Meet the Candidates: San Francisco’s District 5 supervisor race

Allen Jones

Renter

I confess that I am more of a YIMBY. I was opposed to the Board of Supervisors overriding of Mayor Breed’s veto of the legislation sponsored by Supervisor Aaron Peskin.

I fell in love with tall buildings because of my first job. I was a draftsman in an office located at the One Embarcadero Center. I have no fear of new or taller (denser). I did not buy Supervisor Peskin’s reasoning behind his legislation but am confident that San Francisco will have a high-rise boom for housing.

A setback is really a step forward for those who are determined.

Autumn Looijen

Renter / Landowner

I would have voted against Peskin’s downzoning, and I would have voted for housing on the Nordstrom’s parking lot — housing that Dean opposed. 

It is important to preserve our historic buildings, but not our historic parking lots, and not our Supervisors’ historic views.

The people of San Francisco are thoughtful and nuanced, and I trust the people to choose how we use our land.

If we want to sacrifice our historic parking lots to make homes for families, homes for refugees, homes for artists, then let’s celebrate that and let’s get it done.

Bilal Mahmood

Renter

Supervisor Peskin’s downzoning bill was a disappointing, yet unsurprising showcasing of priorities. We must all do our part in developing over 80,000 new housing units in San Francisco to meet the state mandate by 2031 or risk losing our city’s autonomy in shaping the future of our housing market entirely.

District 5’s vacant lots and empty offices could be repurposed into multi-unit projects, backed by community support. However, our current supervisor has actively opposed* their development into much needed affordable and middle-income housing, and his recent votes continue to set a precedent for housing obstructionism. 

*Note: This response refers to Supervisor Dean Preston’s opposition to Prop. C, which passed in March. Regardless of the measure’s passage, developers could continue to convert property to residential use. Under Prop. C, developers are allowed a one-time exemption from the real estate transfer tax after a conversion from commercial to residential use, and the city can now lower the transfer tax without voter approval. The City Controller’s Office also found that the lowered taxes were unlikely to spur conversions.

Dean Preston

Homeowner

Peskin’s bill, which I supported, only applies to a small historic district near the waterfront in D3 and will have no impact in D5. 

I’ve supported market rate and affordable housing development in my district and across San Francisco. I’ve voted for 30,000 homes, 86 percent affordable. I’ve raised hundreds of millions of dollars for affordable housing, and stopped mass displacement during a pandemic. 

My priority is stopping evictions, protecting and expanding rent control and subsidized housing, and creating new housing that’s affordable to low-income and working class people. I have an unrivaled record of doing exactly that. For … Read more.

Allen Jones

When I think of the San Francisco NIMBY vs. YIMBY fight, it reminds me of the game show Family Feud. A clever episode addressed an old feud between two families: The Hatfields and the McCoys.

Some say this 1863 to 1891 feud between two families was over love. Some believe it was over land. Others think it had to do with a stolen pig. Nevertheless, years of ugly ensued. My first piece of legislation on the subject of housing would be a resolution declaring a truce between the Hatfields and McCoys — I mean, NIMBYs and YIMBYs.

Autumn Looijen

Have you walked by the abandoned carwash site at 400 Divisadero? It was approved for 182 homes five years ago (20 percent affordable), but was tied up in delays and never built.

Dean is insisting on 100 percent affordable, and blamed the Mayor when he couldn’t get it done.

We need homes on that site. I will work with the mayor and city departments to use every tool at our disposal (including our new Housing for All tools) to actually build affordable homes.  If we also need to streamline the building process or take other measures, I will make sure it happens.

Bilal Mahmood

I will prioritize fixing our broken permitting system. There’s too much red tape that makes it take more than 1,000 days to build affordable or middle income housing, driving up costs of development and, in turn, rent.

I will work to cut the bureaucracy impeding the permitting process — investments in technology to speed up application approvals, allowing parallel permitting and approvals, and reducing discretionary permits to effectively cut the time to build affordable housing in half. When there’s fewer obstacles, we build more homes affordably.

Dean Preston

As a tenants-rights attorney and affordable-housing advocate for decades, my priority is housing for low-income and working-class people.

Priority District 5 sites include the DMV lot, 730 Stanyan, Parcel K and more. In November, we’ll push for the regional housing bond and Costa-Hawkins repeal to expand rent control. We’re also launching a public bank to scale up investment in affordable housing.

