Welcome back to the “Meet the Candidates” series for District 11, where we ask each candidate to answer one question every week leading up to the election. They must answer the question in 100 words or less. We will link to longer answers.
With District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safaí termed out and running for mayor, seven candidates have thrown their hats in the ring to represent the Excelsior, Oceanview and the Outer Mission.
This week, we ask the candidates: How can you, as district supervisor, get more grocery stores into District 11?
Also this week, we have Oscar Flores, the only Republican candidate in the District 11 supervisor race, joining the “Meet the Candidates” series.
Next week, I will be at Cumaica Coffee (4726 Mission St.) at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 26. You can also reach me with questions, comments, and tips at xueer@missionlocal.com.
Michael Lai
- Job: Early education director, elected to the San Francisco Democratic Party
- Age: 32
- Residency: Tenant, living in District 11 since February 2024
- Transportation: Public
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in government at Harvard College with coursework at Harvard Graduate School of Education
- Languages: English, Mandarin
I live next to the Safeway on Mission Street, but large parts of District 11 (Lakeview/OMI, Outer Mission, Crocker Amazon, Excelsior near McLaren) are food deserts. I would use all of my creativity and fundraising/business experience to bring more grocery stores to D11!
District 11 has a demand problem. From a chain grocery store’s perspective, they are likely to pick another San Francisco location with more sales and parking. Short term, I would leverage all of my business, finance and negotiating experience to pitch grocers and make it easy for them, providing incentives like favorable lease conditions, organizing … read more here
Endorsed by: Attorney General Rob Bonta, Senator Scott Wiener, Sheriff Paul Miyamoto, Supervisors Joel Engardio and Matt Dorsey, NorCal Carpenters Union… read more here
Roger Marenco
- Job: Transit operator
- Age: 42
- Residency: Tenant, living in District 11 since May 2014
- Transportation: Public
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in environmental sustainability and social justice from San Francisco State University. City College San Francisco
- Languages: English, Spanish
We need to eliminate the fees that owners have to pay whenever they open a grocery store. Instead of taxing businesses, we should be granting tax reductions. We need to clean the streets and provide safer public transportation so people can feel safe taking their groceries on the bus. We need to provide safety measures to eliminate shoplifting, because this is a huge deterrent for people who want to do business in San Francisco. We need to offer low-interest loans and appropriate funds to establish new grants for newly opened grocery stores in our communities.
Jose Morales
- Job: Sales professional, small-business owner
- Age: 28
- Residency: Tenant, born in District 11 in 1995 and has lived there since, except for time away in college from 2014 to 2017 and living in Idaho from 2021 to the end of 2022
- Transportation: Car
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in economics from Sonoma State University
- Languages: English, Spanish
I believe the best way to bring more grocery stores to the Lakeview community, which is largely a food desert, is by collaborating with local businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs within the district. Through a city program focused on identifying qualified candidates to open grocery stores, we can leverage franchise opportunities from companies like Grocery Outlet.
The city would support our local business owners and entrepreneurs by helping them apply for a franchise, secure an ideal location, streamline the permitting process, and assist with startup costs.
This approach ensures that community members are personally invested in creating community assets that employ … read more here
Chyanne Chen
- Job: Worker organizer, community facilitator and educator
- Age: 39
- Residency: Homeowner, landlord, living in District 11 since August 2000
- Transportation: Walk, public transportation, rideshare, and car
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from University of California, Davis, master’s degree from Cornell University, doctoral degree in education in progress at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- Languages: English, Mandarin, Cantonese
In District 11, we have many neighborhood grocery stores that support our diverse cultural needs, particularly in the Excelsior, such as Cordoba Market, Casa Lucas, El Chico Market, La Loma Produce #3, and Guzman’s Produce, just to name a few. These community-serving mom-and-pop markets need our support and not competition. However, I have heard from OMI residents who don’t have the same kind of access and want grocery stores they can walk to. Many residents would also like to see some different offerings, such as Trader Joes. If elected, I would work with the Office of Economic … read more here
Endorsed by: Assemblymember Phil Ting, former police commissioner Larry Yee, San Francisco Board of Education commissioner Jenny Lam, former supervisors Norman Yee, Sandy Fewer and Mabel Teng.
