Election Spotlight: District 7 Candidates Answer More Questions

West Side Stories: Candidates for Board of Supervisor District 7 — Five More Questions!

Last month, we sent you replies to five basic questions from the seven candidates for District 7 Supervisor. The questions covered affordable housing, public transit, traffic safety, homelessness and after-school programs.

The story generated so much interest — and the District 7 race is so intense — we decided to do it again. In the current issue of West Side Stories we ask about: Balboa Reservoir development plans, relief for local businesses, the state housing plan’s impact on District 7, RV’s parked on Winston Drive and proposals to beautify our district.

This time, we received replies from five of the candidates, who are featured below. We did not receive replies from Ben Matranga, an investment banker, and Kenneth Piper, about whom little information is available.

Here edited for brevity and clarity in some cases, are the replies to the questions we asked, appearing in alphabetical order based on the candidate’s last name, along with short bios derived from ballotpedia.org and LinkedIn.com.

Joel Engardio’s experience includes work in content marketing and communication work for non-profits. The Vice President of Stop Crime SF, Engardio holds a B.A. in journalism and history from Michigan State University and an M.P.A. from Harvard University.

Stephen Martin-Pinto was born in San Francisco, California and is a fifth generation San Franciscan. He is a Lowell graduate and obtained a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Davis. Martin-Pinto is a firefighter and a major in the United States Marine Corps.

Myrna Melgar is a former executive director of the Jamestown Community Center in the Mission District and served three and a half years as president of San Francisco’s Planning Commission. She holds a Master’s degree in Urban Planning with a concentration in housing development from Columbia University.

Emily Murase is a Lowell High School graduate, with as BA in Modern Japanese History from Bryn Mawr College and a doctorate in Communication from Stanford University. She served two terms on the San Francisco Unified Board of Education and was a director of the San Francisco Department on the Status of Women.

Vilaska Nguyen has been a criminal trial attorney for more than 15 years, including trial attorney at Office of the San Francisco Public Defender. He holds a BA from the University of Washington and a law degree from the University of San Francisco.

1. Do you support the plan to develop Balboa Reservoir next to City College with 1,100 new units of housing, as approved by the current Board of Supervisors?

Engardio: Balboa Reservoir is suited for a reasonable amount of housing. I would not want more than the current (projected) level of 1,100 units.

I also want to make sure that noise and air quality concerns of construction are minimized by phasing in the housing over a longer period of time.

My biggest concern is parking. A new garage of 500 cars for City College students was in the original plan, which was important for mitigating concerns many students and nearby residents have. It is troubling to see the garage dropped from the plan. We must have this garage for the project to work.

I wish City Hall hadn't sold Balboa Reservoir land at a loss. The $11.2 million price for the land represents a 50 percent discount from fair market value. The markdown takes into consideration the fact that the developer will be responsible for financing and building affordable housing on the site. It also takes into account the developer’s obligation to build out $48 million in infrastructure improvements, including four acres of parks, as well as roads, utilities and sidewalks.

Land is a precious asset in San Francisco. We shouldn’t be selling public land at a discount. This could have been an opportunity for troubled City College to generate income without going back to taxpayers for bailouts.

Stephen Martin Pinto: No, 1,100 is too many without a solid transportation plan that takes into account post-pandemic commuter habits and transportation options. The land was sold for the extremely cheap price of $11 million for the 17 acres. I recognize the need for housing, but 1,100 is to0 many. 500 units would be a more appropriate number.

Myrna Melgar: Yes. 

Emily Murase: I support adding or expanding apartment buildings and multi-unit dwellings for individuals and families within select areas of District 7, at Balboa Reservoir and Stonestown, for example. I also support infill as long as we maintain the parks and open spaces now enjoyed by all residents of San Francisco. Adding more people and structures into existing neighborhoods inevitably places additional demands on city infrastructure, such as traffic/roads, water and sewer, and transportation services. These impacts must be fully accounted for in the approval process. A robust community planning process must allow constituents to raise their concerns and receive staff responses.

Vilaska Nguyen: No, I do not. I would have loved to see more affordable housing units particularly in light of the pandemic which has created even more housing instability for many in San Francisco. Our city needs more affordable housing and I believe this project should have been 100% affordable. As Supervisor, I will always support the fight to keep public land from being used to serve private interests and would have preferred to see a Memorandum of Understanding that truly reflects the needs of the local community and maximizes benefits for City College students and staff.

2. Many locally owned restaurants and stores have been forced to close for good because of the economic dislocation produced by Covid 19. How would you help local businesses come back in the wake of the pandemic?

