Here’s the latest in our “Meet the Candidates” series for District 5, in which we ask each candidate to answer one question per week leading up to the election. Four candidates are challenging incumbent Supervisor Dean Preston to represent District 5, which spans from the east end of Golden Gate Park through Haight-Ashbury, Japantown and the Western Addition, the Lower Haight and Hayes Valley, and most of the Tenderloin.
Last week, the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing released a report about its point-in-time homelessness count taken in January. The department conducts a count at least every two years, and since the 2022 count, the total number of people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco increased by seven percent. The count shows unsheltered homelessness citywide decreased by one percent since 2022, and 16 percent since 2019.
But in District 5, unsheltered homelessness decreased by more than 20 percent — other districts saw similar improvements, while others still saw dramatic increases.
This week we asked candidates what they think about the findings: what policies and factors contributed to the decrease in homelessness in District 5, and what efforts they would continue or change as supervisor.
Note: I will be at Paris Cafe (142 McAllister St.) at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 22. Come say hi and share your thoughts about the election or District 5.
Scotty Jacobs
- Job: Marketing
- Age: 30
- Residency: Tenant in District 5 since November 2022, homeowner
- Transportation: Public bicycle
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from Washington University
- Languages: English
Despite historically large budgets to tackle homelessness, San Franciscans continue to die as a result of our failed harm reduction, housing-first policies around homelessness and the related issues of addiction and mental health.
Per the County Medical Examiner’s Accidental Overdose reports, between 2022 and 2024, there were 278 overdose deaths in the 94102 zip code alone — eclipsing the 250-person reduction in the district’s unhoused population highlighted by the recent point in time report.
We need results. As supervisor, I will: establish performance metrics and outcomes for nonprofits addressing homelessness; we must ensure we are investing taxpayer dollars effectively in light of … read more.
Allen Jones
- Job: Activist
- Age: 67
- Residency: Tenant in District 5 since November 2021
- Transportation: Wheelchair
- Education: Teaching Bible studies at juvenile hall
- Languages: English
Before anyone believes the HSH report, I suggest reading the SF Chronicle Opinion of August 17, 2024. If that does not convince you, spend time on Golden Gate Avenue between Jones and Taylor Streets.
As stated on my campaign website, I intend to promote living in vehicles (PROVIDED BY THE CITY). From 2009 to 2019, I lived in my pickup, which cost the city nothing. So, why is the city spending “$140,000.00 per year” for each spot in an RV park? With safety in mind, I can reduce the cost to under $20,000.00 per year per designated space.
Autumn Looijen
- Job: School board recall co-founder
- Age: 46
- Residency: Tenant in District 5 since December 2020, landowner
- Transportation: Public transit
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from California Institute of Technology
- Languages: English
[No response submitted.]
Endorsed by: San Francisco police union, Marina Times.
Bilal Mahmood
- Job: Founder of private and philanthropic organizations
- Age: 37
- Residency: Tenant in District 5 since May 2023
- Transportation: Walking
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, master’s degree from University of Cambridge
- Languages: English, Urdu
Unfortunately, what I’m hearing from neighbors in the Tenderloin is that homelessness is getting worse. The PIT data is 6 months old and doesn’t tell us what’s going on today.
That’s why I’m advocating for Built for Zero, a strategy that consolidates city departments into a coordinated task force and has successfully helped 14 US cities make homelessness effectively rare and brief.
If implemented, we can use real-time data to provide personalized care to those in need, build missing shelter beds more quickly, and cut the red tape to move folks into shelter and off of waiting lists faster.
Endorsed by: Mayor London Breed, TogetherSF Action, San Francisco YIMBY, State Sen. Scott Wiener and DCCC Chair Honey Mahogany … read more.
Dean Preston
- Job: Incumbent, tenant attorney
- Age: 54
- Residency: Homeowner, in District 5 since 1996
- Transportation: Public transit
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from Bowdoin College, juris doctor degree from University of California Law, San Francisco
- Languages: English
The latest Point-in-Time (PIT) Count reveals a remarkable 21 percent decrease in unsheltered homelessness in District 5. Hundreds of unhoused people in D5 have transitioned from living on the streets to living safely indoors.
Our work to fill vacant supportive housing units was the biggest driver of this progress. The PIT Count demonstrates the impact of new programs like Street-to-Home to fill vacancies and our right to counsel and rent relief to stop evictions.
Now is the time to double down on strategies that are working until every person living on the streets has a place to call home.
Endorsed by: Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Public Defender Mano Raju, United Educators of San Francisco, San Francisco Labor Council, San Francisco Tenants Union, National Union of Healthcare Workers … read more.
The order of candidates is rotated each week. Answers are capped at 100 words, and may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling, and grammar. If you have questions for the candidates, please let us know at eleni@missionlocal.com.
Read all of the District 5 candidates’ answers here, and the entire “Meet the Candidates” series here. Illustrations for the series by Neil Ballard.
You can register to vote via the sf.gov website.
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