County Central Committee
Incumbent Supervisor whose votes most reflect your values: Jane Kim
Incumbent whose votes least reflect your values: Katy Tang
If the election were held today, who would you support as Board President: Jane Kim
Who would be your second and third choices: -
Who did you endorse for Mayor in 2018 (all 3 choices, if applicable): Jane Kim, Mark Leno
Who did you endorse for Mayor in 2015 (all 3 choices, if applicable): -
Who did you endorse for Sheriff in 2015: Ross Mirkarimi
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?
Instant Runoff Voting works, as far as ensuring the highest turnout possible for Supervisorial elections. District Elections works to support neighborhood leadership. I will defend both the letter and spirit of district elections and engage more with
the entire district than any Supervisor in memory. I am very serious about having Community Office Hours every day in the district; there is no better way to learn of neighborhood issues and bring all our voices to City Hall. I couldn't run for office or help cultivate the next generation of diverse leadership for this City without term limits, district elections, public financing, and instant runoff voting, so I am absolutely committed to protecting that system.
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[ 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 ] [ ] 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 them.
The remediation-fraud scandal at the Lennar shipyard is emblematic of a much larger City scandal: A child born today in Bayview can expect to live 14 years less than a child born on Russian Hill. We must address multiple pollution and community health issues in southeast San Francisco - from the two freeways carving our District and polluting our air, to the sewage treatment plant that processes 80% of the City's waste right across the street from people's homes, to the Circosta Metals junkyard and Darling International and other corporate polluters, to the groundwater contamination from hundreds of underground fuel tanks - and specific health dangers affecting immigrant communities and people of color throughout the City. I'll bring legislation to the Board:
* to restore neighborhood oversight over the shipyard cleanup, and restore Board authority over land use issues on former Redevelopment sites
* to mandate a full cleanup of the entire shipyard site to the highest standards, as mandated by 2000's Proposition P
* to update the Maher Ordinance to add public review and oversight of site mitigation plans for toxic soil
* to finally address the longstanding serious health disparities in District 10 due to water, ground and air pollution and systemic racism.
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[ X ] [ ] [ ] Phasing out all diesel buses (e.g., Muni, tour, shuttles)
[ X ] [ ] [ ] Public Power
[ X ] [ ] [ ] Install local/regional clean energy, efficiency, and battery storage to supply 50% of our electricity by 2030
[ X ] [ ] [ ] Reducing or eliminating parking minimums in new housing and commercial developments
[ X ] [ ] [ ] As in Bayview, halt all US Navy Treasure Island transfers of lands tested by Tetra Tech, to private developers
[ X ] [ ] [ ] Natural Areas Program
[ ] [ X ] [ ] Tree Removals ?????
[ ] [ X ] [ ] Use of Tier One herbicides in public parks
[ ] [ X ] [ ] Addition of SF Groundwater to City's potable supply ???
[ ] [ X ] [ ] Artificial turf on City-owned athletic fields
[ X ] [ ] [ ] Managed retreat and Coastal Zone protection in response to Global Warming
3) Social Justice:
A) What is your assessment of homelessness in San Francisco, and what
solutions do you propose?
My father died homeless in the first wave of mass homelessness in the mid 1980s; just a couple years later, I was homeless myself for a brief time. So I will never forget how crippling that kind of personal crisis can be, and how important it is to have a public safety net. There are different homeless populations, needing different solutions. I would include the following:
* Passing Our City, Our Home this November, taxing our wealthiest corporations to end homelessness for thousands of people each year.
* I was one of the authors of 2016's Proposition S, dedicating a portion of hotel tax funds to ending family homelessness, establishing the City's Cultural Districts, and supporting local artists and arts organizations. That measure got 63% of the vote, but needed 66% to pass. If Our City, Our Home fails in November, I would seek to revive this measure in 2019 to end family homelessness by 2023.
* I'm a leader of two neighborhood-led efforts, on Potrero Hill and in Bayview, for safe spaces to sleep using extra bedrooms in existing homes in a new 'Beds for Bayview' program, and using public land (perhaps under 101 in Potrero Hill) for transitional villages, with security, showers and hygiene services, until Navigation Centers or housing is found). With supportive services, this particular solution might be helpful for our working homeless population in encampments and vehicles (though they only make up about 10% of the homeless population in the City).
* In addition to the housing measures above, we have to provide more support for free and low-coast mental health services and mental illness treatment, as more and more untreated patients end up on our streets. Currently the City spends next to nothing on street-based mental health services, and that is shamefully ignorant. (Our City, Our Home includes funding for this need.)
