Between now and the November election, Mission Local is asking each District 3 candidate one question per week, and candidates will get 100 words to respond. We will compile all responses to the 40-odd questions on a “Meet the Candidates” page, so that voters can get a full picture of their stances.
Because Supervisor Aaron Peskin terms out next January, six candidates have filed to run for the seat to lead District 3, which includes North Beach, Chinatown, Union Square, the Financial District, Russian Hill and Nob Hill.
Meet me on Wednesday, April 24 at 10 a.m. at Juniper Cafe (1401 Polk St). yujie@missionlocal.com
Question this week: Tell us about your campaign finance — where did you raise the money and how have you been spending it?
Moe Jamil
Deputy City Attorney, San Francisco City Attorney’s Office
My campaign has received generous contributions from Teamsters 350 and individual contributors. This grassroots support comes from individuals who resonate with my vision for the future of District 3 and want to help my team spread that vision to fellow San Franciscans. My campaign’s priority is to facilitate meaningful connections with District 3 residents, and create opportunities for me to listen to their ideas for our community’s future while also creating platforms for me to articulate my priorities as their potential next Supervisor.
Endorsed by: UFCW 648, Teamsters Joint Council 7, Retired Assistant Police Chief Garrett Tom, Board President Aaron Peskin … More.
Sharon Lai
Economic recovery leader at the World Economic Forum, former board member at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
We are proud to run a grassroots campaign focused on people and will not accept donations from corporate PACs. Over 20% of the funds raised are from every corner of District 3, over 70% of donors are San Franciscans, and we are applying for public finance. We are careful stewards of donations, and are powered by volunteers. We have only spent approximately 15% of the funds raised, primarily on bilingual campaign literature and accounting fees. We will be using these funds to power a grassroots campaign focusing resources on bilingual field operations.
Endorsed by: Community Tenants Association, Teamsters Joint Council 7, 7 of the current Board of Supervisors … More.
Eduard Navarro
Tech startup founder
We host small community gatherings, 30-40 people, where we cook authentic paella together. This Valencian staple is celebrated for how each ingredient supports the others to create a delicious, cohesive dish and for its ability to unite people — a perfect metaphor for our campaign. Here, we discuss issues important to our neighbors and District 3. All are welcome to come by obtaining tickets at Navarro.vote; once a quorum is reached, we provide dates, usually on a weekend, to celebrate the paella. The response has been great; it has aided in recruiting volunteers, raising funds, and fostering community as a grassroots campaign.
JConr B. Ortega
Self-described formerly homeless, leatherman, boxer
Ortega declined to respond.
Danny Sauter
Executive Director, Neighborhood Centers Together
I am proud that we were the first candidate to qualify for public financing, a testament to our diverse coalition of everyday supporters. We have received donations from more than 500 individuals, 85% of whom are San Francisco residents.
Based on the latest filing data, our campaign has:
- The most San Francisco donors of any candidate
- The most District 3 donors of any candidate
- The most small-dollar donations of any candidate
We will put these funds to work to go out and talk to District 3 voters, and share our message of safer neighborhoods, economic recovery, and more housing.
Endorsed by: Nor Cal Carpenters Union, Senator Scott Wiener, Sheriff Paul Miyamoto, Operating Engineers Local 3 … More.
Matthew Susk
Former lead with Divvy Homes
Our funds have come from a wide array of supporters, united by their belief in our vision for San Francisco.
Professional colleagues, from my decade in the private sector, family and friends who trust my deep love for the city will guide us to better days, and new friends and neighbors made at house parties and during neighborhood canvassing, have generously supported our campaign.
Money raised and spent in the District 3 supervisor race
Money spent
Money raised
Sharon Lai
$9,493
$86,241
Danny Sauter
$7,904
$74,566
Moe Jamil
$16,015
$71,672
JConr B. Ortega
$0
Matthew Susk
$0
Eduard Navarro
$0
$0
$50,000
$100,000
$150,000
$200,000
Money raised
Money spent
Sharon Lai
$9,493
$86,241
Danny Sauter
$7,904
$74,566
Moe Jamil
$16,015
$71,672
JConr B. Ortega
$0
Matthew Susk
$0
Eduard Navarro
$0
$0
$50K
$100K
$150K
$200K
Source: San Francisco Ethics Commission, as of April 3, 2024. Chart by Junyao Yang.
Answers may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling, and grammar. If you have questions for the candidates, please let us know at yujie@missionlocal.com.
Illustrations for the series by Neil Ballard.
You can register to vote via the sf.gov website.
It would be great to ask Danny Sauter if he will refuse to accept billionaire oligarch direct or indirect support of any kind from GrowSF or any other of the same organizational spawn.
That train has left the station Take a look at sfethics.org, which maintains the city’s records for donations.
Contributing to Sauter: Y Combinator, Salesforce, Yelp, Waymo, Stripe, Square, Ripple, Honeywell, Dropbox, Cisco Systems, Airbnb, among others.
I like how this progressive liberal Sharon Lai moves into my district just 1 year before the election. She is not part of the neighborhood and in my opinion not a viable candidate!!