Part 1 of a multipart series
District 2
Stephen Sherrill
Supervisor Sherrill reiterated he is focused on results and exclaimed he will continue to be laser-focused on “delivering needs of [his] constituency every day.” He highlighted a couple of his major initiatives as supervisor, such as drafting legislation to combat drug use near parks and schools, removing conditional-use permitting for retail businesses along Van Ness Avenue, and being responsive to issues as minor as helping fix cracked sidewalks.
Sherrill remained adamant by claiming the Marina Safeway proposal is “not appropriate for this site.” Though he emphasized the need to make it easier to build (housing) across the city, including in District 2, such as by lowering construction costs. The latter he has consistently raised; however, he has yet to identify how he will lower construction costs.
He also stayed consistent with his stance regarding the November ballot measures to fund transit by exclaiming, “[I] cannot be more in favor for the parcel tax and regional sales tax.” Before all supervisors jump to support these measures, the reality is they need to take a deeper dive and further question SFMTA and their financial management and priorities.
Last, when DCCC member Michael Nuygen asked how Sherrill would restore faith in government, Sherrill referred to his proactive initiative to form a biweekly council leading up to the opening of Wells Place, a Salvation Army facility in the Marina late last summer. Personally, I give him credit for this initiative. I attended multiple meetings, and he brought in all relevant departments, kept an open dialogue, and eased the tensions leading up to the opening of the facility.
Lori Brooke
When it was Brooke’s turn to face the DCCC, oddly, only one member of the committee had a question for the 19-year president of the Cow Hollow Neighborhood Association, Founder of Neighborhoods United SF, and Rescue SF.
The meat of her interview was focused on the Marina Safeway proposal. Brooke brought up that the environmental aspect of the project is being discussed less, and that it should be discussed more. Brooke cited “residents should have full transparency about the foundation system put in place.” She continued by stating “before approving any project such as this in that specific site, we need a clear confirmation from, for instance, the California Department of Toxic Substances and Control, along with the Regional Water Quality Control Board.”
She doubled down on her disapproval of the project by citing its height and the lack of planning for infrastructure such as traffic, emergency access, transit capacity, and parking.
Brooke also provided validation that the project is disapproved of across all ages of the community by sharing what she has learned in conversations with young people while campaigning around Fort Mason, specifically the lack of affordability and the feasibility of raising a family in the proposed unit sizes in the current proposal.
Brooke closed the Marina Safeway segment by creating awareness for her efforts that is bringing community and merchant associations together to advocate for a “responsible scaled project, with real infrastructure and genuine affordability.”
To wrap up her interview, Trevor Chandler asked her why she thought budget conversations wouldn’t be very hard. The question stemmed from a slip-up during the most recent District 2 candidate debate at the First Unitarian Universalist Church and Center on Feb. 12, when Brooke ended her segment on a budget question by stating, “This year is not a budget year, it is every two years, so this is a little bit of a breather.” During her answer at the DCCC interview, she reaffirmed that she would look for bloat, cut excess, and identify potential overlapping spending.
The DCCC endorsed current Supervisor Stephen Sherrill.
District 4
Albert Chow
The first interview from the District 4 supervisor race was small business owner and People of Parkside Sunset President Albert Chow. Chow is a 50-year resident of the Sunset and feels his district hasn’t had true representation in years.
When DCCC member Gordon Mar asked each District 4 candidate how they felt about spending in elections, referencing GrowSF recently announcing $2 million to support candidates in the upcoming 2026 elections, Chow claimed, “[I’m] not a politician by nature … from the grassroots … doing it the old-fashioned way.” On Feb. 2, according to Mission Local, Chow had raised significantly less than his two main competitors, only $6,151 at the time.
The moment that created some tension during the interview was when DCCC member Michael Nuygen asked Chow about not filing taxes for certain years for his nonprofit, People of Parkside Sunset. He referenced that it was an honest mistake during Covid, had young kids, and “have filed them all now.”
Chow concluded by reiterating he will work for “my constituents, not anybody else.” You can feel the hustle, probably stemming from his small-business background, and the heartfelt demeanor Chow holds.
Natalie Gee
Second in the District 4 Supervisor interview line was Natalie Gee, current legislative aide to District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton.
She cited her upbringing in her introduction, referencing that she accompanied and acted as a translator for her mom at community meetings when growing up. She ended with saying she’s been in community roles for over 20 years and that “working families will have a voice inside City Hall” if she is elected.
The climax of Gee’s interview was when DCCC member, Trevor Chandler asked her why she opposed the 2022 Board of Education and Chesa Boudin recalls. She emphasized she was “always against recalls” except Engardio’s. Maybe because she saw a path to a new job within City Hall?
When Mar asked her feelings about increased spending in elections, Gee stated that she would “refuse to take corporate PAC money” and that she is against buying elections. While the former is true, the latter is certainly contradictory. Despite Gee raising $67,250 up until Feb. 2 (according to Mission Local), exceeding her candidate’s running mate’s amount raised by double combined.
Notably, when Nuygen asked, “What would you do to reverse that?” his reference to reversing the lack of faith in government today. Gee confidently stated, “more education” on how City Hall works and “listen to what people want” versus making top down decisions.
Alan Wong
Like Gee, current Supervisor Alan Wong recognized his upbringing. His parents emigrated from Hong Kong and he was born and raised in the Sunset. Wong highlighted he went to Lincoln High School and served as a union organizer and officer in the Army National Guard.
President of the DCCC, Nancy Tung, asked a similar question to Gordon Mar’s regarding how Wong feels about large sums of money being invested into the upcoming election, both from groups like GrowSF and also labor unions.
Note that Supervisor Wong was Mar’s legislative aide when Mar was District 4 supervisor. Wong cited his learnings from his political science classes at U.C. San Diego that “pluralistic democracy” is the reality of how our democracy functions, whether one agrees or not. Wong reaffirmed “he has to balance and consider the different perspectives of all the special interest groups.”
Supervisor Wong’s boss, Gordon Mar asked a similar question to Tung, though urged Wong to spell out the difference he sees between labor unions and organizations like GrowSF. Wong expressed that “it’s up to me to carry on my own life values.” How Wong defines his life values may still be in question with his constituents in District 4, given his short time in office.
Wong did not have allotted time for closing statements.
While not mentioned in their respective summaries, each candidate supports the petition drive to reopen the Upper Great Highway on weekdays.
The DCCC endorsed current Supervisor Alan Wong.
While the interview questions were unknown to audience members leading up to the evening. One remotely paying attention to local politics could’ve guessed the Democratic County Central Committee would end up endorsing the incumbents.
Part 2 will feature Board of Education candidates and San Francisco Superior Court Judge, Seat 16.
Griffin Lee is an organizer with ConnectedSF.