good evening and welcome. i'm karen clausen, president of the league of women voters of san francisco. the league is a non-partisan, but political organization dedicated to the active and informed participation of all citizens in government. we never support or oppose candidates. however, we do take stands on issues, and so for further information about candidates and election issues, visit our website, www.sf job votes.org. we want to thank our co-sponsors for tonight's forum. the pa trer row boosters. the dog patch neighborhood association. the university of california san francisco. and media son supervisors nbc bay area, san francisco government television, sfgtv, and educational access tv, e.a. tv. you will hear from candidates for supervisor for district 10, malia cohen, christine inea, chris jackson, tony kelly, dewitt lacey, jeffrey morris, steve moss, eric smith, lynette sweet, and diane wesley smith. they will have a chance to present their views upon issues affecting the district and the city, and to answer your questions about those issues. to submit questions for the candidates, look for a league volunteer who will be handing out index cards. we will collect all questions by 6:30. i have a few housekeeping items that i'm sure you've been hearing about since you came in the door. that is no literature, campaign signs, or buttons may be distributed or posted inside of this meeting room. if you have them in your lap, put them face down on the floor or in the seat. candidates and their supporters are expected to be respectful of our candidates and the audience and to help maintain quiet during the forum. candidates are asked to make no personal attacks on other individuals. no flash photography is allowed due to the fact that that forum is being taped for broadcast by san francisco government television, sfgtv, and educational access tv, e.a. tv. finally, we would ask all in the audience and onstage to mute their cell phones and pagers. it is my great pleasure to introduce our moderator this evening, nbc bay area news anchor, calling san francisco home since 1990, tom brings decades of experience to the nbc bay area news team. among the stories he has covered are the nuclear accident at three-mile island, hurricanes hugo and agnes, the explosion of the space shuttle challenger, the los angeles riots, and the oakland hills fire storm. tom also has extensive experience covering politics. he reported live from al gore's campaign headquarters in nashville on the infamous election night of 2000 and provided coverage for the bay area from the democratic national convention in 2008 when barack obama made his historic nomination acceptance speech in denver. he has been awarded three regional emmy awards, along with numerous other awards for writing and reporting. tom lives in san francisco with his wife and two children and we are deeply honored to welcome tom. [applause] >> thank you, everybody. thank you, karen. good evening, everybody. this evening, we have 10 candidates for district tensor president. the candidates are going to have only one minute to answer questions because we have a rot of questions we want to move through tonight. you in the audience will submit all of our questions virtually, as well as questions that have been submitted to the league of women voters website at www .sfvotes.org. every candidate will have the opportunity to answer every question. because of the of candidates, unfortunately, we will not have time for rebutles. any rebutles may be included, however, in the candidates' closing statement. now, the timekeepers, they're very important. they're right here in the front row. one is a yellow card. which means, of course, take your foot off the accelerator. because the next card you'll see is the red card, which means that your minute is up. all candidates have agreed to ask their supporters to be respectful of our candidates and to maintain quiet during this forum. every aspect of the forum is going to be equally fair to all participating candidates. we know that everyone out here has a very important decision to make on november 2, so today's forum, we certainly hope will give you an opportunity to be heard. and now liths begin. and we have in the last few minutes collected some of the questions from the audience members, and i will say as we begin our discussion tonight that they are very practical in nature. so let's begin tonight by asking ms. cohen this following question. from my house, the nearest full service grocery is four miles away. even a fresh piece of produce is over two miles away. what idea do you have to bring fresh food to hunter's point? >> good evening, everyone. thank you for coming tonight. recently, over by the -- ke cal palace, a partnership between fiona's office and members of the city council and daily city. i use this as an example to help bridge the gap that we live in. we live in a food desert. we have very little access to good quality, healthy food. one of the things that i'm interested in bringing is with the development in universal paragon, the southern-most part of the city, there's an opportunity for us to first sustain the businesses that have been providing some food supplies as well asfh4jl- parth developers that understand our challenges and that are willing to bring healthy food options to the southeast part of san francisco. so to answer the question on bay vurek i'd like to see a farmer's market specifically designated on the hill. thank you. >> thank you very much. that minute is tough, we know. >> thank