Speaking in front of about two dozen people during a forum at Manny’s on Thursday, District 9 hopeful Trevor Chandler assured the crowd he would do whatever it takes to get what he needs for his district — and that he’s not afraid of shaking things up.
“If anyone in my office [or] anywhere else says we can’t do something because that’s the way it’s always been done, I’m going to try to get them fired,” said Chandler. “We cannot do things the way they’ve always been done.”
Manny Yekutiel, owner of Manny’s and host of Thursday’s forum, reminded Chandler that he would not have the power to make decisions involving other city departments, but Chandler said he is willing to push city departments for his district to receive the services they need.
“Any meeting that any of these departments want to have with me, they can meet me at a desk at the BART station and we can talk about it as trash floats by,” said Chandler. “I’m willing to use the bully pulpit in ways that, yes, does embarrass them, but also gets results.”
Chandler is the second candidate for District 9 supervisor to hold a forum at the cafe, following Roberto Hernandez in April. Jackie Fielder will be next, with a date still to be determined. In the hour-long conversation, he spoke on housing, gentrification, the tech industry, and more — including the Mission’s street-vending ban, one of the neighborhood’s thorniest issues.
Chandler offered a distinctly Silicon Valley solution for street vendors, who initially received permits from the city, but were then told they could not sell along Mission Street: Guaranteed basic income.
He did not say whether he supported the ban, which went into effect in November last year and has drastically reduced the number of street vendors along Mission. However, in response to questions from Mission Local in its Meet the Candidates series, he said that the “ban has shown a tangible improvement in the quality of life for Mission residents and small businesses; efforts to support and improve conditions for legal vendors should continue as this program is extended.” And in a follow-up question, he envisioned markets near both Mission BART plazas.
He returned to that idea at Manny’s, suggesting a space for vendors near BART stations. Having vendors in designated spots at transit hubs would keep the vibrancy of the neighborhood, he said, and welcome people coming out of the stations. And if vendors stay for a full day of work at these designated locations, he said, they should receive designated income as well.
At present, permitted vendors have been relegated to a single city-designated shop at 24th and Capp streets called “La Placita.” Most see little in sales, and many refuse to participate, some moving to areas off of Mission Street.
Chandler blamed City Hall for letting the situation spiral out of control and celebrated the newly cleared sidewalks.
“If City Hall was just listening from the very beginning, we wouldn’t have had to take such a drastic measure of saying, ‘Everyone’s banned,’” said Chandler. He said he sympathized with the permitted vendors who had been told to sell from a designated storefront, but who have complained that sales are poor. ‘Now you can go to this place that no one’s going to walk into, and then we’ll look at it in another six months,’” he said of City Hall’s response to them.
When an attendee asked Chandler his take on a new wave of tech companies moving to the Mission, he said he generally supports the technology industry, but that their move into the area has to be done in a way that is sensitive to the neighborhood’s previous gentrification struggles. He called for a district that is innovative, yet takes care of longtime residents.
He said the Mission still suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder from the last wave of tech workers who moved in.
“It caused significant gentrification and significant disruption. So that’s why I am making sure that the people that were born and raised here can still live here,” said Chandler. He said his housing plan would require developers to build affordable units, not within new buildings, but nearby, as a way to fight gentrification. He said his plan would welcome new tech workers while ensuring longtime residents can remain. “That’s why I’m such a big supporter of housing at all income levels, including neighborhood preference.”
“I’m going to try to get them fired,” said Trevor.
Wasn’t there a reality TV show where the host yelled “your’re Fired?”
Boss threatening termination for results = shitty workplace
Ive worked with chandler at sfusd and I highly doubt he going to shake things up….. he is rather vanilla
Jo,
Yeah, but while he’s no Daniel Lurie, Trevor seems either a really good guy or really great actor.
However, as these ‘Outta Town Torpedoes’ goes, the most Fearsome to me is Looijn in D-5. They should play the theme from ‘Sharks’ when she enters a room. I watched her at Manny’s browbeat a Rookie (and, ONLY one of his kind) to tears when his only sin was being with real targets’ on coming up for Re-election and she takes no prisoners and, yes, I’d love to debate her on anything to do with Education. Money goes to Mission Local ?
Not sure who is trying to appeal to with the comments noted here.
Mission local why are you deleting comments.
Hi Jerrert —
I don’t think we deleted your comment. Rather, we don’t have someone regularly monitoring the comments over the weekend and there’s no alarm that goes off whenever you type something.
In the event your comment was deleted it was potentially because of specious factual claims, ad-hominem attacks, or, for lack of a better term, being without any redeeming value.
Hope that helps,
JE
Ouch !!
You’re better than that, Joe.
But funnier this way.
You made Garofoli look like a tractor against your jaguar last week too.
As I’ve said before many times …
“What are you doing here ?!?”
I understand that Musk has offered to double the PAC money being used to sink my D-9 Campaign too.
lol you old grouch
h.
Why didn’t Manny ask Trevor Chandler about his recent (and controversial) appointment to the DCCC “Dems for Change” slate’s newly formed rape and sexual assault “investigative” commission? Should a privileged white male (who is campaigning for elected office) be installed on such a commission while his black and brown colleagues (who are not campaigning and are just as “qualified” if not more) are not? A stunningly tone deaf overreach by Nancy Tung to politicize the issue of rape/sexual assault and its ‘survivors by appointing a panel of politicos and candidates. Doesn’t Grand Inquisitor Tung already know that the primary role of the DCCC is to endorse ballot measures and candidates? If candidate Chandler, candidate Mahmood and GI Tung are not careful, their political weaponizing strategy of rape/sexual assault could very well implode in their faces. Here’s hoping.
Greeny,
This has got to be a Simulation.
Has all the ingredients.
Violent sex and brutal cops and hot young guys on skateboards risking their lives and defying the cops to impress the hot young gals watching them from on the hill behind the cops and the gorgeous Dolores Park Summer evening.
Yeah, uh huh, Simulation.
Hope you’re enjoying it as much as I am.
Go Niners and good use of our First Round Pick on an Offensive Tackle !!
No, wrong ‘Thread Fantasy’, this one is Trevor’s interview by a very laid back just back from the beach and my socks were wet, Manny Yekutiel (use Eskenazi, Manny) who is the second best guy in town with a mic in their hands and any Local Issue at stake.
As I may have not gotten around to, I was there in the Front Row holding my camera sideways as instructed by De Renzo and steady as a ‘Fentanyl Freeze’ so I think it’s my best work and on YourTub Tony says but I don’t remember title.
Oscar,
When I pressed him on his call for ‘Guaranteed Basic Income’ he referred me (I was in the audience asking this) he referred me to his Campaign Web Site and when I pushed him further he allowed that with the requirements he’d put in place to get that money it would be available to 5 people.
UBI that ain’t.
h.
Oh, so if you grew up in PAC Heights or Malibu you should get to live there for the rest of your life, ha! Gimme a break. This is planet earth and a democracy- you don’t get to live in a place just be you were born there. You have to earn it. Who should foot the bill for those that slack off, the other hard working people? Ridiculous.
A no, people who come from Oakland should not get guaranteed income for blocking our sidewalk selling goods (stolen or otherwise).
Well he’s the best of the bunch of otherwise nut jobs and useless progressives/regressives. Can’t wait to get rid of useless turd and DEI ass kissing Ronan…go back to being a soccer mom in Bernal. *toilet flush*