Engardio: Last year, more than 500 restaurants closed in San Francisco. Why did 500 restaurants close during boom times? Because City Hall was killing them with fees, regulations and permits.

We have to acknowledge that small businesses were dying long before the pandemic. We can’t go back to the way things were.

It’s too hard to start and run a business in San Francisco, and we need to make it easier by eliminating excessive regulations.

The Chronicle reported that San Francisco was one of the most difficult cities in the country to open a food truck. We need to rank as the easiest.

Of course, some regulation is necessary to keep people safe.

But beyond that, San Francisco should let an entrepreneur try anything they want — because there are new ideas we don’t know about yet. That’s why we need to foster creativity.

Even after a vaccine, the pandemic will have forever changed how we live.

We have to promote innovation, not stifle it. That means City Hall has to get out of the way and let every idea have a chance to be the one that saves our local economy.

Martin-Pinto: I would reduce permits and taxes for small businesses. I would explore a temporary moratorium on fees for small business. Furthermore, I would seek to aggressively prosecute quality of life crimes to make customers feel safe going out again.

Melgar: Prop H is a good start, and I strongly support it, but we need to extend the shared spaces programs beyond December to give businesses certainty, and I would like it extended for the same time period as prop H.  The City should continue to support with low interest loans, small grants and fee forgiveness.  Closing streets to traffic, and promoting safely distanced arts and entertainment is a good way entice folks to visit neighborhood commercial corridors.

Every year, the City Planning Department produces a housing inventory report to guide policy decisions around housing development.  I would like to see an equivalent report for neighborhood commercial corridors and small businesses so that we can plan and guide policy, develop mitigation, support the health of the corridors and plan growth accordingly.

Lastly,  I am very worried about childcare businesses.  District 7, because of our housing types (mostly single family homes) has a lot of home-based daycare businesses. Most of them are owned and operated by immigrant women.  Even before the pandemic, there were not enough childcare slots for the children who needed them.  Many of these childcares are under extreme financial stress, and working parents rely on them so that they can go to work.  I will work with the state, children's council and advocates to develop a kind of "Marshall plan" for childcare businesses.

Murase: The COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating to our merchant corridors, and it is urgent that we take every measure to help local businesses stay in business. I have several ideas that I’d like to discuss in detail with merchants, including:

a. Introducing a subscription program to market to loyal customers of restaurants and personal service businesses such as nail or hair salons.

b. Creating incentives for shopping local such as (this will most certainly date me) Blue Chip or S&H stamps that can be redeemed for prizes; conducting a merchant corridor treasure hunt; hosting an online trivia night; announcing a coloring contest for kids; or posting artwork in business windows.

c. Exploring the idea of a farmers market-type outdoor market (FYI, Angie Pettit-Taylor of Sunset Mercantile organized the new Outer Sunset Farmers Market beginning in July to great success and is pursuing a flea market in the Stonestown parking lot to help dry goods merchants).

d. Supporting additional outdoor dining and partial street closures depending on level of merchant support.

e. Reducing, eliminating fees, and a possible moratorium on the vacant storefront tax during the pandemic.

Nguyen: Indeed, the pandemic has posed a new set of challenges, and every business is being forced to adapt in order to survive. As supervisor, I would like to see city departments adapt too. For instance, the city needs to simplify the permit process for the construction industry. As supervisor, I would work with the rest of the board and city departments to support initiatives to steer San Francisco back to its pre-pandemic days. I appreciate the work of the San Francisco Economic Recovery Task Force and (will) fight to ensure that more of their initiatives become our roadmap to recovery: making the Shared Spaces program a permanent feature of our city, waiving taxes and fees for businesses that are struggling to reopen, providing grants and support to local businesses and uplifting and supporting the work of our cultural districts - the districts that make San Francisco the cultural mecca that it is, are what we should be focused on.

3. Gov. Newsom has vowed to create 3.5 million new homes in California by 2025. How should the West Side fit into that process?

Engardio: There are three areas of District 7 where more housing is coming: Parkmerced, Balboa Reservoir and Stonestown Mall. Those are all appropriate places for housing.

I do not support anything that would restrict or eliminate single-family zoning. We have more than 40 distinct neighborhoods and they are gems worth protecting.

We have three transit corridors served by Muni trains: West Portal, Ocean and Taraval. I support putting more housing along those train lines because it will help our business districts survive.

West Portal Avenue has a five-story Art Deco apartment building at one end that has been there for 90 years. We can match the height and look of that building without harming the single-family homes nearby.

