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: Vallie Brown
Phone Number: 415-834-8725
Web site: www.votevallie.com
E-mail: hello@votevallie.com
Name of Campaign Manager: Catie Arbona, 415-305-7604
Are you receiving public financing: Yes
Signed voluntary spending limit: Yes
2nd, 3rd endorsements in District: N/A
Major Endorsements:
Incumbent Supervisor whose votes most reflect your values: Sandra Lee Fewer
Incumbent whose votes least reflect your values: Dean Preston
If the election were held today, who would you support as Board President: Rafael Mandelman
Who would be your second and third choices: Aaron Peskin, Norman Yee
Who did you endorse for Mayor in 2019 (all 3 choices, if applicable): London Breed
Who did you endorse for Mayor in 2018 (all 3 choices, if applicable): London Breed
Who did you endorse for Mayor in 2015 (all 3 choices, if applicable): Ed Lee
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 elections have improved the electoral process for voters, candidates, and smaller political parties in San Francisco. For candidates and burgeoning political parties, instant runoff elections open up the opportunity to be a viable contender in a race with more than two or even three opposing candidates or one or two dominant political parties. For voters, it expands choices across the political spectrum in San Francisco.
I share the concerns that some voters may be confused by the process of instant runoff, ranked choice elections and I think ultimately we could do a better job explaining it on sample ballots, official ballots, and voter guides. But I strongly believe that with time, instant runoff voting will prove to be an effective lever to empower voters in making strong, uncompromising first choice votes for candidates and parties they truly believe in.
Your response:
Multiple choice questions:
+ - ?
[ ] [ - ] [ ] Sub-government 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.
Your response:
I have a number of environmental priorities that I addressed in my time as Supervisor and will continue to address if elected:
As a Legislative Aide to then-Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, I was the chief aide who worked on the San Francisco's plastic bag ban - the first in California. I'm continuing this work with my recently passed Plastic Bag Ban 2.0, which will phase out use of non-recyclable produce bags in grocery stores and raise the bag fee from 10 c to 25 c.
I was the primary cosponsor to the Mayor's legislation to mandate commercial spaces over 50,000 sq. ft. to use 100% renewable energy by 2030 - this is a big step to reach carbon neutral status by 2050.
I worked for a decade as a Legislative Aide to create CleanPowerSF - I think it needs to be expanded. Over 350,000 households have signed up so far, but we need to do more to get every household in San Francisco into the program. If elected, I will look at how to work with the PUC and Mayor's office to publicize the benefits of switching to CleanPowerSF at the same time that folks get information on the tax credit they will receive next year.
I am also committed to continuing to think big about ways we can institute greener energy, as CleanPowerSF was always a first step. San Francisco has a serious proposal to create public utility by buying PG&E's assets in the city. It's a project I fully support that will give us the freedom and authority to transition our power supply to renewable sources faster.
As Supervisor I worked to rebuild playgrounds, planting sidewalk gardens and hundreds of new trees, and improving streetscapes across the district.
As a Legislative Aide I passed the first in the nation plastic bag ban and then later as Supervisor I passed Plastic Bag Ban 2.0 raising the bag fee to .25 cents.
Throughout my time as a neighborhood activist, legislative aide and supervisor, I was involved in expanding protected bike lanes and the infrastructure to secure safety for biking and walking, worked on the creation of the Wiggle, pushed for bicycle boxes at busy intersections, advocated for the lower the speed limit on Masonic and create a safer, walkable, bike friendly boulevard, and legislated the Page Street protected bike lane. To encourage residents to not drive, the city needs to keep expanding protected bike lanes and more walkable communities. Especially with Covid and many folks not feeling safe to take MUNI.
Multiple choice questions:
+ - ?
