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.
Mission Local held a District 1 candidates forum this week at Internet Archive. If you missed it, you can find a recording on our YouTube channel or watch it below.
For nearly three decades, California has faced limits, under the Costa-Hawkins Act, on imposing rent control on single-family homes and new apartments, and applying rent control to new tenants. This November, a state ballot measure, Prop. 33, could change that by allowing local governments to expand rent control on any type of housing.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors has already passed a law that would enact rent control for apartments built before 1994, up from the current limit of 1979 within the city, and Mayor London Breed supports it. The law would only go into effect if Prop. 33 passes statewide.
As of Oct. 14, campaigns for and against the state measure have received nearly $140 million in contributions — $39 million in support and $99 million in opposition. This week, we asked candidates: Do you support Prop. 33 to expand rent control?
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
No I don’t, this will negatively affect housing supply. It’s basic economics.
Endorsed by: San Francisco Republican Party
Connie Chan
- Job: Incumbent District 1 Supervisor
- Age: 46
- Residency: Homeowner, living in District 1 since 2011
- Transportation: Driving and walking
- Education: Bachelor’s degree, University of California, Davis
- Languages: English, Cantonese, Mandarin
I support Proposition 33 because it allows for cities to enact local actions to stabilize rent increases according to their needs and demands. I look forward to further expanding rent control in San Francisco if and when Prop. 33 passes with specific legislation that addresses the needs and demands of tenants living in existing buildings, new housing development, as well as differentiating the challenges that small property landlords and corporate landlords may face. Like many immigrants and working families, my mom was able to obtain a rent-controlled apartment in Chinatown when she immigrated to San Francisco, allowing me and my … read more here
Endorsed by: Nancy Pelosi, San Francisco Fire Fighters Local 798, 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
I support rent control and believe to be applied fairly it must apply to all housing, including condos, single family homes and all units regardless of when they were constructed. However, I cannot support Proposition 33 because it prohibits a property owner from controlling how much she/he can charge after someone moves-out of the unit. This provision will prevent any new construction in California for rental purposes and it will further reduce available units to rent, because as units empty, they will not be rented but sold to individuals who wish to move into the unit as owners.
If … read more here
Jen Nossokoff
- Job: Vice president of a healthcare company and physician assistant
- Age: 39
- 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
As someone who has personally benefited from rent control, I recognize that stable housing is a foundational aspect of health equity. When individuals have secure, affordable housing, they are better equipped to prioritize their health, education, and community involvement without the constant threat of displacement. In cities like San Francisco, where housing prices have soared, rent control serves as a vital safeguard, ensuring that longtime residents can remain in their homes and continue to contribute to the community.
While increasing the housing supply is essential, we cannot rely solely on new construction to resolve the affordability crisis — especially given the … read more here
Endorsed by: Everytown For Gun Safety, San Francisco League of Conservation Voters, San Francisco Women’s Political Committee (#2), Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate
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
Rent control is important because it provides tenants with security by preventing them from getting priced out of where they live. Strong rent control laws protect tenants from displacement, but we need a long term strategy to ensure housing affordability for future generations.
This measure will reduce the creation of affordable homes, increasing costs for both renters and those who are looking to one day buy a home.
Prop. 33 will worsen California’s — and by extension, our city’s — housing shortage by increasing costs and obstructing affordable housing creation. It undermines existing statewide rent control laws without providing any benefits for … read more here
Endorsed by: San Francisco Democratic Party, TogetherSF, San Francisco Police Officers Association … read more here
Money raised by District 1 candidates
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.
Rent control keeps rents high, and purchasing high too.
It’s such a distorted system it should be phased out. It’s gotten so ridiculous that you have people paying rents from 1970 while someone next door is paying sky high. Rent control means we have landlords who don’t have any money for maintenance. Older housing stock costs are extremely expensive to upkeep.
NO ON 33, YES ON 34.
London Breed also supports expanding rent control, since it enables her to spend only 10% of her income on housing (her rent reportedly is about $3500). “As a lifelong renter, I know the importance rent control plays in keeping people stably housed in our city,” the mayor said in a statement [to the SF Standard].
Breed’s compensation package is an estimated $465K per year. She hardly needs public support and is occupying an apartment that might shelter a working poor family. Such abuse of the system perpetuates SF’s so-called housing “crisis” (in which an estimated 60K apartments sit empty.
Prop 33 and rent control expansion, if passed, would bring new construction to a dead halt, which will result in rents increasing.