Welcome back to our weekly “Meet the Candidates” series, where District 1 supervisorial candidates who have filed to run respond to a question in 100 words or fewer.
Answers are published each week, but we are also archiving each answer on this page for District 1, to make it easier for voters to browse.
On Tuesday, June 4 at 5 p.m, I will be at La Promenade Cafe at 3643 Balboa St. Drop by and share your thoughts. Can’t make that meeting? I’ll be somewhere in the district every week. Check back here to find out where.
District 1, which includes the Richmond District, is well-known for its main business corridors of Geary Boulevard and Balboa and Clement streets. All are filled with restaurants, Asian grocery markets and neighborhood cafes, both new and old.
In interviews with Mission Local, small business owners, said they are concerned about burglaries and vandalism, lack of parking and an increasing presence of unhoused people on the streets. A senior waiting in line at a free community market said she believes businesses in the nearby Sunset District are doing better.
So, this week, we asked District 1 candidates: What is your plan to help businesses in District 1?
Jeremiah Boehner
- Job: Marketing specialist and U.S. Army veteran
- Age: 39
- Residency: Tenant, living in District 1 since 2006
- Transportation: Driving
- Education: University of San Francisco
- Languages: English
Small businesses are the cultural and economic backbone for San Francisco. They help form the character of our neighborhoods. The disastrous shutdown and crime wave following defunding the police has severely crippled small businesses. I will advocate for reducing and eliminating unnecessary permits. I will advocate waiving fees so businesses can get back on their feet.
Connie Chan
- Job: Incumbent District 1 Supervisor
- Age: 45
- Residency: Homeowner, living in District 1 since 2011
- Transportation: Driving and walking
- Education: Bachelor’s degree, University of California, Davis
- Languages: English, Cantonese, Mandarin
When I talk to business owners in the Richmond (big and small), they all have the same ask for city support: clean and safe streets. This is why I have pushed the Breed Administration for more public safety resources and we successfully secured retired police ambassadors patrolling our streets, and expansion of street crisis teams, ongoing graffiti abatement, and street cleaning. I also worked with merchants to mitigate negative impacts from city construction projects.
I have advocated for and funded fee waivers for new small businesses and helped existing businesses get support to negotiate lease and rent increases, to secure … read more here
Endorsed by: San Francisco Labor Council, Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club, Local 21, Service Employees International Union 1021 … read more here
Sherman D’Silva
- Job: Owner of a laundromat on Geary Boulevard
- Age: 51
- Residency: Homeowner, living in District 1 since 1973
- Transportation: Driving
- Education: Bachelor’s degrees from San Francisco State University
- Languages: English
We help all businesses and ourselves by focusing on what the government is supposed to do. Increasing public safety by tripling the number of available officers in the neighborhood. Enforcing the traffic laws of San Francisco to make our streets safe for residents and visitors. Cleaning the neighborhood to make it a welcoming place to live, visit and conduct business.
This will include increased street cleaning, graffiti removal and trash cans that are emptied. We will maintain the Geary medians and city trees while planting new trees throughout the neighborhood in order to make the neighborhood more attractive to businesses.
Jen Nossokoff
- Job: Vice president of a healthcare company and physician assistant
- Age: 38
- Residency: Homeowner, living in District 1 since 2020
- Transportation: Walking, biking, public transportation, driving
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from Colorado State University and master’s degree from Samuel Merritt University
- Languages: English
My plan to support businesses in District 1 focuses on enhancing operational efficiency while treating our small businesses as an interconnected ecosystem. We’ll simplify permitting processes while promoting local shopping, focusing our support of local businesses holistically.
This means optimizing transportation and housing in the district to make it easier for customers and staff to access businesses. Enhancing commercial corridors, leveraging technology, encouraging public-private partnerships, and investing in workforce development locally are key. By prioritizing these policies we will create an even more vibrant, resilient, and inclusive district where businesses of all sizes thrive and contribute to our community’s well-being.
Marjan Philhour
- Job: Business owner, former advisor and fundraiser to London Breed
- Age: 50
- Residency: Homeowner, born in District 1 and moved back in 2006
- Transportation: Biking, walking, driving and public transportation
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley
- Languages: English
I have run numerous small businesses in San Francisco, including my family pottery business for several years. I also co-founded the Balboa Village Merchants Association and worked diligently to activate our merchant corridor and support merchants through the pandemic.
In order to support economic development and prosperity in our neighborhood, I commit to:
- Prioritizing public safety for our small businesses, their employees, and customers. We have experienced far too many break-ins and robberies over the past four years, and will continue funding for the Storefront Vandalism Relief Grant program, among other local support mechanisms
- Promoting and supporting legacy businesses
- Creating … read more here
Endorsed by: San Francisco Police Officers Association … read more here
Money raised and spent in District 1 supervisor race
For
Money spent
Against
Marjan Philhour
$63,735
$136,064
Connie Chan
$11,806
$101,585
$5,360
$72,021
Jen Nossokoff
$11,653
$3,573
Jeremiah Boehner
$0
Sherman D’Silva
$0
$0
$50,000
$100,000
$150,000
$200,000
For
Money spent
Against
Marjan Philhour
$63,735
$136,064
Connie Chan
$11,806
$101,585
$5,360
$72,021
Jen Nossokoff
$11,653
$3,573
Jeremiah Boehner
$0
Sherman D’Silva
$0
$0
$50K
$100K
$150K
$200K
Source: San Francisco Ethics Commission, as of April 3, 2024. Chart by Junyao Yang.
Candidates are ordered alphabetically and rotated each week. Answers may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling, and grammar. If you have questions for the candidates, please let us know at junyao@missionlocal.com.
Read the rest of the series here. Illustrations for the series by Neil Ballard.
You can register to vote via the sf.gov website.
