John Avalos
Born: Wilmington, CA, 1964
Current Gig: San Francisco Supervisor
Why should we vote for you?
Because I have a vision for a working San Francisco that puts progressive values into action and puts people first, not the corporations, the well off, or the well-connected. I authored and passed the nation’s strongest Local-Hiring ordinance last year, which was a token of my commitment to put San Franciscans in the building trades back to work, and which as Mayor I hope to expand into all sectors, to create a channel from our education system to the green- and blue-collar jobs of tomorrow.
List a few of your most significant endorsements. Which one do you feel best exemplifies the reasons why you are running for mayor?
SF Bike Coalition, SEIU 1021, United Educators of San Francisco, and the Harvey Milk LGBT Club. I’m also proud to be endorsed by the San Francisco Democratic Party, as well as one of my local heroes, Assemblyman Tom Ammiano.
What's your favorite place in San Francisco?
The Camera Obscura behind the Cliffhouse.
What is the single biggest issue facing San Francisco right now?
Lack of transparency and accountability at City Hall has contributed to all the major issues I see affecting San Francisco, namely draconian budget cuts to our public parks and departments, lack of adequate affordable and rent-controlled housing, a rapidly shrinking living-wage jobs market, and a lack of commitment to quality education and the arts.
Over the past year, Muni's on-time percentage dropped for the first time in five years, largely due to budget-related service cutbacks. As mayor, what would you to do make Muni better?
The MTA is an every day issue for many residents of this city, and I will make it an every day issue for my Administration. It has been used as an ATM by past administrations, with millions going to other departments instead of serving riders. As a result, Muni services have been cut while fares have doubled. Every neighborhood should have access to timely, affordable and accessible public transit options. I’ll put a stop to work orders from the MTA to other departments, so that we can reduce overtime and provide riders with the service they deserve, fully fund and implement the TEP, and provide free passes for youth and students to make San Francisco a truly transit-first City.
What do you think of Prop. E, which would allow the Board to amend or repeal laws passed by voters?
I’m very much opposed. I signed the Ballot Agreement against it.
The City’s policy towards homelessness has stayed pretty much the same since the passage of Care Not Cash. Do you think the city’s homeless policies, as they’re currently functioning, are largely effective in doing what they’re designed to accomplished? As mayor, is there anything you would do differently?
Over the past two decades, the responses to homelessness have been based on politics rather than sound effective policy; the homelessness debate has focused nearly exclusively on single adults, ignoring the fact that families make up 40% of the homeless population. The needs of homeless families must be inserted into the debate, as well as the goal of keeping families in their homes and preventing homelessness, especially when so many of our residents are facing foreclosure or eviction.
As Mayor, I want to address the root causes of homelessness, and ensure our tax dollars are used effectively to expand programs for all homeless people, including families. I will invest in community-based care and substance abuse and mental health services, so that people get the help they need, as opposed to ending up in costly emergency care situations or in our jail system. As Mayor, I will redirect the endless resources that have gone towards the ineffective method of criminalizing homeless people, in order to invest in true and permanent solutions, such as housing, jobs, treatment, and dignified emergency services.
While the Continuum of Care contains carefully crafted solutions to homelessness, there are literally hundreds of recommendations. They don’t fit into sexy sound bites, nor are they necessarily issues that will launch a political career. They will however, make a real difference in the lives of homeless people, as they come directly from experts, homeless people themselves and community members. As Mayor, I would go far beyond implementing the steps outlined below and commit to honoring community in addressing this crisis that affects all of us.
How well do you think the deal for America's Cup was negotiated by the city? Is there anything you would have done differently as mayor?
As Chair of the Budget Committee last year, I fought to minimize the impact to our general fund. I am proud of the results.
Overall, we might be on the right track on the America’s Cup, but we have a long way to go with building infrastructure for port facilities and transit for the AC. I am also concerned about how we are deliberately created jobs for local San Franciscans and want in the spirit of my Local-Hiring ordinance. Every time a big project comes forward developers and proponents talk about jobs for local San Franciscans but the reality during construction is also different.
I will secure strong arts programming in relationship to America’s Cup, in order to ensure that local neighborhood artists are highlighted and the unique character of San Francisco is given an opportunity to shine.
I will also make bicycling a huge part of transit planning opportunities for the America’s Cup event. We are on the cusp of becoming a truly remarkable cycling city, and we have the opportunity to show the visitors here for the first time how well that can work.
The America’s Cup experience should be very specifically San Francisco, we need to be sure that we are using the events at the waterfront to drive people to the many distinct and remarkable commercial corridors around the city, so the small businesses see the boost and get the exposure they need.
Describe Gavin Newsom in two words.
Smoke ‘n’ mirrors.
Describe Willie Brown in three words.
corporate-juiced operator
Describe Chris Daly in four words.
He’s always right, sometimes.