My Right to Counsel law gives tenants facing eviction a free attorney, we passed legislation to ban pandemic evictions, and raised over $300 million for affordable housing by taxing the rich. I’ve voted for 30K homes, 86 percent affordable.

Allen Jones

Renter

Regarding housing, I have not noticed anything get better in District 5.

This includes the fact; I’ve heard of many obtain housing near where I live. Sure, I’m happy to hear that one less person or family is homeless. But I scratch my head more about the criteria/formula for obtaining subsidized housing than that of market-rate rents.

Main gripe: The city is operating so desperately to house our most mentally unstable residents, it shows little to no regard/respect for those who fork over hard-earned money for rent. This will be my focus area for improvement.

Autumn Looijen

Renter / Landowner

Our Victorian homes are an irreplaceable treasure, and our neighborhoods have done incredible work to preserve them. On Haight Street, we’re building great affordable housing for families and youth.

Yet the rent is too high for families, working-class people, artists and youth we invite here for sanctuary. (My family moved here because Covid-19 dropped the rent.)

We haven’t been building enough homes. We’ve been slow to approve homes — even in vacant parking lots — and even slower to build them. Slow process means financing falls apart and the homes we need are never built.

Let’s start by fixing the process.

Bilal Mahmood

Renter

San Francisco has made significant, but insufficient, progress on housing. Talking with residents every day in District 5, it’s clear that affordable rent and cost of living have gotten undeniably worse over the last 4 years.

Especially for our nurses, teachers, laborers — we have not prioritized middle-income housing. The time to get any type of housing approved in San Francisco averages 1,000 days, the longest of any city in California. Until we solve this permitting crisis all types of housing — from affordable to middle-income — will almost never be developed.

Dean Preston

Homeowner

As a tenant rights attorney and affordable housing advocate for decades, my priority is housing San Franciscans can afford.

I wrote the Right to Counsel law to give a free lawyer to any tenant facing eviction, passed legislation to ban evictions in the pandemic, and raised over $40m for rent relief. I voted for 30,000 homes (over 85 percent affordable), taxed the rich to raise over $300m for affordable housing, and broke ground on sites across District 5. Visit www.deanshousingrecord.com for details.

What works: rent control and social housing. What doesn’t: Relying on trickle-down economics to make housing affordable.

Allen Jones

I love the challenge of the Tenderloin, where I live. Haight Ashbury reminds me of my late father. The Panhandle reminds me of some of my naughty and nice times … I mean strolls through the park on a sunny day. And I think the Fillmore is majestic, in need of a new caretaker.

And though I would not use the word “special” for any district in the city, it is because I reserve that word to describe all of San Francisco.

Autumn Looijen

District 5 is the best district.  

We’re an incredibly diverse district, a microcosm of the City — but, even more important, we’re the heart of the City, where movements begin.

The Harlem of the West. The Summer of Love.  The school board recall I led from my apartment in Lower Haight to turn our schools around. The fight to save our Safeway. The AI revolution. All here in District 5.

In our darkest times, District 5 is where we’ve found hope.

Hope in the faces of the Safe Passage volunteers guiding kids to school in the Tenderloin.  Hope as new restaurants … See more.

Bilal Mahmood

Our people.

District 5 spans a wide array of perspectives that inform district values. Each neighborhood has rich character, from Yemeni and Vietnamese refugees in the Tenderloin to multi-generational Black families in Western Addition to seniors in Japantown — we host an incredible tapestry of culture and vibrant communities.

Our food is unmatched, our small businesses fight hard to succeed, our residents come together for their neighbors. The people here inspire me every day.

Dean Preston

District 5 has been my home for 28 years. We have deep roots here and are happy to be raising our kids in this amazing place. 

The diverse people, small businesses, and neighborhoods make our district special. From the Fillmore to Japantown, to the Haight, Lower Haight, Tenderloin, Divisadero, NOPA, and Hayes Valley, we have some of SF’s most incredible, resilient and celebrated neighborhoods. D5 is walkable, historic and transit-rich, with great parks, slow streets, restaurants, music venues, nonprofits, cafes, thrift stores, schools, local grocers, and much more. 

It’s been an honor to serve D5 through the pandemic and recovery.

