Welcome back to our โMeet the Candidatesโ series, where District 8 supervisor candidates respond to a question in 100 words or fewer. Answers are published every Wednesday.
To see what candidates said previously on topics like housing and street conditions, read their answers here.
District 8 includes neighborhoods in the center of the city, including the Castro, Noe Valley, Glen Park, Twin Peaks, Duboce Triangle, Dolores Heights, Parnassus Heights, Ashbury Heights, Corona Heights and Diamond Heights.
Maybe youโre still trying to decide which District 8 supervisor candidate to vote for. Or maybe youโve already decided but are still trying to figure out how to vote on the rest of your ballot. Either way, this weekโs question should help. (And donโt forget our complete voter guide for more information.)
This weekโs question: How do you plan to vote on the congressional race, the city ballot measures, and the billionaire tax?
Please explain your stances for three of the most contested measures: Prop. I, which dedicates San Franciscoโs transfer tax to housing; Prop. D, which makes it harder to put measures on the ballot; and Prop. 40, the one-time 5 percent tax on billionaires. Feel free to give explanations for other measures as well.ย
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 answered ambiguously.
Darshini Patel
- Job: Former DoorDash employee, worked on the 2012 Obama campaign and the 2024 Harris campaign, former Obama staffer
- Age: 38
- Residency: Homeowner, has lived in District 8 for 10 cumulative years since 2010
- Transportation: Public transit, walking and biking
- Education: Bachelorโs degree from Wellesley College
- Languages: Gujarati, English
Prop 40: Yes; a one-time 5% tax on billionaire wealth, with 90% allocated to health care, 10% to schools and food. That Meta restructured its stock for Zuckerberg suggests billionaires donโt plan to leave. Props 41 and 42 are poison pills; no on both.
Prop D: No. The problem is real, but this wonโt solve it; campaigns will only spend more.
Prop I: Yes. Not a new tax; funds already collected for housing can go toward affordable housing programs and long-term, sustainable solutions.
Endorsed by: UESF, Solidarity Club SF, San Franciscans for Social Housing,ย Small Business Forward, Supervisor Myrna Melgar (#2),ย Rose Pak Asian American Club (#3)
Gary McCoy
- Job: Former staffer to Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and former vice president of policy and public affairs at HealthRIGHT 360
- Age: 48
- Residency: Renter, has lived in San Francisco for 24 years and District 8 for 15 years
- Transportation: Driving, biking, public transit and walking
- Education: Former City College of San Francisco student, certified phlebotomy technician from Bay Area Medical Academy
- Languages: English
Prop. 40: Yes. California’s billionaires can afford a one-time tax that keeps Medi-Cal and community clinics open.
Prop. D: No. Democracy shouldn’t depend on being able to spend millions on signature gathering.
Prop. I: Yes. We need to send existing revenue to affordable housing.
Prop. H and Measure RTM: Yes. Without them, Muni and BART face devastating service cuts as soon as January, and working people who depend on transit would be left stranded. San Francisco needs both measures to pass to ensure our economy continues to recover and keep the city moving.
Endorsed by: Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, State Sen. Scott Wiener, Supervisor Matt Dorsey, San Francisco Labor Council, Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club, Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club, San Francisco Tenants Union, UESF โฆ see more here.
Michael Nguyen
- Job: Patent attorney
- Age: 44
- Residency: Renter, has lived in District 8 since 2006
- Transportation: Driving, public transit and walking
- Education: Bachelorโs degree from Southwestern University, law degree from University of California Law San Francisco
- Languages: English, some Spanish, some Vietnamese
Iโm Yes on 40 because California needs new revenue now to cover healthcare cuts. Hospitals and emergency rooms will close without it, and a national wealth tax may never come.
Iโm No on D because itโs bad for democracy. Higher signature thresholds will make voter-led initiatives more expensive and only available to well-funded special interests.
Iโm a Hell Yes on I. Itโs not a new tax. It directs existing transfer tax revenue to unlock $100 million for affordable housing, especially Social Housing. As a renter, I know the market alone wonโt produce housing that is actually affordable for working families.
Endorsed by: GLBTQ+ Asian Pacific Alliance, Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club (#2), San Francisco Green Party, former supervisor Dean Preston, Working Families Party, UESF โฆ see moreย 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.
Election Day is on Nov. 3, 2026. You can register to vote via the sf.gov website.
