At first District 5 forum, Dean Preston’s challengers often agree with him

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Supervisor Dean Preston and the four candidates running for his seat overseeing District 5 — Autumn Looijen, Bilal Mahmood, Scotty Jacobs, and Allen Jones — all sat down for their first forum on Monday night. The discourse was civil; personal attacks weren’t allowed by the League of Women Voters, which hosted the event in Japantown. 

In fact, it was almost too civil: Not only did Preston’s challengers often agree with each other, some of them frequently agreed with Preston and praised his work as supervisor. 

Across various issues, candidates Mahmood and Jacobs — who, by apparent coincidence, were dressed identically — would suggest policies or ideas, to be followed by Preston explaining how he had already taken that action as supervisor. On some topics, Mahmood and Jacobs, who flanked Preston in navy blue suits and unbuttoned top buttons, outright praised Preston for his work. 

Parks and green space

Responding to a question about parks and green spaces, Mahmood lamented a need for collaboration between the Board of Supervisors, the mayor, and city departments to get slow-moving park projects like the Golden Gate Greenway and Car-Free Hayes Street across the finish line. 

Preston said he’s been doing those very things. 

“I think there’s a lot of agreement around a lot of these issues,” an apparently amused Preston said. “But the difference is, we’re doing this work.” 

Members of his office worked with residents to advocate for car-free days on Hayes Street to begin with, Preston said. He added that his office has been “battling with the administration and MTA to make it permanent.” 

As for the Golden Gate Greenway — a not-so-green block in the Tenderloin expected to be further fleshed out into a mini-park — Preston said his team “went to bat” and helped secure $8 million for it and other improvements in the Tenderloin. 

“I really would just encourage everyone in this room, but especially folks who are running for office, to join with us in some of these efforts, because it’s really important,” Preston said.  

Jacobs then brought up public safety at parks, and Preston’s efforts to ensure it. 

“We need to be investing in things like the community ambassador program that Supervisor Preston moved to save,” Jacobs said. “I think that was fantastic, and I’m glad that the community ambassadors exist.”

Preston gazed stoically ahead. 

Preventing homelessness

Moderator Maxine Anderson asked the candidates about how they would keep people in their homes, and prevent San Francisco residents from becoming unhoused to begin with. 

Preston, who, before becoming supervisor in 2020 was a longtime tenant attorney, had a laundry list of answers: The Right to Counsel law that he wrote, eviction bans he helped pass at the Board, the pandemic rent relief program funded through taxes on high-end real estate. 

“This is an essential part of addressing homelessness,” Preston said. He called for the audience to support Prop. 33, a state measure for stronger rent control, which he has advocated for. 

Jacobs said he “can be a good team player” and seemed to agree. 

“I believe that we have some of the incredible protections that are leading the nation [to] make sure that people don’t end up on the streets in San Francisco,” Jacobs said. “And I think we do have Supervisor Preston to thank for some of those.”

He continued to state that he and Preston are “not on the same page,” but didn’t elaborate or offer any alternative plans. 

It wasn’t only Jacobs agreeing: Mahmood said he was in “100 percent alignment” on Preston’s record, and that “the best way to prevent homelessness with people who are evicted is to have tenant protections, rent control,” and the like. Looijen also stated her support for rent control and Proposition C, a measure providing short-term rent assistance, which Preston supported as an attorney. 

Candidate Allen Jones, for his part, proudly stated that he had evicted his own sister and childhood best friend, and said he himself lived in his truck for 10 years with “not one problem.” 

Supporting small business

Anderson asked the candidates about their views on supporting small businesses in Japantown during the Peace Plaza reconstruction, and boosting businesses owned by marginalized groups across San Francisco. 

Jacobs discussed a need to “mitigate the adverse impacts” in Japantown by offsetting lost revenue or providing temporary tax credits. Mahmood spoke of “cutting the red tape” to help small businesses and microbusinesses “start faster and … thrive in our district.” They also talked about safety concerns. 

Preston said he’s been working on it. “We actually not only advocated for the budget, but created an entire program for micro grants for Fillmore entrepreneurs who are trying to get started,” he said. 

He listed other efforts he’s made to support businesses: A small-business eviction ban and waiving of back rent during the pandemic, victim assistance for vandalized storefronts, as well as community ambassadors and enhanced cleaning in commercial corridors across our district.

Though the candidates did express differences, like their views on compelled drug treatment or arresting dealers and the homeless, those topics were a relatively small part of the discussion on Monday evening. 

“We heard a lot of talk this evening, even some areas of agreement,” Preston said in his closing statement. “I just want to emphasize that that talk does not solve problems … I’m the only candidate in this race with a proven track record of getting things done.”