We have a need for elevator buildings where a senior can age safely in place without leaving the neighborhood they love. We have a need for middle-income housing to keep young families in San Francisco. Housing along the train corridors can fill those needs.

I’d also like to create a Westside plan to know where existing infrastructure can support more housing.

We need to consider our sewer, water and transportation limitations. We have to be smart about where we consider new housing. Housing should solve problems not create problems.

Martin-Pinto: We don't really have much room to expand, not as much as other cities. Our population density, even in single family home zones, exceeds that of most other cities. However, I am amenable to adding one or two stories to one story buildings on West Portal Avenue and Ocean Avenue

Melgar: The City should step up and provide flexible and patient financing for homeowners choosing to add ADUs and Jr. ADUs.  Also we should streamline the planning and building approval processes to make it easier, faster and cheaper.

I am interested in building affordable senior housing, as we have a large and growing population of seniors in D7 and also family housing.  We currently don't even have a definition of what family housing is in the planning code!  If we had a definition, we could incentivize it and plan for it.  I also am interested in starter homeownership opportunities, and think D7 is the appropriate place to develop co-op housing, which is one of the most easily accessible forms of homeownership.  I think development, height and density increases are appropriate in commercial and transportation corridors, but we also could readapt structures, such as churches and synagogues that have lost membership and want to use their land for housing as long as the site is appropriate. 

Murase: District 7 is composed of over 40 distinct neighborhoods with mostly single-family homes, which helps keep families in San Francisco rather than moving out to the suburbs. With new state laws allowing for one full and one junior accessory dwelling unit on a single family zoned property, greater density can be achieved by smart infill housing. Also, there are at least three new opportunities for taller, denser housing developments at Balboa Reservoir, Parkmerced, and Stonestown, so I do not see a need to relax zoning laws. There should be a mix of market-rate and affordable housing because developer fees on market-rate housing subsidize affordable housing units. Public-private partnerships such as Bridge Housing are another source of funding for affordable units. As a twice-elected school board member, I was very proud to approve the first teacher housing project undertaken by the school district to provide 135 affordable units for teachers, para-educators, and their families at the site of the Francis Scott Key Annex in the Sunset District, made possible by the passage of Proposition E that allows 100% affordable units to be built on public land.

Nguyen: Indeed, the pandemic has posed a new set of challenges and every business is being forced to adapt in order to survive. I would like to see city departments adapt too. For instance, the city needs to simplify the permit process for the construction industry. I would work with the rest of the board and city departments to support the work of initiatives to steer San Francisco back to its pre-pandemic days. I appreciate the work of the San Francisco Economic Recovery Task Force and (will) fight to ensure that more of their initiatives become our roadmap to recovery: making the Shared Spaces program a permanent feature of our city, waiving taxes and fees for businesses that are struggling to reopen, providing grants and support to local businesses and uplifting and supporting the work of our cultural districts - the districts that make San Francisco the cultural mecca that it is, are what we should be focused on.

4. Should RVs be allowed to park overnight on Winston Drive and, if not, what can be done to accommodate commuting workers who can't housing in San Francisco?

Engardio: RVs should not be allowed to park overnight in the Lake Merced area. Putting an expensive navigation center in every neighborhood is not cost-effective or efficient.

We should centralize homeless services at a large site like the Cow Palace parking lot or an unused pier. It would allow for social distancing and offer wrap-around services for drug addiction and mental illness.

Both could offer services to homeless people -- including people who park their RVs on neighborhood streets.

We must be compassionate and provide the basic needs to keep people alive and healthy. This doesn’t mean we need to let people put a tent or park an RV wherever they want.

The location of homeless services should be based on demand, efficiency and cost-effectiveness. It should not be based on the arbitrary notion that every neighborhood needs an expensive navigation center.

Martin-Pinto: RVs should not be allowed to park overnight. If you are a worker who cannot find housing in San Francisco, you should explore relocation, living options outside San Francisco, or consider tele-commuting if possible. We all have to make tough personal choices to live within our means. Living in an RV on the street should not be part of your living plan. I cannot and will not support illegal RV parking on Winston Drive or any area of San Francisco. If you are struggling with income, there are general assistance programs and SSI benefit programs in and around San Francisco and the entire bay area to assist you in making ends meet with dignity.

Melgar: It is not ideal.  I think we need a safe parking site with showers, hygiene, and waste disposal facilities, along with services, including helping folks find permanent affordable housing.

