San Francisco District 7 Supervisor candidate forum on AAPI issues

(1) District 7 Supervisor Candidate Matt Boschetto

Wind Newspaper Question 1: Can you give us a brief introduction of yourself? What has made you decide to run for your district's next Supervisor?

Boschetto Answer 1: I am a fourth generation San Franciscan, small business owner, husband and father of three children and a homeowner. I am running for D7 Supervisor because I have too much interest in the City’s future to sit on the sidelines any longer while the City’s challenges mount. I want to help make San Francisco safer and more livable for all of us. I want to bring more financial transparency and budget scrutiny for greater fiscal responsibility. I want to be an advocate for small businesses as the lifeblood of civic activity and employment. And I want to bring a higher level of representation of my constituents’ interests than we have had in recent years where ideology has too often taken precedence.

Wind Question 2: Public safety is the top priority for the Asian community. Your district covers a number of Asian neighborhoods. What is your plan to combat crimes, especially anti-Asian hate and violence?

Boschetto Answer 2: Improving San Francisco’s public safety is my highest priority. We need to address property crime, illegal drug trade, substance abuse-related encampments, homelessness, people dying of overdose, public transit services and traffic safety. My plan to combat crimes, especially anti-Asian hate crimes, is to accelerate the re-staffing of the SFPD, and make sure that City resources are deployed to protect our westside neighborhoods, especially commercial districts like the Inner Sunset, Taraval, and Ocean Avenue. This means more police, more community safety programs, more neighborhood watch programs, to enforce the rule of law and bring back our ability to deter crime from happening in the first place.

Wind Question 3: What is your plan to support the small businesses who have faced huge challenges of losing customers and retail crimes in recent years?

Boschetto Answer 3: I support an array of initiatives to help make it safer and easier to begin, operate and grow businesses. Top of that list is public safety, helping protect small businesses and customers from retail crime. I support Prop 36 that will return escalating penalties for retail theft. I want a return of foot patrols in commercial districts as SFPD staffs back up. In addition, I am focused on reducing government regulatory impediments to starting and operating small businesses and drawing foot traffic back to our commercial corridors. I own and operate a small business in San Francisco, so I know both the difficulty and importance of a civic environment that allows small businesses to thrive. This matters greatly to me and my family.

Wind Question 4: Both residents and businesses are impacted by the related problems from homelessness. How will you handle homelessness in your district?

Boschetto Answer 4: Homelessness is a huge problem for SF, draining our budget and contributing to public safety problems. For voluntary homeless, I support an increased pace of encampment disruption, offering a choice of shelter, arrest or a bus ticket for camping and open drug use. For involuntary homeless suffering from addiction or mental health issues, I propose creating 24/7 intake services to direct those on the street to shelter and/or care. I want more focus on shelter and treatment compared to providing responsibility-free housing that so often has only moved tragedy indoors.

Wind Question 5: Do you think Asian voters in your district should vote for you and why?

Boschetto Answer 5: I will be a far better representative for Asian residents in District 7. This starts with my public safety focus enabling SFPD’s ability to use modern technology. I place exceptional value on quality education for our children, pushing the SF United School District to focus intensively on educational outcomes. Many of our Asian residents run small businesses, a subject which is near and dear to my heart and will be a persistent priority for me in trying to enable their success. The Asian population of San Francisco and District 7 is critical to our civic health and culture.

(2) District 7 Supervisor Candidate Stephen Martin-pinto

Wind Newspaper Question 1: Can you give us a brief introduction of yourself? What has made you decide to run for your district's next Supervisor?

Martin-pinto Answer 1: I’m a fifth generation San Franciscan who grew up in the Sunnyside Neighborhood and attended Lowell High School. After graduation, I went to University of California at Davis and enlisted in the US Marine Corps for almost 10 years of active duty in which I served in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Georgia. In 2014, I returned to San Francisco when I left active duty and was hired by the San Francisco Fire Department. After not living here for some time, I was shocked by the state of the city – the crime, homelessness, and politics had declined significantly, and nobody in City Hall seemed interested in solving the problem. I am running because we need citizen representation back in City Hall. I am running on a campaign of zero tolerance for crime and drug dealing, revitalizing our business districts, ending corruption in City Hall, and advocating for high quality public education, but most of all, I am running to bring honesty integrity and common sense back to SF politics.

Wind Question 2: Public safety is the top priority for the Asian community. Your district covers a number of Asian neighborhoods. What is your plan to combat crimes, especially anti-Asian hate and violence?

Martin-pinto Answer 2: We absolutely must restore SFPD to full staffing and undo the damage that has been done by our past politicians. We also must restore SF Sheriff Department to full staffing and rebuild the Hall of Justice at 850 Bryant Street. I also propose reform to the SF Police Commission, so that they can no longer have influence of SFPD direct general orders. We need to hire SFPD and Sheriffs for competency, not identity. We need to hire Cantonese speaking law enforcement officers and focus on recruiting of new hires.

Wind Question 3: What is your plan to support the small businesses who have faced huge challenges of losing customers and retail crimes in recent years?

Martin-pinto Answer 3: We need to make it easier for businesses to operate by eliminating and consolidating unnecessary and redundant permits and fees. We need to deconflict permits and regulations that are contradictory and unclear. We need to stop the abuse of merchant corridors by city departments such as the SFMTA and make the process more democratic when it comes to

traffic improvement proposals.

