District 7 incumbent faces two City Hall outsiders in latest forum
District 7 supervisor candidates Matt Boschetto and Stephen Martin-Pinto do not always see eye to eye on every issue — unless that issue concerns taking a stance against their chief opponent and current supervisor, Myrna Melgar.
During an hour-long forum Wednesday evening, the candidates running for District 7 were polite and did not call one another out, a guideline set by League of Women Voters, which hosted the forum. But one thing was certain: If Melgar said one thing, her opponents said another — on the Great Highway, housing and reparations.
The fourth registered candidate, Edward Yee, was expected to participate but did not show.
Melgar touted her "passion, experience and know-how," and repeatedly drew on her record: four years in the job and previous experience as a planning commissioner. Meanwhile, Boschetto, a small business owner and heir to a janitorial business that sold in 2021 for $830 million, and Martin-Pinto, a Marine veteran and firefighter, both pitched themselves as City Hall outsiders.
To the 30 or so residents listening to the forum at the San Francisco County Fair building, Boschetto and Martin-Pinto were nearly indistinguishable in their views.
For one, Boschetto and Martin-Pinto have staunchly opposed Proposition K, a measure co-sponsored by Melgar that would close the Great Highway to cars. Right now, the Great Highway, between Lincoln and Sloat boulevards, is only closed to traffic on weekends.
Boschetto said that the measure "has left a ton of neighbors feeling alienated, feeling powerless, feeling voiceless."
The measure has become a wedge issue in the mayor's race, separating proponents of the car-ban, Mayor London Breed and District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safaí, from their three major opponents: Mark Farrell, Daniel Lurie, and Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin, all of whom oppose Prop. K. Both sides have held rallies for and against, and the measure has attracted about $200,000 in favor and $90,000 in opposition.
Melgar countered in her response; she highlighted that the plan is up to voters to decide in November.
Another subject of disagreement was housing. Melgar said she has pushed for two affordable senior housing developments in Forest Hill. One of them, at 250 Laguna Honda Blvd., would have 115 units that qualify for Section 8 vouchers through a federal program.
Her opponents both oppose the project — but for different reasons. Martin-Pinto took issue with the suitability of the site's geological conditions, while Boschetto argued that the project lacked support from the community.
Another affordable senior housing project had previously been proposed at the same site but was killed in 2018 due to neighborhood opposition and the cost of stabilizing the site's sandy hillside.
"I'm certainly not against — especially affordable — housing in District 7, but you do it at a place that has the space and that will have community support," said Boschetto.
He then continued to criticize the Board of Supervisors for blocking a housing project at the Nordstrom parking lot, at 469 Stevenson St., on the other side of town and well outside the district.
Alison Goh, the moderator and president of the League of Women Voters, later asked how much housing supply the district should take on to meet the 82,000 units required by the state's housing element. The housing element requires cities to build units at all income levels.
Melgar was uncompromising in her response. She emphasized that the Westside should build more housing to make up for how little has been built over the years. "I will lead on this issue," said Melgar. "We need more of it (housing) and we need it faster."
Boschetto responded differently, and said that District 7 is already holding its weight citywideHe cited the Stonestown, Balboa Reservoir and Parkmerced housing projects which have recently been entitled. "So there's no reason we need to be cutting into our single family home neighborhoods," he added.
That, however, appears to be untrue. Between 2019 and 2023, only 37 of the city's 16,822 new units were built in the Inner Sunset and Ingleside planning districts (which cover District 7) — 0.2 percent of the total. The new projects which Boschetto mentioned do show the district is making progress, but they only account for about 7,000 new units.
In his responses, Boschetto continued to be opposed to change and new spending: Over neighborhoods, the Great Highway, the city budget. For instance, when Goh asked if the candidates would support reparations from the city to the Black community, Boschetto said he did not, because of the city's current budget deficit.
Melgar was quick to point out in her response to the same question, that the vast majority of reparations put forward by the city's African American Advisory Committee are not cash payments, but other forms of service and support through existing programs.
Like Boschetto, Martin-Pinto opposed providing reparations. "I don't support reparations. I just can't do it. It's expensive. It's divisive," he said.
The same pattern continued throughout the forum. When the questions did not warrant yes or no answers each candidate would elaborate on an explanation as to why a problem was happening; with Melgar leaning on her legislative record in her answers.
"I have a very strong legislative track record now. Hundreds of pieces of legislation. I am by far the most qualified candidate here in this room," said Melgar.
