Jason Zeng
- Office: Board of Trustees
- Election Date: November 8, 2022
- Candidate: Jason Zeng
- Due Date: Monday, August 29, 2022
- Printable Version
Thank you for seeking GrowSF's endorsement for the November 8, 2022 general election! GrowSF believes in a growing, beautiful, vibrant, healthy, safe, and prosperous city via common sense solutions and effective government.
The GrowSF endorsement committee will review all completed questionnaires and seek consensus on which candidates best align with our vision for San Francisco and have the expertise to enact meaningful policy changes.
We ask that you please complete this questionnaire by Monday, August 29, 2022 so we have enough time to adequately review and discuss your answers.
Table of Contents
Vision
GrowSF believes in a growing, beautiful, vibrant, healthy, safe, and prosperous San Francisco. And we believe that great public schools are necessary for a great and prosperous society.
This section of our questionnaire seeks to help us gain an understanding of your alignment with our vision for San Francisco.
Short-form questions
Please mark the box that best aligns with your position. You may explain any position if you so desire, but this section is designed to be a quick overview of your view of the city's problems and what solutions you might propose.
Education
| In general, is it too hard, just right, or too easy to… | Too hard | Just right | Too easy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enroll in City College | x | ||
| Hire good teachers | x | ||
| Fire bad teachers | x |
If you want to explain any positions above, please feel free:
Budget
| In general, is City College budgeting too much, just enough, or too little on… | Too much | Just Enough | Enough, but badly | Too little |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Facilities | x | |||
| Extracurricular activities | x | |||
| Teacher salaries | x | |||
| Administrative salaries | x | |||
| Support for students like tutoring, scholarships, career counseling, etc | x | |||
| Classes which count toward degrees | x | |||
| Classes or programs which don't count toward degrees | x |
If you want to explain any positions above, please feel free:
City College shouldn't focus on granting degrees, it should provide education to live a dignified life in San Francisco. This includes non-degree classes in trades.
Why is City College facing a budget crisis? Please provide a short answer here, and a longer answer in the "Long-form questions" section.
City College's budget crisis comes from efficient use of student's time. City College isn't a destination, it's a stepping stone to the rest of your life. Investments in the fundamentals of academics and student services are key, but so is the growth of support staff such as academic advisors. Many people who first enter City College do not have an idea of what they want out of the experience, and having someone to guide them through will reduce the time spent at City College and more on enjoying a boundless life afterwards.
Instruction
Tell us about the quality of education available at City College, and what should be done to improve it, if needed.
Education at City College has no direction. There's no purpose or focused goal other than to generally educate San Franciscans. I believe the purpose should be to provide skills to live a dignified life, which can, but not limited, focus on providing direct skills across trades and industries.
Tell us one thing you think needs to change about City College that the average voter wouldn't know about.
City College is still operating at a deficit.
Long-form questions
General
In what ways is City College succeeding? City College is succeeding by providing a middlestone between certain young adults and their adult lives. Currently, it is a safe and comforting place, but it also needs to accomplish its due diligence of educating students in a timely and economical manner.
In what ways is City College failing?
City College is succeeding by providing a middlestone between certain young adults and their adult life. Currently, it is a safe and comforting place, but it also needs to accomplish its due diligence of educating students in a timely and economical manner.
Instruction and Curriculum
What can the Community College Board do to improve student performance at City College?
City College isn't a destination, it's a stepping stone to the rest of your life. Investments in the fundamentals of academics and student services are key, but so is the growth of support staff such as academic advisors. Many people who first enter City College do not have an idea of what they want out of the experience, and having someone to guide them through will reduce the time spent at City College and more on enjoying a boundless life afterwards. This is a direction that the Board can push for.
Are students graduating with the skills necessary to obtain a good job? Why or why not?
No, because many don't have an idea of what skills they need or are necessary; that's why we need academic/career advisors to help people figure out what they want.
What is the City College curriculum lacking which the Community College Board could rectify?
Outside of academic advisors to guide students, I believe that an intro to technology should be a required class for freshmen.
Budget
Why is City College facing a budget crisis? Please explain the nature of this budget crisis. The budget crisis comes from a mix of 1) reduced enrollment during the pandemic, 2) extended student tenures with no plans to move on, and 3) inefficient administration in setting meaningless forward agendas followed by lopsided hiring up to the pandemic.
What hard choices must City College make to fix its budget crisis?
It needs to build new sources of revenue. For example, people pay 20k for a Hackreactor or AppAcademy course so they can get the correct skills to get hired by Google or Apple. Yet, City College can build recruitment pipelines and partnerships to both generate revenue and help the San Francisco Bay economy by providing skilled talent.
What courses or programs should City College cut to improve its budget situation?
Decrease academic and administrative salaries, but increase benefits. Reduce summer eligible classes. Add fees to non-degree, elective classes that aren't tied to employable skills, this fee would only be for the general SF public.
What new revenue streams might City College tap into to address its budget crisis?
People pay 20k for a Hackreactor or AppAcademy course so they can get the correct skills to get hired by Google or Apple. Yet, City College can build recruitment pipelines and partnerships to both generate revenue and help the San Francisco Bay economy by providing skilled talent.
It's also plausible to assume that to further cover the 7 million deficit, the state's 88 million will increase as enrollment returns to normal and the overall economy of the state of California.
Apply for federal grants.
Policy
Now that we know where you align and differ from our vision for San Francisco, we'd like to get some details about how you intend to use your elected office to achieve your goals.
Why are you running for Community College Board?
I believe everyone needs a chance to fight for a dignified life no matter their background or history. City College allows you to start now and get your life back on track. Our country strives for equity, but many people do get left behind. That's why I believe City College should always be free for all San Franciscans, because it gives everyone in our city a chance to fight for a dignified life. Removing barriers to education is the only way to help people out of the poverty trap.
What is your #1 policy goal?
There are no barriers to entry for education, and those that do finish their tenure at City College will have gained skills to move on to the next chapter of their life.
How will you build the coalition and political capital to enact your #1 goal?
It starts with the people who would benefit from City College the most: students and young adults. Amongst the general SF population, I've heard almost universal support of my intentions.
Will the power of the office of Community College Board be enough to achieve this goal?
Yes.
What are your #2 and #3 policy goals?
Increase academic advisor's role in a student's education, and increase investment in IT infrastructure such as personal laptops and video conferencing equipment and software.
Will the power of the office of Community College Board be enough to achieve these goals?
No.
What is an existing policy you would like to reform?
The definition of San Franciscans in regard to City College: Only those who have met the current criteria, and either the individual or direct family have paid property taxes to the city of San Francisco in the past 2 years, or can demonstrate continuous residency for 2 years.
What is an "out there" change that you would make to state/local government policy, if you could? (For example: changing how elections work, creating a Bay Area regional government, etc.)
San Francisco can charge personal income taxes in lieu of state income taxes up to a certain percentage.
Personal
Tell us a bit about yourself!
What is your professional background?
Data Engineer.
I ran for this position in 2015 during the accreditation crisis, and left San Francisco in 2016 for work and then graduate school in Montana. I've experienced severe poverty, including living half a year out of my car during the pandemic, and it's difficult to comprehend that predicament. The tools just aren't there for people to get out, and we have to give people an alternative than the streets of the Tenderloin.
Are you currently or formerly enrolled at City College, and/or do you have any children who are currently or formerly enrolled at City College?
No. How long have you lived in San Francisco? What brought you here and what keeps you here?
I'm from here. I left in 2016 to explore the country. When the pandemic struck, I said to myself, I'd rather get last place in San Francisco than first place anywhere else. And I left my primary race in Montana and got last place in the D11 supervisor race in 2020.
This is my home, I don't intend to leave.
What do you love most about California and/or San Francisco?
The passion, the spirit, the people, the energy, the fire, the love, the kindness, the heart, the soul, the Light of the Pacific, the Empire of the West, my home, my deathbed. San Francisco only believes in what you can accomplish, not what's in your past.
What do you dislike the most about California and/or San Francisco?
How the heck did San Francisco change so negatively in the 5 years since I've been gone. Man, if I knew this was going to happen, I'd have ended my soul-searching trip sooner and returned home to fight for my city.
Tell us about your current involvement in the community (e.g., volunteer groups, neighborhood associations, civic and professional organizations, etc.)
Activities Groups such as socials, Political groups on both left and the right, church, work (PGE) community groups
Thank you
Thank you for giving us your time and answering our questionnaire. We look forward to reading your answers and considering your candidacy!
If you see any errors on this page, please let us know at contact@growsf.org.