Meet the District 10 candidates: How would you revitalize the Third Street corridor?

Welcome back to our “Meet the Candidates” series, where District 10 supervisor candidates respond to questions each week in 100 words or fewer. Answers will be published every Thursday.

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 these criteria.

District 10 includes neighborhoods in the city’s 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.

The COVID-19 pandemic ravaged much of San Francisco’s commercial corridors. Many neighborhoods, Mission Local found, are now on a slow, but steady recovery. But in Bayview, sales tax levels are lower than ever before.

That may change — nine new businesses were awarded city grants this year to help open brick-and-mortar shops and restaurants. But D10’s incoming supervisor will be tasked with keeping the doors open, a job that will prove even more challenging once the Islais Creek bridge closes for re-construction, cutting off many of 3rd Street’s new — and old — storefronts from the rest of the city, and isolating the neighborhood even further.

This week, Mission Local asked each of the candidates: What is your plan to revitalize the corridor?

Here’s how they responded.

Illustration of a man with curly hair, beard, and mustache, wearing a blue blazer and white shirt, inside a circular frame on a light blue background.

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

I grew up on 3rd and Newcomb above the liquor store, and I serve as Executive Director of the Bayview Opera House, so this is personal. Within my 30 days in office, I will jump-start a Community & Economic Development planning process that will focus on increasing housing and identifying anchor tenants along Third Street.

Our corridor will be successful when we have more people. We’ll bring back beat cops and ambassadors, make additional investments in arts & community events, make the T-train reliable, and bring successful programs like Vacant-to-Vibrant pop-ups, plus grants and fee waivers for small businesses.

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.

Illustration of an older man with short gray hair, wearing a blue collared shirt, set against a yellow background within a circular frame.

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

Short term, I’d work with Third Street stakeholders to build an actionable branding and development plan, paired with easy wins: cleaner T stops, more frequent street cleaning, storefront activation, and targeted safety improvements.

Longer term, I’d expand Storefront Opportunity Grants and support a Community Benefit District model for sustained maintenance and programming of public spaces. I’d also push to improve speed and reliability on the T Muni line, and tackle vacant and underused parcels along Third with mixed-use housing and neighborhood-serving retail, including grocery stores and pharmacies, growing foot traffic while ensuring existing merchants share in the corridor’s growth.

Endorsed by: Sierra Club, read more here.

Illustration of a man with short hair, a goatee, and mustache, wearing a blue suit and patterned tie, set against a pink circular background.

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

I will take a coordinated approach to revitalizing Third Street: support small businesses, strengthen the public realm, and grow the customer base. We will help businesses succeed for the long-term by expanding access to capital, technical assistance, workforce support, and growth programs — not just one-time grants.

We will market Third Street beyond the Bayview in collaboration with OEWD [the city’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development] & OSB [the Office of Small Business] by showcasing its food, culture, and businesses, including the nine new businesses opening. We will improve cleanliness, lighting, safety, transit, and street activation, while building affordable housing along Third Street to bring more foot traffic and support a thriving local economy.

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.

Answers may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling, grammar, and to meet the word limit requirement. Do you have questions you’d like to ask the candidates? Email marina@missionlocal.com.

You can register to vote here.