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The GrowSF Team

GrowSF is a group of people who care about the future of San Francisco and want to see the city invest in growth so we can build for future generations.

We all want a bright future for San Francisco, but local politicians are divided on how we will achieve this. Our local officials in charge today are not focused on actual progress, and residents feel under-informed about local issues and elections. We want to change that.

We want our city to be inclusive, livable, sustainable, and affordable for all families. We want clean streets, healthy transit systems, great public schools, and more housing. We love San Francisco and are working hard to make it the best city it can be.

GrowSF was founded in 2020 to pursue common sense reforms and has no affiliation to a group by the same name that was active around 2016.

Meet our Leads

  • Sachin Agarwal

    Sachin Agarwal

    Director, Board Member

    Engineer, Product Manager, Dad

    Hi, my name is Sachin Agarwal. I’ve worked in tech for nearly 20 years as an engineer at Apple, a product manager at Twitter and Lyft, and a founder of YC backed company Posterous.

    ​I’ve lived in San Francisco for 15 years and I love it. That’s why I’ve chosen to put down my roots here with my family. My wife and I live in the Inner Sunset. She is a graphic designer at a museum. We have two girls who we want to raise in the city.

    A few years ago I left my job in tech to focus on helping San Francisco be the best city it can be. Our city is divided and our leadership makes it hard to build or get anything done. But just a few votes can change things. Literally dozens.

    That’s why I decided to start GrowSF. I believe San Francisco has the potential to be one of the best cities in the world. I have no plans to run for office, and I’m not affiliated with any candidates or measures. This is just me, trying to help SF grow into the best city it can be.

  • Steven Buss

    Steven Buss

    Director

    Engineer, Activist

    Hi, my name is Steven Buss. I was a software engineer for over ten years at Amazon, Counsyl, and Google. I've been a community organizer and political activist in San Francisco for over five years, and currently sit on the Board of Directors of YIMBY Law. In 2020 I ran for a position on the Democratic County Central Committee.

    I love San Francisco. I'm not from here, I didn't grow up in California, and I don't have any family on the West Coast — but San Francisco feels like home. I believe that anyone who wants to live here should be able to, and that means building more housing, keeping the city safe and clean, and creating the nation's best schools and transit system.

    I joined GrowSF because our vision for San Francisco is vibrant, welcoming, prosperous, and growing. GrowSF rejects the politics of scarcity and fear. We will help make San Francisco into the truly open and welcoming city it is destined to be.

  • Jan Chong

    Jan Chong

    Board Member

    Engineering Leader

    Hi, my name is Jan Chong. I’ve been working at various technology companies in the Bay Area as an engineer and engineering manager since 2007.

    I moved to San Francisco in 2005, while I was still in school. Like so many people, I was drawn to SF’s vibrant restaurants, nature and community, even as it came with roommates, extra jobs and a lot of moving to keep rent manageable. I’m now the proud parent of two girls that I’m raising here in San Francisco and I hope that they’ll grow up loving their birth city as much as I’ve come to.

    I joined GrowSF because I fervently believe that you shouldn’t have to win the lottery to live and work in San Francisco. I’m pro-affordable housing and pro-public transportation (much to the chagrin of my children, who would much rather I drive them to school 😊) and I want to help make my beliefs a reality for our city.

  • Ryan Brown

    Ryan Brown

    Board Member

    Marketing

    Hi, my name is Ryan Brown. I'm an SF native who loves everything about the Bay Area.

    My parents immigrated from the Philippines to San Francisco in 1983 to create a better life for me and my two brothers. I studied at St. Ignatius College Preparatory and San Francisco State University.

    I'm proud to serve on the board of GrowSF to promote improving the city from within the tech community. I've always wanted to support and get more involved with the city that I've grown up with and continue to fall in love with every day.

    I’ve spent the last decade working in the tech industry as a marketer and creative lead.