Here’s the latest in our “Meet the Candidates” series for District 5, where we ask each candidate to answer one question per week leading up to the election. Three candidates are challenging incumbent Supervisor Dean Preston to represent District 5, which spans from the east end of Golden Gate Park through Haight-Ashbury, Japantown and the Western Addition, the Lower Haight and Hayes Valley, and most of the Tenderloin.
For the past couple of weeks, we’ve been talking about housing. We asked candidates about what they will focus on to improve the housing situation here in San Francisco, and what their first move will be as supervisor.
But a big point of contention in San Francisco is always about what kinds of housing we should build, and where.
This week’s question is: What do you think of Aaron Peskin’s housing density bill?
Peskin, the city’s newest mayoral candidate, introduced a bill enforcing some density restrictions in District 3’s Jackson Square Historic District and Northeast Waterfront Historic District. It was vetoed by Mayor London Breed in March, but supermajority of the Board of Supervisors overturned the veto.
Note: I will be in District 5 this week at Dodge Alley, on April 25 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. for a Dodge Alley Socials event, Music in the Alley featuring Silk Road. Come say hi.
Autumn Looijen
Renter / Landowner
I would have voted against Peskin’s downzoning, and I would have voted for housing on the Nordstrom 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 more than 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.
Endorsed by: State Senator Scott Wiener and DCCC Chair Honey Mahogany
*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 District 3, and will have no impact in District 5.
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.
Endorsed by: Bernie Sanders, United Educators of San Francisco, San Francisco Labor Council, San Francisco Tenants Union, National Union of Healthcare Workers
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.
Money raised and spent in the District 5 supervisor race
For
Money spent
Against
Dean Preston
$10,530
$301,458
$26,174
$156,791
Bilal Mahmood
$6,846
$63,387
Allen Jones
$0
Autumn Looijen
$0
$0
$100,000
$200,000
$300,000
$400,000
Money spent
For
Against
Dean Preston
$10,530
$301,458
$26,174
$156,791
Bilal Mahmood
$63,387
$6,846
Allen Jones
$0
Autumn Looijen
$0
$0
$100K
$200K
$300K
$400K
Source: San Francisco Ethics Commission, as of April 3, 2024. Chart by Junyao Yang.
The order of candidates is rotated each week. Answers are capped at 100 words, and may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling, and grammar. If you have questions for the candidates, please let us know at eleni@missionlocal.com.
Read the rest of the District 5 questions here, and the entire “Meet the Candidates” series here. Illustrations for the series by Neil Ballard.
You can register to vote via the sf.gov website.
If the candidates cared about voters, they would tell us their visions, their plans and how they would make policy and legislate if elected to represent D5 constituents. Candidate BM: “I oppose everything the current supervisor does.” Candidate AL: “I am proud of my ability to organize frightened, angry people in order to recall democratically elected office holders. But after that, I don’t have a plan. I just really enjoy being divisive, baking brownies and writing naughty, naughty poetry.”
The answers write themselves. How ’bout asking for thoughts on the ceasefire resolution?
Well, Preston led the effort, so van Looijen and Mahmood must oppose it, unless they’re gonna flip off their funders.
Bilal and Autumn just arrived to tell us how to live in our local communities. Bilal Mahmood moved to the TL (where he doesnt really live) less than one year ago (after losing to Matt Haney to move again) in order to move to the recently and newly gerrymandered district of D5 less than one year ago. These turnip truck ideologues want to make policy for the rest of us who are very much engaged and volunteering in our local communities. These people will not save us. They want to commodify us.
And Mahmood isn’t “really” a renter. (Curious to know if he lives in an SRO with a broken elevator or one of the new luxury suites at the Serif or 50 Jones.) Until he got tapped by Grow SF to run against Preston, Mahmood owned a house in the Mission. Likely he still does and is renting (or keeping it empty – the YIMBY way). The narrative says Preston is bad because he owns a house and his family is “rich.” Would be nice if those ghost writers behind that narrative took on Mahmood for the same reason.
Mahmood ‘s playing a role so and pretending all the way.
Even his community volunteer activities are actually campaign events for him. He came to the the Tenderloin Rec Center on April 20 to help out with the Eid al-Fitr and moved a few chairs. But he brought a member of his campaign staff so he good receive guidance on how to look like he cared.
Five days later, he came to Tenderloin Community School to read to students. This time he brought TWO campaign staff. His “X” announcement ends with a thank you to the teachers and staff “for inviting Team Bilal.” Political campaigns are not allowed to come to elementary schools and then later that day post a photo of the candidate standing in front of a class of fifth graders.
Reminds me of the (one of 3 and counting) Ethics complaint against candidate Mahmood where he asked if he could do a ride along with SFFD emergency response team members in the Tenderloin. This was while he was both an active candidate in 2 campaigns 1)for the DCCC and 2) for D5 Supervisor. It is unethical and illegal for SFPD officers or SFFD ffighters to personally endorse or campaign for individual candidate for obvious reasons.Candidate Mahmood was required to sign a written agreement of understanding saying he would not take photos or post on social media as a condition of being granted the privilege of joining the ride along. Within hours of the ride along, candidate Mahmood posted pictures of himself with SFFD responders in flagrant violation of the written agreement he signed. Candidate Mahmood is not cut out for public office; he haphazardly breaks the rules and standards that everyone else is required to abide by.
After his campaign stop at Tenderloin Community School, he asked whether a “colleague” could come and read too. Said colleague turns out to be Autumn Looijen. Her inquiry to the school makes it clear she sees reading to elementary school children in the TL as campaign stop.