The primary elections are on June 7 and two of the candidates for District Nine — Melissa San Miguel and Joshua Arce — are running for seats on San Francisco’s arm of the Democratic Party, the Democratic County Central Committe, or D-triple-C. The body is responsible for endorsements, among other functions.
We thought we’d ask those running for DCCC what a spot there would help them accomplish that being a supervisor won’t — and for those not running, why they decided against it.
If you are running for the Democratic County Central Committee, what would a seat on the committee do to make you a better representative? If not, why are you not running?
Respuestas en español aqui.
Melissa San Miguel, education advocate
Communities of color, women and young people have often been disenfranchised and forgotten by our political system. We’ve had to fight for equality and equity in areas like housing, education, and job opportunities. As Supervisor, I will work on tackling the systemic barriers that make it difficult for these communities, my communities, to live and thrive.
As a member of the Democratic County Central Committee, I will tackle the barriers to our political enfranchisement. I have seen firsthand how young people and women do most of the important and hard political work, like registering voters and setting up actions, and receive few leadership opportunities or an actual seat at the table. I will work to engage and register our young people who are part of my generation and include those who work in tech; promote the next generation of women leaders and people of color; and support San Francisco policies that serve our underserved communities. My work on the DCCC will continue my efforts to empower communities in all facets of our lives.
Joshua Arce, civil rights attorney and Community Liaison for Laborers Local 261
I am running to retain my seat on the Democratic County Central Committee (DCCC) on June 7. The DCCC is the lifeblood of the Democratic Party in San Francisco, controlling policies, endorsements and voter registration efforts, among many other important duties.
Since joining the DCCC last year I have worked hard to advocate for the progressive policies our party needs to move San Francisco forward.
In one year on the DCCC I have authored and co-sponsored resolutions that:
- Lay out a roadmap for increasing affordable housing and creating good jobs for the community
- Re-affirm support for our Sanctuary City policy and immigrant families
- Support the #BlackLivesMatter movement and President Obama’s 21st Century Policing Plan
- Endorse the Safety For All Act to help get firearms out of the hands of dangerous criminals
- Require solar panels on new construction
I have worked hard to help implement a progressive agenda for the San Francisco Democratic Party. I hope that on June 7th local Democrats will support me to continue the work we have started.
Iswari España, Training Officer with the San Francisco Human Services Agency
When my neighbors and friends approached me to run for Supervisor, we agreed that our district had been neglected for far too long. People asked me to run to give a voice to the neighborhood and demand accountability of services. I am not interested in building a career within the DCCC or find loopholes to raise thousands of dollars or to have access to registered voters, so I can distribute literature with the intent to scare the constituency into thinking there are only two candidates in the race. The issues in District 9 are real, as we speak, people are being evicted, there are no jobs, schools and after-school programs need funding. Therefore, I vow to focus on local issues and not lobbying careers.
Edwin Lindo, Vice-President of External Affairs at the Latino Democratic Club
I’m not running because I don’t believe in using the loopholes of our broken political system (in this case the DCCC) to the advantage of winning an election. I cannot stand the amount of money, political jockeying, and corruptness that fuels our city politics — on both the “progressive” and “moderate” sides.
Why would anyone run for DCCC if they are running for supervisor, except of course, if it’s for political expediency and gain? It’s disgusting.
We need to start putting people before politics and profits. Our city hasn’t seen that in a long time.
Hillary Ronen, Chief of Staff for Supervisor David Campos
I support the “Reform Slate” that is trying to remove the Chairperson of the DCCC who is also, unbelievably, the Chief Lobbyist for the Realtors Association.
She’s used her position to appoint friends to serve on the DCCC and they’ve repeatedly voted to gut or oppose eviction protections, affordable housing, and good government laws.
Joshua Arce, unfortunately, is one of these hand picked appointees and is part of a Mayor and real estate backed slate that is fighting to keep lobbyist control of the DCCC.
I’m not running for the DCCC because I believe our next Supervisor needs to be laser focused on the lack of affordable housing, homeless encampments, and property crimes that are affecting our district.
After an email mix-up, Josh Arce re-submitted his response on Tuesday. Darcel Jackson did not respond to this week’s question, and suspended his campaign earlier on Tuesday.
43 Questions is a weekly series — started 43 weeks before Election Day — to question the candidates running for District 9 supervisor. Send us questions to info@missionlocal.com and let us know in comments or in an email if you think candidates have answered as asked.