[ + ] [ ] [ ] Phasing out all diesel buses (e.g., Muni, tour, shuttles)
[ + ] [ ] [ ] Public Power
[ + ] [ ] [ ] City should take over PG&E distribution in SF
[ + ] [ ] [ ] Reducing or eliminating parking minimums in new housing and commercial developments
[ + ] [ ] [ ] As in Bayview, halt all US Navy Treasure Island transfers of lands tested by Tetra Tech, to private developers
[ + ] [ ] [ ] Natural Areas Program
[ ] [ - ] [ ] Tree Removals
[ ] [ -] [] Use of Tier One herbicides in public parks
[ ] [ - ] [ ] Addition of SF Groundwater to City's potable supply
[ + ] [ ] [ ] Artificial turf on City-owned athletic fields
[ + ] [ ] [ ] 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?
Your response:
COVID-19 has cratered our homelessness crisis to an even more intractable level than before. We must address this public health crisis with sustainable solutions for the homeless that address the heart of the issue: lack of service and supportive housing.
We must establish more supportive housing by expanding the Small Sites program to purchase private buildings and create small supportive housing sites with off-site or drop-in resident support services. These sites will provide housing for the most vulnerable residents transitioning out of homelessness, and off-site supportive service is far more cost-effective and is a solution that can be implemented immediately while we push to build more affordable housing.
We must also identify smaller and more disbursed supportive housing options, including renting vacant apartments and permanently converting certain hotels into housing. We can be more creative and broader in our approach by thinking â"smaller" instead of arguing over larger facilities that won't come online for some time.
Finally we must focus on getting people out of tents, not into tents, with real solutions that address the crisis right now. We must focus on getting people off the streets and into housing with access to existing services and a pathway to permanent housing. Provide both on-site and off-site mental illness and substance abuse resources along with any temporary housing made available to individuals currently experiencing homelesssness.
Multiple choice questions:
+ - ?
[ + ] [ ] [ ] Project Homeless Connect
[ ] [ - ] [ ] Care Not Cash
[ + ] [ ] [ ] Community courts
[ + ] [ ] [ ] Healthy SF
[ + ] [ ] [ ] SF's sick leave requirements
[ ] [ - ] [ ] Law against sitting down on SF sidewalks
[ + ] [ ] [ ] More frequent homeless counts
[ + ] [ ] [ ] 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?
Your response:
I have a strong track record of pushing for city policies and practices that expand the availability of housing at all levels of affordability in District 5, and COVID-19 has made the imperative to build more housing even more urgent and critical than before. We cannot let our politics get in the way of ensuring everyone has a home they can afford.
Protecting Renters & Combatting Displacement:
During my time as Supervisor, I worked to expand funding for the Small Sites Acquisition program by $40 million. By buying at-risk property, we are preventing Ellis Act evictions and permanently preserving affordable, rent-controlled housing. I worked tirelessly to successfully save the homes of senior tenants at 520 Shrader through a Small Site acquisition.
I co-sponsored the 'Affordable Housing Production and Preservation Fund' with Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer to collect money to build new affordable housing units or buy existing market-rate housing and make it affordable.
I helped create and passed the successful Neighborhood Preference Policy, which allows 40% of affordable housing to be prioritized for people already living and working in the neighborhood. This is working - a 2019 report from MOHCD found between July 2016 and June 2018, in a total of 483 units in buildings completed and leased, 39% were occupied by people living in the neighborhood where the housing was built.
I've passed funding for a Tenants' Rights Ombudsman to help renters with landlords before the eviction process starts. I funded Open Door Legal in the Fillmore/Western Addition to support legal advocacy for tenants and legal assistance for diverse D5 renters, including those in affordable and subsidized housing.
I legislated and successfully passed Displaced Tenant Preference legislation which will reference to include tenants living in housing where affordability restrictions expire, including former Redevelopment and HUD-financed projects.
I've funded and brought in Housing Counseling Readiness & Financial Empowerment Programs, including free financial literacy counseling, rental readiness and first-time home buying support for low- and moderate-income households. I've especially directed these resources to the Western Addition/Fillmore, as our community is still reeling from the harmful impacts of redevelopment.
During the 2019 Budget season, I fought for additional funding for rental subsidies and housing vouchers to be directed to high-need homeless families and low-income seniors.
