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Here’s the latest in our “Meet the Candidates” series for District 5, in which we ask each candidate to answer one question per week leading up to the election. Four candidates are challenging incumbent Supervisor Dean Preston to represent District 5, which spans from the east end of Golden Gate Park through Haight-Ashbury, Japantown and the Western Addition, the Lower Haight and Hayes Valley, and most of the Tenderloin.
In recent weeks, 300 Octavia has been the talk of District 5, after candidates began calling the structure โ partially built and abandoned after a fire last year โ a blight in the neighborhood.
Investigators could not confirm the cause of the fire, but some have pointed to the presence of squatters without electricity as a risk factor. Today, more than a year after the fire, the remaining concrete structure is fenced off as original plans for a 14-unit apartment building appear on hold. Inside the fencing, people have been using the space for shelter, and furniture and makeshift structures are visible.
The developer reportedly hasnโt responded to multiple notices of violations filed by city inspectors.
The issue has become a political one. Resident and former GrowSF employee Jen Laska, in a press release issued by candidate Bilal Mahmood, blamed Supervisor Dean Preston, claiming that a disabled senior citizen who was displaced from her home next door to the site didnโt receive support from Prestonโs office.
The next day, Preston fired back that he, along with the Human Services Agency and the Red Cross, in fact supported the victims from day one. Preston said he would engage with city departments, like the Department of Public Works, the Department of Building Inspection, in their efforts to get the buildings secured and repaired.
Cheryl CzekalaI, the purportedly frustrated senior, said in a statement that she was “mischaracterized” by Mahmood’s press release, and was โsurprised to see comments suggesting I was critical of the supervisor or cityโs response to my situation.โ While CzekalaI said she has landed in a nice apartment subsidized by the city, she has expressed hesitancy to move back, due to the squatters next door.
So, this week we asked candidates to weigh in on 300 Octavia, and what needs to happen there.
Bilal Mahmood
- Job: Founder of private and philanthropic organizations
- Age: 37
- Residency: Tenant in District 5 since May 2023
- Transportation: Walking
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, master’s degree from University of Cambridge
- Languages: English, Urdu
300 Octavia represents a failure of leadership from Dean Preston.
A year ago, a fire engulfed the property, displacing multiple residents. Community members called on Supervisor Prestonโs office for help, and many were ignored.
Preston has had 400 days to work towards a solution to secure the property, and yet no urgency or concrete action was taken.
We need a supervisor who will collaborate with the mayor, DBI, and City Attorneyโs Office to hold the property owner accountable. Even having the city seize the property if it is not secured, as the mayorโs office should be directing this week.
Endorsed by: Mayor London Breed, TogetherSF Action, San Francisco YIMBY, State Sen. Scott Wiener and DCCC Chair Honey Mahogany … read more.
Dean Preston
- Job: Incumbent, tenant attorney
- Age: 54
- Residency: Homeowner, in District 5 since 1996
- Transportation: Public transit
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from Bowdoin College, juris doctor degree from University of California Law, San Francisco
- Languages: English
300 Octavia was under construction when a fire destroyed the building and damaged neighboring buildings causing displacement of tenants. We arrived immediately (our protocol for all major fires), assisted displaced tenants, and maintained regular contact with SFFD about their investigation. Weโre in touch with displaced tenants, all of whom thankfully are housed and expressed appreciation for our officeโs work to support them.
The cause of the fire remains undetermined.
Due to the ownerโs failure to secure the property, we elevated concerns with the city attorney and DBI, and an abatement order has been issued directing the owner to secure the property.
Endorsed by: Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Public Defender Mano Raju, United Educators of San Francisco, San Francisco Labor Council, San Francisco Tenants Union, National Union of Healthcare Workers … read more.
Scotty Jacobs
- Job: Marketing
- Age: 30
- Residency: Tenant in District 5 since November 2022, homeowner
- Transportation: Public bicycle
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from Washington University
- Languages: English
300 Octavia is an extremely sad and frustrating situation. Neighbors were displaced because our current supervisor did nothing to address the well-documented, unlawful activity occurring around the site before it burned; this now blighted site has fallen into complete disrepair โ a reflection of the gross negligence on the part of the developer (Greenview Planning and Design) and our supervisor.
The fire at 300 Octavia street was entirely avoidable and a function of a supervisor who wasnโt responsive to constituents repeatedly asking for his help. This lack of accountability is yet another example of why we desperately need new leadership for … read more.
Endorsed by: Mark Farrell, Alice B. Toklas Democratic Club.
Allen Jones
- Job: Activist
- Age: 67
- Residency: Tenant in District 5 since November 2021
- Transportation: Wheelchair
- Education: Teaching Bible studies at juvenile hall
- Languages: English
The first thing I will not do is contact the supervisor who currently represents District 5. And I thought there was a law against trespassing. If so, why not arrest the squatters?
There is a reported dispute between the owners of the property and their insurance company. If true, nothing will get resolved for at least the next five years from today. That said, the city should offer to purchase and not wait 20 years of promises as is the case with Parcel K.
Autumn Looijen
- Job: School board recall co-founder
- Age: 46
- Residency: Tenant in District 5 since December 2020, landowner
- Transportation: Public transit
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from California Institute of Technology
- Languages: English
You may remember the 300 Octavia housing project burning in 2023. The property has since been sold, and we should work with the new owners (Octavia RE Development) to clear the blight and develop the property.
Currently, the site is attracting encampments. There is illegal electrical work, and neighbors are worried that the site will burn again, putting their homes at risk. There are five DBI complaints about dangerous situations since the sale on 7/12/2024โฆ with no response from the owners.
We should partner with the owners to clear the encampments, secure the site, and fast-track new housing development.
Endorsed by: San Francisco police union, Marina Times, Chinese American Democratic Club.
