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: Brian Sam Adam
Phone Number: 415-562-5015
Web site: www.briansamadam.com
E-mail: votebriansf@gmail.com
Name of Campaign Manager: n/a
Are you receiving public financing: no
Signed voluntary spending limit: no
2nd, 3rd endorsements in District: n/a
Major Endorsements: n/a
Incumbent Supervisor whose votes most reflect your values: Dean Preston
Incumbent whose votes least reflect your values: Catherine Stefani
If the election were held today, who would you support as Board President?
Who would be your second and third choices? Preston, Ronen, Mandelmann
Who did you endorse for Mayor in 2019 (all 3 choices, if applicable): n/a
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 is good, but the Department of Elections should actively educate voters on how ranked choice voting works and that their votes will be exhausted.
+ - ?
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Sub-government such as Neighborhood Assemblies, Networks or District Councils
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Some commissions should be democratically elected
[ ] [ o ] [ ] The Mayor should appoint all commissioners
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Voters' right to recall elected officials
[ ] [ o ] [ ] Ethics Commission should be disbanded
[ ] [ ] [ o ] Ethics Commission meetings should be televised
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Ethics Commission should prioritize investigating violations from well-funded campaigns
[ ] [ o ] [ ] My campaign accepts corporate contributions
[ ] [ o ] [ ] My campaign accepts contributions from paid lobbyists or related entities having any interest in City and County of San Francisco
Note A: Ethics Commission Meetings are televised or played after the fact if other meetings are concurrent on SFGovTV and SFGovTV2.
Note B: Candidate-run committees cannot accept donations from corporations.
2) Ecological Wisdom: Please outline your view of the major
environmental and ecological issues facing San Francisco and your
proposed policies to address them.
1. Long term water and energy issues: Continue support for water conservation and capture programs in the City; lobby state legislature to change the way water is used for agriculture, i.e. more crops that are less water costly. Bring all SF energy 100% green; lobby state legislature and local municipalities to expand their green infrastructure.
2. Remediation of contaminated soil: Involve federal government in remediating former military properties; establish criteria for successful soil remediation or lobby state/federal legislators to establish accreditation process
+ - ?
[ ] [ ] [ o ] Phasing out all diesel buses (e.g., Muni, tour, shuttles)
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Public Power with 100% local/regional clean energy mandate
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Install local/regional clean energy, efficiency, and battery storage to supply 100% of our electricity by 2035
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Reducing or eliminating parking minimums in new housing and commercial developments
[ o ] [ ] [ ] In the Bayview and on Treasure Island, halt all US Navy land transfers to the city or developers, and halt all development, until all sites are retested and cleaned to Residential Standards
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Natural Areas Program
[ ] [ ] [ o ] Tree Removals
[ ] [ ] [ o ] Use of herbicides in public parks
[ ] [ ] [ o ] Addition of SF Groundwater to City's potable supply
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Artificial turf on City-owned athletic fields
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Managed retreat, Coastal Zone protection, and restoring wetlands in response to Global Warming
3) Social Justice:
A) What is your assessment of homelessness in San Francisco, and what
solutions do you propose?
Expand supportive and affordable housing with public tax dollars.
+ - ?
[ o ] [ ] [ o ] Project Homeless Connect
[ ] [ ] [ ] Care Not Cash
[ ] [ ] [ o ] Community courts
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Healthy SF
[ o ] [ ] [ ] SF's sick leave requirements
[ ] [ o ] [ ] Law against sitting down on SF sidewalks
[ o ] [ ] [ ] I support more homeless navigation centers in my district
District 10 has many of the City's navigation centers. The next step is expanding navigation centers into west side districts as well as affordable and supportive housing.
B) What are your views on housing affordability, what public sector
strategies have worked, which have failed, and what are your proposals?
Requiring the construction of affordable housing on-site or off-site resulted in a dramatic increase of BMR units after the year 2000. However, suits in Los Angeles caused this policy to be revised. State legislators should be lobbied to make this process legal to support the expansion of affordable housing.
Otherwise, San Francisco should invest additional funds into 100% affordable housing.
Short of that, San Francisco should lobby the state government to require the expansion of housing outside the Bay Area as San Francisco is the densest city and county in the region.
+ - ?