A SF Working Families Credit, revitalizing and expanding the existing program to give an economic boost to thousands of San Francisco families struggling trying to make ends meet; more low-income families will now be able to access a local earned income tax credit of up to $500. (ERAF)
From my time as a Legislative Aide and as Supervisor, I've personally helped countless folks facing evictions and harassment from their landlords, towards stable housing and tenant support.
Creating New Housing Choices:
Zone our neighborhoods for affordability with higher levels of density to meet the public demand for more housing and more 100% affordable housing. This must include removing the restrictions that have been designed to keep low-income renters out.
Create new and denser housing on underutilized lots in the district on former commercial land and in our neighborhood corridors, not necessarily on traditional residential streets, which would allow us to expand the Neighborhood Preference Policy that I helped create to include people with historical ties to the district as well as existing neighborhood residents.
Support community-based solutions like co-ops and other alternative models for affordable housing. St Francis Square in the Western Addition is a model for building housing for low to middle income residents.
Demand fairness in qualifying for public housing. There is huge demand for public housing, which has created far too many challenges and regulations for people seeking public housing, for current residents, and for the agencies and nonprofits that manage public housing. We need to work with tenants and our partners to create a more fair system.
Encourage more building owners to accept Section 8 vouchers. As landlords are seeing a much higher rate of nonpayment, we should encourage them to accept Section 8 vouchers as a guaranteed source of payment from the Housing Authority.
Expand renter protections by identifying key areas to increase enforcement and penalties for illegal evictions, including and not limited to harassment, unfounded threat of eviction, and withholding legally required habitability repairs.
Multiple choice questions:
+ - ?
[ + ] [ ] [ ] Building more market rate housing will lower housing costs for current SF residents
[ + ] [ ] [ ] 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
[ + ] [ ] [ ] HOME-SF (density bonus program)
[ + ] [ ] [ ] Social Housing (similar to https://www.sfcommunityhousingact.com/)
[ ] [ - ] [ ] Ban on Airbnb and other short term rentals
[ + ] [ ] [ ] Require full disclosure of all corporate/speculative interests in parties purchasing/developing property
[ + ] [ ] [ ] Vacancy tax on empty homes
[ + ] [ ] [ ] Pied-a-terre Tax on residential property owners who do not reside in SF
[ ] [ - ] [ ] Condo conversion is currently too difficult
[ ] [ - ] [ ] Eliminating transfer of entitlements in real estate transfers
[ + ] [ ] [ ] #30RightNow - Fully funding direct access to housing for tenants in supportive housing, to lower rents to 30% of their income
4) Nonviolence: What are your solutions for SFPD accountability while
making the streets safer?
Your response:
I've received a lot of questions about how we can solve the crisis of police violence against our Black and Brown neighbors. It's going to take a new approach and a willingness to rethink our public safety system. I've worked on community-based policing issues for years as a neighborhood activist and in volunteering with nonprofits in the Western Addition.
I'll tell you from firsthand experience: a different approach to public safety can work. Less traditional policing doesn't mean less public safety.
INVEST IN COMMUNITY, NOT SFPD
San Francisco spends over $700,000,000 on its police department every year, by far our largest budget item. We need to reprioritize funding to Black & Brown communities and City departments that can empower our response to homelessness, housing, and COVID-19.
Reallocating SFPD Budget: Mayor London Breed and Sup. Shamann Walton have already called for a 15% cut to SFPD's budget. It's a great start that will bring at least $100,000,000 into Black neighborhoods. We can go further.
Reinvest in the Fillmore: The Fillmore and Western Addition along with other neighborhoods in SF that never fully recovered from decades of urban renewal and broken windows policing. From gang injunction and stay away orders to the three strike law. It was devastating to communities of color. Now is the time to reinvest in San Francisco's historically Black neighborhoods through a truly community-driven process, not dictated by City Hall.
Fund new community-based programs in D5 and across San Francisco. Collective Impact + Mo'Magic right here in the Fillmore/Western Addition are a model for how we can defund police and refocus on our community. By addressing violence prevention, re-entry, and youth programs we can quickly reap public safety and wellness benefits.
COVID-19 Response: The coronavirus pandemic has left our neighbors in need. As budgets across the City are slashed, we need to reallocate funds from SFPD into a comprehensive response to COVID-19.
