Roger Marenco, Candidate For District 11 Supervisor, Answers Reader Questions

The Ingleside Light gathered questions from the community and posed them to the District 7, District 11 and mayor candidates in advance of the Nov. 5 election.

Here are the responses from Roger Marenco, a San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency operator, who is campaigning for increased action towards the city’s drug users and criminals, transportation and street fixes, financial accountability within City Hall and overall community safety.

Marenco is running against labor union organizer Chyanne Chen, political campaign staffer Adlah Chisti, small business owner Jose Morales, San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee member Michael Lai and former District 11 supervisor legislative aide EJ Jones.

Responses have been lightly edited.

How do you plan to be consistently involved in the neighborhood once in office?

Establish monthly community meetings in District 11 locations, not in City Hall.

What will you do to eliminate drug dealing and other crime in the neighborhood's parks?

We need to change the laws so that we can put criminals in jail easier.

What will you do to reduce crime against small business owners?

Change the laws so that we can put criminals in jail easier.

Do you support adding more protected bike infrastructure in D11 and the city, even if it means the loss of some (but not all) parking spots? 

No. I will fully protect our parking spaces. 

Historically, the M line has been neglected; however, it serves communities along Randolph Street and Broad Street, extending to Balboa Park. Since the M line provides access for community members, Randolph Street and Broad Street are ideal candidates for development into a new commercial corridor. Please provide your vision for this corridor and outline the actions you intend to take to bring that vision to fruition.

We need to bring life back to the M line by cleaning the streets and I agree with establishing a new commercial corridor along the streets.

What is one issue in the neighborhood that you see ignored? How would you tackle this issue?

The broken streets. I would repair the potholes.

Will you commit to fully funding the Dignity Fund in this and future years to meet the growing number and needs of older adults and people with Disabilities?

Yes.

In many ways, City College of San Francisco was the beating heart of the neighborhood, a source of jobs and customers for local businesses. But its troubles have led to a 60%+ decline in enrollment which has precipitated other issues. How will you work with the college community to turn it around?

Create monthly meetings to find out what CCSF needs, so that we can obtain it.

The SFMTA has big plans to speed up the K Ingleside and M Ocean View light rail lines that include boarding island modernization and consolidation, red lanes and more. How will you increase ridership in the neighborhood?

Clean the buses and trains, fix the potholes and remove the homeless from the buses and trains.

The tree canopy could be a lot better in this part of town — and citywide. What will you do to make it grow?

Bring more publicity to establish more community involvement.

The Balboa Park Area Plan studied many major and minor projects, including decking the Interstate 280 freeway, realigning freeway ramps, etc. How will you advance portions yet to be done in the district?

We need to see simulators in terms of how the new plans will affect traffic and congestion.

What will you do to breathe new life into the neighborhood's commercial corridors? Please list 10 concrete proposals.

1. More publicity.

2. Create monthly meetings at different sites.

3. Establish ongoing coffee meetings at locations with the Supervisor to promote local shops

4. Bring in influencers to promote more positive experiences

5. Host more local outdoor events for families and community members

What does adequate community policing look like for the greater Ingleside neighborhood and its diverse communities?

More police in the streets and better vigilance by neighbors.

Do you support the renewal and expansion of the Ocean Avenue Community Benefit District? If so, why and how will you work with its leadership to make sure it delivers the best results for all stakeholders?

Yes. We need to host meetings with all residents to figure out the best outcome.

Will you support the Recreation and Parks Department in achieving the completion of Phase 2 of the Geneva Office Building? If so, how?

Yes. We will provide them with whatever they need to speed up the process.

How will you incentivize landlords to rent out long-vacant units and thus increase the housing stock?

We should look at issuing fines and penalties if they choose to not provide housing.

What's your position on Recology's monopoly on trash collection?

No one should have a monopoly.