My name is Sandra Lee Fewer. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to introduce myself to you as a candidate for District 1 Supervisor.

My Richmond Roots

I am a fourth generation Chinese American San Franciscan, and my husband, John Fewer, and I have lived in the Richmond for over 50 years. We raised our three children here, Sara, Colleen and Rory, and have deep roots in this neighborhood. The entire family has attended Richmond District public schools. It’s here that I served as PTA President for 12 terms, then continued to serve my neighborhood and City as a School Board Commissioner. My husband served for 35 years as a San Francisco police officer, retiring in 2012 at Richmond District Station. It is the only real home we have ever known, and we wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

iving back to San Francisco

Our family history is rooted in San Francisco. My great grandfather started the first Chinese produce business in San Francisco’s Chinatown. My husband’s father, Brian Fewer, founded Friends of the Urban Forest and San Francisco Beautiful. After graduating from Washington High School, I attended City College of San Francisco and proudly earned my AA Degree. I went on to receive my BA degree in Justice Administration and a Masters of Public Administration degree at Golden Gate University. I am running for the Board of Supervisors because I want to give back to the neighborhood that has served my family so well and because of the real love I have for this City. In my decisions as Supervisor, I will always keep in mind what the Richmond has been and is to so many seniors, small businesses, families and others who call this neighborhood home.

My Passion for Bettering our Schools

In my early years of marriage, I was at a stay-at-home mom and became a very active volunteer in our public schools. I served as a PTA President and member of multiple school site councils, put on carnivals and teacher appreciation luncheons, arranged field trips, coordinated events and volunteers, and raised money for Richmond District schools. Our home was the “neighborhood after school hangout,” filled with my children’s classmates, and often their moms too.

In 2001, I began working for Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth as the Director of Parent Organizing and Educational Policy. I presented parent rights workshops to over 500 parents each year and trained several parents to be leaders in their schools and in their communities. In 2008, with community support, I was elected to the School Board for the San Francisco Unified School District. In 2010, I was elected to the San Francisco Democratic Party and served for two years. I ran for a second term on the School Board in 2012 and came in first citywide.

Getting Things Done

I’m proud of what I have been able to accomplish in my eight years on the School Board.

• I organized the effort to build 115 units of affordable family housing on school district surplus property;

• I reformed the school application process to make it easier for students to attend their own neighborhood schools;

• I created the first ever local hire policy for the San Francisco Unified School District;

• I instituted Ethnic Studies in all high schools;

• I authored a resolution allowing evicted students to remain in their school until the end of the year.

• I started the process to offer Mandarin language in non-immersion elementary schools.

Every single one of these resolutions was done in partnership with, and in response to, community stakeholders. In 2013, I was elected Vice President to the Board of Education, and in 2014, I was elected President.  I am currently finishing my eighth year on the Board of Education.

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A Caretaker for the Richmond

As Supervisor, I would be a caretaker for the residents of the Richmond District. I know the Richmond inside and out and will work hard to preserve the wonderful neighborhood we live in. On the School Board, I led a new era of consensus, results-oriented leadership. I have heard from thousands of San Franciscans throughout my years as a parent, community organizer and School Board member. These voices remind me what is at stake when I vote on policies. I understand the trust of the public is sacred, and am so encouraged by the many San Franciscans standing behind my vision for an affordable, safe and diverse Richmond District!

I won’t just promise to be a champion for our community -- I have the proven track record to get the job done.

Marjan Philhour is an accomplished small-business owner and working mom with two decades of experience in public service at all levels: local, state, and national. Marjan’s parents immigrated to the United States from Iran and the Philippines; she was born in the Richmond District at the French Hospital on Geary at 5th Avenue and grew up in the Bay Area. She returned to the Richmond District a decade ago and is raising her three young children here. Her husband Byron, a former research astrophysicist and now high school physics teacher, was also born in San Francisco.

