Malia Cohen
- Office: Controller
- Election Date: November 8, 2022
- Candidate: Malia Cohen
- Due Date: Monday, August 22, 2022
- Printable Version
Thank you for seeking GrowSF's endorsement for the November 8, 2022 general election! GrowSF believes in a growing, 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 22, 2022 so we have enough time to adequately review and discuss your answers.
Vision
GrowSF believes in a growing, beautiful, vibrant, healthy, safe, and prosperous San Francisco. We work to propose and pass laws that align incentives of private businesses and individuals to promote shared prosperity for every San Franciscan.
As a candidate for federal office, your day-to-day responsibilities in office will affect not just San Francisco, but California and the United States as a whole. As a representative of the people of California and of San Francisco, the policies you bring to Washington should reflect the best of what we have to offer.
This section of our questionnaire seeks to help us gain an understanding of your alignment with our vision for San Francisco. Note that some of the questions may be outside the scope of the office you're running for.
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 governing philosophy and view of the problems of the city, state, and/or country.
If you are not familiar with San Francisco in particular, feel free to skip the questions about it. But please do answer the questions about state and federal policy.
Small Business
| In San Francisco, in general, is it too hard, just right, or too easy to… | Too hard | Just right | Too easy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open a new businesses | X | ||
| Run a business | X | ||
| Hire staff at a living wage | X | ||
| Obtain various licenses (liquor, entertainment, etc) | X |
If you want to explain any positions above, please feel free:
| Should the state or federal government have more say, the same say, less say, or the same amount but of a different variety on… | More say | Same amount | Less say | Same, but different |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small business creation | X | |||
| Corporate tax policy | X | |||
| Tax incentives for high tech, green tech, or other desirable industries | X |
If you want to explain any positions above, please feel free:
Housing
| In San Francisco, in general, is it too hard, just right, or too easy to… | Too hard | Just right | Too easy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expand your home (adding new stories, rooms, decks, etc) | X | ||
| Demolish your home and redevelop it into multifamily housing | X | ||
| Redevelop things like parking lots and single-story commercial into multifamily housing | X | ||
| Build subsidized Affordable housing | X | ||
| Build market-rate housing | X | ||
| Build homeless shelters (including navigation centers and "tiny homes") | X |
If you want to explain any positions above, please feel free:
| Should the state or federal government have more say, the same say, less say, or the same amount but of a different variety on… | More say | Same amount | Less say | Same, but different |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zoning | X | |||
| Taxes and fees on homebuilders | X | |||
| Oversight of cities' housing policies | X | |||
| Building subsidized Affordable housing | X | |||
| Building market-rate housing | X | |||
| Building homeless shelters | X |
If you want to explain any positions above, please feel free:
On net, does building new market rate housing help alleviate our housing crisis?
In order to address the housing affordability crisis, San Francisco must increase the supply of housing and produce housing of all kinds. This includes both market rate housing and government subsidized affordable housing units.
Are funds for affordable housing and homelessness services spent well? While on the board of supervisors, I worked to pass Proposition O, which created 12,000 new housing units in San Francisco, 32 percent of which were affordable housing units. These types of initiatives show that you can construct both market rate and affordable housing units to increase the supply in the City. With that said, money allocated for affordable housing should have oversight that ensures that the funds are being spent efficiently. Money for both affordable housing and homelessness needs to be spent in a way that those on the receiving end actually benefit from the programs.
San Francisco is in the midst of a record-breaking housing shortage, high homelessness rate, and is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to seemingly make no progress on solving these issues. Would you support a full audit of San Francisco's government to determine how funds are spent?
Governor Newsom's administration recently launched a review into San Francisco's housing approval process. I support such initiatives, and as State Controller, I will prioritize audits into state spending to ensure that cities are allocating state resources in the best way to meet the needs of everyday Californians.
