Josh Wolf for Mayor

Introduction

The League of Young Voters (also known as the League of Pissed Off Voters) is a national organization that supports young people to build power and solve problems in our communities. In San Francisco, we have a list of 3,500 young voters including City College, San Francisco State University, and public high school students, as well as young San Francisco residents recently out of college. We have an active volunteer base pollock.jeremy@gmail.com or phone at (510) 207-9745.

Mayoral Candidate Questionnaire

1. What do you plan to do to address the current crisis of violence in San Francisco and its root causes? Would you advocate any changes to San Francisco law enforcement agencies?

Crime is a symptom of poverty and alienation; in order to reduce the rate of violent crime in San Francisco we must address these issues in addition to changing the relationship between the police and the community. First and foremost, our at-risk population need sustainable economic opportunities as an available alternative to gang activity. As mayor, I will work to develop a job corps program for our unemployed and underemployed population that will not only provide living wage employment, but I will also create an entrepreneurial program to support the development of small businesses and cooperatives. Many of the people involved in illegal gun and drug sales possess razor sharp business skills and would likely thrive if given the opportunity to start their own businesses.

The police are frequently perceived to be an occupying force. They are difficult to approach when patrolling in their vehicles and rarely act as an integral part of the community. I support a community-policing model, and feel that it is time to leave behind the paramilitary model adopted by our modern police force. The dominant form of policing in San Francisco should be foot patrols with vehicle patrols providing support as needed. The same officers should be assigned to the same beats each day so that the community can get to know its local officers and the officers get to know their community.

2. If elected, how will you ensure that all San Francisco residents, including undocumented immigrants, are protected from state- and federally-sanctioned attacks and also included in the political process?

My own experience dealing with the FBI and US Justice department demonstrated just how vulnerable our city is to attack from outside agencies. San Francisco has passed various laws to uphold and protect our values and some of these initiatives are out of sync with state and federal law. Our status as a sanctuary city has under threat from ICE and our cannabis dispensaries are constantly at risk from the DEA. In order to protect these local laws it is not only critical that our leaders act as vocal proponents but that our police force be willing to protect our city and its people. As mayor I will work to ensure that the local police are prevented from working with state and federal law enforcement without first obtaining permission from a public governmental body. Should San Francisco be unable to fend off state- and federally-sanctioned attacks, I will introduce a ballot measure to help preserve our city’s sovereignty.

Undocumented immigrants should have an active voice in deciding San Francisco’s future and allowed to vote in local elections. The city must also look toward ways to involve the people of the city in a manner that goes beyond voting. One approach that I’ve championed involves the establishment of a “sunshine government” by establishing an online forum coupled with real-world community meetings so that all residents can participate in a conversation around every issue that comes before City Hall. Such a model would allow the city to gather straw polls and to tap into the collective wisdom of San Francisco’s 750,000 residents to find the best solutions to the problems facing our city.

3. Many people—especially youth—are justifiably skeptical about voting and the electoral process, having witnessed serial and institutional voter disenfranchisement and an overall lack of representation from elected officials. If elected, what concrete steps will you take to engage young people in the electoral process?

As a young person myself, I feel that I will help engage young people in the electoral process, by virtue of being elected. Part of my motivation to run for mayor was to lead by example and demonstrate that voting is only the first step in participating in the democratic process. If elected, I will work with the Youth Commission and the Board of Education to build a comprehensive approach for encouraging young people to get involved in the civic process. This effort must go beyond PR strategies and not only include targeted voter education but also lay out pathways to empower our youth.

4. What is your position on lowering the voting age to 16 for SF elections?

I’m in favor of lowering the voting age to 16 in local elections, but only if it is accompanied by a curriculum focused on educating our students about the political process, the candidates, and the measures up for election. Without a strong educational component built into our school curriculum such an endeavor could potentially damage the democratic process as the first place students will turn to for advice will be their parents and their peers. That is why it is crucial that our youth are provided with adequate information about elections if we are to provide them with an opportunity to vote.

I firmly believe that the Board of Education should be supplemented with at least two youth commissioners who are elected and empowered with a full vote on the board. The Board of Education makes decisions affecting our students on a regular basis and yet our students do not have direct representation on the board.

5. If elected, what will be your top three legislative priorities for improving the city?

My top priorities as mayor will include reducing the homicide rate, working to develop a plan to ensure that everyone in our city has a home to call their own and building a new model for democracy in San Francisco that eschews the political machine and allows everyone has a voice in building San Francisco’s future.

6. Please list any positions you have taken on the November 6th ballot—both initiatives and candidates. Have you endorsed any candidates for 2nd or 3rd choice for Mayor? Have any candidates endorsed you?