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[ ] [ ] [ X ] Project Homeless Connect
Better than nothing, but I strongly prefer public solutions to privately funded mitigations.
[ ] [ X ] [ ] Care Not Cash
[ X ] [ ] [ ] Community courts
[ X ] [ ] [ ] Healthy SF
[ X ] [ ] [ ] SF's sick leave requirements
[ ] [ X ] [ ] Law against sitting down on SF sidewalks
[ X ] [ ] [ ] I support more homeless navigation centers in my district
B) What are your views on housing affordability, what public sector
strategies have worked, which have failed, and what are your proposals?
The City's General Plan is clear: San Franciscans who live here should be able to work here; San Franciscans who work here should be able to live here. City Hall's policies over the last 30 years have repeatedly undermined that promise, to the point where many residents of District 10 don't even earn enough to qualify for our local affordable housing programs. (This is one of the many flaws in the notion that expanding neighborhood preference programs will automatically lead to more neighborhood residents gaining access to new affordable housing.)In District 10, we need to be especially conscious of our resident population, and dig deeper to reach more levels of affordability in our new and rehabilitated housing. That's why I'm a strong proponent of using our publicly-owned land for affordable housing, and for establishing a public bank to remove the profit motive from some housing financing. The largest expenses in new housing are the cost of the land and the cost of the money; the City needs to use its land and its financial power to compete in the housing marketplace and bring affordable housing to more people.One of the multiple reasons that we cannot build our way out of our housing crisis is that we are losing too many affordable units to a market that treats housing as a commodity. Corporate housing, short-term rental abuse, no-fault evictions, and speculative purchases that lead to vacant or underused homes are taking tens of thousands of housing units out of the marketplace. As the saying in socialist circles goes:
* We have enough housing, it's just owned by too few people.
In addition to building new affordable and price-controlled housing on public and private land, we also need the City to step up on further limiting the tools of displacement and speculation. We must repeal Costa-Hawkins, and a tax on vacant units, expanded eviction protections, and limits to corporate housing must all be considered and passed; housing should be for homes, first and foremost.
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[ ] [ X ] [ ] Building more market rate housing will lower housing costs for current SF residents
[ 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 ] [ ] HOME-SF (density bonus program)
[ X ] [ ] [ ] Social Housing (similar to https://www.sfcommunityhousingact.com/)
[ ] [ ] [ X ] Ban on Airbnb and other short term rentals
I support strong, enforced regulations on short term rentals inside people's primary residences.
[ X ] [ ] [ ] Require full disclosure of all corporate/speculative interests in parties purchasing/developing property
[ X ] [ ] [ ] Vacancy tax on empty homes
[ X ] [ ] [ ] Pied-a-terre Tax on residential property owners who do not reside in SF
[ ] [ X ] [ ] Condo conversion is currently too difficult
4) Nonviolence: What are your solutions for SFPD accountability while
making the streets safer?
Safety is not having more police. Safety is having fewer reasons to call the police.
Any criminologist will tell you that the cause of crime is poverty. Many studies all over the country show that a living wage, access to holistic health services, educational opportunity, and stable housing have better success at reducing crime than more police or prisons.
In District 10, we see this proven on a daily basis. On 3rd Street, in our neighborhoods, and on our sidewalks, it is clear that even modest investments in supportive services and alternatives to incarceration would be a far better use of our public dollars for crime reduction than expensive law enforcement and the use of force. Although the Board of Supervisors has limited authority over the SFPD, they have the final say over the city's budget, and we need to use that power for peace and justice in our communities.
I am a member of the SFPD community working group on the Accountability portion of the DOJ Collaborative Reform Initiative. However, I have grave doubts about the SF Police Department's ability to reform itself from the inside. We may need something stronger, on the level of a court-ordered consent decree, other legal action, or substantial political change, to get the Police Department reform we deserve.
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[ ] [ ] [ X ] Prioritize SFPD enforcement of moving violations
[ X ] [ ] [ ] Support expansion of foot patrols
I don't support expanding policing in District 10, but foot patrols are safer contacts than multi-car calls.
[ 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"
[ X ] [ ] [ ] Prosecution of SFPD Officers involved in fatal shooting deaths of San Francisco residents
5) Decentralization: What are your thoughts on the Kaufman Charter
of 1996? Does it need revisiting?
Yes, after more than 20 years, it does. I think we need to review the Kaufman Charter, and identify ways to balance power between the executive branch, the legislative branch, and the voters.