Murase: People living in cars, RVs, and other vehicles are working people, but they do not have stable homes. Their numbers swelled by 45% from 2017 to 2019, and we see this very clearly in District 7 along Lake Merced Boulevard.

As a stop-gap measure, the City should provide a safe parking site with sanitation services, paid for with permit fees from RVs staying in San Francisco for longer than 7 days. Many people assume that it is students occupying the RVs around San Francisco State. My understanding is that there may be a few students, but by and large these are working people. We need to be thinking about transitioning people from RVs to stable housing because they are one breakdown away, just one step away, from falling into homelessness.

Nguyen: Yes they should. ‘San Francisco counted 1,794 people living out of their vehicles in 2019, a 45% increase from the last homeless count in 2017.’ The scarcity of housing has driven up rent/housing prices, and the San Francisco unhoused population has continued to rise. A lot of the people living in their vehicles are commuting into the city for worK and we need to support them by providing safe spaces for them to park their vehicles, have access to bathrooms, showers and other social services. Anything that keeps people off the streets is a positive thing.

5. What specific beautification projects would you support for our neighborhoods?

Engardio: I recently wrote an article on my website about Triangle Park in Forest Hill Extension. The headline was: “The Little Park That Could Do More.”

Triangle Park is a mini-park. It’s a quarter-acre in the neighborhood. When we have to do social distancing, a mini-park becomes more useful. We need every bit of extra space to exercise, walk dogs or sit in fresh air after being cooped up in the house all day. These things matter.

But Triangle Park became a wasted space because it was not maintained. Residents spoke out, and now their park is getting attention. But there are lots of little patches of public land sprinkled throughout our neighborhoods that are full of weeds and trash.

City Hall is facing massive budget deficits. But we can afford to cut weeds even when we have to cut the budget. It’s an inexpensive way to bring a large benefit to residents.

I will do an inventory of underutilized public spaces across our district. My office will coordinate improvement projects. We will encourage residents to volunteer on projects in different neighborhoods with the promise they’ll get help when it’s time for their project.

We will build community throughout the district and while creating spaces for everyone to enjoy.

Martin-Pinto: Undergrounding of all utility wires

More sidewalk gardens and trees

Native plant gardens in unused public space and parks

Melgar: Miraloma playground desperately needs a makeover. 

The median on Monterey Blvd.

The Havelock pedestrian bridge over 280.

Edgehill Mountain — better maintenance of the natural areas owned by the City and possible acquisition of adjoining currently privately owned parcels

Lake Merced pedestrian walkways and bridges

The Detroit Steps in Sunnyside — tiling/ artwork

Twin Peaks Boulevard!  Because of the stunning natural beauty of the view, we have neglected the right of way and the general area.  The barriers are often graffitied, and there is often litter.

West Portal Ave:  Is a gem and a historic commercial corridor.  I am interested in supporting the overall aesthetic of the street - lighting, garbage cans, seating, canopy, signage to support West Portal, its history and success.

Murase: Overall, Supervisor Yee’s Participatory Budgeting program has helped Ingleside obtain funding for beautification projects, including several important mural projects and the activation and lighting of Unity Plaza. The introduction of the Chinese New Year festivities annually has been a way to showcase the diversity and strengths of Ocean Avenue and adjacent neighborhoods. His Vision Zero program to prioritize pedestrian safety has been beneficial throughout the District. However, in a merchant walk along Ocean Avenue in July, I heard from many business owners who were dissatisfied with their interactions with Supervisor Yee and with the City generally. For example, I spoke with Steve, of the Pho Ha Tien Restaurant, who was very unhappy with the landscaping in front of his business that was apparently done without consultation and has, unfortunately, become a magnet for litter and other unwelcome behavior, including public urination. He relayed to me his multiple attempts to get help from the Supervisor’s office, 311, and DPW to no avail. I encouraged him to contact the merchants association which should carry weight with the Supervisor’s Office and City Departments. I look forward to working directly with neighborhoods to hear what projects they would like to pursue.

Nguyen: I love all of the West Side! Between the scenic Twin Peaks, the Hidden Garden Stairs on 16th, Mount Davidson and the numerous hiking trails in the district, it’s hard to imagine trying to make the district more beautiful. However, as Supervisor, I would love to oversee the completion of the beautification of Detroit Streets Steps (connecting Detroit Street between Hearst and Joost Avenues, extending from either side of Monterey Boulevard.) Once this project is completed, it will be San Francisco’s longest decorative stairway. It’s a community-led project that really showcases what our district is capable of achieving when we come together.