REFORMING SFPD, RETHINKING PUBLIC SAFETY
Our public safety system is built around a police rapid response to every situation. SFPD is called on to deal with mental health, substance abuse, and complex issues arising from homelessness. These situations do not need to be met with a sworn officer. We can create a new system to respond to non-violent, non-criminal service calls and reform SFPD.
The Right First Response: This takes real follow through, because we need mental health and other trained professionals who can form a comprehensive and responsive system to address non-violent, non-criminal calls. These healthcare professionals should also work with the community.
Streamline: SFPD is too top heavy. We can cut the command staff, Deputy Chiefs and commanders by 50% and invest the savings in proven community violence prevention programs and beat officers that are accountable to the community.
Demilitarize: SFPD must sell off military-style vehicles and weapons and ban the use of rubber bullets, tear gas and other chemical agents. Weapons of war don't belong on our streets.
Recommit to Community Policing: We've never fully committed. SFPD must work to build real ties with the communities they're sworn to protect. We've seen the impact of community policing before in SF when we legislated beat officers in high crime areas in 2006. The model was built around the police working with the communities and focused on violence prevention instead of reacting to incidents that would involve the police.
Multiple choice questions:
+ - ?
[ ] [ - ] [ ] Prioritize SFPD enforcement of moving violations
While enforcement certainly needs to be dramatically increased, SFPD is not the right first response to moving violations. Armed, sworn officers do not need to respond to these non-violent actions.
[ + ] [ ] [ ] 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"
[ + ] [ ] [ ] Prosecution of SFPD Officers involved in fatal shooting deaths of San Francisco residents
[+ ] [ ] [ ] Demilitarize SFPD - Removal of tactical military weapons (e.g., tear gas, assault rifles) and vehicles from SFPD's arsenal/fleet
[ + ] [ ] [ ] Defund SFPD - Commit to permanent reduction of the number of SFPD officers
5) Decentralization: What are your thoughts on the Kaufman Charter
of 1996? Does it need revisiting?
Your response:
The Kaufman Charter came to be when we realized the Charter had been amended some 500 times between 1932 and 1980. Since 1996, voters have amended the Charter several times and like then, we may need to do another examination of the current Charter to see if it is still serving the needs, wants, and desires of San Fraciscans.
Multiple choice questions:
+ - ?
[ ] [ - ] [ ] 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?
Your response:
During my time as Supervisor I passed small business streamlining which simplifies the permitting process and makes it easier for new small businesses to open through allowing pop-ups and multi-use spaces. This was essential to helping small business owners in San Francisco.
Now during this COVID-19 pandemic we must redouble our efforts to protect our small businesses including removing remaining permitting delays and burdens. The city has long been discussing ways to reduce permitting times for our local businesses, which in our current system drag on and add huge costs to opening or changing the physical scope of businesses. We should further streamline small business permits and require the City to approve, or reject with cause, any permit within 45 days, waive all fees if it takes up to 90 days, or automatically grant approval if it takes longer than 90 days. The City can process routine requests if we apply the right incentives and pressure. This will help businesses that need to change or want to open to fill the void.
If elected, I am committed to exploring the establishment of a wealth tax in the form of a city income tax on individuals making $250,000 or more annually. The tax would apply to both earned and unearned income such as dividends, stock options, and capital gains.
Multiple choice questions:
+ - ?
[ + ] [ ] [ ] Legislation limiting formula retail outlets/chain stores
[ + ] [ ] [ ] Conditional Use permit required for big box stores
[ + ] [ ] [ ] Municipal broadband as a public utility
[ + ] [ ] [ ] Neighborhood cooperatives prioritized as a local supply chain for legalized marijuana
[ + ] [ ] [ ] I support recreational marijuana stores opening in my district
[ + ] [ ] [ ] Local hiring requirements should be enforced and expanded to include private projects
[ + ] [ ] [ ] Conversion of some golf courses into soccer fields
[ + ] [ ] [ ] 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?
