Stephen Martin-Pinto 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 for firefighter Stephen Martin-Pinto, who wants to bring common sense back to San Francisco politics. He wants to fix San Francisco and is dedicated to solving its drug and homelessness crisis and will continue to support the city’s small businesses, schools, police and public transit.

Martin-Pinto is up against current District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar, small business owner Matthew Boschetto and retired surgeon Edward S. Yee.

Responses have been lightly edited.

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

I plan to be visible both at city hall and in District 7 neighborhoods once in office. I will host remote office hours at various District 7 locations at least once every one to two weeks.

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

Sidewalk maintenance: This includes tree maintenance, gardens in the median, and general maintenance of sidewalks, medians and other streetscapes.

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?

I will fund this program if and only if they can agree to a set of measurable performance standards and show success in meeting these standards.

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?

I would like to make City College more appealing to part-time and adult students. I believe this is a great untapped resource. Many seniors and retired persons are looking for life-long learning opportunities and CCSF is undoubtedly best positioned to offer it to them. As for myself, I have looked to CCSF to become a better swimmer and to learn Russian. I know there are several people like myself who are interested in similar opportunities.

City College of San Francisco projects groundbreaking for its long-awaited Diego Rivera Theater — which will prominently feature Rivera's fresco Pan American Unity — in December 2024. How will you work with the college community and the city's tourism sector to make it an attraction that boosts the economy and puts Ingleside on the map?

I'm not an expert in entertainment and arts marketing, however, I am certain we have plenty of that kind of talent in this city. We need to use people who have these talents. Furthermore, we need to restore attendance to CCSF. I believe solving the accreditation crisis will help in this endeavor.

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?

Putting Interstate 280 underground seems like a very appealing idea. However, this project must be approached intelligently, using lessons learned from Boston's infamous Big Dig project. Neighbors need to be notified of major traffic projects so that feedback is incorporated into the final plan.

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

1. Maintain accessibility to businesses (by protecting parking)

2. Maintain clean sidewalks that are regularly power-washed and swept

3. Maintain sidewalk gardens and planters

4. Ensure public safety is paramount and enforce all quality-of-life laws

5. Assist businesses deal with operating expenses by reducing and consolidating business permits and fees.

6. Re-pave streets

7. Enhance business corridors with additional sidewalk gardens and furniture

8. Facilitate farmers' markets or street festivals

9. Facilitate renovations of old or abandoned buildings

10. Expedite opening of new businesses

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

Consistent staffing by SFPD on Ocean Avenue by a regular cadre of officers who know the neighborhood and the neighbors is essential to establishing a baseline for Ingleside and recognizing deviations. A trusting relationship needs to be established between merchants, residents and SFPD.

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?

This sounds like a good idea but I would need to get confirmation from merchants on Ocean Avenue before I make a decision on this matter.

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

We need to re-examine rent control laws. Currently, many landlords are reluctant to rent units out because of onerous rental laws that are strongly skewed in favor of tenants at the behest of landlords. We need to adjust rent control policies on all new rent control agreements so that landlords are enticed to enter the rental market and increase the housing supply.

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

I am never comfortable with monopolies, however, we would have to have a plan for competing trash collection companies to enter the market and provide service so that trash collection remains uninterrupted.