Those of us who live here treasure the Sunset for its cohesive, neighborhood-friendly community. That being said, we all need to do our part to make San Francisco more affordable. While I believe that the Sunset must contribute sites to meet housing goals the state is requiring of us – because the alternative for our community would be worse – there is a right way and a wrong way to get there.   The wrong way is having it imposed by others – whether that means City Hall or the State of California. The right way is to come to a community consensus about how to achieve our goals without destroying what we love about living here.   To me, that means developing under-utilized sites like the former Walgreens on Noriega or building higher density along our commercial corridors without destroying neighborhood storefronts. What we should never allow is wholesale bulldozing of our neighborhoods to create a wall of high rises that turn the Sunset into Miami Beach.   That’s why I could not support the Mayor’s so-called Family Zoning Plan. We didn’t get the chance to give our input on how we should tackle this problem. It is being imposed on us.   By offering thoughtful solutions, we can control our fate. With your support, I will go to City Hall as your next Supervisor armed with decades of experience negotiating and working through red tape to get things done for this community. As a leader of People of the Parkside Sunset (POPS), I cut through red tape to host events like movie nights and night markets that raised community spirit and brought us together.   As your next Supervisor, I will be your voice at City Hall fighting to preserve what we love about the Sunset and making sure that the growth we need doesn’t destroy the neighborhood we love.

For years, I have been active through People of the Parkside Sunset (POPS) advocating for full staffing of SFPD’s Taraval Station. We are only safe in our homes and on our streets if SFPD officers are able to be there fast when we really need them.   I support efforts to continue cleaning up San Francisco by stopping rampant drug use and drug dealing on our streets. While the Sunset may not be the epicenter of this tragedy, everyone knows someone who has struggled with addiction. By going after high level dealers and cracking down on those actually selling on our streets, we can make it harder for dealers to operate and save lives in the process.   I also support efforts to install neighborhood cameras to help deter criminals  and provide evidence that can be used in prosecuting car and home thefts in our neighborhoods. By working together toward solutions, we can make sure the Sunset continues to be one of the safest neighborhoods in the City.

San Francisco has one of the lowest percentage of school age children of any city in the State. Enrollment in SFUSD schools is at 55% of what it was at peak enrollment in 1970-71. I was born and raised in San Francisco. My parents moved from Chinatown to the Sunset when I was a child and I attended AP Giannini Middle School and Abraham Lincoln High School. I went on to attend City College then finally UC Berkeley to study Architecture. If we want families to stay in San Francisco and raise their children here, our Supervisor needs to work with SF Unified to make our neighborhood schools the models for the city. I will do that as your next Supervisor.

I moved from Chinatown to the Sunset in 1978 and my parents opened the Great Wall Hardware Store on Taraval in 1983. Until a tragic arson fire in 2024, we served the neighborhood, helping generations of Sunset residents find the right tools and do home repair and remodeling. I know that our local stores need a helping hand from time to time. They also need help from City Hall navigating the tortuous permitting process that is required to get a new store up and running – or an old store repaired and back on its feet. I am going through that process now as I prepare to reopen the Great Wall Hardware Store. As your Supervisor, I will go to work as a neighborhood advocate for local businesses, helping to ensure our neighborhood shopping streets are able to continue serving our communities.