Your response:
I absolutely believe that women are underrepresented in City government. It's troubling to me
that San Francisco is comprised of more than 50% women, yet they are only represented by three out of eleven members on the Board of Supervisors. As the adage goes, if you are not at the table, you may be on the menu. It's imperative that we have institutions, organizations-and especially a government-reflective of the people they represent. If elected, I will continue to center gender issues in my legislative, budgetary and policy priorities.
Multiple choice questions:
+ - ?
[ + ] [ ] [ ] 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?
Your response:
Our diversity is our strength - we should celebrate and protect it. We do not function as a City without the contributions of our rich, vibrant, and diverse community. During my time as Supervisor, I am proud to have legislated and funded San Francisco's new Office of Racial Equity with Supervisor Fewer, including funding for staffing and start-up costs. And I am proud to have my former Legislative Aide Shakirah Simley serving as the ORE's first director. By examining our City government institutions and proposed municipal legislation, we can work to eliminate racial disparities and systemic injustice in San Francisco.
I also wrote and passed a ban on brick-and-mortar stores from not accepting cash as a form of payment. Over 50% of Afircan-Americans and over 35% of Latinx residents and many undocumented residents of San Francisco are unbanked and it's an issue of equity that we cannot ignore in San Francisco.
We must do everything we can to reduce out-migration of Communities of Concern. I fought for the successful Neighborhood Preference Policy, which allows 40% of affordable housing to be prioritized for people already living and working in the neighborhood. That policy is working - a 2019 report from MOHCD found between July 2016 and June 2018, in a total of 483 units in buildings completed and leased, 39% were occupied by people living in the neighborhood where the housing was built.
Multiple choice questions:
+ - ?
[ + ] [ ] [ ] Multilingual government and public education
[ + ] [ ] [ ] Undocumented immigrants should have equal access to education and health care
[ ] [ ] [ ? ] Non-citizen 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
[ + ] [ ] [ ] 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?
Your response:
San Francisco is a city of firsts and the Board should take positions to ensure that our values are on display. During my time as Supervisor, I weighed in on a few issues on the state and national level through the drafting and passage of three resolutions and one ordinance. All have passed unanimously.
As Supervisor, I passed two resolutions supporting state legislation. The first is SB23 which closed a loophole exploited by organized crime with regard to auto burglaries. The second is AB1076 which will automate the expungement of criminal records of folks who have paid their debts to society for non-violent and non-sexual crimes.
I also passed a resolution condemning Trump for withholding funding of family planning and reproductive health services from clinics operating under Title X.
Finally, during my time as Supervisor over 20 states placed outright or de-facto bans on abortion. Access to abortion and reproductive health care is a right that I will always fight to protect and I find it to be absurd that we are still debating the issue 45 years after the Roe decision. In response to these bans, I passed legislation restricting the City and County of San Francisco from spending money in any states that have laws that do not respect the decision in Roe. The City has a lot of buying power and until those states change their laws, the City will hit them in their wallets in an effort to change their positions.
Multiple choice questions:
+ - ?
[ ] [ - ] [ ] 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)?
Your response:
I started as a neighborhood activist talking and listening to people in our community. It's that background that informed my bottom-up - not top-down - approach to decision-making and governance. When I was Supervisor, I was not there to tell people what they need, I was there to listen to the needs and concerns of my constituency.
I'm a consensus builder. In City Hall, I was known for my ability to sit down at the table and work with all sides to reach an agreement. This is why I was able to pass 31 pieces of legislation with unanimous votes during my time as Supervisor. This is the kind of approach we need to solve the complex challenges our City faces.
Multiple choice questions:
+ - ?
[ ] [ - ] [ ] 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 First fared in recent years, and how would
you enforce that Charter Provision if elected?
Your response:
San Francisco is a world-class city that deserves a world-class transit system. The Transit First City Charter provision represents our best intentions and ultimate goal on transit but it's clear we aren't there yet: frequent Muni meltdowns, aging infrastructure, malfunctioning new LR vehicles, and an operator exodus and shortage due to gross underpayment are all plaguing San Francisco. And now Muni is facing a larger, looming crisis with the possibile permanent loss of 40% of its bus lines due to COVID-19.
