Welcome back to “Meet the Candidates,” where Mission Local asks supervisor hopefuls questions in the lead-up to the November election. In District 7 โ which includes the Inner Sunset, Parkmerced and West Portal โ Matt Boschetto and Stephen Martin-Pinto are running against incumbent Myrna Melgar.
Between now and the November election, Mission Local will ask each candidate one question per week, and candidates will get 100 words to respond. Take a look at all the answers from District 7 candidates here.
In the first week, we asked candidates about their number one issue in this election. And, while there wasn’t just one issue, each candidate did mention public safety.
This week, we’re coming back to that topic: Do you support an increase in San Francisco police officers?
And of course, if you have a question for the candidates, let me know: kelly@missionlocal.com.
Myrna Melgar
- Job: District 7 supervisor
- Age: 56
- Housing: Homeowner
- Transport: Bike
- Languages: Spanish, French, Swedish
- Education: Bachelor’s degree, Excelsior College; master’s degree in urban planning, Columbia University
- Residency: Living in Ingleside Terraces since 2011, and lived in District 7 while in college at SF State between 1987 and 1991
We are 500 officers short of the last Prop. E (2019) established number. At the Taraval station, we are currently at 66% staffing. We have been filling the gap through overtime for years. This is bad for police response times, public safety, for individual employees and for any police reform efforts, as staff who are tired and overworked are having to make decisions. I support increasing our staffing levels, including hiring more women, as the Chief has pledged, and more bilingual officers.
Endorsed by: SF Labor Council, SF Tenants Union, Supervisor Aaron Peskin, Supervisor Hillary Ronen, Supervisor Connie Chan, Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, Supervisor Catherine Stefani, Senator Scott Weiner, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins … read more here
Matt Boschetto
- Job: Small business owner
- Age: 35
- Housing: Homeowner
- Transport: Car
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in philosophy, Saint Mary’s College of California
- Residency: Living in District 7 since 2014
While I do believe in the need to increase police staffing, I do not think it is the only obstacle the SFPD faces in fulfilling its mandate and restoring the rule of law. It is just as important to address the other choke points, like encumbering paperwork, operational red tape, and a lack of resources. While full staffing is a very important marker to be reached, we must make sure to support the police fully as they strive to provide a crucial and basic service to the city of San Francisco.
Stephen Martin-Pinto
- Job: Firefighter/major, U.S. Marine Corps reserves
- Age: 46
- Housing: Tenant in SF, property owner and landlord in Lemon Grove, California
- Transport: Fairly evenly split between car, Muni and walking
- Languages: Spanish, Russian, Georgian
- Education: University of California, Davis
- Residency: Living in District 7โs Sunnyside since 2014, and earlier from 1983 to 1998
I absolutely support hiring more police officers. However, it is not enough to simply hire more; the Police Commission must also be reformed. It has become too obstructionist and political, and frequently interferes with the ability of the police to effectively do their job by placing excessive limitations on police tactics. Under my proposal, the Police Commission would no longer be able to do this; their role would mirror the fire commissionโs: Advisory only, and disciplinary when necessary. Any change in tactics would come from the police chief, be vetted by the city attorney, and immediately enacted on approval without police commission involvement.
Endorsed by: Former District 7 Supervisor Tony Hall, former Planning Commissioner Michael Antonini, former Police Chief Tony Ribera, drug policy advocate Tom Wolf, BART Board Director Debora Allen … read more here
The order of candidates alternates each week. Answers may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling, and grammar.
Read the rest of the series here. Illustrations for the series by Neil Ballard.
You can register to vote via the sf.gov website.
Hurray, the anti-police tide has turned!