Allen Jones

Mode of transport: The finest Swiss-designed electric wheelchair ever, in my opinion

I applaud current city efforts already in the works to maximize road safety. But the recent West Portal bus stop tragedy reminds us all that road safety will always be a challenge. Whether a road accident, criminal road act, or poorly constructed roads that make up the challenge, we all have a responsibility.

I thank all those who sounded the warnings before, not after the tragedy, as too many SF politicians are famous for doing. And I will not wait until elected to do my part to continue to report road safety issues to the responsible SF agency.

Autumn Looijen

Mode of transport: Walking, bus, Lyft, and driving

The tragedy in West Portal leaves a hole where a family once stood — two beloved parents, and two children who will never grow up. Devastatingly sad.

Families I’ve talked with don’t feel safe on our streets. They are worried for their kids.

We don’t yet know the cause of this accident, but we do know that this bus stop was at street level, with little protection from cars. Our streets have been designed to move cars swiftly from place to place, not to keep pedestrians safe… and that puts everyone in danger, kids and adults alike.

We need to redesign … Read more.

Bilal Mahmood

Mode of transport: Walking, public transit

San Francisco needs safer streets. Tragically, we’ve seen traffic fatalities increasing in our neighborhoods.

Living in District 5, with one of the highest rates of traffic collisions in the city, road safety is key to my platform. We need automated speed enforcement cameras to keep our most vulnerable communities safe. Further, safety measures to ensure safe street conditions for our construction workers are essential.

As someone who walks and uses public transportation everyday, I understand and champion improved safety policies for our pedestrians and cyclists. Walking and biking should not be the most dangerous way to travel in our city.

Dean Preston

Mode of transport: Public transit

We cannot have tragedies like the West Portal crash. I’ve been a champion for public transportation, a citywide cycling network, slow streets and pedestrian safety. My office secured $17 million to fund the Western Addition Transportation Plan, and $8 million for Tenderloin street safety, created the Panhandle protected bike lane, championed the Golden Gate Greenway, Page Slow Street, and Car-free JFK. We led the way in bringing back bus lines, increasing evening service, stopping fare hikes, and winning free Muni for youth.

I’ve been an everyday Muni rider for 30 years. Green transportation and safe streets are top priorities for me.

Allen Jones

In June 2018, I had a ballot measure placed on the that special election. My measure (Prop. I) received 98,000 yes votes from San Francisco voters, with no advertisement and one donor.

I intend to trust the voters of District 5 to read what I have to offer and I will not raise funds. You can’t make it to Heaven by raising Hell on Earth. Therefore, I intend to raise awareness.

Autumn Looijen

I launched my Supervisor campaign last week, and I’m kicking off fundraising now.

I have a proven track record winning five ballot measures in SF, including landslide wins with the school board recalls and to bring algebra back. District 5 voters said yes to every one of them … and that’s the endorsement I’m most proud of.

Funding is important to get our message out, and even more important is a demonstrated ability to deliver practical solutions to our hard problems.  That’s what district voters are looking for.

Bilal Mahmood

We are proud to not accept any corporate PAC, fossil-fuel or law-enforcement money on this campaign.

We have a wide coalition of donors across many sectors, ranging from government, nonprofits and the private sector to everyday people who are simply fed up with the lack of action on San Francisco’s problems. I’ve earned trust from supporters to get results on housing, safety, and education.

I am incredibly grateful for the unity coalition we have built with a wide array of endorsements coming in, most notably from State Senator Scott Wiener, and our most recent DCCC Chair, Honey Mahogany.

Dean Preston

I’m proud to have earned the endorsement of the SF Labor Council, Tenants Union, Community Tenants Association, Affordable Housing Alliance, Tenderloin Chinese Rights Association, Nurses, Health Care Workers, Teamsters, Teachers, Public Employees, Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club, Bernie Sanders, and community leaders in every neighborhood across District 5. 

We’ve been targeted by billionaire-funded PACs with unlimited money, but are holding our own, having raised more than $180,000 from grassroots donations, qualifying us for an additional $250,000 from public financing.

Our campaign is funded by the people, not corporate special interests. To support our campaign, visit www.dean2024.com.

Allen Jones

I have not noticed a difference one way or the other in law enforcement crackdowns.