Budget
| Do you think San Francisco spends too little, too much, or just enough on… | Too little | Just enough | Enough, but badly | Too much |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Police and public safety | X | |||
| Street cleanliness | X | |||
| Homeless services | X | |||
| Affordable housing | ||||
| Parks | X | |||
| Roads | X | |||
| Bus, bike, train, and other public transit infrastructure | X | |||
| Schools | X | |||
| Medical facilities | X | |||
| Drug prevention and treatment | X | |||
| Arts | X |
If you want to explain any positions above, please feel free:
| Do you think the state or federal governments spend too little, too much, or just enough on… | Too little | Just enough | Enough, but badly | Too much |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Police and public safety | X | |||
| Street cleanliness | X | |||
| Homeless services | X | |||
| Affordable housing | X | |||
| Parks | X | |||
| Roads | X | |||
| Bus, bike, train, and other public transit infrastructure | X | |||
| Schools | X | |||
| Medical facilities | X | |||
| Drug prevention and treatment | X | |||
| Arts | X |
If you want to explain any positions above, please feel free:
Police accountability was a top priority for me when I was on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and as the first President of the San Francisco Police Commission. Accountability measures need to provide oversight of the police force and to ensure residents of the city are kept safe. Additional money needs to be allocated for technology upgrades and a few analysts to interpret and report out on data collected.
What are the top three issues facing San Francisco, California, or the Nation and what would you like to see change?
Housing affordability
The impact of climate change on our communities
Racial and Economic inequality
Throughout my career I have been working to solve these problems through various initiatives. California has made progress on these issues, we need to continue to elect leaders who will push for solutions and hold them accountable when they're in office.
Tell us one thing you think needs to change in San Francisco, California, or the Nation that the average voter wouldn't know about.
The reason I am running for State Controller is to use the office to create a more equitable and just state. One thing I would like to change is performing audits that would accomplish this goal. Part of solving the challenges we face is to properly invest our resources. We need fiscal accountability to ensure the spending decisions we make are actually impacting everyday Californians and being spent in appropriate ways. Progressvive audits are something I believe will improve the lives of people across the state.
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 Controller?
As mentioned above, I am running for Controller to improve equity and deliver justice to Californians across the state. The Controller oversees all state spending for one of the largest economies in the world. I want to ensure that money is being spent appropriately and achieves what it's intended to do. Additionally, the Controller sits on dozens of boards and commissions that make important decisions. I believe I have the experience and values to do the job.
What is your #1 goal?
To be a watchdog for taxpayer dollars..
How will you build the coalition and political capital to enact your #1 goal?
The Controller needs to have credibility among all interested parties and use audits to identify problems and fix them. Throughout my career I have built coalitions and political capital to accomplish this goal. I will work with anyone who shares this vision and will also fight against special interests who stand in the way.
Will the power of the office of Controller be enough to achieve this goal?
The State Controller's office is one of the most powerful positions in the state. By being able to conduct audits, the Controller can prioritize issues and shine a spotlight on spending decisions. The Controller not only makes important decisions when sitting on boards, but also increases transparency that allows people throughout the state to hold their city and state governments accountable.
What are your #2 and #3 goals?
Enact policies to combat climate change
Modernize the state infrastructure
Will the power of the office of Controller be enough to achieve these goals?
Combating climate change requires the work of all levels of government. The state Controller oversees important spending programs and also oversees where the state invests its money. As the next Controller, I will do my part to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and create a cleaner environment.
The state Controller can do a lot to modernize state infrastructure to improve access to services and offer better transparency.
What is an existing policy you would like to reform?
You can visit my policy page for a list of policy reform ideas:
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.)
Modernizing the state technology infrastructure. This will go a long way in reducing wasteful spending while also having the effect of increasing access to state services.
Personal
Tell us a bit about yourself!
How long have you lived in California? What brought you here and what keeps you here?
I am a life-long resident of California and of San Francisco. I love the diversity of this state and its ambition to spur opportunity and innovation.
What do you love most about California and/or your hometown?
San Francisco is my home town. It's where I was raised, it's where I attended public school, and it's where I was given the privilege to serve my community. This City is physically a beautiful city, but also has been a place that has welcomed people from across the world and given them the opportunity to succeed. We need to do everything we can to ensure that it maintains this legacy.
What do you dislike the most about California and/or your hometown?
Sometimes, competing groups with the same goals tend to work against each other. I believe we should all work together to enact progressive change.
Tell us about your current involvement in the community (e.g., volunteer groups, neighborhood associations, civic and professional organizations, etc.)
As former President of the Board of supervisor, I have been extremely active in my community. I continue this involvement as a member of my church and several local community groups such as Emerge CA and CA Women Lead; two organizations that educate and train woman to run for office and serve on Boards and Commissions.
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.