The last few budget cycles in particular have identified substantial gaps in our "Strong- mayor" City Charter, largely showing what happens when our "Srong mayor" acts weakly - by supporting continuing waste, corporate subsidies, and outright giveaways - rather than supporting the mandates of the City's General Plan. This props up supporters as commissioners with (ignored) oversight powers. I would insist on a stronger year-round budget process at the Board of Supervisors. The Audit and Oversight Committee in particular has an untapped power to supplement the work of the Board's Budget and Finance Committee; they can work year-round to identify opportunities to make City government more efficient and cost-effective in support of the Board's progressive policy goals, and to prepare City agencies and community allies well in advance of the annual budget battles in the summer.
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[ X ] [ ] [ ] Bring the Housing Authority under the Board of Supervisors
[ ] [ X ] [ ] Will you create formal district councils to advise you?
This isn't possible under the Charter - instead I plan to have Community Office Hours in the district every day of the year. I will attend more neighborhood meetings than any supervisor in recent memory.
[ ] [ X ] [ ] Two aides for each Supervisor is sufficient
[ 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?
I have been a leading community advocate for public banking solutions to our budget and infrastructure struggles for nearly a decade, and I look forward to continuing that advocacy on the Board.
With an $11 billion City budget, at least $8 billion dollars in City reserves sit in commercial banks every day. Why don't we put that money to work for us? We can use City reserves to create a new local credit market, via existing credit unions or the creation of a municipal bank, funding new infrastructure and affordable housing. The City Treasurer has the power to enact some of public banking's programmatic goals immediately, by working with local banks, credit unions or Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) on expanded community lending programs with City reserves. Getting those reserves into the hands of local banks enables those banks to borrow from the Federal Reserve, greatly increasing their impact. I would push hard for the immediate expansion of such programs.
I also want to create a new community-based equity planning process in Bayview and Visitacion Valley next year. Using the tools of equity planning in District 10 would help us correct the grave errors of the Eastern Neighborhoods Plan, expand access to public transit and bikes, and keep more of us in San Francisco.
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[ X ] [ ] [ ] Legislation limiting formula retail outlets/chain stores
[ X ] [ ] [ ] Conditional Use permit required for big box stores
[ X ] [ ] [ ] Municipal broadband as a public utility
[ X ] [ ] [ ] Neighborhood cooperatives prioritized as a local supply chain for legalized marijuana
[ ] [ ] [ X ] I support recreational marijuana stores opening in my district
The process for Conditional Use permits at the Planning Department is an appropriate way to vet marijuana retailers, their labor standards, their commitment to equity, and their community support.
[ X ] [ ] [ ] Local hiring requirements should be enforced and expanded to include private projects
[ X ] [ ] [ ] Conversion of some golf courses into soccer fields
[ X ] [ ] [ ] Prop 13 limits on tax increases should apply only to residential properties
[ X ] [ ] [ ] Commercial Rent Control
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 believe both women are underrepresented in our government and public life, and that women's lives are severely ignored at all levels of government.
District 10 has enormous inequality in many areas, including health care access, and that neglect falls largely on women. We have the highest infant mortality rates in the city, and parts of the district have a life expectancy 14 years shorter than Russian Hill.
Coleman Advocates reported a few years ago that half of our City's children live in effective poverty, given our City's high cost of living. District 10 has the worst-performing schools in the City, and the most widespread poverty. This means the
longstanding crisis of families of color leaving the district is both alarming and predictable.
I have a long list of potential remedies to the multiple problems of women, families, and low-income workers, from pay-equity and local-hire mandates for public sector jobs to substantial investment in front-line family and wraparound services in schools to the measures listed below in this questionnaire.
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[ 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 is the richest city in the richest state in the richest country in the history of the world. But while cities throughout California are getting more diverse, San Francisco is getting less. This is what happens when City Hall diverts its attention toward providing for the rich and away from providing for everyone. District 10 has a very dangerous combination of the most threatening health and quality-of-life issues for City residents. We have the worst public housing in the City; the worst-performing parks, schools and transit; a chronic deficit of city services, especially those dedicated to immigrants in a district where well over 40% of our residents were born outside of the US; the worst pollution, by far; and a severe shortage of health services.
* A child born in Bayview-Hunters Point can expect to live 14 years less than a child born on Russian Hill.
* African American mothers in San Francisco are more than six times as likely to lose infants as white mothers.
* A planned development site for 12,000 homes has had eight years of faked tests for radioactive soil, and environmental concerns plague the entire district.So San Francisco's District 10 Supervisor must fight inequality, build working-class neighborhood power, and support our communities. As part of a serious effort to repair the ongoing damage of decades of racist policies and practices that affect Black and Brown lives in San Francisco today, I will commit substantial resources - including what can be done through a public bank - to accountable pollution cleanup in District 10, to living wages, stable housing, access to health services and treatment, and educational and employment support.
