Meet the Candidates: San Francisco’s District 7 supervisor race

Myrna Melgar

• District 7 supervisor
• Age: 56
• Transport: Bike
• Housing: Homeowner
• Languages: Spanish, French, Swedish
• Education: BA, Excelsior College; MSUP, Columbia University
• Residency: Living in Ingleside Terraces since 2011, and lived in District 7 while in college at SF State between 1987 and 1991

Matthew Boschetto

• Small business owner
• Age: 35
• Housing: Homeowner
• Education: BA in philosophy, Saint Mary’s College of California
• Residency: Living in District 7 since 2014

Stephen Martin-Pinto

• Firefighter/major, U.S. Marine Corps reserves
• Age: 46 Housing: Tenant in SF, Property owner and landlord in Lemon Grove, Ca.
• Languages: Spanish, Russian, Georgian
• Education: UC Davis
• Residency: Living in District 7’s Sunnyside since 2014 and, earlier from 1983 to 1998.

Myrna Melgar

Prop. A: Yes. Affordable housing (cosponsored).

Prop. B: Yes. Police staffing.

Prop. C: Yes. Real estate transfer tax exemption for commercial property conversions to housing.

Prop. D: Yes. Ethics reforms.

Prop. E: Yes. Police department reforms.

Prop. F: No. Drug screening for public assistance recipients.

Prop. G: Yes. Algebra (cosponsored).

Matthew Boschetto

Prop. A: No.

Prop. B: No.

Prop. C: Yes.

Prop. D: Yes.

Prop. E: Yes.

Prop. F: Yes.

Prop. G: Yes.

Stephen Martin-Pinto

Prop. A: No. We have had several affordable-housing bond measures over the last few election cycles. At $1 million a unit, affordable housing isn’t affordable.  

Prop. B: No. With a $14.6 billion budget, paying for a fully staffed police department should be a basic expectation. 

Prop. C: Yes. We need to make it easier to convert office space into housing. 

Prop. D: Yes. Corruption and undue influence are issues in San Francisco.  

Prop. E: Yes. Unfortunately, our Board of Supervisors needs to be compelled to act on public safety matters by the voters.

Prop. F: Yes. It is not unreasonable to ask that recipients of benefits be sober or try to become sober.

Prop. G: Yes. Who in their right mind wouldn’t support early Algebra?

Stephen Martin-Pinto

The proposal doesn’t make sense; it’s very complex, confusing, and will lead to more frustration for patrons, merchants, and delivery drivers alike. Furthermore, nothing (besides the addition of bollards at the bus stop) would have prevented the tragic accident. It seems like a “throw everything at the wall and see what sticks” approach to traffic management. West Portal businesses are vulnerable; they have tight profit margins. The SFMTA seems intent on punishing them rather than addressing its own failures, such as the extremely long amount of time it has taken to complete the L Taraval project. I wrote about it more extensively here.

Myrna Melgar

I requested the West Portal Safety Improvement proposal from the MTA, and am glad to have Mayor Breed’s support. Most folks understand we need to improve safety at that intersection, and support the goals. Over the next few weeks, we will be working with merchants and neighbors to address pain points and concerns, and I am confident the outcome will make the intersection and the corridor better and safer.  We are also improving the look of the station, installing cameras and lighting. We want to show SF and the world that West Portal is safe, welcoming and a great place to visit.

Matthew Boschetto

The recent tragedy that claimed a young family’s lives in West Portal shocked the entire city. The proposed traffic changes by SFMTA, pushed rapidly without adequate community input, only add to the consternation. While we all desire safer streets, the process must include those it impacts most: Local merchants and residents. At the core of the West Portal community, they seek thoughtful, effective solutions that respect their experiences and contributions to the neighborhood’s vitality. Let’s ensure changes enhance safety without undermining the community spirit that defines West Portal.

Myrna Melgar

I envision a welcoming West Portal corridor that accommodates apartments above ground-floor commercial spaces to accommodate people downsizing, and new younger residents. Decades ago, we zoned West Portal to restrict financial services, and capped height to 27 feet, so most buildings are one-story. Today, financial services are abandoning spaces because people use ATMs. West Portal is a major transit hub for the Westside of San Francisco, and we should encourage transit-oriented development while being thoughtful about mitigating any impacts on existing businesses.

Stephen Martin-Pinto

I’d like to see West Portal Avenue have the K-M lines be put underground in a new subway that extends at least past Saint Francis Circle. This will make room for widened sidewalks, more pedestrian traffic and more open spaces with greenery, while maintaining the parking required for businesses. I think two to four stories is an appropriate height for buildings on the 000-200 block of West Portal Avenue, with taller four- to six-story buildings on the 300 and 400 blocks. A mix of market-rate studios and one- to three-bedroom apartments with commercial ground floor space is ideal. Often overlooked, but also ideal for re-purposing into housing, is the nearby Ardenwood facility.