Marjan graduated from UC Berkeley. Her first job out of college was in the office of the late Congressman Tom Lantos, the only Holocaust survivor ever to be elected to the US House of Representatives. She learned from Rep. Lantos that the first responsibility of an elected official is to his or her constituents, and was primarily concerned with helping to solve the everyday problems of residents of his District. 

In Washington, D.C., Marjan moved on to work with Democratic women leaders including Rep. Nita Lowey (D-New York), Rep. Lynn Rivers (D-Michigan) and the Committee on Education and the Workforce. Her work in D.C. revolved around the rights of women, the environment, labor, and education.

Marjan returned to California to work in the office of then-Governor Gray Davis as a Senior Advisor to the Chief of Staff, former Congresswoman and pioneering feminist Lynn Schenk. Marjan served in the Governor’s office during the historic energy crisis.

Following this, Marjan moved into campaigns, working to elect Senator John Kerry as President as well as with the Alliance for a Better California, an organization that successfully defeated the anti-labor ballot propositions proposed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Marjan opened her own small-business in San Francisco about a decade ago, with the goal of supporting Democrats running for office and helping nonprofits with strategic communications, fundraising, and campaigns. She successfully grew her organization from a small staff of 2-3 to a larger staff of 12 during the worst of the Great Recession while at the same time pregnant with her first, second, and then third child. She continues to speak to student groups and political training organizations with the aim of making space for newcomers, particularly women and women of color like herself.

Marjan filed to run for Supervisor on January 1, 2015, the first possible date, because she knew that her background, skills, priorities and values would make an excellent fit to a Richmond District facing multiple challenges, from housing affordability to transportation infrastructure to crime and cleanliness, to struggling small businesses.

I'm running for Supervisor in the Richmond District because it is time for a change. Decades of timid and ineffective leadership have left our neighborhood at a crossroads. This election offers a clear choice: a fresh direction, or more of the same.

Vision

I want the Richmond District to be a place where my three young children can grow up and raise their own kids. I want to develop lasting infrastructure and return reliability and stability to our civic institutions. I want us to think creatively and collaboratively about providing housing options that are more affordable to residents at all income levels.

I am not running as an activist or an ideologue, but as a leader who listens to her constituents and who has the experience and temperament necessary to seek out and deliver consensus-based solutions 

Over my twenty years of public service, I've seen government do good things when focused on serving constituents and not just shouting down the opposition. This election is an opportunity to create a better, stronger Richmond - my campaign is a campaign of Yes! 

   Yes! Our core values as a community can drive our politics. 

   Yes! We can have clean sidewalks, safe streets, thriving businesses.

   Yes! We can address the housing shortage that leads to rent hikes, evictions, displacement, and this growing sense of insecurity for us all.

   Yes! We can invest in our infrastructure, public transit, and public education without breaking the budget. 

Action

The Richmond District needs a leader with experience in successfully managing multiple complex projects at once, who has run a small business and knows how hard it is to make payroll. We need a leader who thoughtfully plans for future generations of San Franciscans. My goal is to lead on the issues with my ears and heart wide open.

The issues we face include:

• Neighborhood Integrity and Housing Affordability
• Local Business and Engaged Government
• Supportive Housing for the Homeless and Addressing Street Behavior
• Public Safety and Police Accountability
• Public Education and High Expectations
• Traffic, Parking, and Pedestrian Safety
• Our Responsibility to Future Generations 

Read more on my take on these issues here.

Results

In my time as a small business owner, community advocate, Senior Advisor to the Chief of Staff in the California Governor's Office, and as a Legislative Aide in the US Capitol, I have worked to defend and expand protections for working people, families, women, people of color, educators, and the environment. I have created dozens of jobs for San Francisco residents and worked to ensure women, particularly women of color, have a seat at the table in Bay Area politics.  