The order of candidates is rotated each week. Answers are capped at 100 words, and may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling, and grammar. If you have questions for the candidates, please let us know at eleni@missionlocal.com.
Read all of the District 5 candidates' answers here, and the entire "Meet the Candidates" series here. Illustrations for the series by Neil Ballard.
You can register to vote via the sf.gov website.
All i can say is the fake neuroscientist (who is funded by Tech and real estate billionaires and GROWSF goons) needs to go back to the private sector. Heโs only lived in D5 for a few months and he doesnโt know jack about our neighborhoods or district. Odd too that heโs hitched his wagon to former GROWSF and YIMBY Jen Laska, the village hypocrite because she opposes (YES LESKA IS A RABID YIMBY WHO ACTUALLY OPPOSES) the voter supported development of Parcel K for affordable housing. Yucky. Ironic. Embarrassing. D5ers reject candidates who incite the worst in usโฆโฆ fear of crime and fireโฆโฆwho blame and shame without offering their own plans, ideas or solutions. Thatโs cowardice. Itโs weak. Even worse: Scotty party zone Jacobs and Bilal tumbleweed Mahmood have resorted to making crap up about local history and events and campaigning on fabricated garbage and lies. Challenging a leader with whom you disagree and then running for elected office against them is one thing. Campaigning on lies, made up shit and fear and rage mongering is icky. Stop it. D5 deserves better.
Bilal, Scotty and Autumn – none of whom have any experience doing public service – blame the current supervisor. That must have been a heavy lift for them: we have no idea what we are talking about and when we blame Preston it’s because we are running against him not because we understand how PRIVATE property works. Allen Jones starts from a meaningful premise and correctly does not blame the supervisor.
The three ignoramuses blame the supervisor because the propertied interests want him out so they can extract more wealth for themselves. But those ignoramuses who love private wealth accumulation cannot make the jump from libertarian wealth extraction from private property to private property owners are responsible for the crappy conditions they make.
Supervisors aren’t cops and sheriffs and hired goons. The three of you can volunteer to secure the site. I mean, none of you has a job, so you should have a lot of free time to “defend” Hayes Valley. At the very least, you could harass the property owner until they get around to securing their landed wealth.
Bilal, Autumn and Scotty:
SF Gate has an article today about a market closing because of the problems that in D5 at least are one hundred percent Supervisor Preston’s fault. Except this market is in D6, so – correct me if I am wrong – this store’s closure is one hundred percent Supervisor Dorsey’s fault. Which of you will soon be carpetbagging into D6 to run for supervisor savior against Dorsey in 2026? Obviously, Dorsey is the worst supervisor ever since a business can’t stay open because Dorsey hasn’t stopped burglary and shoplifting in the relatively upscale South Beach neighborhood. (See below for the store ownerโs comments on this.)
Please start work immediately to fundraise through GrowAbundantlyTogehterUnitedSF so they can try to buy one of you the job in two years. Also, start writing your policy proposals and platform now so we can all soon learn precisely how you would save this store that Dorsey, so you must agree, has forced out of business. Since you all say you aren’t lying and are “totally” solutions oriented, how would each of you as a “grassroots” supervisor solve all of these problems AND make sure you blame Dorsey in every utterance?
Or, if I am wrong about this …. no, wait, it is the three of you who could be wrong … maybe the district supervisor can’t prevent petty theft, drug use and dealing, and a number of other problems. So, now that we are considering whether Supervisor Dorsey might not be evil incarnate simply because of massive wealth inequality, substance use issues, and homelessness in his district, will any of you three be mature enough to publicly admit that the many times you blamed Supervisor Preston for similar problems in D5 were only gross attempts to demonize him because you simply want more cops on the street (attacking jaywalkers among other things) and have been recruited by rightwing billionaires to get rid of the supervisor who has done the most to extract a bit of taxes from the obscenely wealthy to create affordable housing (not “block all housing” as you and your funders bellyache nonstop) for poor and low income San Franciscans?
From the SF Gate article:
David Pesusic, who co-owns Bayside Market at 120 Brannan St., placed a sign outside the decades-old market Tuesday letting longtime customers know of the upcoming closure on Sept. 13. In the notice, Pesusic said running Bayside Market had become โunbearableโ with local law enforcement and city officials doing little to diminish open drug use nearby or prevent daily theft at the store.
โWeโve had numerous incidents with shoplifters,โ Pesusic told SFGATE. โWeโve called the police, and they donโt show.โ He added, โHow do you stay in business when thereโs no one to show up and help? Itโs absolutely frustrating.โ
Yes. Bayside Market is in (Breedโs poodle) Matt Dorseyโs district, not in D5. Sadly carpetbagger candidates like Bilal the tumbleweed Mahmood, Autumn Los Altos Looijen and Scotty party zone Jacobs are so new to our recently gerrymandered district that they donโt even know the proper boundaries of D5, let alone our challenges. From their incoherent ramblings and campaign lit, youโd think it was the current supervisorโs job to stand in front of every building with a firehose and protect it while also preventing each and every over dose, shooting, robbery and car break-in. Even though that is the Mayorโs job, and the current SFPD and SFFDโs job, itโs much easier to flog Preston by making shit up while fanning the flames of fear and loathing. These are city (and state)wide challenges. These lackluster candidates use Preston as their punching bag but offer nothing of how they would begin to solve these persistent challenges. D5 deserves better than Mahmood, Jacobs and Looijen. โIt’s infinitely easier to be AGAINST something than to be for something. It takes courage to be for something, because then you have to defend your position. Be braveโฆโฆor move back to Palo Alto, Los Altos or Marin.
If course when they had to play nice at the League of Women Voters debate, Autumn, Bilal and Scotty all admitted that Dean has done a lot of great things for the district+and city).