Also, I have no intention of trying to tell SFPD how to do their job, but I will monitor the situation post-Prop. E. If Prop. E tools are not effective enough in cleaning up street drug dealing; after being given a chance to work, I think we need to clean out those in charge. The reasonable time frame should be no more than one year after the police cameras are installed.

Bilal Mahmood

Arresting fentanyl dealers and providing treatment to users is necessary to ending our open air drug markets. As a Tenderloin resident, I know that we need both, and that our current efforts are not enough.

We need beat officers who build relationships with the community to be patrolling our streets — currently, we have 0 in nearly all precincts of the Tenderloin. We need to fully staff employees for existing social services programs and reduce the bureaucracy impeding nurses and officers’ ability to do their job.

By cutting red tape and increasing staffing, we can improve outcomes to create healthier, safer communities.

Dean Preston

Effectiveness should be measured by whether the crackdowns have prevented overdose fatalities, reduced street violence, and improved neighborhood conditions.

By those metrics, the crackdowns have largely failed. At best, enforcement strategies have improved some blocks at the expense of others, while creating turf wars that have increased gun violence.

We need to use a comprehensive strategy with evidence-based solutions, and until we do that, we will continue spending millions without results. That’s why I’ve called for San Francisco to implement Zurich’s successful “Four Pillars” strategy to combat addiction, save lives, and improve street conditions.

Allen Jones

In 2016, one of my brothers died due to a fentanyl overdose. Until I read the autopsy, I never heard of fentanyl. The city not following its policy is partly to blame. It placed a man with a 40-year heroin habit in a hotel where heroin was sold right at the front door. My brother did not know fentanyl was in his heroin.

But the first thing I will do is talk to at least 25 people who use the drug knowingly.

Bilal Mahmood

Living in the Tenderloin, I walk past the open-air drug market a block from my apartment every night. I have seen first-hand how Dean Preston’s failed leadership has led to overdoses in the neighborhood increasing 20%.

We need new initiatives based on evidence to get results for our district. To help those suffering on our streets, we must streamline the hiring of our nurses and essential workers, which are understaffed.

The drug dealers, in kind, must be arrested and held accountable via drug market intervention strategies that mix restorative and punitive justice. This approach has led to a … read more.

Dean Preston

San Francisco police arrested more than 800 people for public drug use and more than 900 for dealing in recent months. Yet the overdose crisis continues, and only 12 people arrested for drug use sought treatment.

It is clear that law enforcement alone will not stop overdoses.

My office led efforts to create the city’s first overdose prevention plan. I will continue to advocate for a Wellness Hub in the Tenderloin. Last month, I directed the Budget and Legislative Analyst to expedite a roadmap for San Francisco to implement the Four Pillars Strategy based on prevention, treatment, harm reduction and enforcement.

Allen Jones

I think Proposition E’s Police Chief/Commission aspect is asinine. However, I voted Yes on E because I am unwilling to throw the baby out with the bathwater. I support less police paperwork. The surveillance technology is akin to “See something, say something.” This includes possible police misconduct. I am not looking for fairness in Proposition E; I am looking for the challenge of making it help fight crime in District 5, if passed by voters.

Bilal Mahmood

Amid a fentanyl epidemic, smash-and-grab crisis, and small-business break-in extremity, ensuring public safety must be a priority in District 5. Reducing the bureaucratic bottlenecks for our first responders to ensure they can do their job is one avenue to ensuring we achieve better outcomes on public safety. In turn, the intent of some of the elements of Proposition E I find are in the right direction, but some of the facets like amendments to vehicle-pursuit policies are questionable.

Dean Preston

We need public safety interventions that work to make us safer, not empty rhetoric and failed approaches. Unfortunately, Proposition E offers nothing that will make us safer. The measure reduces oversight of police, blocks crucial reforms, encourages dangerous, high-speed car chases through our streets, and unleashes unchecked surveillance on San Franciscans. It will increase racial disparities in policing, especially when it comes to use of force by police. We need real public-safety solutions, not harmful political gimmicks like Proposition E.

Allen Jones

I am supporting Mayor Breed. At the risk of sounding like I am playing the gender or race card, these three White male challengers should do the same. 

I am skeptical of her three challengers: expressing change should not make voters feel skeptical. For instance, stating you would fire the police chief while supporting the mayor’s ballot measure on policing. Another challenger is running ads supporting that same ballot measure. The latest challenger said he would fire the police chief, but called him a “good man” in the same sentence. 