you. i'm christine inea. my ideas for bringing fresh produce into district 10 are as follows. one, support the opening of the fresh and easy market in third street on bay view. two, continue to support the redevelopment, which i believe will include a full service grocery store in visitation valley. third, i would like to support the redevelopment agency's efforts of the southeast food access group to remodel the super save on third street in bay view. we have a very motivated owner. the project that i'm most excited about is we are working with several partners to apply for grant funds to acquire some property to create an urban farm. this could be a community-led farm. it would go through a exunety process to determine the last model. this would be fresh food in the lute worst food desert, where we have about 99% housing and one liquor store. those are my ideas. thanks. >> thank you. mr. jackson? >> yes. it's true that we live this a food desert. and these are because of decisions that our leadership has made over the decades. it's time that we actually work our hardest to prioritize district 10 as a place where we will grow healthy food and we'll place healthy food options. first of all, we've talked about how many liquor stores are in our exunety. i actually want to work on liquor store reform. i think it's very important. other groups have worked on this before and require a certain level of certain square footage being dedicated to fresh produce. i also want to bring back urban gardening. slug was a wonderful program that employed people in the community to grow fresh fruits and vegetables. that also takes care of our public safety issues. also, we have many, many school sites in our community. we should be using these school sites on the weekends to actually impact the families and children that have farmers markets on the school sites, where successful people know how to get there and it's actually make use of existing space. thank you. >> mr. kelly? >> this kind of issue is where land use gets real. land use determines who lives here and who works here and how they do it, so it really is the number one issue in this race. it's where i've done a lot of my work over the last decade, educating myself and our neighborhoods about land use with the neighborhood association. specifically on this issue, ms. inie a has the right ideas, supporting opportunities in the development areas. we can finance. we can provide some help for fresh produce along third street. we need to bring back more redevelopth resources to do that. we used to have 11 greenhouses in the district. now we have one and it's falling apart. bring back more people powered green economy urban agriculture. thanks. >> mr. lacey? >> thank you. dewitt lacey. there's a few things that i think we could do to alleviate so. the problems around fresh produce. one, i do believe we do need to promote a farmer's market within the bay view hunter's point area, as well as have local farms, and opportunities like farms that i helped restore out off of alameda boulevard. those are types of thing we could do within our public housing development. not only give people a resource to their own freshly grown products, but also give kids some knowledge about growing plants and our vegetation. things they so desperately need. as well, i think we should support community developments that have food marts within them as well. >> ms. morris? >> hi, in the bay view, we did have a farmer's market, but it didn't go so well and it wasn't really participated. but we have community-based organizations like hunter's point that are going to get a juice bar. so maybe working with our current non-profits like hunter's point family gardens and creating a juice bar, making our major train, have more edible, desirable food in the neighborhood, as well as supporting the fresh and easy in the other developth. but immediately, we need to make the major changes, which is holding foods accountable for giving our community quality food in the bay view area. >> mr. moss? >> i'm steve moss. i think first we need to understand that a lack of a grocery is an indication of a community that has larger needs. when you have a wealthy community that has jobs, there are grocery stores. so here we have a community that is deficit in jobs and public transportation and all kinds of things, and the supermarket and access to grocery store is just one indication of that. now, my non-profit san francisco community power that i founded 10 years ago started working with super save eight years ago to help put them on the track of providing fresh fruits and vegetables. we provided refrigeration as part of our project in order to help them do that. we've also been working with the san francisco wholesale produce mart for the last 10 years to help them also expand access to fresh fruits and vegetables. that's actually a central place where almost all the fruits and vegetables come through to the city and are disbursed to the other neighborhoods. we should bring home school lunch money and buy our fresh fruits and vegetables from local producers that can be made and produced in district 10. thanks very much. >> and we appreciate the energy and the excitement about the issues tonight from the league of women voters. they have asked that the candidates remain seated. mr. smith. >> thank you, tom. eric smith. fresh and easy is a company from england. what i'd like to see them do is first become a union, which would be great, and also to hire from the community. that should be