Instructions:
1. There are 10 sections to this questionnaire. Each section
corresponds to the 10 Key Values of the Green Party.
2. Each section contains one or more written questions and ends with
several multiple-choice questions. Please don't skip the written
questions.
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: Autumn Looijen
Phone Number: 650-575-1905
Web site: autumn4sf.com
E-mail: autumn@autumn4sf.com
Name of Campaign Manager: Yuko Tsuchiya / Tanya Berezin
Are you receiving public financing: yes
Signed voluntary spending limit: yes
2nd, 3rd endorsements in District: Scotty Jacobs, Bilal Mahmood
Major Endorsements: police officers association
Incumbent Supervisor whose votes are most similar to the way you would vote: Rafael Mandelman
Incumbent who votes least similarly to the way you would vote: Dean Preston
If the election were held today, who would you support as Board President: Catherine Stefani
Who would be your second and third choices: Rafael Mandelman, undecided
Who did you endorse for Mayor in 2019 (all 3 choices, if applicable): I wasn't here in 2019
1) Grassroots Democracy:
A) What are your thoughts on Instant Runoff Voting, and District
Elections? How have they worked to date? What would you change in
the future? What about Proportional Representation?
I'm reasonably happy with Instant Runoff voting. (Proportional Representation is interesting, too, and may even be better -- especially if you combine it with approval voting.)
District elections have made Supervisors much more responsive to neighborhood concerns. This is good in that every neighborhood has someone to turn to. But it also means Supervisors are motivated to block housing in their neighborhoods.
People keep telling me district elections favor Progressive candidates... but I think Progressives may simply be running better campaigns.
Having done both citywide and district campaigns, I really like the idea that it's possible to knock every door in your district. It means you really deeply know your district's problems.. and I love that.
+ - ?
[ ] [ ] [ x ] Sub-government such as Neighborhood Assemblies, Networks or District Councils
[ x ] [ ] [ ] Voters' right to recall elected officials
[ x ] [ ] [ ] Residency requirements for elected officials should be strictly enforced
I would love sub-government as a way to stay in close touch with neighborhoods' concerns. When you're in city hall, it's all to easy to lose touch with real people and what they need to thrive.
B) What strategies would you employ to reduce corruption in San
Francisco government?
Fix bureaucracy and focus on metrics.
A bureaucracy full of arcane rules is ripe for corruption. People want help navigating the city, and it's very easy for unscrupulous people to help others jump the line... for a price.
Focus on metrics to change the culture and get things done. (How many days does it take to hire someone? Are our kids reading at grade level? How long does it take to get a building permit?) Post the metrics on the wall. Ask about them at every meeting, and make sure the team stays on track -- or strategize a different way to meet that metric.
+ - ?
[ ] [ 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 is supported or promoted by a Super PAC
[ ] [ x ] [ ] My campaign has attended events sponsored by "Neighbors for a Better SF", "TogetherSF", "GrowSF" and/or "YIMBY"
[ x ] [ ] [ ] Remote public comment at board and committee meetings
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 biggest issue facing SF -- and all of humanity -- is climate change. Our planet is warming fast, and time is running out. The decisions we make in the next four years will affect humanity for generations... and I want us to be remembered as the heroes who buckled down and changed the trajectory of this crisis... not as the villains who fiddled while the world burned.
We need to think big. What can one city do that will change the fate of the entire planet?
I will focus on these areas:
1/ protecting our people from the effects of climate change
2/ continuing our efforts to reduce CO2 and methane emissions
3/ finding effective ways to pull CO2 out of the air, that we can scale globally.
To protect our people, we need to be thinking about heat, flooding, housing refugees from hotter lands, and helping ecosystems move north as the climate warms. We will need infrastructure so our city does not drown, and we need to be planning for and building that infrastructure now.
To reduce emissions, I would encourage people to switch to electric robotaxis instead of private cars -- or to switch to the very affordable electric cars now coming out of China -- and power them with small local solar installations. This will be the fastest way to cut greenhouse gas emissions from personal vehicles.
To find effective ways to pull CO2 out of the air, I would partner with local colleges to research and build carbon capture technology. We might build on low-tech processes like planting forests and growing azolla, we might try to speed up geological processes that convert carbon into limestone, we might go high tech... or we might try all of these at once.
Right now SF is the leader at AI. I would like us to be the leader at carbon capture as well -- because if we can find something that works, that we can share with the world, it would be a game changer.
+ - ?
