Welcome back to the “Meet the Candidates” series for District 11, where we ask each candidate to answer one question per week leading up to the election, with answers in about 100 words.
District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safaí is termed out and running for mayor and, so far, four candidates have thrown their hats in the ring to replace him as the representative of the Excelsior, Oceanview and the Outer Mission.
So in week 5, we are asking: Do you think Vision Zero has failed San Francisco? Why or why not?
Note: Next week, I’ll be in District 11 at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, April 2, at Claddagh Coffee, at 951 Geneva Ave. Drop by and share your thoughts!
Adlah Chisti
- Job: Public policy analyst, caregiver
- Age: 40
- Residency: Live with parents and caregive for them, born in District 11 in 1983 and lived there since, moved out in 2013 and back in 2017
- Transportation: Public
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in politics and in environmental science, and master’s degree in education from University of San Francisco, master’s degree in public policy from Georgetown McCourt School of Public Policy, juris doctorate from University of California Law, San Francisco
- Languages: English, Spanish, Hindi
Yes, but have greatly improved since and we should continue to:
- Expedite street design with bulb-outs, installing bollards at high-risk intersections and bus stops, and concrete dividers.
- Create a comprehensive alternative transportation plan for District 11 that includes bike paths, transit upgrades, alternative modes of transit, and pedestrian safety measures for our seniors, for our children and families in congested areas.
- Support speed reduction by installing speed cameras, including Alemany Boulevard, Geneva and Ocean Avenues.
- Enforce moving violations. The pandemic caused staffing shortage at the SFPD and decreased moving violation enforcements. However, our police officers in District 11 … read more here
Ernest “E.J.” Jones
- Job: Community advocate
- Age: 38
- Residency: Living in District 11 since November 1985 and has lived here always, except for time away at college
Despite the tragedy witnessed at West Portal, I do not believe Vision Zero has failed.
The vision for zero traffic deaths should be the target for the City. The vision should continue to be updated with longitudinal data, and should immediately conduct assessments of bus stops in high traffic areas. Additions of bollards/barriers at these densely located stops could be an immediate solution for what we witnessed while we implement safety measures, like protected bike lanes for bikers, and shorter crossing distances for pedestrians throughout the city.
Within the District, traffic calming along Alemany Boulevard, Randolph Street and San Jose Avenue should be a priority for traffic safety.
Endorsed by: Supervisors Shamann Walton and Myrna Melgar, Assemblymember Matt Haney, Former SF mayor Willie Brown Jr., Transit Workers Union Local 250A… read more here
Roger Marenco
- Job: Transit operator
- Age: 42
- Residency: Tenant, living in District 11 since May 2014
- Transportation: Public
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in environmental sustainability and social justice from San Francisco State University. City College San Francisco
- Languages: English, Spanish
“Vision Zero” has failed on many different levels.
Vision Zero is a political ruse that utilizes our money to enact policies that make life more difficult for the average person. Vision Zero destroyed Mission Street, Potrero Avenue, Valencia Street, Van Ness Avenue, Market Street … etc. Vision Zero does not provide clean buses or safe streets. Vision Zero has accomplished the following:
• Destroyed our streets
• Eliminated parking spaces
• Infuriated merchants
• Diminished safety
• Created unnecessary bike lanes
• Increased parking fees
• Angered residents
Let’s bring back safety by eliminating Vision Zero and replacing it with “Vision Hero.”
Zero accomplishes nothing.
Hero accomplishes everything.
Chyanne Chen
- Job: Worker organizer, community facilitator & educator
- Age: 39
- Residency: Homeowner, landlord, living in District 11 since August 2000
- Transportation: Walk, public transportation, rideshare, and car
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from University of California, Davis, master’s degree from Cornell University, doctoral degree in education in progress at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- Languages: English, Mandarin, Cantonese
The City is falling short of its goals and still has a long way to go to truly achieve what Vision Zero set out to do.
Working together to achieve the goals of Vision Zero SF requires urgent action from the SFMTA, in conjunction with strong leadership from the Mayor and Board of Supervisors to expedite the installation of proven safety measures and more consistent enforcement of traffic laws to prevent future tragedies on our streets. The approach needs to be multi-faceted and transformative: Traffic-calming measures, safe pedestrian and biking infrastructure, protected bus lanes, traffic bulb-outs.
Endorsed by: Assemblymember Phil Ting, former police commissioner Larry Yee, San Francisco Board of Education commissioner Jenny Lam, former supervisors Norman Yee, Sandy Fewer and Mabel Teng.
Candidates are ordered alphabetically but rotated weekly. Answers may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling, and grammar. If you have questions for the candidates, please let us know at xueer@missionlocal.com.
Read the rest of the District 11 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.
Such a shame only one candidate seems to have a clue. Vision Zero is indeed a political ruse, utilizing “dummy logic” like curb bulb-outs to fix problems with different causes. Shortening the distance across the actual street isn’t the issue geniuses, it’s the time available to cross! But no, like the famous Simpsons Monorail episode, the suckers keep on buying the scam on the taxpayer dime. Who got rich from pointless curb bulb-outs? The same corrupt contractors that got the yellow strips for the 20 blind people walking the streets pushed just a decade prior? Oh the virtue signal in need of a cause and a brain, making that same cadre of corrupt controllers more rich – what won’t you accomplish in SF?
Meanwhile, questions as to how the cops failed to enforce traffic laws for 4 years during the de-facto scamdemic shutdown go unanswered! Dean Preston can’t get them answered, neither can Hillary Ronen. It’s like the SFPD doesn’t even work for the city or something! So traffic deaths skyrocket while cars careen down streets and around corners un-ticketed and the cops sitting safely in offices. But not for lack of avarice or political opportunism! After Willie Brown’s pawn London got her traffic camera bill passed to turn the city into a brave new Beijing, and suddenly the SFPD is enforcing some laws again. Some enforcements have returned, like for street cleaning violations and blocking sidewalks. Never mind the several years with 0 enforcement for all those disabled and same 20 blind people that had to wade out into traffic past flying traffic, scooters in bike lanes and various delivery hustler sudden-stoppers to get around cars parked on sidewalks! Now residents get to pay the $100 bill after assuming there was no law anymore. Gotcha!
Vision Zero is quite the accurate name after all. These “visionaries” have zero vision. Even their hindsight is 0/20!
Looks like I’ll be voting for Marenco and Farrell. Vision Zero is a disaster and has made chunks and of the city unusable. Tumlin is a joke and should go carpetbag someplace else. D11 does not need more bike lanes. We drive cars or take the bus out here