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.
Tech is a big part of San Francisco and its discourse — tech companies weathering the pandemic here, whether Twitter should stay or go, or how technological advances like drones and surveillance cameras and robot dogs can support the police department.
We asked the candidates to weigh in: How can tech and tech companies help the district and the city? How will you work to leverage it as supervisor?
Note: I’ll be at Peet’s Coffee (601 Van Ness) at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 11. Come say hi and share your thoughts about the election.
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
Many people in tech are working to solve our city’s problems, and as supervisor I will partner with them to get things done for D5 and our city.
Wishlist:
- Make the city’s financial transactions transparent, so anyone can query them, without a sunshine request.
- When we house drug users, they die at higher rates — because they overdose and no one knows. Create devices that alert a friend if your oxygen levels drop, so your friend can come running with Narcan.
- Use tech to assist with emails, so supervisors and their staff can spend more time building deep relationships in our neighborhoods.
Endorsed by: San Francisco police union, Marina Times, Chinese American Democratic Club.
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
The division between our technology and public sectors is hurting D5 residents. SF is the tech capital of the world, yet our teachers are not getting paid because of software errors, and Fillmore and Japantown residents are without reliable internet.
Much of my career has focused on bridging the digital divide — from working in the US Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, to helping rebuild a computer lab in Chinatown. As supervisor I will launch an SF Digital Service for tech employees to work on large scale government projects, and advance our outdated software and ensure outcomes for all SF residents.
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
Technology can improve accessibility, streamline data-sharing, and make city processes more efficient. Like any other profession, tech can help stimulate our local economy by hiring local workers, paying taxes, and even partnering with the city when it makes sense.
As supervisor, I supported efforts to leverage tech for projects that will improve data transparency and information-sharing for our street teams, who are working to address the needs of some of our most vulnerable neighbors.
As tech continues to grow, however, it is important to ensure that new tech is safe and doesn’t gut union jobs.
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.
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
We should be proud of our place at the forefront of the global technology industry, including the burgeoning AI industry. However, in fostering the recovery of our tax base, we need to build a resilient economy across a variety of industries — not just tech.
To build a diversified corporate tax base, we need to create a downtown where businesses and residents can thrive side-by-side. This looks like:
- converting low-density Class B and Class C office spaces to residential units — including affordable housing
- investing in a 24/7 economy (including more entertainment zones and a 4 a.m. last call)
- investing in a … read more.
Endorsed by: Mark Farrell, Alice B. Toklas Democratic Club, Marina Times and UA Local 38.
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
As supervisor, I will support any and all tech companies in my quest to make San Francisco forget all about Elon Musk, Twitter and or X.
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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