District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safaí is terming out after serving his constituents and the neighborhoods at the southern end of the city, including the Excelsior, Outer Mission, Crocker-Amazon, and Ingleside. The district is welcoming Chyanne Chen as its new supervisor.
Mission Local sat down with the incumbent for an hour to talk about his legacy in the district. Safaí also looked back at his relationship with the outgoing Mayor London Breed, and reflected on his alliance in the mayor’s race with Mark Farrell. He also explains why — despite polling far behind the others — he stayed in the race until the very end.
Safaí shared his thoughts on the uncertainty in politics and in life as he reflected on the sudden death of late Mayor Ed Lee. But he also looked ahead: Threats the city faces, needs of District 11 that are still yet to be addressed, and his next steps in life.
The Q&A has been formatted and edited for better readability.
Mission Local: How do you feel about the past eight years? And your biggest accomplishments?
Ahsha Safaí: It’s certainly been a wild ride. People felt as though District 11 was the forgotten part of San Francisco. That was what district elections were intended to solve. But yet, when you looked at affordable housing development, or you looked at infrastructure, or social service programs, they were lacking. That’s what I heard over and over.
So I feel really proud about the fact that, eight years later, we’ve built over 600 units of housing — over 65 percent of that affordable at different income levels. When I came into office, there were over $600,000 of neighborhood transportation improvement dollars sitting there. We put every allocation that we’ve gotten over the last eight years into traffic calming. I think a lot of the other neighborhoods have copied that.
We’ve planted over 3,000 trees. We got Self-Help for the elderly to come in. We expanded Instituto Familiar de la Raza. Portola Family Services bought a building; Mission Child Care, the largest nonprofit child care provider in the city — we bought their building, and stabilized them.
I’m really proud about the Student Success Fund that I worked on with Supervisor Ronen and the teachers union and Supervisor Melgar and others. I think that is going to have a significant impact for years to come.
I’m proud of the citywide project labor agreement that we did for public works projects. It even started by Supervisor [Mark] Farrell, then interim mayor. And then I took it over and actually got it across the finish line. That was no easy task, given the small business, labor, city departments, the mayor’s office and the board.
There’s one big project waiting, which is the Crocker-Amazon baseball fields — that’s waiting for the San Francisco Giants to raise their share of the funds. There’s a library project that the mayor held up for a couple of years, but now we’ll move forward. I feel really good about that.
I think my biggest accomplishment is really changing the dynamic and focus and conversation around District 11. The bar has been raised significantly.
The inclusionary housing update that we did had not been done in 15 years.
We did some environmental work, where we did mandatory recycling and composting with the janitors. It was something that I actually had started when they first hired me in 2008. But the Department of Environment and Recology had thwarted it. And so when I got on the board, we actually did that in two phases. You know, one for the mandatory recycling and composting. And then we did construction waste and demolition.
ML: Do you think constituents should first get in touch with you or call 311 or other city departments?
AS: A lot of times they’ll say, “we’ve contacted 311 and we haven’t gotten a response.” Then they’ll come to us. We will loop in the departments with the people to make that connection and then monitor it.
ML: How many of those calls did you get in a week or a month? Like an average.
AS: During the holidays, it always feels like, wow, everyone’s emailing and calling about a complaint. Maybe it’s because they’re not working and they have a little bit more spare time. I wouldn’t say we get as many as Castro, Noe Valley or Glen Park. But we get a real fair share.
Today we got one that said: “Hey, our Zumba class at the Excelsior, they’re going to start to charge us. We’ve had it free for seven years.” I was like, “Let me look into it.” I got a text message from the department and they said, “Yeah, we’re going to charge $4 a class. It’s free outdoors still, but it’s going to cost indoors.”
ML: What are the needs of District 11?
AS: A lot of homes have more than a few units, or more than a few people living in them, even though they’re a single-family home, which brings more cars. You can’t park on the sidewalk in the Fillmore or in Western Addition because you immediately get a call or tow. Versus in our neighborhood, where you can park on the sidewalk and people aren’t going to complain, because everyone’s doing it.