As an involved Richmond District neighbor and mom, I worked to support merchants in the creation of the Balboa Village Merchants Association, as well as organized the First Annual BalBOOa Fright Fest!, a Halloween festival and merchant walk that brings businesses and nearby families together to enjoy the holiday in our own neighborhood. I currently serve in a volunteer capacity as President of the Friends of the Commission on the Status of Women and with other nonprofits.  

The decisions we make and the plans we implement today here in the Richmond will have a direct impact on the lives of our children and grandchildren. With my candidacy, I aim to amplify the voices of working people, families, and all of us in the Richmond District who desire a brighter future for our neighborhoods.

Say YES to a Leader Who Listens 

I look forward to earning your support, and your vote. 

Please check out my YouTube channel to see more about my political philosophy and my take on the issues.

David Lee is a proud native San Franciscan who, along with his wife and two kids, has made the Richmond District his home for over 30 years. He attended Wallenberg High School and San Francisco State University where he now teaches. Most importantly, he has dedicated his life to educating students and neighbors alike how to engage their community and make their neighborhood better. He has a proven record of fighting for the Richmond District.

When David was the Chair of the Community Police Advisory Board he worked with stakeholders across the District to push for stop lights at dangerous intersections.

As Recreation and Park Commission, David oversaw improvements to parks and facilities such as the Cabrillo Playground and Richmond Rec Center because he understands facilities and amenities like these are what make the Richmond District a great place to live.

David is also the Executive Director of a non-profit focused on registering voters and educating them about their political process. His fight against disenfranchisement empowered more than 100,000 people by registering under-represented communities to vote.

As a teacher of Political Science at SFSU, David has taught the future generation the importance of getting involved and inspired them to take action to make their government more open. He helped students organize and push for live streaming all city hearings making City Hall more accessible for everyone.

David understands that neighbors are increasingly concerned about the rising cost of housing, the quality of public transportation and the safety of our streets. He is running for Supervisor to take these issues head on. He has the proven leadership record to solve these challenges.

In 2012, David ran for Supervisor in District 1.

Although he was not elected, David remained active in the community organizing voter registration drives, neighborhood needs assessments, and community meetings on issues such as homelessness and quality of life.  

As a teacher at San Francisco State University, David continues to teach the future generations of the importance of getting involved in the political process and inspiring them to take action to make government more open and transparent.  In 2015, students in his class crafted Proposition E in an effort to increase public participation in government.  

From his childhood to now, David is driven by a deep sense of purpose to serve the community.  His work has been about fighting for others to make our community a safe and vibrant place for children and families.

As the next Supervisor, he will fight for you and provide real leadership for the Richmond.

Let me set out my vision and values for the Richmond District. 30 years ago I moved to a garden apartment in the back of a garage under a pair of flats on 2nd Avenue off Fulton Street. I discovered roast turkey sandwiches at Arguello Super, I explored Golden Gate Park and the Presidio, I found a job. San Francisco took me in as an immigrant, as it has taken in immigrants and newcomers and visitors for generations, as it has cherished and cheered its old-timers and natives and worked things out. And I became an ardent San Franciscan, cultivating and celebrating San Francisco values: tolerance, empathy, compassion, imagination, intelligence, whimsy, love, liberty, peace.

I'm proud and fortunate to live in a place with safe walkable streets, parks and beaches and playgrounds of all shapes, thriving local shops and restaurants, good transit and transportation options, generations of houses and apartments, and a sparkling world of languages and cultures and people, inclusive and diverse and neighborly. These are the big community issues I'm already working on, and eager to take to City Hall as your Supervisor.

My big issues (there's certainly more than this):

Housing That’s Affordable and Available:  San Francisco’s housing crisis weighs crushingly on our neighborhoods, our families and our friends, threatening and displacing more and more of us, tearing at our communities and challenging our political response and engagement. Who gets to live in the Richmond District? And how do we protect what’s real and authentic about the Richmond District in a dynamic growing city?

