Welcome back to the “Meet the Candidates” series for District 11, where we ask each candidate to answer one question per week leading up to the election, with answers in about 100 words.
District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safaí is termed out and running for mayor and, so far, seven candidates have thrown their hats in the ring to replace him as the representative of the Excelsior, Oceanview and the Outer Mission. We are able to hear from six of them.
While there are a lot more factors at play in the race than just money, funds raised are likely to have an impact on how big of a campaign a candidate can run, including sending out mail, organizing events, and having paid advertisements for name recognition.
In our latest analysis of the District 11 race, we laid out the campaign finance of each candidate. And this week, we are asking the District 11 supervisor candidates in detail: Tell us about your campaign finance: where did you raise the money and how have you been spending it?
Note: I will return to District 11 coffee chat after May 13, Monday. Stay tuned for more information!
Living in District 11 since November 1985 and has lived here always except for time away at college.
Ernest “E.J.” Jones
Community advocate
The majority of my donations came from friends, neighbors and family. It’s a humbling experience, because many are making sacrifices to support a candidate they believe in. We did a good job of creating gatherings where people could hear the story of the campaign and also give to the cause. Additionally, we qualified for public financing, which contributed and will contribute matching funds.
The money that has been spent thus far has been used to create and print outreach materials like flyers, signs and the website. We pay for compliance/consultant services to make sure that the finances are properly recorded and vetted for any issues.
Endorsed by: Supervisors Shamann Walton and Myrna Melgar, Assemblymember Matt Haney, Former SF mayor Willie Brown Jr., Transit Workers Union Local 250A. More here.
Living in District 11 since February 2024.
Michael Lai
Early education director, elected to the San Francisco Democratic Party
I just launched my campaign April 13, and am raising money from friends, neighbors, and supporters from my recent Democratic County Central Committee race, and organized labor. So far I’ve raised more than $50K, and spent very little, including on some nice window signs.
Endorsed by: Attorney General Rob Bonta, Senator Scott Wiener, Sheriff Paul Miyamoto, Supervisors Joel Engardio and Matt Dorsey, NorCal Carpenters Union. More here.
Living in District 11 since May 2014.
Roger Marenco
Transit operator
Unfortunately, I have not been able to raise any campaign funds.
Born in Dsitrict 11 in 1995 and has lived there since, except for time away in college from 2014 to 2017 and living in Idaho briefly from 2021 to the end of 2022.
Jose Morales
Sales profesional, small business owner
My campaign financing is clear-cut and uncomplicated. To date, our spending remains below $200, primarily allocated to website hosting and flyer printing at Office Depot, funded from my personal income.
I firmly stand by the belief that votes cannot be bought, and I am confident in my ability to secure victory without being the top fundraiser. My constituents recognize me as the leader our community needs and deserves.
Living in District 11 since August 2000.
Chyanne Chen
Worker organizer, community facilitator & educator
We are a grassroots campaign and our donations have come from longtime community members, small business owners and everyday workers who share my belief that we need to lift up working families, which are the backbone of District 11.
We have focused our spending to date on creating our campaign infrastructure and on voter contact.
Endorsed by: Assemblymember Phil Ting, former police commissioner Larry Yee, San Francisco Board of Education commissioner Jenny Lam, former supervisors Norman Yee, Sandy Fewer and Mabel Teng.
Born in District 11 in 1983, and lived there since. Moved out in 2013 and back in 2017.
Adlah Chisti
Public policy analyst, caregiver
I am a completely grassroots campaign, and have spent it on flyers in English, Spanish and Chinese. I have window signs as well.
Money raised and spent in the District 11 supervisor race
Source: San Francisco Ethics Commission, as of April 3, 2024. Chart by Junyao Yang.
Candidates are ordered alphabetically but rotated weekly. Answers may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling, and grammar. If you have questions for the candidates, please let us know at xueer@missionlocal.com.
Read the rest of the District 11 questions here, and the entire “Meet the Candidates” series here.
You can register to vote via the sf.gov website. Illustrations for the series by Neil Ballard.
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