Matt Boschetto

Did not respond.

Matt Boschetto

Did not respond.

Stephen Martin-Pinto

Many have an opinion on this legislation, but very few seem to understand it. The original draft was quite ambitious; it placed numerical density limits in the entire area northeast of Columbus Avenue and north of Washington Street, which I wouldn’t have supported. However, it was modified to include only two small historic districts: Jackson Square and North-East Waterfront, home to many buildings from the 1800s. Historic buildings can still be converted into housing according to form-based density limits — as many units as the building envelope will allow, while preserving exterior appearance. I support Peskin’s legislation in its amended form.

Myrna Melgar

I voted against the legislation to reimpose restrictions in certain areas of District 3. The legislation exempted affluent neighborhoods where we should be adding housing, particularly affordable housing. We have committed to building 83,000 housing units in SF over the next decade; half of that should be affordable. If we build less in a particular area, then more has to be built elsewhere. We have agreed to retain certain restrictions in some neighborhoods: The Mission, Chinatown, Fillmore, Bayview, etc., because past government policies have concentrated density in those areas. Everywhere else, we should be building more housing.

Myrna Melgar

We are 500 officers short of the last Prop. E (2019) established number. At the Taraval station, we are currently at 66% staffing. We have been filling the gap through overtime for years.  This is bad for police response times, public safety, for individual employees and for any police reform efforts, as staff who are tired and overworked are having to make decisions. I support increasing our staffing levels, including hiring more women, as the Chief has pledged, and more bilingual officers.

Matt Boschetto

While I do believe in the need to increase police staffing, I do not think it is the only obstacle the SFPD faces in fulfilling its mandate and restoring the rule of law. It is just as important to address the other choke points, like encumbering paperwork, operational red tape, and a lack of resources. While full staffing is a very important marker to be reached, we must make sure to support the police fully as they strive to provide a crucial and basic service to the city of San Francisco.

Stephen Martin-Pinto

I absolutely support hiring more police officers. However, it is not enough to simply hire more; the Police Commission must also be reformed. It has become too obstructionist and political, and frequently interferes with the ability of the police to effectively do their job by placing excessive limitations on police tactics. Under my proposal, the Police Commission would no longer be able to do this; their role would mirror the fire commission’s: Advisory only, and disciplinary when necessary. Any change in tactics would come from the police chief, be vetted by the city attorney, and immediately enacted on approval without police commission involvement.

Matt Boschetto

As a small business owner, I have relied on my community in the West Side and across the city to build a grassroots movement that hopes to be a voice for District 7 and help bring balance back to City Hall. With my family living in Miraloma Park for five generations, I am very thankful for all who know me and have rallied behind our campaign. While challenging the political establishment is tough, we are showing that it is possible for the everyday citizenry to stand up and run a competitive race that has a great shot at victory in November.

Stephen Martin-Pinto

A look at my list of donors would produce no remarkable findings — they are all private citizens unaffiliated with any political-action committee or special-interest group. Furthermore, they include Democrats, Republicans, politically independent moderates and everyone in between. My endorsements, similarly, come from across the political spectrum; I have Democrat, Republican, and No-Party-Preference endorsers, which is unique among candidates. My message transcends political party and goes right to what people care about most: Our city. For many voters, I’m the first non-Democratic candidate they have ever supported. This is precisely why I have the best supporters because they put city over party.

Myrna Melgar

As of the end of March, I have raised more money than I did for my entire campaign in 2020. I have early endorsements from the SF Labor Council, and its members, UESF, SEIU 1021, 2015, as well as trade unions: Teamsters, laborers and carpenters. I also got an early endorsement from the SF Tenants Union. I have endorsements from my colleagues on both “sides of the aisle,” and from folks who are endorsing me for the first time, like Senator Scott Weiner and Assemblymember Phil Ting.

Stephen Martin-Pinto

As long as we have humans living in cities, there will always, unfortunately, be accidents. Furthermore, it’s important to let the facts come out in this case before we can declare ourselves experts in preventing this kind of accident from happening again. However, here are some ideas:

• Eliminate bulb-out bus stops that more closely expose passengers to traffic. Replace with pocket bus stops.
• Use a combination of engineering and enforcement. Vision Zero has failed precisely because we’ve chosen haphazard engineering with zero enforcement — we decided enforcement was discriminatory, so we stopped doing it. Now, people are paying the price with their lives.

