Welcome back to our โMeet the Candidatesโ series, where District 2 supervisor candidates respond to a question in 100 words or fewer. Answers are published every Tuesday.
To see what candidates said in other weeks on topics like housing and taxes, read their answers here.
District 2 covers neighborhoods in the north of the city including the Presidio, the Marina, Cow Hollow, Pacific Heights, Presidio Heights, Anza Vista, and portions of the Western Addition and North of the Panhandle.
San Francisco vastly expanded its use of police surveillance technologies in the past few years. The police department rolled out hundreds of automated license plate readers, deployed drones across the city, and built out a Real Time Investigation Center, where officers use license plate and drone data to respond to crimes, track suspects and make arrests.ย
According to SFPD, the embrace of surveillance technology has allowed them to fight crime more effectively. Over 1,000 arrests have been assisted by drones, SFPD told ABC earlier this year.
Itโs a real turn for the city. In 2019, San Francisco passed the Surveillance Technology Ordinance, requiring departments to get permission from the Board of Supervisors to use any new technology that collects or stores peopleโs data. The law also banned city departments from using facial recognition technology, which research has shown is more likely to issue false positives when it is trying to identify women and people with darker skin tones.ย
But in March 2024, San Francisco voters passed Proposition E 54-46. That proposition exempted police drones and surveillance cameras from the 2019 policy and potentially created a loophole that would allow SFPD to use facial recognition technologies.
The cityโs embrace of surveillance technologies has drawn concerns from privacy advocates, who worry that surveillance will be concentrated in lower-income neighborhoods and increase policing of those residents.ย
Privacy advocates are also concerned that license plate readers can collect sensitive information about peopleโs movements โ such as going to a protest or an abortion clinic โ even if they have not committed a crime.ย
Concerns are not unfounded. Out-of-state law enforcement agencies, including ICE, ran illegal searches of SFPDโs license plate reader database from August 2024 to February 2025, the San Francisco Standard reported. SFPD said that it has since worked to ensure that only California-based agencies can query its data.
Much of the cityโs expansion of surveillance technology has been backed by billionaire Chris Larsen, who has funded a private network of cameras to help with police work for years. He gave $250,000 to Prop. E in 2024. Larsenโs cryptocurrency company Ripple Labs and a nonprofit created by him gave nearly $9.4 million to the city for surveillance technology last summer.ย
This weekโs question: Do you support San Francisco increasing its use of police surveillance technology?
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 dodged the question.
Stephen Sherrill
- Job: Appointed District 2 Supervisor
- Age: 39
- Residency: Homeowner, has lived in District 2 since 2015
- Transportation: Driving, public transportation, biking
- Education: Bachelorโs degree from Yale University
- Languages: English
Yes. Over the past few years, San Francisco has used technology very well to address very specific problems.
Speed cameras have reduced speeding by about 80 percent at the cityโs 33 camera sites, and car break-ins fell nearly 70 percent to a 22-year low after SFPD expanded tactics including license plate readers.
However, San Franciscoโs ban on facial recognition must stay in place. Technology should protect families, pedestrians, and small businesses with oversight, transparency, and clear limits. We must consistently reevaluate technologies to ensure that they are delivering results and not infringing on civil liberties.
Endorsed by: Mayor Daniel Lurie, GrowSF, Nor Cal Carpenters Union, San Francisco Police Officers Association, SF YIMBY, Northern Neighbors, San Francisco Democratic Party, Sierra Club … read more here.
Lori Brooke
- Job: President, Cow Hollow Association
- Age: 62
- Residency: Homeowner, moved to the district 31 years ago
- Transportation: Driving and walking
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara
- Languages: English
I support the thoughtful and targeted use of police surveillance technology when it improves public safety and helps solve serious crimes, particularly violent offenses, organized retail theft, and repeat criminal activity. Residents deserve to feel safe, and technology can be an important tool for law enforcement when used responsibly.
Public trust matters. Any surveillance technology should have clear oversight, transparency, and guardrails to protect civil liberties and prevent misuse. My approach is practical: if technology helps improve safety and accountability while respecting privacy rights, it can play an important role in making our neighborhoods safer.
Endorsed by: Former District 2 Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier, former State Senator and Supervisor Quentin Kopp, UESF, CA Working Families Party โฆ 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.
You can register to vote via the sf.gov website.