[ ] [ ] [ o ] Building more market rate housing will lower housing costs for current SF residents
[ ] [ ] [ o ] Impacts of all new development should be paid for in advance by fees on developers
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Housing as a right
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Community Land Trusts, Housing Co-ops
[ ] [ o ] [ ] Rent Control is too strong
[ ] [ ] [ o ] Elected Rent Board
[ o ] [ ] [ ] HOME-SF (density bonus program)
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Social Housing (similar to https://www.sfcommunityhousingact.com/)
[ ] [ ] [ o ] Ban on Airbnb and other short term rentals
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Require full disclosure of all corporate/speculative interests in parties purchasing/developing property
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Vacancy tax on empty homes
[ ] [ ] [ o ] Flipping taxes on housing speculation
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Pied-a-terre Tax on residential property owners who do not reside in SF
[ ] [ ] [ o ] Condo conversion is currently too difficult
4) Nonviolence: What are your solutions for SFPD accountability while
making the streets safer?
Reassign more nonviolent calls to the street crisis response team, the drug overdose response team, and CART.
Reassign more sworn officers from their administrative duties to sector patrol.
+ - ?
[ ] [ o ] [ ] Prioritize SFPD enforcement of moving violations
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Support expansion of foot patrols
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Demand stricter accountability in future MOUs with the SFPD
[ o ] [ ] [ ] The Board of Supervisors should be able to set policies and priorities for the SFPD through legislation
[ ] [ o ] [ ] Support a public safety program modeled after NYC's "Stop and Frisk"
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Prosecution of SFPD Officers involved in violet attacks on, and fatal shooting deaths of, SF residents and visitors
[ o ] [ ] [ ] End cash bail for nonviolent crimes
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Cut police funding and increase social program spending to better address root causes of crime
1. Cash bail is not currently enforced in San Francisco
2. A small amount of funds have been reallocated from SFPD to the Dreamkeeper Initiative
3. Zuckerberg General Hospital renegotiated their MOU with the Sheriff's Department to reduce on-site staffing
5) Decentralization: What are your thoughts on the Kaufman Charter
of 1996? Does it need revisiting?
No opinion.
+ - ?
[ ] [ ] [ o ] Bring the Housing Authority under the Board of Supervisors
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Will you create formal district councils to advise you?
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Charter amendment allowing voters to choose the replacement of an elected official being recalled on the same ballot as the recall vote
[ o ] [ ] [ ] 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?
1. Support community benefit districts
2. Establish a community grant program administered by district or expand the community challenge grant
3. Provide tax benefits or incentives to worker-owned businesses or cooperatives
+ - ?
[ ] [ ] [ o ] Legislation limiting formula retail outlets/chain stores
[ ] [ ] [ o ] Conditional Use permit required for big box stores
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Municipal broadband as a public utility
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Neighborhood cooperatives prioritized as a local supply chain for legalized marijuana
[ o ] [ ] [ ] I support recreational marijuana stores opening in my district
[ ] [ ] [ o ] Local hiring requirements should be enforced and expanded to include private projects
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Strong preference for union jobs
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Conversion of some golf courses into soccer fields
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Conversion of some golf courses into wild open space
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Prop 13 limits on tax increases should apply only to residential properties
[ ] [ ] [ o ] Commercial Rent Control
[ ] [ ] [ o ] Transition all residential and small business rental
properties into not-for-profit trusts and co-ops
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Vacancy and flipping taxes on local small business property
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Transaction/Flipping taxes on all asset speculation to increase city budget
[ o ] [ ] [ ] San Francisco Public Bank by 2025
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?
1. Women are underrepresented in policy making roles, but their representation varies across organizations. For instance, women are underrepresented in menial labor jobs, engineering jobs, and public safety professions.
2. It is bad insofar a lack of representation means that individuals are negatively impacted, e.g. they experience more adversity for pursuing an “atypical” profession. It is bad insofar cismen (perhaps even transmen?) may not fully understand the issues facing ciswomen or transwomen.
+ - ?
[ o ] [ ] [ ] The City should help SFUSD provide child care for children of working parents
[ o ] [ ] [ ] The DPH should provide reproductive health services to both residents and visitors
[ ] [ ] [ o ] Require parental consent for minors seeking an abortion
[ ] [ ] [ o ] 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?
The City is very diverse, but the City is very segregated.
Building more affordable housing all over the City and expanding job opportunities for longtime residents and families can support people staying and growing in the City.
+ - ?
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Multilingual government and public education
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Undocumented immigrants should have equal access to education and health care
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Non-citizen residents should be able to vote in all local elections
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Full rights for transgender and non-gender-binary persons
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Boards and commissions now reflect the ethnic diversity of San Francisco
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Boards and commissions now reflect the political diversity of San Francisco
[ o ] [ ] [ ] 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?
