At Sunset merchants forum, District 4 hopeful Natalie Gee wins by landslide

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At a forum for the mayor’s current finalists for the District 4 supervisor seat, some 40 Sunset merchants and residents declared Natalie Gee the clear favorite.

The Outer Sunset Merchant and Professional Association, which held the event at Hole in the Wall Pizza on Monday evening, have little say in who the mayor will actually choose to replace Joel Engardio, D4’s former supervisor, who was recalled by district voters in September. 

Political insiders have expressed their doubts that Mayor Daniel Lurie would appoint Gee to the position, since her politics lean progressive. District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton has openly accused Lurie of trying to use his district as a dumping ground for unpopular city projects. 

“I’m ready to do this job since yesterday,” Gee said. Whether the mayor appoints her or not, Gee has already filed papers to run for District 4 supervisor in the June election.

Earlier on Monday, all the finalists returned to the mayor’s office for another interview, after finishing the “homework” assignment to connect with Sunset residents over the weekend. 

The candidates, one by one, met the mayor’s senior staff and then were thrown into a simulated press event in which they were required to answer made-up questions from made-up reporters on subjects like homelessness, housing policy and gay marriage. 

“They make us all run through our paces and get people ready for when they get picked,” said Ike Kwon, a former executive of California Academy of Sciences. 

Out of 26 people who cast a vote — on pieces of paper distributed at the start of the meeting — 13 picked Gee. Albert Chow, the hardware-store owner and recall supporter, ranked second with eight votes. Kwon received three. Alan Wong, the City College trustee and National Guard lieutenant, got two. 

The fifth finalist, Wannong “Tiffany” Deng, who was scheduled to appear at the meeting, was not present, as she was no longer on the mayor’s shortlist. 

A Mission Local review of Deng’s voting record revealed that, after registering in 2019, she cast her first vote this month after missing nine consecutive elections. Deng was a registered Republican until June 2022, according to voting records. 

The merchant meeting was organized by Bill Barnickel, president of the Outer Sunset Merchant and Professional Association. Each finalist had five minutes to introduce themselves and answer audience questions. 

Here are each candidate’s pitches from Monday’s Irving Street merchant meeting. 

Albert Chow

Chow’s pitch focused on his experience as the owner of Great Wall Hardware and one of the organizers of the recall of former District 4 supervisor Engardio. 

Chow is the president of the People of Parkside Sunset, a merchant group on Taraval Street, and has organized events such as outdoor movies and tree-lighting events at McCoppin Square. 

Chow’s pitch to the crowd focused on public safety, small businesses and housing. 

He wants to fully staff the Taraval Police Station and have bilingual officers walking the beat. He pledged to make it easier for small businesses to open and for existing ones to thrive by streamlining permit processes — one of Mayor Daniel Lurie’s main campaign promises. 

Chow and Lurie diverge when it comes to the mayor’s plan to upzone much of the city’s Westside, however; Chow is against it.

“My hardware store burned down, but I’m building that back,” Chow added. “That’s what I want to do for the Sunset. I want to help build it back. I want to bring it to its glory.”

How des Chow plan to run a hardware store while working full-time as a supervisor? An audience member asked. 

Chow’s insurance covers payroll while the store is rebuilding, Chow said. “So I’m relieved of that burden of having to be there for day-to-day operations.” 

But, Chow reassured the merchants, he will not “lose sight of” the Sunset small businesses once he is in City Hall, because he is one of them. “That is my compass.”  

Natalie Gee

Before Gee started introducing herself, she quickly answered a question from the audience that had flummoxed an SFMTA staffer earlier in the meeting. The question: What are the poles at N-Judah stops?

“They’re lanterns ,so that they can provide light so that people can see the bus stops at night,” Gee said. 

That was only the first flex of a speech that showcased Gee’s fluency in local civics.

Gee laid out her experience in government and community organizing, her fluent Cantonese and her track record — getting bilingual police officers to hold office hours twice a week in Visitacion Valley, installing cameras in industrial areas in District 10 to discourage illegal dumping. 

Gee is supportive of reopening the Great Highway, she told the crowd, and would support District 1 Supervisor Connie Chan’s measure to bring back the “compromise” of opening it to cars on weekdays.

She would also vote against Mayor Lurie’s upzoning plan in its current form but, since it is likely to pass anyway, said that she was open to working on more amendments after that. 

Gee said that, as a candidate, she focuses on supporting the city’s working-class families. She discussed levying a tax on CEOs that make more than a certain amount, and exempting seniors on a fixed income from a parcel tax ballot measure to save Muni. 

“I can speak on solutions, because I have the experience of making solutions happen,” Gee said. “I have a track record that I have been able to do and accomplish things in a city supervisor office.” 

Ike Kwon

Kwon, the former chief operating officer at the California Academy of Sciences, is from Chicago. Born to Korean immigrant parents, Kwon moved to the Sunset in 2008 to take his position at the Academy. He moved back to Chicago in March 2023, but returned to the city in June. 

Kwon is the only candidate at the meeting who explicitly supports the upzoning plan. 

“I do support density,” he told the audience. But, he added, there should be protections for those who are vulnerable. Also: Sufficient parking. 

“My concern is letting the state tell us how we implement this,” he said. “So getting this through and taking a look at trailing legislation that actually preserves the priorities of the neighborhood is really key.” 

When pressed, Kwon was candid that he is “not an expert” on the upzoning legislation or proposed amendments. But, he said “I have a lot of experience in complex organizations, making high- stakes decisions and gathering people together to come up with creative solutions.” 

“I’m a quick study,” Kwon added. “I do my homework. I’m a very, very diligent student, and I dig into these things hard.” 

Like Gee, Kwon supports opening the Great Highway to cars on workdays. Even though he is an avid cyclist — he used to ride 2,000 miles a year in Chicago, and built bikes that work in the snow — Kwon said the next D4 supervisor should take into account people with disabilities and seniors when thinking about the Great Highway. 

Unlike other candidates, Kwon said he would not run for election in 2026 if he didn’t get appointed by the mayor. But if he is tapped for the job, he added, he would “run aggressively” to win the election. 

Alan Wong

Wong, born and raised in the Sunset, is a member of the City College Board of Trustees. Both his parents are from Hong Kong; his dad went through the culinary and ESL program at City College, and ultimately got a job as a hotel cook that was able to support the family. 

Wong, a legislative aide for former District 4 Supervisor Gordon Mar, also emphasized the importance of public safety and supporting small businesses. But he stood out on his focus on education. 

As a policy director at Children’s Council of San Francisco, Wong focuses on childcare — specifically, childcare for children under 5. 

As supervisor, Wong says, his goal is to raise the eligibility threshold for a city childcare subsidy — paid for by the “little” Prop. C ballot measure of 2018 — from 150 percent of Area Median Income to 200 percent.

“Right now, childcare is more expensive than a college education,” Wong said. “It’s so hard for families to be able to have kids, to be able to raise a family here.” 

He also said he has a plan to secure funding for wellness centers in D4. He did not say anything about the mayor’s upzoning plan, or his thoughts on reopening the Great Highway. 

Wong, an active National Guardsman, faced a pointed question: What’s your position if the president sends troops to San Francisco and works with ICE? 

Wong said he would follow the example of an officer he knew, who was called up for deployment.

The officer made the request to his superior to be spared from the assignment “as a matter of conscience,” which was granted.

Wong said he will do the same.