Welcome back to “Meet the Candidates” series for District 11, where we ask each candidate to answer one question per week leading up to the election, with answers in about 100 words.
District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safaí is termed out — and running for mayor — and, so far, seven candidates, including three that filed last week, have thrown their hats in the ring to replace him as the representative of the Excelsior, Oceanview and Outer Mission.
We were able to identify and talk to one of the three new candidates, Michael Lai, who will join the “Meet the Candidates” series next week.
In week 8, we are asking: What potential do you see in District 11?
Note: Next week, I’ll be in District 11 at 10 a.m. on Thursday, April 25, at Purple Park Playground, at 1398 Geneva Ave. Drop by and share your thoughts!
Chyanne Chen
- Job: Worker organizer, community facilitator & educator
- Age: 39
- Residency: Homeowner, landlord, living in District 11 since August 2000
- Transportation: Walk, public transportation, rideshare, and car
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from University of California, Davis, master’s degree from Cornell University, doctoral degree in education in progress at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- Languages: English, Mandarin, Cantonese
District 11, one of the most diverse districts in SF, is home to longtime multigenerational residents who’ve been the mainstay of our community.
My vision is a community where residents forge strong, collaborative ties. Together we can accomplish this by creating community hubs and ensuring services are available to everyone.
We need to foster commercial revitalization, and improve the safety and functionality of our public infrastructure.
My vision for District 11 is a community that is even more inclusive, and to foster a thriving neighborhood that truly reflects the values and needs of all its residents.
Endorsed by: Assemblymember Phil Ting, former police commissioner Larry Yee, San Francisco Board of Education commissioner Jenny Lam, former supervisors Norman Yee, Sandy Fewer and Mabel Teng.
Adlah Chisti
- Job: Public policy analyst, caregiver
- Age: 40
- Residency: Live with parents and caregive for them, born in District 11 in 1983 and lived there since, moved out in 2013 and back in 2017
- Transportation: Public
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in politics and in environmental science, and master’s degree in education from University of San Francisco, master’s degree in public policy from Georgetown McCourt School of Public Policy, juris doctorate from University of California Law, San Francisco
- Languages: English, Spanish, Hindi
I love Beep’s burger. I was at Sunnyside Elementary, Aptos Middle school and then Lick-Wilmerding H.S. and we used to go there after school.
A drive-in movie theater space.
A bike path that connects Holloway Avenue through CCSF and one down through Geneva. Alternative and frequent modes of transportation for our seniors.
A plaza at Persia Triangle.
A beautiful D11 night with colorful lights and with food trucks and carnival style rides on Granada Avenue between Ocean and Holloway for children and families.
Shared schoolyard spaces for weekend farmers market in the OMI and Excelsior.
Retail and property crime would be low… read more here
Ernest “E.J.” Jones
- Job: Community advocate
- Age: 38
- Residency: Living in District 11 since November 1985 and has lived here always, except for time away at college
District 11’s potential is limitless, due to the intersection of culture, history and opportunity. I hear frequently from neighbors that they wish our district would embrace and honor more large-scale cultural experiences with festivals, night markets and entertainment.
The potential to support vibrancy in our existing small businesses and attract new and exciting businesses of all varieties to our corridors is made real through community planning and collaboration.
There is potential to add a new library in the district, and additional units of workforce housing along those corridors which, in turn, increases foot traffic, excitement and helps with safety.
Endorsed by: Supervisors Shamann Walton and Myrna Melgar, Assemblymember Matt Haney, Former SF mayor Willie Brown Jr., Transit Workers Union Local 250A… read more here
Roger Marenco
- Job: Transit operator
- Age: 42
- Residency: Tenant, living in District 11 since May 2014
- Transportation: Public
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in environmental sustainability and social justice from San Francisco State University. City College San Francisco
- Languages: English, Spanish
The potential that I see in District 11 is with the voters.
I see potential in educating our voters so that they can finally start dismantling this two-party system by voting into office non-politically affiliated representatives.
If the voters decide to elect representatives who are not democrats or republicans, then this is the beginning of a social, conceptual paradigm shift, which symbolizes that voters are now thinking outside the box of this two-party political system.
New times call for new measures, and real-life problems need real-life solutions. Let’s use our potential to change the game.
District 11 contribution
Money raised and spent in the District 11 supervisor race
Money raised
Money spent
Ernest “E.J.” Jones
$34,342
$70,501
Chyanne Chen
$0
Adlah Chisti
$0
Roger Marenco
$0
$0
$50,000
$100,000
$150,000
$200,000
Money spent
Money raised
Ernest “E.J.” Jones
$70,501
$34,342
Chyanne Chen
$0
Adlah Chisti
$0
Roger Marenco
$0
$0
$50K
$100K
$150K
$200K
Source: San Francisco Ethics Commission, as of April 3, 2024. Chart by Junyao Yang.
Candidates are ordered alphabetically but rotated weekly. Answers may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling, and grammar. If you have questions for the candidates, please let us know at xueer@missionlocal.com.
Read the rest of the District 11 questions here, and the entire “Meet the Candidates” series here.
You can register to vote via the sf.gov website. Illustrations for the series by Neil Ballard.
