Welcome back to the “Meet the Candidates” series for District 11, where we ask each candidate to answer one question every week leading up to the election. They must answer the question in 100 words or less. We will link to longer answers.
With District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safaí termed out and running for mayor, seven candidates have thrown their hats in the ring to represent the Excelsior, Oceanview and the Outer Mission.
One of the hottest issues on the November ballot is Proposition K, which would close the Great Highway between Lincoln Way and Sloat Boulevard and enable the conversion of it into an oceanfront park.
Authored by District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio and supported by Mayor London Breed, the measure won’t close the Upper Great Highway until “all necessary approvals are obtained and permits granted,” or by the end of 2025 when the current pilot program closing the roadway on weekends expires.
This week, we are asking the candidates to weigh in on the issue: Do you support Prop. K to permanently close the Upper Great Highway and convert it into an oceanfront park?
While the current District 11 supervisor Ahsha Safaí — who is termed out and running for mayor — is in full support of closure and has been an advocate for the plan since 2021, five candidates running to take his seat this November do not agree.
Only Ernest “EJ” Jones, a former aide to Safaí, supports the ballot measure.
Read more about their reasonings below.
The Great Highway Park would extend from Lincoln Way to Sloat Boulevard
proposed
oceanfront park
and closure
to cars
already
set to close
due to erosion
proposed
oceanfront park
and closure to cars
already set to close
due to erosion
Map by Junyao Yang.
Next week, I will be at Cumaica Coffee (4726 Mission St.) at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 18. You can also reach me with questions, comments, and tips at xueer@missionlocal.com.
Ernest “EJ” Jones
- Job: Community advocate
- Age: 38
- Residency: Tenant, living in District 11 since November 1985 and has lived here always, except for time away at college
- Transportation: Public, car
- Education: Bachelor’s degree, Dominican University, master’s degree in public administration from University of San Francisco
- Languages: English, Spanish
Prop. K requires the city to effectively manage multiple moving parts at once. With the already planned closure of the southern end of the Great Highway (with or without Prop. K) and the pending expiration of the Great Highway Park pilot, we are faced with solving for changing traffic patterns and the future direction of the area’s planning process. The most important time in this process is the remainder of the pilot program (expected through 2025) which requires creating new traffic flows for drivers, accessibility for all San Franciscans and implementation timelines that allow for improvements to be in place … read more here
Endorsed by: Supervisors Shamann Walton and Myrna Melgar, Assemblymember Matt Haney, Former SF mayor Willie Brown Jr., Transit Workers Union Local 250A… read more here
Michael Lai
- Job: Early education director, elected to the San Francisco Democratic Party
- Age: 31
- Residency: Tenant, living in District 11 since February 2024
- Transportation: Public
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in government at Harvard College with coursework at Harvard Graduate School of Education
- Languages: English, Mandarin
I’ve heard concerns from many working class immigrant families in District 11 who use the Great Highway to get to the VA Medical Center, Beach Chalet, visit family in the Richmond, and parts of the Richmond, and citywide Chinese community who use it to commute to the South Bay for work that Prop. K had inadequate community outreach and would be a premature permanent closure. Because of this, I do not support Prop. K to permanently close the Upper Great Highway in January 2025, one year before the pilot compromise ends.
As an urbanist and supporter of parks and open … read more here
Endorsed by: Attorney General Rob Bonta, Senator Scott Wiener, Sheriff Paul Miyamoto, Supervisors Joel Engardio and Matt Dorsey, NorCal Carpenters Union… read more here
Roger Marenco
- Job: Transit operator
- Age: 42
- Residency: Tenant, living in District 11 since May 2014
- Transportation: Public
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in environmental sustainability and social justice from San Francisco State University. City College San Francisco
- Languages: English, Spanish
I do not support this project because it would forever eliminate cars from being able to drive on the Upper Great Highway. As I have stated many times in the past, parking in San Francisco is an endangered species, and streets where cars can travel are also becoming an endangered species. Therefore we need to protect parking spaces and streets from being eliminated because it is detrimental to drivers. Look at the debacle with Market Street, Valencia Street, Mission Street and so on.
I am in full support of creating an oceanfront park, without eliminating streets or parking.
Jose Morales
- Job: Sales professional, small-business owner
- Age: 28
- Residency: Tenant, born in District 11 in 1995 and has lived there since, except for time away in college from 2014 to 2017 and living in Idaho from 2021 to the end of 2022
- Transportation: Car
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in economics from Sonoma State University
- Languages: English, Spanish
No, I do not support closing down the Great Highway. The Great Highway is a crucial route for the working class families on the western side of the city. If you actually read Prop. K, you’ll notice it doesn’t actually talk about building a park. Prop K is nothing more than a Trojan horse for luxury real estate developers who want to build along our westside waterfront. I will never support anything that is backed by billionaires and makes the lives of the working class harder.
Chyanne Chen
- Job: Worker organizer, community facilitator and educator
- Age: 39
- Residency: Homeowner, landlord, living in District 11 since August 2000
- Transportation: Walk, public transportation, rideshare, and car
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from University of California, Davis, master’s degree from Cornell University, doctoral degree in education in progress at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- Languages: English, Mandarin, Cantonese
No, I do not support Prop. K. I have heard from many constituents that they do not want the Great Highway to be closed. As supervisor, I will work hard to understand the needs of my constituents around important issues like this one. Many Westside families and District 11 residents depend on the Great Highway as a major artery for their commute. Full closure of the Great Highway will cause too much harm to working families.
Endorsed by: Assemblymember Phil Ting, former police commissioner Larry Yee, San Francisco Board of Education commissioner Jenny Lam, former supervisors Norman Yee, Sandy Fewer and Mabel Teng.
Adlah Chisti
- Job: Public policy analyst, caregiver
- Age: 40
- Residency: Live with parents and caregive for them, born in District 11 in 1983 and lived there since, moved out in 2013 and back in 2017
- Transportation: Public
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in politics and in environmental science, and master’s degree in education from University of San Francisco, master’s degree in public policy from Georgetown McCourt School of Public Policy, juris doctorate from University of California Law, San Francisco
- Languages: English, Spanish, Hindi
No. This is another ballot measure with a poorly designed vision.
As an environmental planner, I know first hand the best project planning comes from good design, engineering and construction. As a former policy analyst, we have to look at the facts. We need the cost of the project and we need to know who will foot the bill. The ballot as it stands would not create a park or even remove the highway, it would only close it to cars permanently rerouting a busy road to go through residential areas nearby. The Great Highway is the fastest way for… read more here
Endorsed by: United Educators of San Francisco, Green Party, Run for Something, Police Commissioner Debra Walker, … read more here
Campaign finance
Candidates are ordered alphabetically but rotated weekly. Answers may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling, and grammar. If you have questions for the candidates, please let us know at xueer@missionlocal.com.
Read the rest of the District 11 questions here, and the entire “Meet the Candidates” series here.
You can register to vote via the sf.gov website. Illustrations for the series by Neil Ballard.
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