Mission Local está publicando artículos de campaña para cada una/uno de los principales contendientes en la carrera por la alcaldía, alternando entre los candidatos semanalmente hasta noviembre. Esta semana:Ahsha Safaí. Lea los artículos anteriores aquí.
Era la típica fiesta de cuadra de Chinatown: Locales y turistas se reunieron en torno a la danza del león, jugaron al agujero de maíz y metieron boletos de rifa en una urna. El clima del domingo era más cálido de lo habitual: 75 grados con una agradable brisa.
Ahsha Safaí llegó a la fiesta, celebrada entre las calles Clay y Sacramento de Grant Avenue Chinatown, hacia el mediodía para celebrar el 37 aniversario de APA Family Support Services, una organización que ofrece a las familias servicios de salud y prevención de la violencia doméstica en cantonés.
“Siempre pasa algo en Chinatown. Hay que dejarse llevar”, dijo Safaí.
Safaí pronunció un breve discurso celebrando el aniversario y luego se reunió con el subjefe de la policía de San Francisco, David Lazar, para preguntarle por la instalación de cámaras de seguridad en el distrito 11. En dos semanas han entrado a robar en seis comercios del distrito.
El subjefe invitó entonces a Safaí al 145 aniversario y al banquete de la Asociación Gee Duck Sam Duck, una de las diversas asociaciones familiares creadas en los años 20 para ayudar a las familias chinas recién llegadas.
“Vamos a asomar la cabeza. Esto es un paréntesis”, dijo Safaí a su equipo de campaña. Pero en campaña, la espontaneidad también tiene que traer votos.
En la sala de banquetes de la tercera planta del Palacio Imperial se instalaron unas 30 mesas, cada una con pollo cortado en blanco con salsa de jengibre y chow fun de ternera sentados en un lazy Susan. Los asistentes vestían trajes y vestidos y llevaban elegantes sombreros y cadenas de perlas para las gafas, algunos con flores prendidas en el pecho izquierdo.
Safaí, con camisa blanca y bien afeitado, trabajó en la sala, saludando a cada mesa con dos empleados que hablaban cantonés y preguntando si eran de San Francisco (algunos habían volado desde Nueva York o Los Ángeles para asistir al acto).
Cuando la respuesta fue afirmativa, Safaí les dijo que se postulaba para alcalde y repartió folletos de su campaña. Luego empezó a hablar de su trayectoria: Ha trabajado para dos alcaldes, estudió urbanismo en el MIT y fue miembro de la Junta de Supervisores durante 8 años. “Estoy listo para el trabajo desde el primer día”, dijo a la multitud.
La mayoría de los asistentes a la sala del banquete eran mayores y asintieron animados al oír hablar de su candidatura a la alcaldía. Algunos alargaron la mano para tomar un folleto y elogiaron su contenido: el retrato de la mujer y los dos hijos de Safaí.
“Ya tienes mi voto”, le gritó alguien a Safaí al otro lado de la mesa. Safaí le dio las gracias. Pero resultó que vive en Los Ángeles. “Solo quiero que se sienta bien”, dijo el sudcaliforniano.
Pero también hubo frustración. Un visitante, que pidió que no se revelara su nombre, preguntó a Safaí si él o su equipo habían estado cerca de las calles 7 y Market, donde compró un apartamento en 2018. “Es increíble”, dijo sobre el consumo de drogas y el crimen por la noche cerca de la intersección.
No quedó satisfecho cuando Safaí dijo que quería más patrullas policiales a pie y en bicicleta, un argumento de todos los principales candidatos a la alcaldía. “Pero patrullar durante el día no refleja realmente lo que ocurre por la noche”, refutó.
“El Gobierno tiene tiempo indefinido. Yo no”, añadió el residente. “Si nada cambia, me regreso a Boston”.
Safaí, al final, prometió que se reuniría con el votante en su apartamento por la noche, junto con el capitán de policía.
Después, Safaí se fue a la calle Sunday, en la Misión.
Allí se presentó a los visitantes que caminaban (o iban en bicicleta) por la calle Valencia, preguntando docenas de veces “¿Puedo darle uno de estos?”, mientras entregaba un folleto, y se mostraba invencible cuando le decían que no o le ignoraban: un vendedor experimentado.
“Mírame”, decía a los que pasaban a toda velocidad.
Y Safaí necesita ese espíritu de vendedor. Según el último sondeo del San Francisco Chronicle, solo un 5% de los votantes han situado a Safaí, como primera opción, y un 10% como segunda.
“Creo que hay mucha fluidez”, dijo Safaí. “Una vez que los votantes de San Francisco empiecen a sumergirse… Cuando oigan mi historia y vean lo que he hecho, cambiará la dinámica”.
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