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Welcome to โMeet the Candidates,โ where Mission Local asks supervisor hopefuls questions in the lead-up to the November election. In District 7 โ which includes the Inner Sunset, Parkmerced and West Portal โ Matt Boschetto, Stephen Martin-Pinto and Edward Yee are running against incumbent Myrna Melgar.
This week, we asked the candidates to weigh in on two propositions on the November ballot: Prop. F and Prop. H.
Prop. F would create a deferred retirement program for the police department. This would allow some officers, sergeants and inspectors to delay their retirement to do neighborhood patrols or investigative work. The measure would also change how the department reports staffing levels.
Prop. H would allow all firefighters to receive their maximum pension at a younger age: 55 instead of 58. Currently, only firefighters hired before 2012 can obtain their maximum pension at 55.
Here’s what the candidates had to say about both measures:
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 7โs Sunnyside since 2014, and earlier from 1983 to 1998
Weโre in a public-safety staffing crisis and, at this point, Iโll support any reasonable proposal to include deferred retirement and other pension benefits, designed to attract and retain a workforce. Part of the impetus for the firefighter pension proposal is the widespread risk of cancer. I am the only candidate who will propose widespread policy changes to reduce risk to include PFAS-free turnout gear, annual physical assessments, cancer screenings, free anti-cancer supplements like Broc-Shot, and expanded mental, physical, and nutritional health resources designed to reduce disability claims and increase overall health. I will make this available for all public safety personnel.
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
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
I support Proposition F (establishing a deferred retirement option program, โDROP,โ for SFPD) and Proposition H (to align retirement ages for SFFD pension benefits). DROP will help retain experienced SFPD officers otherwise qualified for retirement at a time when SFPD is understaffed and recruitment difficult. Proposition H acknowledges the high risks of firefighting/emergency-response for all ages, including health risks from long-term, detrimental environmental exposures, and will help with recruitment in a time when attracting first responders is difficult for a risky profession in an expensive city. Public safety is my number one priority for SF, so these both deserve support.
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
I am supporting the firefighter retirement measure, because I was persuaded that an extra three years of duty increases health risks for the members, and the police retirement option program, because we are so short-staffed at the Taraval, Park and Ingleside precincts that a few officers staying and not retiring at this time until we can recruit more folks makes a big difference.
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
Edward Yee
- Job: Retired surgeon
- Age: 74
- Housing: Homeowner
- Transport: Walking, Muni and, rarely, car
- Languages: Cantonese
- Education: Bachelor of Science, University of California, Berkeley; Doctor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco; Master of Public Health, UC Berkeley
- Residency: Living in District 7 since 1981
Did not respond.
The order of candidates alternates each week. Answers may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling, and grammar.
Do you have a question for the candidates? Let me know: kelly@missionlocal.com
Read the rest of the series here. Illustrations for the series by Neil Ballard.
