Welcome back to “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 Outer Mission.
San Francisco is required to plan for some 82,000 homes, of which 46,000 are affordable housing, by 2031. So this week, we are asking the candidates: What does District 11 need to do to help the city hit its housing construction targets?
Note: Next week, I’ll be in District 11 at 11 a.m. on Friday, April 19, at Excelsior Coffee, at 4495 Mission Street. Drop by and share your thoughts!
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
First, we need to eliminate the red tape in City Hall, which hinders low-income affordable housing from being built.
Second, we need to locate all of the vacant lots, abandoned buildings and empty spaces, so that we can start building housing.
Third, we need to compel the owners of these sites with either incentives or citations. Incentives like subsidies, financial assistance, or revenue generating opportunities. If incentives are ineffective, then we use citations, fines, and fees against the owners for creating “wasted space” during a time where there is a critical need to build low-income and affordable housing.
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
I advocated for Prop. A to boost affordable housing in San Francisco.
District 11 needs housing for low to moderate income families, so that we can keep teachers, nurses, firefighters and other essential workers in the city.
Mid-rise buildings in commercial corridors will bring increased foot traffic to support our local businesses.
Despite District 11’s high home-ownership rate and diversity, we face challenges with limited large development sites.
My goal is to identify these opportunities, collaborate with landowners to address development barriers, streamline the review process, and ensure that our district remains affordable, welcoming and inclusive.
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.
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
Housing is a human right, and we need it quickly. The Board of Supervisors needs to legislate to:
- Cut the red tape and streamline the permitting process.
- Support reform for CEQA housing and zoning policies.
- Increase ADUs and in-law units.
- Support appropriate height, density and affordability along neighborhood commercial districts and major transit.
I know this first-hand as a former environmental planner for Caltrans.
Prioritizing affordable workforce housing for our teachers, nurses, veterans, and firefighters, and prioritizing housing opportunities for our seniors, children and families is a must.
Both Ventana and Kapuso in District 11 show common sense, good policy… 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
San Francisco needs to build 42,000 affordable housing units by 2030, and 82,000 total housing units by 2031. Addressing the housing crisis requires collective action from us all, particularly in District 11. As Supervisor, my plans include:
- Promoting higher density along transit and commercial areas.
- Increasing funding and tax incentives for a range of housing, from deeply affordable, middle income, worker, and market rate housing.
- Advancing existing community mapping to pinpoint potential sites prime for affordable housing.
- Encouraging office to residential conversions through tax abatement, which reduces project startup costs.
These strategies are vital for expanding San Francisco’s housing production.
Endorsed by: Supervisors Shamann Walton and Myrna Melgar, Assemblymenber Matt Haney, Former SF mayor Willie Brown Jr., Transit Workers Union Local 250A… read more here
District 11 contribution
Money raised and spent in the District 11 supervisor race
Money raised
Money spent
Ernest “E.J.” Jones
$34,342
$70,501
Chyanne Chen
$0
Adlah Chisti
$0
Roger Marenco
$0
$0
$50,000
$100,000
$150,000
$200,000
Money spent
Money raised
Ernest “E.J.” Jones
$70,501
$34,342
Chyanne Chen
$0
Adlah Chisti
$0
Roger Marenco
$0
$0
$50K
$100K
$150K
$200K
Source: San Francisco Ethics Commission, as of April 3, 2024. Chart by Junyao Yang.
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.
