Between now and the November election, Mission Local is asking each District 3 candidate one question per week, and candidates will get 100 words to respond. We will compile all responses to the 40-odd questions on a “Meet the Candidates” page, so that voters can get a full picture of their stances.
Because Supervisor Aaron Peskin terms out next January, six candidates have filed to run for the seat to lead District 3, which includes North Beach, Chinatown, Union Square, the Financial District, Russian Hill and Nob Hill.
Have a question for the candidates? Meet me on Thursday, May 30, at 10:30 a.m. at The Coffee Movement, 1030 Washington St. Email me at yujie@missionlocal.com.
Question this week: Should the Central Subway be extended to Fisherman’s Wharf? What about North Beach? Why or why not?
Danny Sauter
- Job: Executive Director, Neighborhood Centers Together
- Age: 35
- Residency: Tenant in District 3 since 2014
- Transportation: Public transportation
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from Miami University
- Languages: English, Cantonese
Yes, the Central Subway should be extended to include a North Beach and Fisherman’s Wharf station.
Our next District 3 Supervisor needs to be a public-transit champion, and there’s no more important project to the northeast corner of San Francisco than the completion of the Central Subway to North Beach and Fisherman’s Wharf.
I’ve been vocal about my plan for the city to acquire a vacant property near Washington Square Park for housing and a station, and for a Fisherman’s Wharf station to be a part of the Wharf’s much-needed revitalization plan.
Endorsed by: Nor Cal Carpenters Union, Senator Scott Wiener, Sheriff Paul Miyamoto, Operating Engineers Local 3 … read more here
Matthew Susk
- Job: Former lead with Divvy Homes
- Age: 32
- Residency: TIC owner, first moved to District 3 in 2007. 2007-2009 while in high school, 2014-2016 after college, 2023-present with his wife.
- Transportation: Walking
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from St. Lawrence University, master’s in business from Georgetown University
- Languages: English
The Central Subway should not be extended right now. We should continue to invest in public transportation but modular options, like buses, are a superior choice.
First and foremost, the capital expenditure is not affordable right now. The budget deficit will already significantly strain our city resources.
Second, construction will cause a massive disruption to local businesses and residents. Buses can be operational within weeks, whereas subway extensions take decades to build.
Finally, current ridership data does not justify the extension. Buses offer a variable cost structure that can flex up and down as demand dictates.
Moe Jamil
- Job: Deputy city attorney, San Francisco City Attorney’s Office
- Age: 46
- Residency: Owner-occupied condo owner, living in District 3 since May 2014
- Transportation: Walking
- Education: University of California, Berkeley, and law school at Santa Clara University, K-12 public school
- Languages: English, Cantonese
Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin understands how the city works better than anyone else I know, and even he couldn’t get SFMTA to do its job right on the Central Subway. $400 million over budget and 4 years late — and now the tunnel is leaking! That’s unacceptable.
Even so, I support extending the subway to Fisherman’s Wharf under strict guidelines:
- No new taxes on City residents and businesses
- Strict financial oversight and project management to ensure the expansion is within budget and on time.
- Require the City to collaborate with residents and merchants when choosing station locations, minimizing impacts on residents and businesses
Endorsed by: San Francisco Tenants Union, Teamsters Joint Council 7, Retired Assistant Police Chief Garrett Tom, Board President Aaron Peskin … read more here
Sharon Lai
- Job: Economic recovery leader at the World Economic Forum, former board member at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
- Age: 41
- Residency: Tenant and owner, living in District 3 since 2023, first moved to SF in 2005
- Transportation: Walk and Muni when solo, drive when with kids
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from University of California, Berkeley, development studies and city and regional planning; master’s degree in public administration, Harvard Kennedy School
- Languages: English, Mandarin, Cantonese
As a former SFMTA Commissioner, I am 100% pro-transit. I’m open to SFMTA’s plan to study the Central Subway extension, but financial feasibility, small business and neighborhood impacts are critical considerations.
Current SFMTA budget outlook, and state and federal funding availability cannot accommodate capital expansions. SFMTA should prioritize serving the most residents possible and those dependent on the system during uncertain budget times.
As part of any public infrastructure project, we must ensure robust community input and disruption planning. The extremely disruptive impacts from Central Subway construction in Chinatown and Van Ness BRT are not something we want repeated.
Endorsed by: Community Tenants Association, Teamsters Joint Council 7, 7 of the current Board of Supervisors … read more here
Eduard Navarro
- Job: Tech startup founder
- Age: 44
- Residency: Tenant in District 3 since December 2021
- Transportation: Walking, public transportation
- Education: CFA Institute: Chartered Financial Analyst, passed level 1. Master’s degree from Columbia University, architecture, concentration in urban design. Master’s degree from Columbia University, real estate development, concentrating in finance. Ecole d’Architecture de La Villette. Bachelor’s degree in architecture from Georgia Institute of Technology.
- Languages: Spanish, French, German, English, Valèncian (Catalan)
Yes, the Central Subway should be extended. This would improve transit access, ease congestion, and reduce reliance on cars. Fisherman’s Wharf and North Beach are major cultural and economic hubs, and better connectivity would boost local businesses and tourism.
To make this extension viable, we must be creative and appropriate in its financing. Having previously acquired a significant tunnel in Europe equips me to lead this effort, ensuring we secure necessary funding while minimizing the financial burden on our community.
Additionally, we should study broader, comprehensive transit investments in SF and the Bay Area to provide competitive alternatives to cars.
JConr B. Ortega
- Job: Self-described formerly homeless, leatherman, boxer
Yes, I’d love for us to have a fully connected transit system, but it’s not going to happen with the huge deficit and the need to climb out of the financial hole we are in.
Money raised and spent in the District 3 supervisor race
Money spent
Money raised
Sharon Lai
$9,493
$86,241
Danny Sauter
$7,904
$74,566
Moe Jamil
$16,015
$71,672
JConr B. Ortega
$0
Matthew Susk
$0
Eduard Navarro
$0
$0
$50,000
$100,000
$150,000
$200,000
Money raised
Money spent
Sharon Lai
$9,493
$86,241
Danny Sauter
$7,904
$74,566
Moe Jamil
$16,015
$71,672
JConr B. Ortega
$0
Matthew Susk
$0
Eduard Navarro
$0
$0
$50K
$100K
$150K
$200K
Source: San Francisco Ethics Commission, as of April 3, 2024. Chart by Junyao Yang.
Answers may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling, and grammar. If you have questions for the candidates, please let us know at yujie@missionlocal.com.
Illustrations for the series by Neil Ballard.
You can register to vote via the sf.gov website.
Could there be a less relevant question for District 3? There will not be any funding for any Central Subway extension in the foreseeable future. Know why? The DTX/Portal project extending Caltrain to the Transit Center – even with the recent federal funding – has a $3 Billion shortfall. Where the city, region, and/or state will find $3B remains to be seen. That project alone will hoover up any discretionary transportation funding over the next decade. And that is not even accounting for the BART extension in San Jose with its shortfall of billions of dollars. And high speed rail in California? Isn’t there a hundred billion dollar shortfall there to connect LA and SF? Forget about another subway in San Francisco anytime in the next decade or two. We need to rethink where we are spending limited transportation funds – there is a huge opportunity cost with these mega projects.