District 3 candidates weigh in on school closures

[ad_1] Between February and the November election, Mission Local is asking each District 3 candidate one question per week, and candidates will get 100 words to respond. We will compile all responses to the 40-odd questions on a “Meet the Candidates” page, so that voters can get a full picture of their stances. Because Supervisor…

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Karl The Fog

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Between February and the November election, Mission Local is asking each District 3 candidate one question per week, and candidates will get 100 words to respond. We will compile all responses to the 40-odd questions on a “Meet the Candidates” page, so that voters can get a full picture of their stances.

Because Supervisor Aaron Peskin terms out next January, six candidates have filed to run for his seat to lead District 3, which includes North Beach, Chinatown, Union Square, the Financial District, Russian Hill and Nob Hill. 

Question this week: What are your thoughts on the SFUSD ‘Resource Alignment Initiative’?

One candidate said “I am firmly against closing schools in San Francisco.”

A cartoon of a woman in a business suit.

Sharon Lai

  • Job: Economic recovery leader at the World Economic Forum, former board member at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
  • Age: 41
  • Residency: Tenant and owner, living in District 3 since 2023, first moved to SF in 2005
  • Transportation: Walk and Muni when solo, drive when with kids
  • Education: Bachelor’s degree from University of California, Berkeley, development studies and city and regional planning; master’s degree in public administration, Harvard Kennedy School
  • Languages: English, Mandarin, Cantonese

SFUSD needs to balance their budget, but we cannot move forward without more clarity on how this process will impact and serve our students.

Unfortunately, the information is being delayed. Families need and deserve transparency and predictability ASAP. As a parent myself, I know how important it is to plan for change in our kids’ education. School closures can disrupt our students, impact logistics for families, cause blight in our neighborhoods, and result in additional financial impacts.

As Supervisor, I will fight to ensure any resource alignment does not negatively impact our communities, particularly for immigrants and historically underserved.

Endorsed by: Community Tenants Association, Teamsters Joint Council 7, 7 of the current Board of Supervisors … read more here

Illustration of a bald man with a beard from District 3 wearing a blue jacket.

Eduard Navarro

  • Job: Tech startup founder
  • Age: 44
  • Residency: Tenant in District 3 since December 2021
  • Transportation: Walking, public transportation
  • Education: CFA Institute: Chartered Financial Analyst, passed level 1. Master’s degree from Columbia University, architecture, concentration in urban design. Master’s degree from Columbia University, real estate development, concentrating in finance. Ecole d’Architecture de La Villette. Bachelor’s degree in architecture from Georgia Institute of Technology.
  • Languages: Spanish, French, German, English, Valèncian (Catalan)

I am firmly against closing schools in San Francisco. Schools are cornerstones of our communities, and we should instead leverage creativity in managing the real estate portfolio and rethink how we deliver education. We must aim higher—not just to keep schools open but to make SFUSD the best in the country. I attended ENDC’s “SFUSD Forum Accountability in Education” in March and saw firsthand the distress in the Bayview community and the weak responses from SFUSD leadership. My work on school design at Columbia University, focusing on the small schools movement, showed me that there are better ways forward.

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Source: missionlocal.org