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.
The use of surveillance technology by the San Francisco Police Department has rapidly expanded in recent years; most notably, Flock cameras.ย
The cameras, first installed across the city in 2024, record and track vehicle data, but have come under fire by residents concerned about their privacy and that they would be unfairly targeted by the technology. ICE has used the technology through data sharing with local police departments to arrest migrants, and rogue officers have used Flock for stalking.ย
Those fears are amplified in District 10, where a large concentration of the cityโs Black, brown and low-income population reside, and have for years been heavily surveilled by the police.
The technology is prone to error, and an audit of the San Francisco Police Department’s use of Flock found that federal and out-of-state agencies improperly used the data nearly 300 times.ย
Supervisor Shamann Walton has been a vocal opponent against expanding police surveillance technology, and has been critical against the use of Flock.
During a vote at the Board of Supervisors to approve the use of a tracking device by the SPFD, at which Walton was the sole dissenting vote, Walton said that the department should โput a pauseโ on surveillance technology like Flock.
โWithout proper safeguards, this technology can be misused,โ said Walton, referring to Flock. โWe know itโs disproportionately going to affect people of color and erode trust between the community and law enforcement.โย
This week, we asked each of the District 10 candidates whether they would vote to expand police surveillance technology, including Flock.
Here is how they responded.
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 would vote no on expanding surveillance tools in District 10.
License-plate readers and drones can be useful investigative tools, but Flock has already failed basic tests of trust and efficacy: San Francisco found 299 improper searches of Flock data by federal and out-of-state agencies, and other jurisdictions report high misidentification rates.
The Police Commission should independently review effectiveness, vendor selection, privacy protections, data-sharing rules, and compliance with locally approved procedures before we consider any expansion. The city should prove these tools are effective, lawful, and properly controlled before expanding them.
Endorsed by: Sierra Club, read more here.
Dion-Jay “DJ” Brookter
- Job: No current job, formerly chief executive officer at Young Community Developers
- Age: 43
- Residency: Homeowner in Candlestick Point/Little Hollywood area since 2021, moved to San Francisco in 2014
- Transportation: Driving, public transit, walking
- Education: Bachelorโs degree in speech communication, Utah State University, masterโs degree in business administration, University of Phoenix
- Languages: English, some Spanish
I would oppose expanding Flock and other mass-surveillance technology in District 10.
We should not create systems that track residentsโ movements or collect information on people who are not suspected of a crime. Reporting has documented misuse of Flock and similar systems, underscoring the need for strong oversight and auditing.
These risks are especially serious for immigrant communities, communities of color, and other vulnerable residents.
I support accountable community policing, violence prevention, safe streets, and investments that make District 10 safer, not surveillance infrastructure that puts privacy and civil liberties at risk.
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. Policy director, Brownstein, public affairs director for the Golden State Warriors and the first director of homelessness initiatives and community development for The Salvation Army San Francisco.
- Age: 37
- Residency: Renter and former homeowner, lifelong San Franciscan and third-generation resident, born and raised in Bayview near Third and Palou streets, has lived in the Hunters Point Shipyard in District 10 since 2016
- Transportation: Driving, public transit, walking
- Education: Bachelorโs degree in political science, Notre Dame de Namur University; masterโs degree in urban affairs from the University of San Francisco.
- Languages: English
As it relates specifically to Flock, my vote would depend on the guardrails, and I will be specific about what earns it. I support the safety tools neighbors ask for at every door; cameras and license plate readers help solve break-ins and illegal dumping.
At 24, I organized the petition drive that kept Stop-and-Frisk out of San Francisco, and I will not vote to expand surveillance of this district without strict retention limits, independent audits, public transparency reports, and an absolute bar on sharing data with federal immigration enforcement. Bring me an expansion built on those terms and it has my vote.
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.