[ ] [ ] [ x ] Phasing out all diesel and biodiesel transit (e.g., Muni, tour, shuttles)
[ x ] [ ] [ ] Public Power with 100% local/regional clean energy mandate and elected utility board
[ x ] [ ] [ ] Install local/regional clean energy, efficiency, and battery storage and microgrids to supply 100% of our electricity by 2035
[ ] [ ] [ x ] Reducing or eliminating parking minimums in new housing and commercial developments
[ ] [ x ] [ ] 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
[ ] [ x ] [ ] Non-native Tree Removals
[ ] [ x ] [ ] Use of herbicides in public parks
[ ] [ x ] [ ] Artificial turf on City-owned athletic fields
[ x ] [ ] [ ] Managed retreat, Coastal Zone protection, and restoring wetlands in response to Global Warming
Was there a significant issue with the previous testing of the land in the Bayview & Treasure Island?
Non-native tree removals -- climate change is inevitable at this point and we should be looking at which trees we should migrate north to our new climate -- for example native species from S California / Mexico that are similar to our native species
Parking minimums -- In affordable housing with no parking minimums, families often struggle and go back to having a car -- they just park it on the street and end up with parking tickets, while richer families park safely in their garages. Disabled people too often do need cars to get around, and I don't want to leave them without options. Looking to see how the new Haight St affordable housing works out before getting behind this one. Instead of this I'd like to accelerate the shift to electric vehicles.
3) Social Justice:
A) What is your assessment of homelessness in San Francisco, and what
solutions do you propose?
+ - ?
[ x ] [ ] [ ] Project Homeless Connect
[ ] [ ] [ x ] Care Not Cash
[ x ] [ ] [ ] Healthy SF
[ ] [ ] [ x ] Housing As A Right
[ ] [ ] [ x ] Housing First for Homeless, Addiction, Mental Health
[ ] [ ] [ x ] Law against sitting or camping on SF sidewalks
[ ] [ x ] [ ] I support more homeless navigation centers in my district
Housing as a right - support this for families / children
Housing First - the current implementation of housing first is causing a lot of issues for tenants and neighborhoods -- it's not working here or anywhere on the west coast. In an environment where people are choosing their drugs over their own limbs, we can't wait for people to want treatment on their own. There just isn't time. We must be willing to compel (good, compassionate, medication-assisted) treatment. Housing without treatment increases the death rate.
The Tenderloin has enough homeless navigation centers and I'd like to see other areas step up.
Sitting/camping - build enough shelter beds for everyone who wants one, and ban encampments. Sitting is fine -- in fact could we get some benches in the TL? -- but enforce the laws against open drug use and sales of stolen goods. (Part of the issue with tents is that drug dealers are now using them to sell drugs out of sight... making it more difficult to remove people from our streets who are preying on our most vulnerable.)
B) What are your views on housing affordability, what public sector
strategies have worked, which have failed, and what are your proposals?
We need more affordable housing, and unfortunately we haven't been building fast enough to keep housing affordable. Even projects that are completely code-compliant are repeatedly delayed or denied... which makes it expensive and unpredictable to build more homes.
I'd love to see more micro-apartments and other deeply affordable options -- including getting people into vacant ADUs.
+ - ?
[ 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, Housing Co-ops
[ ] [ ] [ x ] Rent Control is too strong
[ x ] [ ] [ ] Waive Environmental Review to build Moderate and Low Income Housing
[ ] [ ] [ x ] Social Housing (similar to https://www.sfcommunityhousingact.com/)
[ ] [ x ] [ ] Ban on Airbnb and other short term rentals
[ ] [ x ] [ ] Vacancy tax on residential property and "pied-a-terre" homes
[ ] [ ] [ x ] Flipping taxes on housing speculation
[ ] [ x ] [ ] 10-year waiting period before corporate and nonresident owners can sell purchased housing properties
[ ] [ ] [ x ] Condo conversion is currently too difficult
For environmental review -- In 2020, 50% of new housing projects were delayed due to CEQA objections. When we don't build new housing in cities, people live farther out... increasing GHG emissions from long commutes. The law isn't working as intended.
Support taxes on pied-a-terre homes.
4) Nonviolence: What are your solutions for SFPD accountability while making the streets safer?
Body cameras, excellent training programs, and not asking our police to be social workers -- send actual social workers instead. Our police have asked me to hold them accountable when they make mistakes -- but also to wait for all the facts when something goes wrong.
+ - ?