I've incessantly rattled the chains at the SFMTA to demand change and improvements to Muni. We have spent a lot of money on new trains and buses, but have not invested in hiring and retaining operators. In 2018, I held a hearing on the system-wide meltdown of Muni the previous summer and found that Muni is short over 400 operators each day due to the low wages offered to them during their first five years on the job. I also found that Muni had been hiring and training drivers, only to then lose those drivers to better paying transit districts in the Bay Area. As a result of the findings in the report I requisitioned and in the subsequent hearing I held, Muni negotiated a better contract with the City and has already begun to hire operators it will now be able to retain.
Multiple choice questions:
+ - ?
[ ] [ ] [ ? ] Muni should be funded sufficiently to replace most car use, and be free to the rider
With regards to free public transit - Muni is in crisis, especially now as it faces the potential permanent loss of 40% of its bus lines due to COVID-19. These cuts will disproportionately affect vulnerable populations and communities of color in San Francisco who don't have the luxury of hailing a rideshare if their bus is late, let alone if there were no bus to take at all. These cuts would only worsen if we eliminated all fares.
Making Muni free would also handicap further improvement and growth - and service isn't perfect as is. D5 residents especially face delays, overcrowded buses and N-line trams, and frequent service outages. We need to solve these fundamental reliability problems, rethink how Muni Metro operates and explore the expansion of service first. While we do that, we will continue to subsidize the populations that need access to transit with free service - including all youth, students, and seniors. It's crucial we expand this to include more vulnerable populations, but if you can afford to support Muni by paying your fare, you should.
We have to seize this moment to save Muni. Transit should be included in long term capital planning, the D5 supervisor should be working with our State Senator and Assemblymembers to get a bond on the ballot to fund its solvency and expansion. San Francisco deserves world class transit. A free Muni system that has half as many lines and less frequent service than it did in 2019 is not it.
[ + ] [ ] [ ] Downtown Transit Assessment Tax to support Muni
[ + ] [ ] [ ] Citywide Transit Assessment Tax to support Muni
[ + ] [ ] [ ] More weekend closures of streets in/near my district to cars (e.g., Car-Free JFK in GGP)
John F Kennedy Drive in GGP should be made permanently car free, with the exception of accessibility related shuttle services.
[ + ] [ ] [ ] Make "Slow Streets" permanent after the pandemic
Permanent, and where supported by neighbors, expanded.
[ + ] [ ] [ ] 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 expanded to all major transit corridors in SF
[ + ] [ ] [ ] Car hailing services like Uber and Lyft should be regulated as taxis, or banned
[ ] [ - ] [ ] Scooter/similar vehicle rentals should be required to store vehicles on private property
[ ] [ - ] [ ] Allow residents to park on the sidewalk without getting a ticket, unless their neighbors complain
[ + ] [ ] [ ] Congestion pricing for parking
[ + ] [ ] [ ] Power more City vehicles using biofuels (e.g., 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 (at the time, if you took a position) on selected
current and past Propositions:
+ - ?
[ + ] [ ] [ ] Nov 2020 Split roll tax assessment (Prop 13 reform)
[ ] [ - ] [ ] March 2020 Prop E (Office development)
[ ] [ - ] [ ] Nov 2019 Prop C (Vaping regulations)
[ + ] [ ] [ ] Nov 2019 Prop D (Uber/Lyft tax)
[ + ] [ ] [ ] June 2018 Prop F (Eviction Defense)
[ ] [ - ] [ ] June 2018 Prop H (Tasers for SFPD)
[ + ] [ ] [ ] Nov 2016 Prop D (Vacancy appointments)
[ + ] [ ] [ ] Nov 2016 Prop F (16-17 y.o. voting, local elections)
[ + ] [ ] [ ] Nov 2016 Prop N (Non-citizen voting, school board)
[ ] [ - ] [ ] Nov 2016 Prop Q (Prohibiting tents on public sidewalks)
[ + ] [ ] [ ] Nov 2016 Prop R (Neighborhood crime units)
[ + ] [ ] [ ] 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)