first and foremost. it is a food desert. we need a lot of different options and opportunities. you've heard about using our schools as a hub for farmers markets and the like. i do a lot of urban farming myself. we have some 85 geets out -- goats out there that we use. i think it's very important to do that. we'll see what happens. i'd like to encourage that. i'd like to see a supermarket there. it is a food desert and we need to do something about that and change that. thank you. >> now, ms. sweep? >> i'd like to say that right now there is a grocery store. it's inadequate in its current capacity. the redevelopment agency, in conjunction with our current sitting supervisor sophie maxwell, have worked out a deal to expand that footprint and turn it into a kroger. that's going to be a major impact on on what goes on in our district because we will have a full service grocery store. fresh and easy is going to be a wonderful complement to that store because it will give us those fresh fruits and vegetables that we're looking for, but in addition, the community gardens are going on right now all overbay view hunter's point, are providing a lot of what we see in some of our schools right now, because even the food bank that's located in district 10 draws from those. so what i'm saying is that we have some of these resources available. all we need to do now is correct the way they're configured. and that's going to happen with the expansion of food co. >> ms. smith? >> thank you. diane wesley smith. we don't have enough. we don't have enough in visitation valley, sunnydale, little hollywood. we have a lot of communities in district 10. i'm all for -- we need to partner with large businesses and we need to do it now. we really should be at the table now. we can't wait until november. through partnership, we can have in each district their own -- even a mini safeway or a mini food co-. i shop there all the time. they don't have to go somewhere else. so i say smart planning. i say we have to think big. we have a population unlike -- the likes of which we have never seen. we have not managed before. it needs to be on a large scale and it needs to be done spartly and we must -- every neighborhood in our district should have the ability to reach that location to shop. you can't come from patrero hill food co. >> thank you, candidates. we're right on time. well-done. let's go to our next question. an interesting question from one of the members of the audience. as district tensor, you are going to represent three growing neighborhoods we might have, some different and distinct areas in district 10. how do you intend to balance your attention as the supervisor? and let's start this time with ms. inea. >> thank you. that's a great question. i think the only way that the next supervisor can give appropriate attention to all or parts of district 10 is to create a functioning, regular network of communications with deputies in every neighborhood that regularly report into the supervisor's office and keep the supervisor informed of what's going on, what the needs are, what the obstacles are. the geographically biggest district in san francisco. we are the most diverse. we have the most children and we are going to need to put a lot of investment in neighborhood schools to make sure that we serve our children. i think that as somebody who lived in all parts of san francisco, i have a great sense of the differing needs among the district, and i live right now at the cross roads of tremendous change, facing every type of change coming to our district. so i feel i'm well-suited to serve all corners of the district. i am going to depend on every sungle resident of district 10 to participate and communicate. >> mr. jackson? >> how i would answer this question is even though we live in different neighborhoods, we oftentimes fail to see that we have parallel issues. and these issues are around affordable housing, appropriate job opportunities, and just creating safe neighborhoods. and i think that district 10 is one of the last remaining working class districts in san francisco where two carpenters, two plumbers, you know, two city workers can still live here and have a decent quality of life. and it's time for all three of our neighborhoods -- actually, probably 10 of our neighborhoods to actually get together and form one district 10 fission. we are not separate neighborhoods. we are one district and we need to unite around those three issues to really move our district four where we can continue to have a working class nabet. i will do that by working hard to have a district office, keeping district hours, actually attended all of our neighborhood association meetings and ensuring that everyone knows what's going on. putting all the content online. it really needs to be one district vision. thank you. >> mr. kelly? >> well, there are examples about how we've done that. one of the first things i worked on was redistricting in 2002. where environmental justice in particular in bay view the district you see now, instead of the alternate proposal. that is the first thing i worked on, working with the neighborhood associations. and the rezoning in the past few years, i have built alliances. it is those type of alliances that are the only way to make things work. you work with the people and the people across the neighborhoods. that's why i have the support i have in communities throughout the district. >> definitely, you are going to the alliance is to make something like that happen. what i would like to do as