• Strengthen eviction and displacement protections, maintain existing rent-controlled homes
• Extend and protect workforce housing affordability through community land trusts, foundation housing, ADUs
• Create more new homes, at more levels of affordability, especially on rapid transit corridors like Geary Blvd

Safe, Healthy Streets: We deserve neighborhoods with safe, inviting, walkable, bike-able streets, and we can have them. Walking and biking to school builds community, relieves traffic, and gets kids to school energized and ready to learn.

• Vision Zero – Eliminate fatalities and serious injuries on our streets by 2024 (sooner)
• Safe Routes to Every School (and Park, and Library) – Everyone should be able to walk to their neighborhood park, or get there by bike, safely and pleasantly

Excellent Transit and Transportation: Thousands of District 1 neighbors already move by Muni – we need transit systems that are even more attractive and reliable for the future, and other practical transportation options, for local trips and across the region.

• Outstanding Geary transit serving a walkable shoppable livable Geary corridor
• Muni service as attractive and convenient as driving for many trips
• Bicycling as attractive and convenient as driving for most trips

Strong, Reliable Infrastructure: We’re a dynamic, growing city built on dunes and seismic fault lines, so we’ve got to be even smarter about our municipal infrastructure, to keep the essential machinery and framework of our city running safely and smoothly.

• Sustainable budgeting and funding for infrastructure – plan for resilient sufficient systems, efficient ongoing maintenance and operations, not constant catch-up on crumbling streets and sewers
• Complete Streets thinking and operations – coordinate agency efforts, spend a dollar once, win many benefits, make our neighborhoods stronger and healthier

 Let me know how this sounds, and please get involved in my campaign if you want to lend a hand!

Richie Greenberg was born in New York City, grew up on Long Island, moved to Los Angeles for college, then settled in San Francisco. He loves travel, local and ethnic cuisine, photography and videography, the symphony, as well as events and shows. You can find him watching a Giants or 49ers game at a sports bar on Clement Street, at Ocean Beach flying a kite or watching Sandcastle contests, and walking the Farmer's Market. He attends concerts in Golden Gate Parks such as Outside Lands, the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival, Alice Radio's Summer Thing, Power to the Peaceful, and myriad outdoor gatherings in The Richmond and activities beyond such as Sunday Streets, the Edwardian Ball and the Charles Dickens Fair. Richie is one of you, a local guy. He went to public schools, elementary through high school, and he primarily rides public transportation across San Francisco. He has a motorcycle license and is a fan of Italian motorcycles.

He also has a natural passion for cultures and languages, and has studied (and speaks) Spanish, French, Hebrew and some German. He has traveled frequently to France, Germany, Mexico City and Israel among other locales, leading to a deep understanding of lifestyles, business practices and norms of other societies besides our own.

In his youth, Richie was a part of community building and social outreach- having joined and eventually becoming vice president of Interact, a high school affiliate of Rotary Club. He played trumpet in the school band from 4th grade through 12th grade. He was also a member of his high school's varsity Archery Team. In his early 20's, he co-founded an officially chartered campus Jewish social organization at California State University Fullerton. The following summer, he volunteered on a kibbutz in Israel, working the land, planting trees and tending to children's needs while touring the country and studying Hebrew through the University of Haifa. In his mid 30's, Richie was an active member of Business Network International, the weekly networking organization, where he served as president of a local chapter. He trained with the Beverly Hills Fencing Team in 2000. In 2005, he was a member of a Yacht racing team based in Sausalito, and competed in multiple regattas sailing San Francisco Bay throughout the year. Richie is a regular photography contributor to the Bill Graham Menorah Project. He is a strong supporter of San Francisco's dynamic Jewish community, as an active adherent of Sephardic Judaism.

Richie is fiscally conservative democrat, yet beleives the issues which we face in San Francisco shuold not be addressed based on liberal, progressive, moderate nor democratic/republican leanings.