Welcome back to our “Meet the Candidates” series, where we ask the District 9 supervisorial hopefuls in the November 2024 election one question each week. Candidates are asked to answer questions on policy, ideology and more in 100 words or fewer.
Answers are being published individually each week, but we are also archiving the weekly series here.
If you know of other political events, let me know and I will add them to the post.
I will be at El Chato (2301 Bryant St.) at 6. P.M on Thursday July 18, to say hello and talk about the district, or you can email me at oscar.palma@missionlocal.com.
This week’s question: Would you support new biking infrastructure in District 9? If so, How should SFMTA approach it?
Roberto Hernandez
- Job: CEO, Cultura y Arte Nativa de Las Americas (CANA).
- Age: 67
- Residency: Homeowner, born in the Mission in June 1956 and has not left
- Transportation: Car and bicycle
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in sociology from University of San Francisco
- Languages: English and Spanish
As a commuter cyclist, I absolutely support more biking infrastructure!
But planning how and where we build it must come from the bottom up. When the SFMTA decided to build the Valencia bike lane, they ignored community input. I’ll use my decades of experience as an organizer to advocate for SFMTA to create a local task force for each district that integrates the perspectives of cyclists, business owners, residents, and other stakeholders. Even if not everyone agrees on all points, that process will undoubtedly lead us to more safe, sensible biking infrastructure in D9 and throughout the city.
Endorsed by: Civil Rights Leader Dolores Huerta, State Treasurer Fiona Ma, Supervisor Myrna Melgar, Supervisor Shamann Walton, State Senator Scott Wiener… read more here.
Jackie Fielder
- Job: Nonprofit co-director at Stop the Money Pipeline. Former educator at San Francisco State University, co-founder of the San Francisco Public Bank Coalition. Democratic Socialist
- Age: 29
- Residency: Tenant, lived in District 9 September 2017 to June 2018, October 2019 to August 2020 ,and April 2021 to present
- Transportation: Public
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in public policy and master’s degree in sociology from Stanford University
- Languages: English and Spanish
Yes, biking is universally regarded as being one of the most spatially efficient, safe, and ecologically-friendly modes of transportation. Yet our current system of semi-protected and inconsistent bike lanes is wholly inadequate as lanes are easily damaged, do not provide a true demarcation between cars and cyclists, and have no consistent layout. I support bike lanes frequented regularly by cyclists such as 17th street and Valencia. As well, there is a history of SFMTA and other key planning agencies making decisions about the community, without the community. SFMTA needs to have proactive, multi-lingual, and transparent decision making processes to serve…read more here.
Endorsed by: Former State Representative Tom Ammiano, Former District 9 Supervisor David Campos, Former Mayor Art Agnos, City College Trustee Vick Chung, District 3 Supervisor Aaron Peskin … read more here.
h brown
- Job: Retired special education teacher
- Age: 80
- Residency: Tenant, at current address for nine years, redistricted into District 9 in April 2022
- Transportation: Walking
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in education and master’s degree in special education from Clemson University
- Languages: English
SFMTA should stop doing their planning while they are drunk or stoned or high on some other drug because, frankly, it hasn’t worked out regarding the bicycle thing.
From a purely Safety point of view the best course is to make this the slowest City in the World on the streets.
This can be accomplished by putting Parking Lot Height Speed Bumps at every single traffic light in the City.
Salvation trundles under my triple bay on 14th Street daily in form of Robot cars that are already far better drivers than any human could hope to be.
Endorsed by: No endorsements listed.
Julian Bermudez
- Job: Works in and directs his family business, Rancho Grande Appliance
- Age: 27
- Residency: Born San Francisco in 1996, raised on and off in District 9 until he left for college in 2015, then the army in 2019 and now back, living in the Mission
- Transportation: Carpool/catch a ride
- Education: City College of San Francisco, Chico State University
- Languages: English and Spanish
I support developing more bike infrastructure in District 9. I believe District 9 lacks a clear and safe biking infrastructure, which causes many problems for cars and riders. With the increased use of e-scooters, bike lanes will be critical for both drivability and everyone’s safety. I believe that the SFMTA should view bike lanes as an essential infrastructure and begin planning bike speedways that can transport riders from north to south and east to west, so alleviating congestion on major streets. I recommend taking a look at this PDF to learn more about biking infrastructure from actual experts and bike advocates.
Endorsed by: No endorsements listed … read more here
Stephen Torres
- Job: Bartender at Twin Peaks Tavern, customer service at Flowercraft Nursery and freelance writer
- Age: 46
- Residency: Tenant, lived in District 9 summer 2001 to fall 2003, and returned in the summer 2010
- Transportation: Public
- Education: Moorpark Community College and San Francisco City College as work has permitted
- Languages: English and Spanish
Yes. Biking provides both environmental and health benefits, and, based on personal experience, is one of the quickest and most enjoyable ways across town. Enhancing bike and pedestrian safety is a mutually beneficial goal, and should not leave car-dependent families, seniors, workers or small businesses feeling unheard. MTA is ill-suited for community outreach and is unaccountable to the varied needs of our communities. It is incumbent upon the Supervisor’s Office to identify opportunities for infrastructure improvements and build consensus among affected constituencies. Listening to the legitimate concerns of small businesses and car-dependent seniors, families, and workers need not come at…read more here.
Endorsed by: Mark Leno, Former State Senator, Aaron Peskin, President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, Hillary Ronen, Supervisor, District 9 … read more here
Trevor Chandler
- Job: Public school teacher since 2023. Former director of government and public policy at Citizen, a public safety app.
- Age: 37
- Residency: Tenant, living in District 9 since July 2021
- Transportation: Public
- Education: Plymouth State University
- Languages: English
Yes, we should always be looking at ways to increase the using of biking and public transit, the best way to achieve that is by creating a safe corridor.
SFMTA has failed to effectively communicate with small businesses and community stakeholders, as Supervisor I will ensure those impacted by potential road changes have genuine community outreach and have their voices heard.
Endorsed by: Latino LGBTQ political organization HONOR PAC, State Senator Scott Wiener, Assembly Member Rick Chavez Zbur, Brownie Mary Democratic Club, Supreme Court Marriage Equality Lead Plaintiff Jim Obergefell … read more here
Jaime Gutierrez
- Job: Transit supervisor for SFMTA/Muni
- Age: 57
- Residency: Tenant, born in District 9 in 1967 and, except for three years spent in the Army, has resided here ever since
- Transportation: Bike
- Education: U.S. Army, City College of San Francisco, University of California, Berkeley
- Languages: English and Spanish
Biking infrastructure is a necessity (I ride a bike to work), but under the SFMTA it is haphazardly dealt with. Nobody wants to have an accident, and nobody wants to be silenced. SFMTA is resented because they silence people with safety. Time and again residents voice concerns with projects, and they are treated as if they are not supporting safety. The SFMTA then moves forward with projects neighbors don’t want that make their lives more difficult. Saint Mary’s Park is wringing their hands over Alemany Blvd right now. This modus operandi of the SFMTA prevents all stakeholders from being satisfied.
Endorsed by: Transportation Workers Union Local 200 … read more here
District 9 contributions
Money raised and spent in the District 9 supervisor race
Source: San Francisco Ethics Commission, as of April 3, 2024. Chart by Junyao Yang.
Candidates are rotated alphabetically. Answers may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling, and grammar. If you have questions for the candidates, please let us know at oscar.palma@missionlocal.com
Read the rest of the District 9 questions here, and the entire “Meet the Candidates” series here.
You can register to vote via the sf.gov website. Illustrations for the series by Neil Ballard.