+ - ?
[ ] [ o ] [ ] City government cooperating with the PATRIOT Act
[ ] [ o ] [ ] City government cooperating with ICE/Secure Communities
[ o ] [ ] [ ] City government should boycott Israel until it complies with UN resolutions and international law
[ o ] [ ] [ ] SF supervisors should take a position on offshore oil drilling outside CA
The BOS should have a stance on these issues if they are able to lobby and collaborate with state and federal legislators. Otherwise, the majority of their effort should be focused on local or regional work that falls under their purview.
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)?
Consultation with constituents, the data, and my values.
+ - ?
[ ] [ ] [ o ] Fleet Week and the Blue Angels flyover
[ ] [ o ] [ ] In a severe recession, environmental regulations should be suspended to create jobs
[ ] [ ] [ o ] 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?
1. Ensure funding for SFMTA and restore discontinued lines
2. Democratize the route/line process to allow stops to be updated or added more easily
3. Focus on pushing existing private car drivers to other transit modes for work, leisure, and misc travel
+ - ?
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Muni should be funded sufficiently to replace most car use, and be free to the rider
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Downtown Transit Assessment Tax to support Muni
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Citywide Transit Assessment Tax to support Muni
[ o ] [ ] [ ] More weekend closures of streets in/near my district to cars (e.g., Car-Free GGP)
[ o ] [ ] [ ] State law change that lets bicycles treat stop signs as yield signs and red lights as stop signs
[ o ] [ ] [ ] I ride Muni, bicycle and/or walk instead of driving on a regular basis
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Bus Rapid Transit expanded to all major transit corridors in SF
[ ] [ ] [ o ] Car hailing services like Uber and Lyft should be regulated as taxis, or banned
[ ] [ ] [ o ] Scooter/similar vehicle rentals should be required to store vehicles on private property
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Allow residents to park on the sidewalk without getting a ticket, unless their neighbors complain
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Congestion pricing for parking
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Power more City vehicles using biofuels (e.g., corn-based ethanol)
[ o ] [ ] [ ] Residents should be allowed to park in the street in front of their own driveway for free
[ ] [ o ] [ ] Support expanding parking meter hours to include later evening hours and weekends
[ o ] [ ] [ ] 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
(skip any for which you didn't live or vote in SF, or didn't take
a position at the time):
+ - ?
[ o ] [ ] [ ] June 2022 Prop A (General Bond)
[ o ] [ ] [ ] June 2022 Prop C (Recall Reform)
[ ] [ o ] [ ] June 2022 Prop H (Boudin Recall)
[ ] [ ] [ ] Nov 2020 Prop G (16-17 y.o. voting, local elections)
[ ] [ ] [ ] Nov 2020 Prop I (Real Estate Transfer Tax)
[ ] [ ] [ ] June 2018 Prop F (Eviction Defense)
[ ] [ ] [ ] June 2018 Prop H (Tasers for SFPD)
[ ] [ ] [ ] Nov 2016 Prop D (Vacancy appointments)
[ ] [ ] [ ] Nov 2016 Prop N (Non-citizen voting, school board)
[ ] [ ] [ ] Nov 2016 Prop Q (Prohibiting tents on public sidewalks)
[ ] [ ] [ ] Nov 2016 Prop 62 (Ending Death Penalty)
Due Date: Sat, Sep 3, 11:59 pm.
Please submit by email to cc@sfgreens.org. For more information, call
Barry Hermanson at 415-255-9494. Please return your answers in plain
text (not HTML, PDF, or Word format), so that we can post all
candidates' answers in the same format.
The SF Green Party will invite all candidates who return completed
questionnaires on time to speak and answer questions at our candidate
forum and endorsement meeting (scheduled for Wed, Sep 7 from 6:30 - 9
pm). Please note the earlier start time. We hope to finish all
candidate interviews by around 8. If you need to schedule a
particular time slot, or if you are unable to make the meeting, please
be in touch with us at cc@sfgreens.org. Otherwise, we'll interview
candidates as you arrive. This will be a hybrid meeting, so you may
also talk to us via Zoom if you prefer. Our forum and endorsement
meeting will take place at the Redstone Building, on the third floor
(room TBA). The Redstone is located at 2940 16th Street (between
Mission and South Van Ness, 1 block from 16th St BART).
Completed questionnaires will be posted on our website,
http://sfgreenparty.org.