We have the same number of children aged 0 to 5 living in poverty as the Mission. Whether it’s food security, childcare, and after-school and in-school support — those are all things we share with neighborhoods that have more families.
I think the common theme has been safety and the condition of the streets. We don’t have as many visible people that are unhoused on the streets, but we do have quite a few.
I have a monthly meeting with the head of Rec and Parks, DPW, the Office of Economic and Workforce Development. Each of my staff had different departments that were under their purview.
ML: How do you negotiate with them, when they have such a long list of requests from all over the city?
AS: That’s part of their job to juggle that on their own. But that was one of my biggest frustrations with the MTA, because when I first got into office — and this is why I would only meet with department heads. When you ask a question in MTA, it gets broken up into five different pieces, and you never know who to follow up with, and who you’re going to hold responsible.
They said to us in my first term: “We’re going to create a position for each supervisorial district to handle all the issues of transportation.” It never happened.
ML: Has your relationship with the mayor ever affected department heads’ relationship with you?
AS: Going back to the Outer Mission planning process — in my first term with Mayor Ed Lee, he said it was a big priority, and put a staffer assigned to the project.
When things soured with me and Mayor Breed, all of a sudden our library project got put on hold. We have no ability to tell departments what to do. We can bring issues to their attention, but we’re not allowed to tell them to do things. That’s the mayor’s role.
Most department heads understand that it’s in their best interest to have a good working relationship with the members of the board, and vice versa.
ML: When did things sour between the two of you?
AS: I think it was around the time that we were doing the homelessness oversight and accountability measure, around two years ago. She wanted to lead on it. She was concerned, in terms of how she was being perceived. And I had already put in the request for the charter amendment to be drafted and modified.
Initially, she was supportive, but about halfway through, she decided she didn’t want to anymore. She came out against it, and got crucified in the press. And then I think she was quiet after that because it didn’t really make any sense. Why would you be against oversight and accountability for that department?
ML: Did you get any angry text messages?
AS: No. We had some uncomfortable conversations that I’m not going to share. It was about — there was a general sense, on the homelessness front and on the crime and safety front, that there was a lack of desire to engage on those issues. The overall feeling in the city — people started to feel like those issues were not being dealt with. And the mayor had a hard time accepting any responsibility for that.
ML: What do you think are the biggest threats facing the city?
AS: The biggest threat is funding. We’ve survived over the last few years with federal emergency support that came from President Biden and his administration. And that is all now running out.
President Trump has no desire to do anything to help San Francisco. So the lack of financial support is going to be significant.
But I think the new mayor, because of his relationships with philanthropy and large donors, he has an opportunity. Downtown businesses need transportation as a lifeline for our 40 million square feet of empty office space. Maybe there’s some way to do some significant fundraising for those things.
There is also the threat to our core principles about being a refuge for immigrant families. That’s also going to be under assault under this Trump administration.
For the last 40-plus years, we’ve been a sanctuary city. When I worked with the janitors union, thousands of people lost their jobs because of their immigration status. This president has said he is going to target immigrant communities, and that’s going to require all San Franciscans coming together.
ML: When you were running the race, did you think you had a chance of winning?
AS: The mayor of Chicago, I think five weeks out, was polling at the same number that I was, and ended up winning. So I think there’s always a shot to win. You never know who’s going to trip up, and what scandal is going to come out.
I didn’t know some of the stuff about the HRC (Human Rights Commission) was going to come out and weigh the mayor down further. I didn’t know that stuff regarding Mark, I didn’t know he was going to get hit with an ethics fine the day before the election.
Did I know I was a long shot toward the end? Absolutely. But I also did not want to give any advantage to the incumbent mayor. I felt like it was important for me to stay in.
ML: During your campaign, you talked a lot about how Daniel Lurie lacks experience. Do you still believe that?
