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.
With this week’s question, we’re keeping to the subject of housing: What kind of housing development would you like to see along the West Portal corridor?
Do 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
I envision a welcoming West Portal corridor that accommodates apartments above ground-floor commercial spaces to accommodate people downsizing, and new younger residents. Decades ago, we zoned West Portal to restrict financial services, and capped height to 27 feet, so most buildings are one-story. Today, financial services are abandoning spaces because people use ATMs. West Portal is a major transit hub for the Westside of San Francisco, and we should encourage transit-oriented development while being thoughtful about mitigating any impacts on existing businesses.
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
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
Iโd like to see West Portal Avenue have the K-M lines be put underground in a new subway that extends at least past Saint Francis Circle. This will make room for widened sidewalks, more pedestrian traffic and more open spaces with greenery, while maintaining the parking required for businesses. I think two to four stories is an appropriate height for buildings on the 000-200 block of West Portal Avenue, with taller four- to six-story buildings on the 300 and 400 blocks. A mix of market-rate studios and one- to three-bedroom apartments with commercial ground floor space is ideal. Often overlooked, but also ideal for re-purposing into housing, is the nearby Ardenwood facility.
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
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
Did not respond.
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.