Myrna Melgar

We have seen a plummeting of enforcement of moving violations during the pandemic, due to low staffing at the SFPD. We need enforcement, and we need to slow the cars down. Additionally, we absolutely must invest in physical infrastructure to reduce deaths and injuries from traffic violence: bulb-outs, bollards (concrete and metal) at bus stops and corner crosswalks in high injury corridors, concrete dividers, and pedestrianizing high traffic areas where pedestrians are at risk and we want to prioritize public transit and other modes of transportation.

Matt Boschetto

The tragedy last weekend is beyond words, and raises serious questions about our approach to pedestrian safety. With traffic fatalities remaining relatively unchanged since 2014, and with a high of 39 in 2022, City Hall and Vision Zero have been ineffective addressing the issue and public safety, in general. As Supervisor, I promise to work with the SFMTA to identify all dangerous zones in our district and take precautions to make sure we avoid tragedies like this, as much as possible. Furthermore, I will work with SFPD to reestablish traffic enforcement, especially in problematic areas.

Myrna Melgar

Corruption flourishes with two main ingredients: There is something to be gained through corruption, and there are bad systems in place to prevent it. I have worked, and will continue to work, on both. We must make our system less cumbersome and slow, to make breaking the rules less attractive as a shortcut, and we also need to make better use of technology to strengthen our systems.

Matt Boschetto

As District 7 Supervisor, I will push for more financial transparency at City Hall. I believe that every San Franciscan has the right to access all city data, and with transparency comes accountability. Not only do we need performance audits across all city departments, nonprofits and contractors, but their books should be easily accessible to the public. Democratizing this data, so all residents can access and understand it, will put a spotlight on the financial inefficiencies of the city and promote fiscal honesty. When public trust is breached, we should aggressively pursue criminal charges to deter further behavior.

Stephen Martin-Pinto

• Greatly reduce the size of government by eliminating and consolidating unnecessary and redundant commissions and departments.
• End no-bid contracting that gives money to favored city hall contractors.
• Require zero-based budgeting for all nonprofits. All nonprofits contracting with SF shall start with a budget of zero dollars and must justify, line by line, every dollar requested from SF.
• Give the mayor line-item veto power over individual budget expense proposals and individual bill provisions.
• Require background and credit checks for all commissioner appointees.
• Require strict metric-based evaluations for all city programs and departments.
• Do need assessments for every city position and eliminate unnecessary ones.

Matt Boschetto

As a candidate for D7 supervisor, I am laser-focused on my race so I can be the voice our district needs at City Hall. Running for mayor of San Francisco is a major undertaking and I applaud all the candidates for stepping up and putting themselves on the line. I am willing to work with each of the candidates running so I can be an effective agent of change for the West Side. Whoever wins, I am confident in my ability to work with the next mayor to achieve results and advance the priorities of District 7 residents.

Stephen Martin-Pinto

As of today, I’m ranking Lurie or Farrell in first or second place (still undecided) and Breed in third place. Breed is saying all the right things now, but this is relatively recent; she wasn’t there for us when we needed her the most, 4 years ago. As a leader, she hasn’t been proactive but reactive. Lurie, although an outsider, is inexperienced and seemed like he decided to run before he figured out his messaging. This has since changed, and his messaging has become much stronger. Farrell bears some responsibility for our current situation, but is experienced and has strong messaging.

Myrna Melgar

As the list of candidates for the upcoming November election develops, I’m eagerly waiting to hear their plans on how they will manage the city to address our pressing issues, including the safety of our neighborhoods and the lack of affordable housing. I will support the candidate willing to work together with the Supervisors to come up with practical solutions instead of indulging in political bickering.

Matt Boschetto

As District 7 Supervisor, I will work with the Planning Department to incentivize the completion of large projects that have community support, like Stonestown and Parkmerced. There are many opportunity zones and projects in the District 7 pipeline that can be developed with the support of neighbors, and without replacing sound housing stock. While accessible housing is the biggest line item in the affordability crisis, we must take care not to continually over-politicize it and forward a balanced policy, one that supports the completion of projects with consideration for who and what is already there.

Stephen Martin-Pinto

The city must reform burdensome permitting processes for housing developments before any district is to make any substantive progress. SF Chronicle claims that it requires 87 permits, many of which are redundant and contradictory, to develop a project. These permits must be deconflicted and reduced in number, and we must employ a split-permitting process. Parkmerced and Stonestown have proposals for the addition of several thousand new units total, which I support. We can add stories to buildings on corridors such as West Portal and Ocean Avenues while protecting and preserving our single family home and historic park neighborhoods.