AS: He’s surrounding himself with experienced people. That’s a good move. I have extended my hand to work with him. Any way I can help him, I will, because I want to see the city recover.
ML: Can you explain the thought process behind your alignment with Mark Farrell?
AS: Mark and I worked together when he was the interim mayor. I had a good experience working with him. There was a lot of synergy there.
When I made my decision with Mark, a lot of people were like, “You also work really closely with Aaron Peskin. Why not Aaron?” My big consideration that I had a problem with is that he started campaigning for London. One time in Noe Valley, Aaron and I walked up to a constituent and he’s like, “Oh, why should I vote for both of you?”
And he goes into this spiel. Toward the end he’s like, “Listen, I could live with this guy. I could even live with the current mayor.”
And I turned to him and I was like, “Aaron, what are you talking about? Why did you get in the race if you can live with the current mayor?” I did not want to see that alliance solidify. I would have had a real problem with the mayor being re-elected.
ML: Can you explain why?
AS: I’ve given you examples of the inability to pivot and respond to the crisis on our streets. But a lot of the vindictive nature of her governing style — holding up a library for a community that’s been waiting for 20-plus years for a library to be rebuilt.
At some point, I think the mayor lost why you govern. I did not want to see another four years of London Breed. She had almost seven years. It was time to move on.
I wasn’t going to drop out, because I wanted to be able to impact the outcome. I get out, all of labor potentially goes to Aaron. Me staying in did not allow that to happen for either of them.
ML: What would you have done differently? Any regrets?
AS: I would have found somebody that had $1 million to get my name out early. When we did the interview on KQED, I had people come up to me and said, “I didn’t know who you were, but I was so impressed. You’re the only one that actually answered the questions. I loved your debating style. I loved your policy positions. I’m going to vote for you now.”
I’m joking about the million dollars, but being able to get resources lined up earlier.
I feel like there’s always these unforeseen things.
I didn’t know Ed Lee was going to die. I didn’t know that me being the swing vote to make London Breed the board president would lead her to becoming interim mayor, and then her being removed. I didn’t know that Covid was going to hit and our entire 2020 to 2022 would be this reactionary response.
I feel like we did the best we could. The only certainty is that there is uncertainty.
One day I’m traveling to Washington, D.C., with Ed Lee and having a donut with him in the airport. And next thing I know, I’m in the hospital. I literally thought he was going to be alright. Then Supervisor Peskin, he looks me in the eye and says, Ed Lee just died. And I was like, are you effing kidding me? He’s like, no, I’m not effing kidding you.
I don’t want to say regret, but one thing that I wish I had done better was filling more of the empty storefronts along the commercial corridor because of Covid. Our goal to get a Community Benefits District was stunted, but we still got it passed. I’m very proud of that. That effort is beginning to take hold. But we still have such a high number of vacancies.
ML: How far away do you think the city is from resolving the big issue of downtown?
AS: The new mayor is going to have to sit down with the city employees first because they have a three-day work-week (in office) for a lot of people. It’s hard to tell all the private sector employers like, “Hey, we really need you to come back to work.” The first thing that comes out of their mouth is, “Are you guys working five days?” If you’re not, then what ground do you have to stand on?
Another piece of legislation I’m very proud of is the Downtown University Fund. Getting university campuses downtown changes the energy. Last year I met with the president of the University of San Francisco. Their enrollment dropped because their international — and particularly India and Asia — families are like, “I’m not sending my kid to your city because of what I’ve seen on TV.” We’ve got to change that conversation.
ML: Do you think the political leaders in San Francisco overhyped the crime wave?
AS: I don’t think it was hyped. Some reporters came in to talk about crime and car break-ins, and then their car got broken into. How ironic is this? The Asian senior in public housing got beat up by three kids and they took her cell phone.
When that happened, I actually thought to myself, “if you’re the mayor, there should be a press conference that next day or that afternoon with Chinatown leaders, and those from the Black community.” Everyone coming together to say seniors are off limits.