supervisor is have a community council form of regular community members of different backgrounds and areas, but throughout the district. i would not call it a blue ribbon committee. that lends itself to the idea that there's only a certain status of folks that would be involved. i think we need to have voices from every segment of the communities in district 10. i would like to at least make a quarterly of parentappearance. that is a way to keep in touch, and also allow me an opportunity to report what our progress is at city hall, and to report to me what some of the new issues are on the ground that i might not be aware of at the moment. >> ms. morris. >> one of the great things that i did when i decided to run, i got on many community neighborhood yahoo! groups. you really get to know the heart of the community. what do the people want? we have a problem with vacant cars. i know we are excited about -- you read about what is going on in the community, and then you have a natural way of knowing. of course, attending meetings in creating the council will keep an ear into the community. having an open door policy at city hall, as well as having an office in the community, and an open line of dialogue through e- mailsg have an open dialogue on facebook. people want to be connected to their leaders now more than ever. thank you. >> it is hard not to want to stand up. i'm the only district in canada it to have collected 1000 signatures to put my name on the ballot. i did that would be helpful folks in this audience. we all know that san francisco is a city of neighborhood. each neighborhood takes special pride. each one has a t-shirt. i can tell you that because i have bought them. in order to lead a district as diverse as district 10, you need to understand the neighborhoods and their very special characters, and honor those things. and then you have to find commonalities. the district has unique problems. many of them have to do with development. all of us want a stifafe street. all of us want a job. let's find a way to have a common solutions. >> i'm tempted to ask a follow up. mr. smith. >> yes, steve brings up a good point. i travel all around district 10. there is a common thread that combines all. we always want to know --j" schools going to be open? are there going to be jobs? is there going to be adequate housing? that is what everybody wants. i do not care where you are from. we all need to have those same things. as a supervisor, i will fight to make sure we have those things. we all pay good taxes. we want the services that we moved here for, that we care about. @ñ know there will e transparency. that is what a supervisor has to do to unite the community. they have to make sure that your voices are heard, that you get what you want, that you get what you pay for. that's what i need to do. that's what a supervisor needs to do. that is what i would like to do. thank you. >> thank you. i am an elected member right now. my district covers nine cities in three bay area counties. everybody wants your attention. with the nine cities, you have to figure out how those priorities are going to work. for me, it is easy. it is an open door policy. everybody's issue is important. how did you prioritize? you really do not. you find the commonalities. for me, having those nine cities that i had to deal with from berkeley to san francisco -- you are looking at very diverse populations. they all had one thing in common. they needed their director to work with them on what ever the transportation issues are. the same thing is happening in district 10. big issues, employment, safety, health, resources for our next generation -- those are things that are common to all of us. we can work together on those things. thank you. >> ms. smith. >> i cannot use up my time picking up my signed. i agree up in all of the neighborhoods that are in district 10. the old guard has failed us. the old leadership has failed us. we will take some of the old and bring some of the new. the new minds must sit at the table. i went to a junior high school that no longer exists. the issues in portola are different. they are talking about graffiti in portola. in dade you punters point, we're talking about different issues. i would separate and meet in different communities, and then we come together. we have a task force. and then we have one together. >> thank you. >> thank you. ladies and gentlemen. when we look at the audience tonight, we are able to see exactly what the faces look like of district 10. we have people from different areas. . this is a perfect example of what a community district can look like. a group of concerned individuals coming together that are important to all of the district. a few things that i would prioritize -- utilizing 21st century technology, leveraging one-to-one communication. i've been able to marshal support from folks within the women's community, the african- american community, the italian- american community, and folks from the lgbt community. that's what we need, a unified voice and a unified vision. no more can we stand to be polarized. thank you. >> once again, well done candidates. òt[lágnow we're really going tot you. we start this time with mr. jackson. what do you think can be done to address the unacceptably high rates of asthma in district 10 children, and the health problems caused by pollution? >> that is a great question. we have our wonderful current supervisor here in the audience. i want to commend her leadership on beating the fight to close down the bay view