Rafael Mandelman has been a strong supporter of small businesses and pushed forward important social services for the homeless and the addicted. We were proud to support his "A Place for All" legislation which forces the city to make a real plan to get every single homeless person indoors.

Mandelman has a strong track record of introducing legislation to ensure the homeless, mentally disturbed, and drug addicted get the help they need to get off the streets and into shelter and treatment. However, many of his ambitious proposals are scaled back by his anti-change colleagues on the Board of Supervisors.

We think Rafael Mandelman has shown consistent leadership and a nose-to-the-grindstone dedication to passing desperately needed reforms. We think that with better colleagues who don't stand in his way, he would accomplish a lot, and we're going to try to make that happen in 2024.

Honorable Mention for Kate Stoia

We would be remiss if we didn't give his competitor, Kate Stoia and honorable mention. She undoubtably has the better housing platform. Take this excerpt from her GrowSF questionnaire as proof:

Tell us one thing you think needs to change in SF that the average voter wouldn't know about.

Discretionary review/public hearings on new housing or on remodels. Development of new housing and remodels should be as of right, meaning the use of fixed standards or objective measurements, and public officials cannot use personal, subjective judgment in deciding whether or how the project should be carried out. That their neighbors are encouraged to weigh in on and influence their housing decisions does not occur to most people before they find themselves caught in the web of procedural mess that we have created here.

— Kate Stoia

Though we do find Supervisor Mandelman's housing platform lacking, we think his strengths in other areas provide more than enough reason to cast your vote for him. But if housing is your #1 issue, you may want to vote for Kate Stoia instead.