[ ] [ ] [ x ] Prioritize SFPD enforcement of moving violations
[ x ] [ ] [ ] Support expansion of foot patrols
[ x ] [ ] [ ] Demand stricter accountability in future MOUs with the SFPD
[ ] [ ] [ x ] The Board of Supervisors should be able to set policies and priorities for the SFPD through legislation
[ ] [ x ] [ ] Support a public safety program modeled after NYC's "Stop and Frisk"
[ x ] [ ] [ ] Prosecution of SFPD officers involved in violent attacks on, and fatal shooting deaths of, SF residents and visitors
[ ] [ ] [ x ] End cash bail for nonviolent crimes
[ ] [ x ] [ ] Cut police funding and increase social program spending, and establish community control of neighborhood policing
Prosecute police officers when the evidence warrants it.
Generally agree with ending cash bail for nonviolent crimes... may still need it in limited cases, like when people repeatedly don't show up for court.
I'm running to represent the Tenderloin -- they need policing with good, compassionate cops -- so I wouldn't cut their funding. Instead, I'd look to hire more police officers from the neighborhood, and get them walking beats so they are sensitive to neighborhood concerns.
5) Decentralization:
A) What are your thoughts on the Kaufman Charter of 1996? Does it
need revisiting? Would you support replacing the Strong Mayor system
with commissions where the majority of members are appointed by the
Board of Supervisors, or directly elected?
I would leave the charter as-is.
+ - ?
[ ] [ ] [ x ] Elected Rent Board
[ ] [ ] [ x ] Elected Public Utility Board
[ ] [ ] [ x ] Bring the Housing Authority under the Board of Supervisors
[ x ] [ ] [ ] Will you create formal district councils to advise you?
I would really love to have district councils to advise me -- I see so many elected officials getting out of touch when they reach city hall, and I'd be delighted to have a way to stay in touch with my neighborhoods.
When I'm looking at new legislation, it's important to me to talk with the people closest to the problem. They have more nuance and understand the problem best. I trust them to give me the best advice.
And I live that -- my political organization SF Guardians has made every decision from the bottom up, as a community. Our job as leaders has been to be fully transparent and give the community all the relevant information -- and then let them decide. I really love running an organization this way, and I'd love to have a similar model when I'm in city hall.
B) The city currently uses non-profits to provide social services. Do
you think this is an appropriate model? Why or why not?
This has been an end-run around the city's expensive and slow hiring process. (It takes 255 days on average to hire someone -- which is crazy.)
I would prefer to see SF run more of our services ourselves so we can ensure quality.
[ ] [ ] [ x ] Expand Participatory Budgeting to at least 5% of the District Budget
[ 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 for SF elections
Very open to an open-source voting system... but I'd like to know the details before supporting it.
6) Community Based Economics: What economic policies, including
taxation and land use, would you propose that would drive capital into
our communities and keep that capital here for residents?
We need to keep our promises to small businesses, making sure every business has safe clean sidewalks. When I talk with small business owners in the Tenderloin, even fantastic, beloved restaurants are failing because customers won't come to a neighborhood that feels dangerous. My first priority is to lay that foundation of safe clean streets, because no business can survive without it.
I'd also like to streamline business taxes & city processes so people can more easily start and run the small businesses that make our neighborhoods vibrant. We have a LOT of empty storefronts and I'd like to see them filled -- would consider tax incentives for filling long-vacant space. I'm also a big fan of the "first year free" program.
Would love to promote hiring from within the community, and open to looking at zoning changes to bring cafes and small shops into our neighborhoods.
+ - ?
[ ] [ ] [ 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
[ ] [ ] [ x ] Local hiring requirements should be enforced and expanded to include private projects
[ x ] [ ] [ ] Strong preference for union jobs
[ x ] [ ] [ ] Conversion of some golf courses into soccer fields
[ x ] [ ] [ ] Conversion of some golf courses into wild open space
[ x ] [ ] [ ] Prop 13 limits on tax increases should apply only to residential properties
[ ] [ x ] [ ] Commercial Rent Control
[ ] [ x ] [ ] Transition all residential and small business rental
properties into not-for-profit trusts and co-ops
[ ] [ x ] [ ] Vacancy and flipping taxes on local small business property
[ ] [ ] [ x ] Transaction/Flipping taxes on all asset speculation to increase city budget
[ ] [ x ] [ ] San Francisco Public Bank by 2027
I'd keep our legislation prohibiting formula retail, based on the number of US domestic numbers. Japantown has been trying to attract Japanese retail businesses that would strengthen the neighborhood, and I support their efforts.
