Welcome back to our โMeet the Candidatesโ series, where District 10 supervisor candidates respond to questions each week in 100 words or fewer. Answers will be published every Thursday.
District 10 includes neighborhoods in the cityโs largest southeast sector, including Bayview-Hunters Point, Potrero Hill, Visitacion Valley, Dogpatch, Sunnydale, Portola, and others.
Each candidate is first ordered alphabetically, then rotated each week.
Itโs been over a year since San Francisco began cracking down on RVs parked on public streets.
The enforcement followed new legislation that limited parking for large vehicles to two hours across the city. At the same time, city officials vowed to match the hundreds of people currently living in RVs with housing โ as long as they could prove they had been parked in San Francisco since May 2025.ย
The program has so far matched more than 200 households to housing, according to the mayorโs office, but Mission Local found that dozens of RV dwellers were unable to secure a permit, which would temporarily protect their vehicle from being towed while they work with the city to find housing. Others, Mission Local found, are now living in a small car or a tent.ย
The majority of these vehicles are parked in Bayview-Hunters Point, where parking enforcement is more limited.
Before the RV crackdown began, San Franciscoโs Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing had already closed its last โsafe parkingโ site, the Bayview Vehicle Triage Center, which allowed for RVs to park for free, and connected them with social services.
Supervisor Shamann Walton, who represents District 10, was one of the few supervisors who voted against the new RV parking rules. โThey donโt have anywhere to put anybody,โ Walton said at the time.
Mission Local asked each of the candidates to replace Walton how they would have voted on the ban, given the programโs results. Here is how they answered.
Mission Local color codes the answers to yes/no questions. A green background means the candidate answered yes, a red background means no, and a yellow background means that the candidate dodged the question.
J.R. Eppler
- Job: Small business attorney
- Age: 46
- Residency: Homeowner, lived in San Francisco since 2007 and Potrero Hill since 2010
- Transportation: Driving, public transit, walking, biking
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, law degree from University of California, Los Angeles, MBA from University of California, Los Angeles
- Languages: English
I’d support this measure IF people displaced from their vehicles had somewhere safe to go.
I want clean streets and safe neighborhoods, but enforcement without alternatives isnโt a solution. It moves people from RVs to sidewalks. Supervisor Walton’s Candlestick site was a step in the right direction; the City failed on execution.
As Supervisor, I’ll fight for low-cost temporary housing options, including small-site programs and safe-sleeping sites, so those who live in their RV have a safe, sanctioned place to go. We should enforce the rules, but we need a plan that keeps people off the streets.
Endorsed by: Sierra Club, read more here.
Dion-Jay “DJ” Brookter
- Job: Former chief executive officer at Young Community Developers
- Age: 43
- Residency: Homeowner since 2021, lived in Candlestick Point since 2014
- Transportation: Driving, public transit, walking
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from Utah State University, MBA from University of Phoenix
- Languages: English, some Spanish
If elected, Iโd start by keeping people housed first by fully funding eviction defense and tenant legal services, enforcing just-cause protections, and cracking down on landlords who harass or coerce longtime residents out of their homes.
For RV residents already on the street, that means city-funded storage instead of mass towing, triage through community ambassadors, and quick housing options paired with real pathways to permanent housing. Iโd also push departments for accurate counts and fair placement of services, so no district carries a disproportionate share.
Keeping the two-hour restriction wasnโt the answer.
Endorsed by: Supervisor Shamann Walton, Former Mayor Willie Brown, Supervisor Connie Chan, Supervisor Myrna Melgar, Former Mayor Art Agnos, Former Supervisor Sophie Maxwell, Former Supervisor Aaron Peskin, Former Supervisor Dean Preston, Former Supervisor John Avalos, read more here.
Theo Ellington
- Job: Executive director, Ruth Williams Bayview Opera House
- Age: 37
- Residency: Renter, third-generation Bayview-Hunters Point resident
- Transportation: Driving, public transit, walking
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from Notre Dame de Namur University, master’s degree from University of San Francisco
- Languages: English
District 10 should not carry the burden of citywide problems alone. For years, other neighborhoods banned RVs and pushed them into our neighborhoods.
On homelessness, when a person is ready to change their life, we should have services readily available. At The Salvation Army, we provided a full continuum of care, with mental health respite centers, shelters, and drug-free housing.
As Supervisor, I will fight for a fair approach centered around services with measured success that moves people off the streets, out of RVs and into housing.
Endorsed by: San Francisco Democratic Party, Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, State Treasurer Fiona Ma, Congressman Kevin Mullin, Former Mayor London Breed, State Senator Scott Wiener, Congresswoman Lateefah Simon, Former Mayor Willie Brown, Supervisor Matt Dorsey, read more here.
This electoral season, Mission Local made the decision to only include the answers of candidates who have won a major endorsement or have publicly reported campaign contributions. That narrows down the candidates from 10 to three: Theo Ellington, Dion-Jay Brookter, and J.R. Eppler. Candidates may be added to this series if they later meet this criteria.
Answers may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling, grammar, and to meet the word limit requirement. Do you have questions youโd like to ask the candidates? Email marina@missionlocal.com.
You can register to vote here.
