Welcome to our weekly “Meet the Candidates” series, in which we ask local candidates who have filed to run for office to respond to a question in 100 words or fewer. Answers will be published each week.
District 4 covers the area from 19th Avenue to Ocean Beach, Golden Gate Park to Lakeshore. It includes the Sunset, Parkside and Lakeshore neighborhoods.
Mission Local hosted a District 4 candidates forum on April 29 at the Ortega Branch library. If you missed it, you can watch the recording here.
In the Sunset and Parkside, over 88 percent of households have at least one car, according to census data. Driving is so much a part of the culture that conversion of the Great Highway into a park prompted the successful recall of the district’s supervisor last year.
But an increasing number of residents want more bike lanes and pedestrian-friendly spaces in the neighborhood and the city has been adapting to meet their demands too.
Even before the drama of the Great Highway, drivers in the neighborhood felt besieged by street redesign projects such as the L-Taraval improvement project, which began a decade ago.
During the project’s planning in 2017, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency found that passengers boarding and getting off the train risked running into traffic as many cars didn’t stop when they saw a loading train.
The SFMTA wanted to install physical boarding islands to make it safer for passengers. But residents were so concerned about the loss of parking spaces that a community effort was launched to test out an alternative to the boarding islands.
The SFMTA did that, launching a six-month pilot program to test if painted street markings could get drivers to stop for people boarding trains. It failed. In the end, boarding islands were installed and 36 parking spaces lost.
This week, we asked District 4 candidates: Is there a “war on cars” in San Francisco? Should travel by car be prioritized in the urban planning in the Sunset?
Mission Local color codes the answers to yes/no questions. A blue background means the candidate answered yes, an orange background means no, and a yellow background means that the candidate answered ambiguously.
David Lee
- Job: Educator at Laney College and San Francisco State University
- Age: 57
- Residency: Homeowner, living in D4 since September 2025
- Transportation: Driving, biking, public transit and walking
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from Hamilton College, master’s and doctorate degree from San Francisco State University
- Languages: English. Can understand Cantonese, Mandarin and Toishanese, but limited fluency.
I completely understand the deep frustration that Sunset residents feel right now, especially when City Hall is forcing top-down street modifications without any community input. I may not agree with all the recent changes, but I don’t view this as a ‘war on cars,’ but a challenge to provide safety and fair access for everyone. Our families and seniors shouldn’t feel like they are being punished for trying to get to work, drop their kids off at school, or visit local merchants.
We have to acknowledge the reality of our district. This is not downtown. The Sunset is a residential … read more here.
Endorsed by: Retired judge Quentin Kopp, Lillian Sing, Julie Tang, Supervisor Chyanne Chen, Former Supervisor Aaron Peskin, Sandra Lee Fewer, Sophie Maxwell, Former SFPD Commander Richard Corriea
Alan Wong
- Job: Current District 4 Supervisor / Commander in California’s National Guard
- Age: 38
- Residency: Renter. Born and raised in District 4, and moved back to District 4 from Inner Sunset in October 2025
- Transportation: Driving, walking and public transit
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, San Diego; master’s degree from University of San Francisco
- Languages: English, Cantonese
The phrase “war on cars” reflects frustration from some drivers as the city expands bike lanes, transit priority, and pedestrian spaces. As supervisor, I will work with people who walk, bike, drive, and use public transit, recognizing these choices are often framed as a zero-sum tradeoff when they shouldn’t be. My approach is additive, not zero-sum: we can improve other modes of travel in the Sunset without unduly impacting others.
Endorsed by: Mayor Daniel Lurie, San Francisco Chronicle, GrowSF, San Francisco Democratic Party, San Francisco Police Officers Association, SF YIMBY, Former Mayor Willie Brown, Sheriff Paul Miyamoto, San Francisco Firefighters Local 798, Deputy Sheriffs’ Association of San Francisco … read more here.
Albert Chow
- Job: Owner of Great Wall Hardware, president of People of Parkside Sunset
- Age: 59
- Residency: Homeowner, living in District 4 since 1978
- Transportation: Driving and walking
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley
- Languages: English, semi-fluent in Cantonese
I think many residents in the Sunset feel their needs as drivers have been overlooked in recent years. Whether or not you call it a “war on cars,” there is a real concern that some policies have made it harder to get around without fully considering how people in this district actually travel.
In the Sunset, cars are still a major part of daily life. Families, seniors and workers often rely on driving because transit can be limited or unreliable. That reality needs to be reflected in planning.
At the same time, we should continue improving transit and safety. My … read more here.
Endorsed by: ConnectedSF, Supervisor Connie Chan (#2), Chinese American Democratic Club, Retired SFPD Commander Richard Corriea, Retired SFPD Commander Peter Walsh, President of United Irish Cultural Center Liam Reidy
Natalie Gee
- Job: District 10 legislative aide
- Age: 40
- Residency: Renter, living in District 4 since 2021
- Transportation: Driving, walking and Muni
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from San Francisco State University
- Languages: English, Cantonese
Rhetoric like “war on cars” is counterproductive. Thousands of families in the Sunset depend on their cars to get to work, school, and care for loved ones. We must work to design our streets so that cars can flow easily on major arteries, and also reduce traffic and speeding on neighborhood residential streets and commercial corridors that puts families and seniors at risk. We must embrace all modes of transit in the Sunset, and prioritize certain modes like cars, bikes, and public transit on specific roads. This reduces congestion, moves people more efficiently, and keeps everyone safer.
Endorsed by: California Working Families Party, San Francisco Labor Council, Former Mayor Art Agnos, Former Assemblymember Phil Ting, Assemblymember Matt Haney, Supervisor Connie Chan, Myrna Melgar, Jackie Fielder, Shamann Walton, Chyanne Chen, Former Supervisor Gordon Mar, IFPTE 21, SEIU 1021, AFT 2121, San Francisco Tenants Union … read more here.
Jeremy Greco
- Job: Campus coordinator at Presidio Hill School
- Age: 54
- Residency: Renter, living in District 4 since 2001
- Transportation: Driving
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from San Francisco State University
- Languages: English
The phrase “war on cars” is not helpful. A better conversation is how we build a smarter transportation future for San Francisco. As a community, we should shape our present and future transportation vision toward relying less on cars and more on reliable public transit, walking, biking, and green community hubs. That can reduce traffic, improve neighborhood connections, and decrease our dependence on fossil fuels. At the same time, many families, seniors, workers, and small businesses still rely on cars, especially in the Sunset District. Good planning means balancing today’s realities with tomorrow’s needs.
Endorsed by: San Francisco Green Party (ranked #2)
Candidates are rotated alphabetically. Answers may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling, and grammar. Do you have questions you’d like to ask the candidates? Email junyao@missionlocal.com.
You can register to vote here.
The simple answer is YES, many people without cars have decided that a car-free San Francisco is preferable and achievable.
My own experience with people like this, might not be representative, but I’ve found them to be that self-centered with a strong sense of entitlement, they lack empathy and the ability to see beyond their own narrow wants and needs, and they prefer absolutes to balanced solutions.
The answer isn’t to make cars less useful in San Francisco, it’s to make traffic more efficient for all vehicles, including cars. Some streets should be designed as major thoroughfares, primarily for cars, while many neighborhood streets can be designed for cars and bikes to fully share the road.
Please look at writing about the increase in business for small businesses and the increase in homes values because of Sunset dunes.