Welcome to “Meet the Candidates,” where Mission Local asks supervisor hopefuls questions in the lead-up to the November election. In District 7 — which includes the Inner Sunset, Parkmerced and West Portal — Matt Boschetto and Stephen Martin-Pinto are running against incumbent Myrna Melgar.
Brooke Jenkins became District Attorney after a heated recall election ousted her predecessor, Chesa Boudin, in 2022. Now, Jenkins is running in November election to stay in the position, and Ryan Khojasteh is running against her.
This week, we asked the candidates who they are supporting.
Take a look at their responses below.
Note: please come join me for coffee this week to talk about District 7: I will be at Java on Ocean (329 West Portal Ave.) at 5 p.m. on Thursday September 12. You can also reach out to me at kelly@missionlocal.com.
Myrna Melgar
- Job: District 7 supervisor
- Age: 56
- Housing: Homeowner
- Transport: Bike
- Languages: Spanish, French, Swedish
- Education: Bachelor’s degree, Excelsior College; master’s degree in urban planning, Columbia University
- Residency: Living in Ingleside Terraces since 2011, and lived in District 7 while in college at SF State between 1987 and 1991
I am supporting Brooke Jenkins because she is the most qualified candidate running for that office.
Endorsed by: SF Labor Council, SF Tenants Union, Supervisor Aaron Peskin, Supervisor Hillary Ronen, Supervisor Connie Chan, Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, Supervisor Catherine Stefani, Senator Scott Weiner, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, SFFF Local 798 (#2)… read more here
Stephen Martin-Pinto
- Job: Firefighter/major, U.S. Marine Corps reserves
- Age: 46
- Housing: Tenant in SF, property owner and landlord in Lemon Grove, California
- Transport: Fairly evenly split between car, Muni and walking
- Languages: Spanish, Russian, Georgian
- Education: University of California, Davis
- Residency: Living in District 7’s Sunnyside since 2014, and earlier from 1983 to 1998
I unequivocally support Brooke Jenkins. I first became acquainted with her when I volunteered for the recall effort and was impressed by her credentials. Since taking office, she has clearly been an asset to public safety. Unlike my incumbent opponent who supported Chesa Boudin in 2019 and didn’t support the recall in 2022, I have been consistent in my support for law and order district attorneys who are not subsumed by ideology.
Endorsed by: Former District 7 Supervisor Tony Hall, former Planning Commissioner Michael Antonini, former Police Chief Tony Ribera, drug policy advocate Tom Wolf, BART Board Director Debora Allen, SFFF Local 798 (#3) … read more here
Editor’s note: Myrna Melgar ranked Suzy Loftus as #1 and Chesa Boudin as #2 in the 2019 election.
Matt Boschetto
- Job: Small business owner
- Age: 35
- Housing: Homeowner
- Transport: Car
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in philosophy, Saint Mary’s College of California
- Residency: Living in District 7 since 2014
I support, without hesitation, the re-election of District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. She is a professional prosecutor with extensive management experience running a large, complex organization, and has deep respect for the law and law enforcement. DA Jenkins is achieving material, public safety results for San Francisco after a failed reform agenda of her predecessor and she has repaired relations with SFPD, crucial for officer support, morale and recruitment. Jenkins’ opponent, in my view, is an inexperienced, unserious candidate for a deadly serious position. We cannot return to the days of a District Attorney unwilling or unable do the job.
Endorsed by: San Francisco Police Officers Association (#1), the Marina Times, SFFF Local 798 (#1), Chinese American Democratic Club (#1)
The order of candidates alternates each week. Answers may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling, and grammar.
Read the rest of the series here. Illustrations for the series by Neil Ballard.
You can register to vote via the sf.gov website.
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