I’m in favor of measure A, B, E and K
I oppose measures H and J
I am supporting Michael Hennessey for Sheriff and will be voting for Ahimsa Porter Sumchai as my 2nd choice for mayor. I have not decided my 3rd choice vote at this point in time. I have been endorsed by H. Brown, and Ahimsa Porter Sumchai.

7. People of color, especially African American and Latino families, have been systematically pushed out of San Francisco in the last ten years. How will you support the survival and well-being of the city's low-income communities of color?

San Francisco’s history of displacement is shameful and goes back much farther than ten years. As land in working class communities becomes more valuable, rapid development quickly pushes people out of their homes and neighborhoods. This must be stopped, and I am exploring several ways to approach the problem. One possible solution is to target vulnerable communities and establish policies for these areas that includes a moratorium on market-rate development, and condo-conversions.

8. San Francisco is facing a structural budget deficit in 2008. How do you plan to balance the budget? What programs would you cut? Can you identify any new revenue sources?

San Francisco has a budget of over six billion dollars. This money needs to be spent carefully and with adequate attention given for needs of our entire city. The city’s workforce totals almost 30,000 with some department heads earning more than the President of the United States. San Francisco is a world class city, and deserves the world’s best talent to help manage our city, but in order to run the city on a balanced budget we need to focus on the jobs that are most important to our city’s welfare and abandon the use of golden parachutes that leave the city stuck between a rock and a hard place.

I’m in favor of establishing a gross receipts tax on businesses earning over 2.5 million, and have recently started looking into the feasibility of establishing a casino on Alcatraz Island to further bolster our economy.

9. Four years after the passage of Care Not Cash, what is your opinion about the program’s effectiveness? What would you change about homeless services in the City?

Care Not Cash has not been effective. The prevalence of homelessness has not decreased under Care Not Cash and neither has the quality of life for those living on the street. Care Not Cash is filled with catch-22’s that make it very difficult for our homeless population to thrive under the program and the turn-over rate illustrates its legislative failure. The principle behind Homeless Connect is sound, but in order for it to be effective it must be accessible at all times and just a feel-good project every other month. As mayor I will work to develop 24 hour community centers in every neighborhood that provides drop-in support for the homeless and the community at large and will propose a program to provide job opportunities to our homeless population focused on harnessing their existing skills and developing new ones to create pathways for employment that improve the city as a whole.

10. In recent years, several ballot measures have sought to protect tenants and reduce the loss of rental housing due to real estate speculation. What will you do to protect low- and middle-income tenants in San Francisco from eviction and displacement? Do you believe further regulation is necessary to reduce Ellis Act evictions and the conversion of rental housing to TICs?

Rent control is probably the strongest weapon against displacement that the city has. I’m in favor of expanding rent control to our new housing stock, I support the anti-demolition ordinance and firmly believe that any rent-controlled unit subject to demolition must be replaced with affordable housing. I’m also in favor of vacancy rent control, and stronger limits for conversion to TICs. There is a dire need for further regulation to minimize the impact of the Ellis Act, and feel strongly that as San Francisco pushes working people out that the city suffers as a whole.

11. What is your plan for helping low- and middle-income San Franciscans become home owners?

While it is crucial that the City embrace home-ownership, I don’t feel that it is possible for traditional home ownership to be accessible for low and middle-income San Franciscans. Cooperatives are the best alternative I see; in order to encourage cooperative homeownership, the city should develop a program to support cooperatives as an option and offer economic incentives.

12. What concrete measures will you take to support cultural, arts, and recreational after-school activities for youth, particularly low-income youth?

San Francisco is a city filled with artists and cultural institutions, as mayor I will develop a program to partner the people involved with art and culture with the local schools to develop mentoring and other enrichment programs. I will also work to create a means for students to be informed of the new and existing opportunities available and will focus that outreach on low-income youth.

13. Many young people who grow up San Francisco lack access to job training and other opportunities they need to be able to continue to live here as adults. As Mayor, what will you do to ensure low-income San Franciscans are able to access jobs that will enable them to live here?

As part of my plan to establish 24-hour community centers in each neighborhood, I will incorporate a program to provide job training, job counseling, and access to posted jobs. This program will supplement the job corps I have proposed and these programs in conjunction will provide the means for our residents to find the full-employment they need to stay in San Francisco.

14. What are your environmental priorities for the city?

I’m a strong proponent of Community Choice Aggregation and am committed to its goal of 51% renewable energy by 2017. In order to realize this goal, the city should look into tidal power as a clean source of energy and expand its use of solar. Private automobiles are a major contributor to the city’s environmental impact, and in order to discourage their use the city should establish free MUNI for all residents and look into taxing vehicles registered within the city and imposing fees for vehicles entering the city.