Welcome to “Meet the Candidates,” where Mission Local asks supervisor hopefuls questions in the lead-up to the November election. In District 7 — which includes the Inner Sunset, Parkmerced and West Portal — Matt Boschetto and Stephen Martin-Pinto are running against incumbent Myrna Melgar.
Ninth Avenue is a vibrant corridor in the Inner Sunset. On Sundays, the street is buzzing with residents going to the farmer’s market, lining up outside bakeries and making their way to Golden Gate Park. Still, some businesses are struggling, such as the Reliable Sunset Wellness pharmacy; others, such as Jamba Juice, recently closed.
This week, we asked the candidates: What will you do to help revitalize the 9th Avenue corridor?
Take a look at their responses below.
Matt Boschetto
- Job: Small business owner
- Age: 35
- Housing: Homeowner
- Transport: Car
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in philosophy, Saint Mary’s College of California
- Residency: Living in District 7 since 2014
As a small-business owner myself, I understand the struggles store owners are going through on 9th Avenue. We need to start by helping empty storefronts turn into thriving businesses, because increased foot traffic helps every business along the corridor. I will reach out to landlords of vacant spaces to hear from them how regulatory costs and City policies impact their rental term requirements. I will also connect with local retailers to understand how the City’s operating and regulatory burdens are affecting their ability to thrive. My goal will be to remove all possible government burdens, boost foot traffic, and thereby encourage more entrepreneurial activity that benefits everyone.
Endorsed by: San Francisco Police Officers Association (#1), the Marina Times, SFFF Local 798 (#1), Chinese American Democratic Club (#1)
Myrna Melgar
- Job: District 7 supervisor
- Age: 56
- Housing: Homeowner
- Transport: Bike
- Languages: Spanish, French, Swedish
- Education: Bachelor’s degree, Excelsior College; master’s degree in urban planning, Columbia University
- Residency: Living in Ingleside Terraces since 2011, and lived in District 7 while in college at SF State between 1987 and 1991
We are helping implement several ideas from the community to help increase foot traffic to 9th and Irving. We installed a Flock camera at the corner to combat retail theft; the entrance to Golden Gate Park at 9th and Lincoln avenues has gotten a facelift and will be open in two weeks, and we are planning on murals and wayfinding banners to direct visitors from the park to the corridor. I have requested a traffic study to identify ways to make crossing Lincoln from the park to 9th Avenue safer, including a scramble, and have started the legacy business registry application for Reliable Pharmacy.
Endorsed by: SF Labor Council, SF Tenants Union, Supervisor Aaron Peskin, Supervisor Hillary Ronen, Supervisor Connie Chan, Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, Supervisor Catherine Stefani, Senator Scott Weiner, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, SFFF Local 798 (#2)… read more here
Stephen Martin-Pinto
- Job: Firefighter/major, U.S. Marine Corps reserves
- Age: 46
- Housing: Tenant in SF, property owner and landlord in Lemon Grove, California
- Transport: Fairly evenly split between car, Muni and walking
- Languages: Spanish, Russian, Georgian
- Education: University of California, Davis
- Residency: Living in District 7’s Sunnyside since 2014, and earlier from 1983 to 1998
Like many business corridors, there are issues of crime, graffiti and shoplifting. City policies default to holding business owners and residents liable for graffiti. Insurance rates escalate because of rising crime rates and carriers no longer honoring policies in California.
With a few policy changes, we can make it easier for small businesses. Owners should have the right to hold financially accountable anyone who vandalizes their property. San Francisco government needs to aggressively prosecute shoplifters. We need to ensure streets and sidewalks are cleaned often, and accessibility in the form of parking, especially for disabled people, needs to be preserved.
Endorsed by: Former District 7 Supervisor Tony Hall, former Planning Commissioner Michael Antonini, former Police Chief Tony Ribera, drug policy advocate Tom Wolf, BART Board Director Debora Allen, SFFF Local 798 (#3) … read more here
The order of candidates alternates each week. Answers may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling, and grammar.
Read the rest of the series here. Illustrations for the series by Neil Ballard.
You can register to vote via the sf.gov website.
Do you have a question for the District 7 candidates? Let me know: kelly@missionlocal.com.
Campaign Finance:
MORE RESPONSES FROM THE DISTRICT 7 CANDIDATES
This article is part of U.S. Democracy Day, a nationwide collaborative on Sept. 15, the International Day of Democracy, in which news organizations cover how democracy works and the threats it faces. To learn more, visit usdemocracyday.org.
How about a red bus lane? The 44 gets horribly backed up there on sunny weekend days with people driving into the park who, if they knew the 44 would be fast and reliable, might try transit instead.