Adlah Chisti
- Job: Public policy analyst, caregiver
- Age: 40
- Residency: Live with parents and caregive for them, born in District 11 in 1983 and lived there since, moved out in 2013 and back in 2017
- Transportation: Public
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in politics and in environmental science, and master’s degree in education from University of San Francisco, master’s degree in public policy from Georgetown McCourt School of Public Policy, juris doctorate from University of California Law, San Francisco
- Languages: English, Spanish, Hindi
Access to fresh groceries is a critical need in District 11, and one way to address this is through smart zoning reform. As supervisor, I will work to revise zoning laws to make it easier for grocery stores to open and succeed in our neighborhoods. By creating dedicated commercial zones and fast-tracking permits for grocery retailers, we can attract more stores and provide greater access to fresh, affordable food. I’m committed to working with city planners and the community to ensure our zoning laws support economic growth and improve food access for all residents.
Endorsed by: United Educators of San Francisco, Green Party, Run for Something, Police Commissioner Debra Walker, … read more here
Oscar Flores
- Job: Project engineer
- Age: 29
- Residency: Tenant, born in District 11 in 1995 and has lived here continuously, except for the time away in college
- Transportation: Car
- Education: Bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from the University of Portsmouth in United Kingdom, and a master’s (postgraduate certificate) in Space Engineering from the University of Surrey in United Kingdom
- Languages: Spanish, French, English
Before discussing the introduction of more businesses, such as grocery stores, we must first address and resolve the issues of crime and homelessness. It is folly to entertain new business ideas if these fundamental problems remain unaddressed, as they are the primary reasons businesses are either avoiding or leaving District 11 and San Francisco.
Once these issues are truly resolved, we can engage with existing grocery businesses to assist them in expanding, such as the neighborhood staple Casa Lucas. Additionally, we should carefully consider the demographics of District 11 and encourage grocery stores with an ethnic focus to serve communities … read more here
Endorsed by: The Republican Club of San Francisco, San Francisco Republican Party, San Francisco Briones Society, San Francisco Young Republicans.
Ernest “EJ” Jones
- Job: Community advocate
- Age: 38
- Residency: Tenant, living in District 11 since November 1985 and has lived here always, except for time away at college
- Transportation: Public, car
- Education: Bachelor’s degree, Dominican University, master’s degree in public administration from University of San Francisco
- Languages: English, Spanish
As Supervisor, I will make sure that we prioritize investment in these neighborhoods. We need to incentivize grocery stores to open in our communities, support local farmers’ markets, and promote community gardens where families can grow their own food. We cannot address hunger without addressing access.
Lakeview/OMI neighborhoods are prime examples of the food deserts plaguing our city, where access to fresh, affordable food is either limited or nonexistent. It’s unacceptable that families in these communities often have to travel to access staple items. The lack of nearby grocery stores forces many of our residents to rely on corner … read more here
Endorsed by: Supervisors Shamann Walton and Myrna Melgar, Assemblymember Matt Haney, Former SF mayor Willie Brown Jr., Transit Workers Union Local 250A… read more here
Campaign finance
Candidates are ordered alphabetically but rotated weekly. Answers may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling, and grammar. If you have questions for the candidates, please let us know at xueer@missionlocal.com.
Read the rest of the District 11 questions here, and the entire “Meet the Candidates” series here.
You can register to vote via the sf.gov website. Illustrations for the series by Neil Ballard.
I hate to sneer at people who clearly don’t read maps or get themselves around the city much, but even though Oceanview/Lakeview certainly deserves a grocery store it’s highly inaccurate to say it’s in a ‘food desert.’ HMart is about 2/3 mile down Alemany and Safeway is about 1.3 miles in the opposite direction. And there are a few decently stocked corner stores here and there.
Clearly the real issue is that the OMI is choked with redundant, pedestrian-hostile infrastructure and is a relative ‘transit desert’ with not enough useful bus lines to get people to stores. It’s never a bad time to suggest that better things could be done with 280 (how about a heavy-rail loop using this ROW and connecting to 19th Ave & tunneling under Geary sound? See Paris’s RER or London’s Elizabeth Line for inspiration).