Welcome back to our “Meet the Candidates” series, where the congressional candidates respond to a question in 100 words or less. Answers will be published every Monday.
CA-11, the congressional district that Connie Chan and Scott Wiener are running to represent, includes most of San Francisco. Some southern neighborhoods (the Excelsior, Portola, Visitacion Valley, and Ingleside) are a part of a neighboring district.
This week’s question: Both of you have described President Donald Trump as a threat to American democracy. As a new member of Congress, what is one concrete action you would personally take to constrain his power? How would you do that if Democrats don’t have a House majority?
Mission Local marks answers where the candidate dodged the question by giving them a yellow background with question marks.
Scott Wiener
- Job: San Francisco’s State Senator
- Age: 56
- Residency: Homeowner, moved to San Francisco in 1997
- Transportation: Public transit and walking
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from Duke, law degree from Harvard
- Languages: English, Spanish
Democrats must use all leverage we have — whether in the majority or minority — to stop Trump’s destructive agenda. That means Democrats unifying to block bad budgets. For example, we must block DHS budgets that send unchecked money to ICE/Border Patrol or fund private prisons.
I’ll push for laws to ban private prisons, abolish ICE, make DOJ more independent of the President (no longer his personal law firm) and authorize lawsuits against ICE/Border Patrol for abuses. Even if Republicans block them, these bills will put every member on record and give Democrats a roadmap for when we retake the majority.
Endorsed by: The California Democratic Party, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Sierra Club, San Francisco YIMBY, Grow SF, San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, North Coast States Carpenters Union, Dolores Huerta … read more here.
Connie Chan
- Job: San Francisco District 1 Supervisor
- Age: 47
- Residency: Homeowner, has lived in San Francisco since she was 13
- Transportation: Driving, public transit, and walking
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Davis
- Languages: English, Cantonese, Mandarin
I will work with colleagues on the House Oversight Committee and other committees of jurisdiction to investigate abuses of power, subpoena documents and testimony, and hold Donald Trump accountable to the law. I will also work to pass legislation that strengthens checks and balances, protects voting rights, and uses tools like the Congressional Review Act to overturn harmful executive actions and regulations.
Even in the Minority, Members can hold hearings, force votes, work with inspectors general, and use every opportunity to expose Administration misconduct. Sunshine is one of Congress’s strongest checks on executive power, and I will use it relentlessly.
Endorsed by: Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, U.S. Senator Adam Schiff, Congressman Ro Khanna, California Federation of Labor Unions, SEIU California, San Francisco Labor Council, Working Families Party, San Francisco Tenant’s Union … read more here.
Candidates are ordered alphabetically and rotated each week. Answers may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling, and grammar. If you have questions for the candidates, please let us know at io@missionlocal.com or yujie@missionlocal.com.
You can register to vote via the sf.gov website.
“I will express outrage, make fine speeches, hold performative hearings, and engage in other symbolic measures, but we Democrats will not do anything to actually reign in Trump’s giveaways to the ruling classes, massive Wall St grifts, increased reach of the police state, increased military funding, more imperialist adventures, support for apartheid state genocide, crushing of the remnants of the social safety net, higher cost of living, suppressed wages, etc. We will give you symbolic victories so you can sneer and look down at MAGA. What more could you possibly want?”