We left ourselves vulnerable to that criticism. I think it was happening in a lot of places in the country. How we pivoted and responded was too slow.
London talked about how incompetent Chesa Boudin was. But then, when it was her reelection and there was no one else to blame, then it’s like, “no, no, no — things are good now.” And people were like, “Wait a minute! My home just got broken into!”
ML: Do you think recalls have gotten out of control in the city? Do you think Joel Engardio should be recalled?
AS: I think that’s up for the voters of District 4 to decide. Do I think someone should be recalled over a single issue? No. But there’s some angry folks up there.
ML: District 11 voted for Chyanne Chen and they also voted higher than the city writ-large for Aaron Peskin — and for Donald Trump. What do you make of that?
AS: We have one of the highest concentrations of Orthodox Catholic households. And so for them, one of the biggest issues that I heard was abortion.
When I was running for reelection in 2020, one night some constituents were like “We’re going down to the church. Would you like a ride?” And then when I’m in the car, they’re like, “We’re going to go pray for Donald Trump. And I was like, “Okay … that’s cool. Pray for me too!”
ML: Were you surprised by the way that the election turned out in District 11?
AS: I think that EJ [Ernest Jones} was the front-runner in a lot of ways, but then he got squeezed from both sides. Michael Lai jumped in and really went hard moderate. Chyanne jumped in and went more progressive than EJ was.
I think that EJ endorsing Chyanne made the difference in the race. I encouraged them to work together. I endorsed both of them. I hope I helped the outcome. I’m hopeful for her.
When you look at the district, a lot of these people are living in their parents’ or their grandparents’ home. They’re really, really long-time San Franciscans.
I told Michael, “Michael, you’re a nice guy. But you just haven’t lived here long enough, and it’s disrespectful.”
ML: What was his reaction?
AS: He said: “But I lived in the city for 10 years.” And I said, “that’s great, but not in this neighborhood.” He’s like, “why?” I said, “well, where did you live?” He said “SoMa.” I was like, “well, if you could live in SoMa, you could live in this neighborhood. The rents here are cheaper than they are there. That’s not even a good argument, so don’t say that again.”
ML: What are some of the things that Chyanne can immediately jump on to improve things?
AS: I think if you asked her what her number one priority was, she would say getting the library built. I think getting the baseball fields done — having the mayor’s new chief of staff being from the San Francisco Giants, I think it’s pretty much a slam dunk.
Every one of the board members is going to be focused on how they can mitigate the cuts that are going to come in the budget. That’ll probably consume her first six months. Being involved in protecting immigrant communities is going to be a big priority for her.
ML: As you leave government, who are you more impressed with? And who are you less impressed with?
AS: I really like the team at the planning department. I like Rich Hillis, Rachel Tanner, Elizabeth Watty and Dan Sider. They’re doing a really really good job. Also like Carla Short (head of Public Works). I honored DiJaida Durden at the board meeting last week. I gave a commendation to the operations team at Public Works. I’m very impressed with what they do.
I think Phil Ginsburg and Rec and Parks — the work he’s done to expand the partnerships and getting investment, and what they’ve done to revitalize the parks. I think it has been pretty phenomenal.
So those would be the three that I think of off the top of my head. I don’t know if there’s anyone that I’m less impressed with that I had a different opinion of.
ML: Will you run again in the future?
AS: I’m definitely leaving the door open to run for office again. But no immediate plans at all.
ML: What are you going to do?
AS: I ran my own consulting business before. I worked with labor, nonprofits and private companies. And so probably I’m going to do that again.
I like to do good things in society. I like food security, re-entry programs, and recovery programs. I like seeing things built. And so I’ll be involved in that kind of stuff. And obviously I’ll continue to work with organized labor.
I’m going to take some time right now just to kind of enjoy the holidays. My son said to me: “Daddy, you’re picking me up from school a lot lately.”
And I said, “Yeah, we’re going to spend a lot of time together. A lot, a lot, a lot.”
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