Election forum hosts poltical candidates at Diego Rivera Theatre

By Isaiah Kramer
The Guardsman

In anticipation of November elections, San Francisco candidates running for local, state and national offices were invited to speak at a public forum held at City College’s Diego Rivera Theatre on Saturday.

City College collaborated with the Philippine American Press Club to organize the forum as both a tool for voter education and an opportunity for the public to participate in the democratic process.

“We’d like the Filipino community and other underrepresented communities to have a voice,” said PAPC President Esther Chavez.

Because of their audience, many candidates addressed issues concerning the Filipino community and other individuals who are neglected in the political process.

“The people in the community need to be at the table or else they’re going to be the meal,” said District 10 candidate Eric Smith.

The forum’s candidates were primarily first-time runners, proudly proclaimed “rookies,” with diverse backgrounds in business, law, education and grass-roots activism. Some claimed to have an advantage over career politicians who have allegiances to special interest groups.

The forum was staggered into five sessions totaling approximately 40 candidates. Over half of the candidates were San Francisco Board of Supervisors hopefuls from Districts 2, 4, 6 and 10. Candidates for the board of education were the second largest group present.

“There are a lot of candidates,” student senator “Diamond” Dave Whitaker said. “But it remains to be seen how many voters there will be.”

As for the turnout at the forum, the theater seats were 70 percent empty. Very few students spent their Saturday afternoon as part of the audience.

“This is not a debate,” moderator Emil Guillermo said as he introduced the forum. “This is a way to get a first taste of the candidates.”

Each candidate had two minutes to introduce themselves, deliver a concise summary of their credentials and state their stance on pressing issues. Then, questions from the audience were discussed by a panel and each candidate had a minute to respond.

Immigration policy was a recurring question from the audience. By and large, candidates declared their dedication to illegal immigrants’ rights, and expressed support for San Francisco’s sanctuary status.

District 10, the largest district, which includes Hunter’s Point and Bayview, has an open seat as Supervisor Sophie Maxwell is termed out. There are 21 candidates running to fill the position. The District 10 candidates’ primary focus was on problems of failing businesses and a floundering workforce, along with development plans for the former naval shipyard.

Candidates from District 6, which includes the Tenderloin, South of Market and lower Market Street, spoke about development, public safety and the need for community services.

“Growth is the single most important issue,” District 6 candidate Jim Meko said. “Even public safety can be taken care of through good planning.”

The board of education candidates discussed programs for minority students, ways to improve test scores and the steadily shrinking achievement gap. Also discussed was classroom funding, fiscal responsibility and the unequal distribution of resources.

Unemployment, education and the state deficit were brought up throughout the forum. Candidates acknowledged California’s dire situation using phrases like “stuck between a rock and a hard place,” and “when times get tough.” Though solutions to the problems differed, the majority of the candidates placed an emphasis on the needs of the average taxpayer over privileged, policy-influencing interest groups.