Myrna Melgar

District 7 must build all kinds of housing to help San Francisco meet its targets, but it must also do it to meet the needs of our own people today and tomorrow.  We have a diverse population; we need housing for middle-class folks, and we need low-income housing.  We need larger units for families, and we also have an aging population so we need smaller units for seniors. We need housing for students; District 7 is home to SFSU, City College and UCSF. This past year we made it much easier for homeowners to add in-law units… read more here

Matt Boschetto

Small businesses are the economic backbone of the City. As a small business owner, I know how tough this city can be for a business to operate, get permits, find the right space – and thrive. I’ve also learned that leading a team, keeping track of the bottom line, and focusing on achieving your goals are the keys to success. If I don’t balance our flower business’s budget wisely, we’ll lose the business. Every decision I make impacts the livelihood of our employees. I promise to bring a small businessowner’s sense of accountability, adaptability, and authenticity in the role of Supervisor.

Stephen Martin-Pinto

Since 2016, I’ve had leadership roles in D7, as president of Sunnyside Neighborhood Association and West of Twin Peaks Central Council. I’ve established personal relationships with neighborhood representatives and together we’ve worked to address a variety of local issues. I’ve served on the Veteran Affairs Commission since 2019, co-authoring legislation and working with supervisors and the mayor’s office to get it passed. As a 21-year veteran of the US Marine Corps, I’ve been a foreign military advisor, negotiating with partner nations, making compromises and deals that serve both of our interests. Few candidates have the leadership experience that I have.

Myrna Melgar

My work as Supervisor is to help District 7 constituents successfully access City services and to legislate for the City as a whole. I am a mother of 3 girls who grew up going to school and playing in District 7. Our synagogue is here. I love my neighbors, the community that my family is connected to:  I am accountable to them. 

I know the legislative process well;  before I was elected Supervisor, I worked for two different members of the Board of Supervisors, and for Mayor Newsom in the Mayor’s Office of Housing. I served as a commissioner for … read more here

Matt Boschetto

Trying to build a business and raise a family in SF, I became very frustrated by the politics of our city. For decades City Hall has been dominated by professional politicians who have prioritized ideology and career trajectories over the needs of their constituents. By challenging an incumbent, I am challenging that status quo, taking the power away from the establishment, and putting it back into the hands of the people. And I hope I will not be the only one – I hope to see others like me join this political process and serve the city we love.

Stephen Martin-Pinto

We need working-class, blue-collar representation. I’ve been a union ironworker, US Marine, and SF firefighter. I’ve seen first-hand the end results of how our city policies play out. I have unique real-world experiences and common sense perspectives that very few in politics have and will offer pragmatic solutions. We need someone with a vested personal interest in San Francisco; I was born and raised here, attended public schools here (Lowell High School) and have family here. I started this campaign myself; it’s neither a political arrangement nor a career move. I’m running because I actually care and want to improve San Francisco.

Myrna Melgar

I am running again because I want to continue serving my community. I think that my particular set of skills, knowledge and relationships are useful for District 7 as we navigate this period in the life of our city. Over the past 4 years, I have prioritized the very diverse needs of D7 through the pandemic and the recovery — and delivered on safety, support for small businesses, housing, transportation, support for families with children and seniors. We are not out of the woods just yet, but I am proud of my legislative record, and the constituent services my office has … read more here

Matt Boschetto

I want District 7 residents to feel safe on our streets and in our homes, protected by the San Francisco Police Department and our city government. At a time when funding is stretched thin and full police staffing is years away, our community voice has never mattered more. I will work hand-and-hand with D7 neighborhoods to revitalize community watch programs, advocate for City Hall to support them and work closely with precinct captains to run operations to fight specific crimes, like retail theft. Finally, I support the use of technology, like drones and cameras, to help police fulfill their mandate to keep us all safe.

Stephen Martin-Pinto

The drug markets, because it reaches into so many of the major issues facing San Francisco today, let alone the staggering cost to human lives. I have personally witnessed the human tragedy at ground level as a firefighter/EMT, and have personally administered Narcan to users who have overdosed. Normally, we’re able to revive them, but sometimes we’re not, even as their dealer is standing nearby. Witnessing the death of a drug overdose victim always stays with you. We need stronger policies and legislation against dealers to include deportation and Alexandra’s Law, all while offering abstinence-based treatment to users.

Myrna Melgar

My number one issue is to maintain District 7 as San Francisco’s best district to live, work, do business and go to school in.  Our City is changing; the pandemic also changed us. Safety issues are paramount, especially on our commercial corridors, while staffing in our police precincts is at an all time low.  We have successfully implemented a police ambassador program, funded neighborhood based safety programs and police overtime. My office has worked with City departments, Stonestown mall and the school district on a coordinated response to youth violence at the mall. I will support all strategies proven to support the safety and the feeling of safety for the D7 community.