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.
We have a new candidate joining the series: Edward Yee, a 74-year-old retired heart surgeon.
This week’s question: What will you do to support seniors in District 7?
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
1. Public safety, public safety, public safety (SFPD staffing, Prop 36, ambassador foot patrols, community watch programs).
2. Maximum mobility, including keeping the Upper Great Highway open and West Portal accessible by car. Seniors need auto access to shop, see friends and relatives, and get medical care.
3. Community programs and activities targeted to seniors. Celebrating seniors with events, civic awards.
4. Protection of our neighborhoods from unfettered upzoning.
5. Doing a complete audit of San Francisco City Hallโs budget to determine how to prioritize spending and eliminate waste.
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 will legislate adjusting the COLA for the community living campaign, as the program has allowed seniors in District 7 to maintain social connections and live independently. I will also work with the Department of Emergency Management to bring back the work the City has done for many years supporting neighborhood resilience. I will also see through the development of senior affordable housing and subsidized assisted living on the Laguna Honda campus. Lastly, I will work to support the build out of a full service senior center at Stonestown.
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 7โs Sunnyside since 2014, and earlier from 1983 to 1998
As I door-knock around the neighborhood, one of the primary concerns seniors have, besides crime, is accessibility. Many seniors are becoming increasingly concerned that the removal of parking spaces and the closure of streets will limit their ability to travel and shop. Unfortunately, rather than focus on the core essentials of providing safe, clean, reliable transit that everyone can use, and maintaining well-paved roads, the SFMTA has neglected its core duties and opted for an ideological approach of poorly designed bike lanes that only some people can use. The SFMTA needs to get back to basics and run a proper transit agency.
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
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
Seniors with no voice have been harmed when Medicare/Medi-Cal lost their sponsorship at the Laguna Honda retirement home.
The aging nursing home needs our help for reinstatement.
Also, aged District 7 members need assistance in their efforts for walking — need to give them (me, us slow walkers with canes) more time in street crossing. Too many skateboarders and bikers not giving us aged walkers the right of way.
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.
Campaign Finance:
