Welcome back to our “Meet the Candidates” series, where the congressional candidates respond to a question in 100 words or less. Answers are published every Monday.
CA-11, the congressional district that Connie Chan and Scott Wiener are running to represent includes most of San Francisco. Some southern neighborhoods (the Excelsior, Portola, Visitacion Valley and Ingleside) are a part of a neighboring district.
Raising taxes is topical in California and San Francisco: State voters will weigh in on the billionaire tax, Prop. 40, on Nov. 3 — the tax would hit anyone whose wealth is over $1 billion. It is being fought tooth and nail by some of those targets, who have poured in tens of millions to sink the measure.
Back in June, the city narrowly rejected an “Overpaid CEO Tax,” which would have taxed the firms with wide pay gaps.
Arguments for both center on equality and funding city and state programs that have been decimated by President Donald Trump’s cuts; arguments against stress the economic impact and the fear of billionaire flight.
This week, we asked San Francisco’s congressional candidates: Both of you have expressed support for reducing wealth inequality. To raise federal revenue, which taxes would you raise or create? And who should pay more? The top 0.1 percent (by income)? The top 1 percent? Or the top 10 percent? Anyone else?
Scott Wiener
- Job: San Francisco’s State Senator
- Age: 56
- Residency: Homeowner, moved to San Francisco in 1997
- Transportation: Public transit and walking
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from Duke University, law degree from Harvard University
- Languages: English, Spanish
I strongly support progressive taxation and have a long history of advocating for it. Everyone, including the wealthiest, must pay their fair share to support essential needs, such as health care, housing, child care, and clean energy investments.
In Congress, I’ll fight to repeal the Bush and Trump tax cuts on the wealthy and corporations — tax cuts that have cost us nearly $10 trillion in federal revenue that supported critical needs.
I support Elizabeth Warren’s Ultra-Millionaire Tax, which will create a wealth tax for people with more than $50 million in net worth and a higher wealth tax for those … read more here.
Endorsed by: The California Democratic Party, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Sierra Club, San Francisco YIMBY, Grow SF, San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, North Coast States Carpenters Union, Dolores Huerta … read more here.
Connie Chan
- Job: San Francisco District 1 Supervisor
- Age: 47
- Residency: Homeowner, has lived in San Francisco since she was 13
- Transportation: Driving, public transit, and walking
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Davis
- Languages: English, Cantonese, Mandarin
Billionaires should not pay less in taxes than working families. They and the largest corporations should pay their fair share. My Working People’s Plan would tax fortunes above $50 million, unwind Trump’s tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations, establish a corporate minimum tax, close carried-interest and offshore loopholes, and tax excessive CEO pay and companies that replace workers with AI. Households earning $400,000 or less would receive expanded credits for childcare, education, healthcare and first-time home purchases. I’m also proud to be the only candidate in this race supporting Proposition 40, asking California billionaires to help offset Trump’s … read more here.
Endorsed by: Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, U.S. Senator Adam Schiff, Congressman Ro Khanna, California Federation of Labor Unions, SEIU California, San Francisco Labor Council, Working Families Party, San Francisco Tenant’s Union … 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 or yujie@missionlocal.com.
You can register to vote via the sf.gov website.