Conditional use permit for big box stores - I want to make sure we don't get in the way of bringing grocery stores into our neighborhoods.
Local hiring requirements - could get behind this depending on the details.
Transition rental properties to co-ops -- not sure we can legally do this.
Public bank - doesn't make financial sense for a city our size. We could operate a lending agency though. (I believe the current proposal is for a lending agency, though we're still calling it a public bank.)
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've been told that it's 10% harder to get elected if you're female, because our traditional image of power is male, and women (especially friendly women) are assumed to be less competent.
And women are less likely to take the risk of applying for jobs they may not be qualified for. When we sought new leaders for the school board, we found that women were less likely to apply and more likely to drop out... while men with far fewer qualifications had no problem staying in the race.
To remedy the situation, I'd love to see more women learn how to wield power effectively and with compassion -- Kasia Urbaniak does great work on this front. If you haven't watched her TED talk, it's here:
https://www.kasiaurbaniak.com/welcome-to-the-academy-ted-talk
+ - ?
[ x ] [ ] [ ] The City should help SFUSD provide child care for children of working parents
[ x ] [ ] [ ] The DPH should provide reproductive health services to both residents and visitors
[ ] [ 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?
Best aspect -- I love the wide variety of viewpoints and life experiences here. We can meet people from across the world in our own backyard, and that makes us more compassionate, so we can create policies that really do work for most of humanity.
Worst aspect -- when we're not all coming from a common background, it can take longer to find common ground.
My job is to enforce the boundaries when two of our communities are in conflict. Not to take a side, but to enforce the guardrails so we don't lose sight of our common humanity.
+ - ?
[ 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 and non-gender-binary 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
[ ] [ x ] [ ] End Drag Queen Story Hour and K-12 School Education on Gender Spectrum Differences
9) Global and Personal Responsibility:
A) What are your thoughts on the Board of Supervisors taking positions
on state, national and international issues?
We have a lot of problems in our city, and a limited amount of BoS time. I would focus on our own problems first.
+ - ?
[ ] [ ] [ 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 and international law
[ ] [ x ] [ ] SF supervisors should take a position on offshore oil drilling outside CA
[ ] [ x ] [ ] SF should refuse to purchase PG&E's nuclear power
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 talk with the constituents who will be most affected. They're closest to the problem and will have the best advice.
+ - ?
[ ] [ ] [ x ] Fleet Week and the Blue Angels flyover
[ x ] [ ] [ ] JROTC in the public schools
[ ] [ x ] [ ] In a severe recession, environmental regulations should be suspended to create jobs
[ ] [ ] [ x ] Business taxes are too high
Business taxes are too complicated but not necessarily 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?
It means that our goal is to create a city where you don't need a private car to get around. That means fast, convenient, reliable public transportation.
+ - ?
[ ] [ 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
[ ] [ x ] [ ] Remove parking spots and car lanes to create dedicated bike and bus lanes or wider sidewalks
Muni should be free for kids but not adults. Rather than defund Muni, I'd use fares to make sure we offer reliable, fast service.
A lot of disabled people and working class people depend on street parking for their cars. When we look at removing parking spaces, I'd like to make sure they are not impacted. I expect that as self-driving cars roll out, people will be less likely to feel the need to own a private car, and we'll be able to remove parking spaces with less impact.
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):
+ - ?
[ x ] [ ] [ ] March 2024 Prop E (More Police Chases)
[ x ] [ ] [ ] March 2024 Prop F (Drug Test Poor People)
[ ] [ x ] [ ] June 2022 Prop C (Recall Reform)
[ ] [ x ] [ ] 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)
For Prop E... I supported giving the police more tools to fight crime in the TL, and would like to be in office to be sure that those new tools are used wisely. Not a fan of more car chases.
For Prop F... I support drug testing on the basis of behavior that is impacting the community -- so we can get people into treatment.
Due Date: Friday, June 21, 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 selected candidates who return
completed questionnaires on time to speak and answer questions at our
candidate forum and endorsement meeting. To be given time on our
agenda, each candidate needs at least three active Green Party members
to request their invitation. This will be a hybrid meeting, so
invited candidates may also speak with us via Zoom.
Our endorsement meeting is scheduled for Wed, June 26 from 6:30-9:30
pm at our office, 2973 16th St, #300, SF - note that this is across
the street from our old office in the Redstone Building. The first
two hours will be for interviews of selected candidates, and the last
hour will be for decision making.
Completed questionnaires will be posted on our website,
https://sfgreenparty.org.