Wind Question 4: Both residents and businesses are impacted by the related problems from homelessness. How will you handle homelessness in your district?

Martin-pinto Answer 4: Homelessness is primarily a crisis of drug addiction and mental illness, and it needs to be treated as such. I supported the Grants Pass versus Johnson decision which gives cities the right to evict homeless individuals from public spaces if they refuse shelter and hold them criminally accountable. At the same time, I support expansion of shelter spaces and drug treatment on demand which can offer homeless individuals an opportunity to exit homelessness. I also support suspending funding to nonprofits that do not have performance-based metrics and cannot show results. We also need to centralize the contracting process for better accountability and so that duplication of contracts for the same or similar services is eliminated.

Wind Question 5: Do you think Asian voters in your district should vote for you and why?

Martin-pinto Answer 5: I have always been an outspoken proponent of equal rights and opportunity. I have always been very firm on public safety, even when others were calling for the defunding of police. I do not support Proposition K (Great Highway Park) and support the right of people to move about the city in whatever form of transit they choose. As a supervisor, I will always listen to my constituents and address their needs.

(3) District 7 Supervisor Candidate Myrna Melgar

Wind Newspaper Question 1: Can you give us a brief introduction of yourself? What has made you decide to run for your district's next Supervisor?

Melgar Answer 1: I am the D7 Supervisor running for re-election. I was born in El Salvador and immigrated to San Francisco when I was a child with my family, fleeing from the civil war. I am a longtime resident of the westside, and my three daughters grew up and went to school here- two of them attended Lowell High School. Throughout my career, I have worked hard to ensure that the City works for all of its residents as it worked for my own family. I studied Urban Planning, and have spent my career helping people by working in affordable housing and helping first time homebuyers. As Supervisor, I have prioritized the very diverse needs of D7. I am proud of my legislative record, and that despite the escalating toxicity in our public discourse, I have represented D7 maintaining civil and collaborative relationships with my colleagues. If re-elected, the voters can be assured that I will continue to represent them in the same way, while delivering practical results.

Wind Question 2: Public safety is the top priority for the Asian community. Your district covers a number of Asian neighborhoods. What is your plan to combat crimes, especially anti-Asian hate and violence?

Melgar Answer 2: I stood with API community organizations and supported additional resources for in-language, culturally appropriate services for Asian residents. There is more we can do to combat crime. We need to ensure we have a fully staffed police department and the SFPD’s internal policies promote diversity in their leadership ranks and is sensitive to Asian communities like making it easier to report crimes in different languages. The Department is in need of more Cantonese speaking officers, especially on the West Side.

Wind Question 3: What is your plan to support the small businesses who have faced huge challenges of losing customers and retail crimes in recent years?

Melgar Answer 3: For businesses that have retails with physical locations, SF needs to be more flexible, streamlined and less bureaucratic. I am working with D7 merchants to update our zoning regulations to provide that flexibility, and also lessen the costly process of conditional use and change of use regulations. For the City’s grants, I am working to expand contracting opportunities and supports for Veteran-owned businesses. As for retail crimes, supporting more beat officers and security cameras have been effective. I supported the continuation of the Vandalism Grant program for businesses impacted by break-ins.

Wind Question 4: Both residents and businesses are impacted by the related problems from homelessness. How will you handle homelessness in your district?

Melgar Answer 4: The City needs to make every effort to house people who are ready to exit homelessness and into housing, but it must also enforce our existing laws against public intoxication, urination, etc. We have made steady progress in our district and have greatly reduced the number of folks camping out on our sidewalks and in our streets, been successful in housing folks, but still need to amend existing regulations that pertain to vehicular homelessness. As Supervisor, I have fought for increased services to our westside neighborhoods through many of the street outreach teams that help get homeless individuals connected to services so that our police officers are more available to address crime.

Wind Question 5: Do you think Asian voters in your district should vote for you and why?

Melgar Answer 5: Yes, Asian voters should vote for me because I have a proven track record standing with Asian communities on public safety, direct services, and education. I am an immigrant mom who has focused on housing opportunities, education, economic development and making our community safer and better. We live in one of the most diverse places and a changing world, we must speak to one another with clarity and kindness, and continue to make progress and solve our many problems despite our differences.

*Editor's Note:

Wind Newspaper, an English and Chinese bilingual weekly news publication based in San Francisco, was launched during the pandemic in 2020 with a goal to keep the Chinese and Asian community members informed with local news and be the voice for them.

In a major election year in 2024, while most of the local news media coverage is focused on the mayoral race in San Francisco for the November 5 election, Wind Newspaper is interested in helping San Francisco Asian voters who make up 37% of the population to know more of the candidates who are running for Supervisor positions in six districts where all of them cover the Asian populated neighborhoods.

Wind Newspaper sent a questionnaire with the same five questions to all 34 supervisor candidates and provided two different deadlines to accommodate their busy schedules.

Wind Newspaper publishes the Supervisor Candidate Forum in both English and Chinese languages. Some answers in Chinese were submitted by candidates, some were translated by Wind Newspaper. Some answers were edited due to the length of their submissions.

Seven candidates who have not responded or answered to our questionnaires are Allen Jones and Scotty Jacobs running for District 5 Supervisor, Edward Yee for District 7, Julian Bermudez and H. Brown for District 9, Oscar Flores and Roger Marenco for District 11.