Be a part of this city; don’t tear this city apart.

Bilal Mahmood

I am not endorsing anyone for Mayor, and will frankly work collaboratively with anyone who becomes our next Mayor.

Because San Francisco needs results, not the constant excuse-making and finger-pointing we’ve become accustomed to from City Hall politicians. For years, our political establishment, including District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston, has been focused on dysfunctional rhetoric and blaming others for their lack of outcomes. Getting results on housing, safety and small business, requires collaborating with those we don’t always agree with, and that’s what we need to achieve results. Accountability is not possible without collaboration.

Dean Preston

I have not endorsed a candidate for mayor, and look forward to seeing who all runs and what they stand for.

I will support the candidate who will work the hardest for everyday San Franciscans, not corporate special interests. A mayor who uses our city budget to create affordable housing, houses homeless people instead of vilifying them, funds data-driven public safety solutions over failed strategies, prioritizes mental health and overdose prevention, fights for public transit, and supports our small businesses will have my vote.

Allen Jones

I wrote and self-published an autobiography in 2010. With misspelled words, this book is in the San Francisco Main Library.

How I live, help and inspire others is detailed in 25 chapters. This includes a chapter titled “Beautiful.” Stories of how my father raised ten children as a single parent and taught me to love. Another chapter, “Respect Thy Neighbor,” explains how San Francisco taught me to respect others. Another chapter, titled “King of Hearts,” is a 10-page poem describing the true stories of how I believe God taught me, a crippled homosexual, never to give up.

Bilal Mahmood

I am a Muslim American and a proud son of immigrants. My grandparents’ and parents’ journey from Kenya to Pakistan to the Bay Area, to rise through the middle class, inspires my focus on ensuring San Francisco remains a beacon for upward mobility for all peoples. And as a lifelong renter and current resident of the Tenderloin, these experiences guide and inform my priorities as Supervisor: Ensuring safe streets for the 3,500 children who live in the Tenderloin, streamlining affordable and middle-income housing from Hayes to the Haight, and guaranteeing support for our elders from the Fillmore to Japantown.

Dean Preston

Prior to taking office, I worked as a tenants’ rights attorney for 20 years to keep vulnerable low-income residents in their homes. In 2008, I founded California’s only statewide tenant organization, Tenants Together. I’ve fought on behalf of tenants for housing stability against profit-driven speculators and mega-landlords for decades. Alongside a grassroots coalition, I played a leadership role in fighting to save rent control in 2008 and, a decade later, authored and championed Proposition F, our city’s groundbreaking law to provide legal representation for all tenants facing eviction. My decades of experience as a tenants’ rights lawyer and affordable housing… Read more

Allen Jones

Restoring world-class city status to San Francisco.

As a longtime (1960) resident of San Francisco, I have witnessed the city lose a lot of its status as a “world-class city.” I believe there are three types of San Franciscans: Those who have class (help others). Those who have no class (threatening elected officials, thieves, vandals, selling drugs, etc.) And those who need to go back to class (the Board of Supervisors).

I intend to open the eyes of San Francisco by reminding us what a world-class city is and is not.

Bilal Mahmood

Housing.

I have been a renter for nearly 10 years in San Francisco and proudly live in the Tenderloin. Workers, nurses, teachers cannot live here unless we build not just affordable and market-rate, but also middle-income housing. We are the slowest city to approve new buildings in the entire state. It’s not progressive, it’s embarrassing. We must tackle the bureaucracy holding us back — 87 permits, $500K in fees, 1000 days of meetings — and I will advocate for initiatives from parallel permitting to technological investments to the reduction of discretionary permits to cut the time to build housing in half.

Dean Preston

My first priority has been, and will remain, getting results for everyday San Franciscans, not billionaires.

I have voted for 29,815 new homes, with 86% affordable. Raised over $400 million for affordable housing. Pioneered the use of empty hotels for homeless people. Raised taxes on large corporations to provide vital services. Banned evictions during the pandemic. Established the right to a free attorney for anyone facing eviction. Championed overdose prevention sites. Brought community ambassadors to District 5 neighborhoods. Protected small businesses from back rent and eviction and assisted those victimized by crime. More results like these will be my priority.