SF-BOS03: S.F. Chinatown seeks better representation in race for district supervisor

Six candidates are vying to replace eight-year incumbent and Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin, who is termed out and running for mayor.

Voters say they’re eager for better representation.

Chinatown has never had a Cantonese-speaking supervisor despite a large monolingual population. This year it could elect its first. Candidates include native Cantonese speaker Sharon Lai as well as Cantonese learners Moe Jamil and Danny Sauter, who said they’d hire staff who speak the language.

“Chinatown historically has supported the Chinese candidate, even the losing one,” David Ho, a Chinatown political consultant, said, pointing to the 2000 supervisorial election where Lawrence Wong, who lost in the runoff against Peskin, won in Chinatown precincts.

San Francisco, which just 10 years ago had five Asian American supervisors and a Chinese American mayor in Ed Lee, has seen declining Asian American representation in elected office since. The lone Chinese American supervisor, Connie Chan, faces a difficult election in District 1 against Marjan Philhour.





https://www.sfchronicle.com/election/article/sf-chinatown-supervisor-representation-19787110.php