Welcome back to our weekly “Meet the Candidates” series, in which 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.
Next week, I will be at La Promenade Cafe at 3643 Balboa St. at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 8. Drop by and share your thoughts, or reach me at junyao@missionlocal.com.
In interviews, residents in the Outer Richmond complained their neighborhood doesn’t receive as many resources: There are fewer businesses and not a lot of activities happening around there.
We asked the candidates this week: Do you agree? How do you plan to address these complaints?
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
Ten years ago, I joined a group of parents and merchants on Balboa Street to discuss how we could bring more activity to the Outer Richmond. Through those meetings, we brought the BalBOOa Fright Fest, our annual Halloween Festival, to the corridor, which hosted more than 3,000 participants in its first year.
Since the formation of the Balboa Village Merchants Association, events such as Playland on Balboa, Holiday Art Fair, Art Walks and band, music and comedy nights have been brought to the neighborhood. Grant funding has allowed merchants to invest in more lighting in the corridor, and several new businesses … read more here
Endorsed by: San Francisco Democratic Party, TogetherSF, San Francisco Police Officers Association … read more here
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
I agree with the complaints; outer Richmond often feels forgotten. As supervisor, I will meet with business and community leaders to bring more attention and activities to the outer Richmond. We have a lot of great restaurants, organizations and the like out here. It’s time to start promoting them to the rest of the city.
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 first took office in 2021, the Outer Richmond faced the immediate shutdown of our beloved Cliff House. One of my first pieces of legislation as supervisor was to urge the National Park Service (NPS) to keep the Cliff House maintained and open, and we were successful in creating a partnership with the NPS and the Western NeighborhoodS Project to reactivate the space and host a museum while the NPS was seeking the next tenant. They now have a new tenant and we are anticipating they will open this year.
Additionally, the Seal Rock Inn was working to renovate … read more here
Endorsed by: Nancy Pelosi, 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
First, let’s agree the Outer Richmond has always been more residential than other parts of the neighborhood. That being said, we must attract businesses to open up in the neighborhood regardless of which part. To accomplish this, the area must be safe, accessible, and clean.
- Install traffic lights on all commercial corridors
- Triple the law-enforcement presence in the neighborhood
- Increase street cleaning on commercial corridors
- Remove graffiti immediately
- Ensure that medians are maintained and look good everyday not just once or twice a year
- Ensure city trash cans are emptied and NOT overflowing
- Increase parking for residents and 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
The Outer Richmond is definitely one of the quieter parts of the city, which is actually part of what makes it attractive to many people. The Balboa Village Merchants Association recently shared a “Keep Outer Richmond Boring” sticker on social media, showing love for the slower pace.
That said, we do need to make sure city resources are focused on the neighborhood, including supporting thriving small businesses, efforts to keep the neighborhood safe and clean, and providing adequate transit options for those who work and live there. One priority of mine will be to bring back the 1AX and 31AX … read more here
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.