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[ X ] [ ] [ ] Multilingual government and public 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?
As a leading city in the state, San Francisco should be taking a position on statewide issues, and as the policy-setting body of the City and County of San Francisco, the Board of Supervisors is the right setting for those discussions. Questions of City government cooperation with offensive and unfair national policies (examples listed below in this questionnaire) are also relevant to the Board's authority and should be discussed there as well. In particular, I would be interested in using all the Board's powers of unlimited inquiry and contract and permit approval to kick ICE out of San Francisco.
I won't be introducing resolutions taking positions on national and international issues, but I am happy to vote on such matters if they are introduced by others.
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[ ] [ 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)?
Because I have no plans to run for higher office than Supervisor and because I don't take money from corporations or lobbyists, I will be able to be independent at City Hall. As a neighborhood leader in District 10, I made decisions and built coalitions with constituents and colleagues in other neighborhoods. I see no reason why that will change much at the Board.
At City Hall, I will seek to build a consistent Board majority for equitable housing, economic development, and infrastructure, to remedy the systemic racism and excesses of past years and move forward productively. My candidacy, as well as my term in office, will be distinguished by the consistency and clear articulation of my positions, my willingness to learn and to think creatively about policy, and my singular commitment to community engagement and accountability.
The best way I can imagine being accountable to the people of District 10 and San Francisco is by holding Community Office Hours in District 10 neighborhoods, with me or my staff, every single day of the year - to listen, to respond to concerns, and to give access to City Hall for the many District 10 families and residents that find obstacles between them and their local government.
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[ ] [ 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?
I think our Transit First policies have been neglected, in the budget and in practice.
Ultimately, Muni should be free for everyone - it would make for a faster, more reliable transit system, and it's cheaper than you might think to do that! Until then, I would seek to follow several recommendations from POWER's brilliant report, Next Stop Justice:
* Assess large developers and corporations a fair share for the benefits they receive from the transit system.
* Scale back aggressive fare enforcement on Muni, which is expensive and erratic.
* Reduce transit fares and expand service as a central strategy for reaching San Francisco's climate objectives.
* Collect and publish race, class, and gender demographic data about transit riders in San Francisco.
It's also clear that we have too much traffic congestion, and too much air pollution; and our streets are often unsafe for pedestrians and bicyclists. 3rd Street in District 10, in particular, suffers because the street is expected to handle sidewalks and trees and parking and bikes and trucks and cars and trains at once. So we need to mindfully plan our street usage, and we definitely need physically separated bicycle lanes for safety and a better environment.
I am also interested in:
• A vehicle license fee increase, and/or a congestion-pricing program for vehicles entering downtown and entering the City through its freeways, if either or both are combined with a clear upgrade of Muni services before their introduction.• A franchise fee for state-regulated TNC providers like Lyft, Uber, and corporate shuttles (nothing in current law stops us from charging franchise fees for private interests that use City infrastructure to provide their services)
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[ X ] [ ] [ ] Muni should be funded sufficiently to replace most car use, and be free to the rider
[ X ] [ ] [ ] Downtown Transit Assessment Tax to support Muni
[ X ] [ ] [ ] Citywide Transit Assessment Tax to support Muni
[ X ] [ ] [ ] More weekend closures of streets in/near my district to cars (e.g., Car-Free GGP)
[ 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 expanded to all major transit corridors in SF
[ X ] [ ] [ ] Car hailing services like Uber and Lyft should be regulated as taxis, or banned
[ X ] [ ] [ ] Scooter/similar vehicle rentals should be required to store vehicles on private property
[ ] [ ] [ 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 biofuels (e.g., 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
It depends on where; Potrero Hill and Dogpatch will need parking management in the evenings due to the arena, but that does not necessarily mean meters.
[ X ] [ ] [ ] Remove parking spots and car lanes to create dedicated bike and bus lanes or wider sidewalks
Your positions (at the time) on selected current and past Propositions:
+ - ?
[ X ] [ ] [ ] June 2018 Prop F (Eviction Defense)
[ ] [ X ] [ ] June 2018 Prop H (Tasers for SFPD)
[ X ] [ ] [ ] Nov 2016 Prop D (Vacancy appointments)
[ X ] [ ] [ ] Nov 2016 Prop F (16-17 y.o. voting, local elections)
[ X ] [ ] [ ] Nov 2016 Prop N (Non-citizen voting, school board)
[ ] [ X ] [ ] Nov 2016 Prop Q (Prohibiting tents on public sidewalks)
[ 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)