Matt Drake

Matt Drake – District 6 Supervisor Candidate

Matt Drake’s Website: www.drakeforsupervisor.com

Contact Matt Drake: drakeforsupervisor@gmail.com

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Fun Facts About Matt Drake:

• Has two Engineering Degrees from MIT & Stanford

• Also has a Law degree from the University of Michigan

• General Counsel at FlyCast, a mobile broadcast network

• An active resident of SOMA for 8+ Years

• Serves on the Board of Directors for Clemantina Cares

• On the Finance Committee of the Yerba Buena Community Small Business District

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From Matt Drake’s Website:

I am Matt Drake, and I am running for supervisor in District 6. As the city faces the most serious financial crisis in generations, we need leaders at City Hall who are focused less on ideology and more on making sure city government works efficiently for all of us…

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LiveSOMA.com’s Candidate Questionnaire:

Which part of the district do you currently live, and how long have you lived there?

I live in SOMA, on Folsom Street between 4th and 5th.  I’ve lived here since 2002.  This is my permanent residence.

What is your favorite restaurant in District 6, and why?

There are so many good restaurants, can I choose two?  I’m not much of a fancy restaurant person.  I like 21st Amendment and Little Star.  I prefer local businesses with delicious food.

Tell us something about you (the “individual”, not the “candidate”) that we may not know.

I’m a big soccer fan.  I watched most of the World Cup games.  I like to play when I can, but I don’t have as much time for it anymore.

Describe your campaign platform in 150 words or less?

District 6 is my home. I want to make the district a better place. San Francisco’s biggest immediate problem is our economy. We need to encourage job growth by making San Francisco an appealing place to do business. We deserve the same safe and clean streets as the rest of the city. We also need an efficient, effective city government that spends our tax dollars wisely. Finally, I support additional development in the district. San Francisco has a continuing shortage of middle class and family housing. New construction should include these kinds of housing.

I have spent my entire career in the private sector. Our Board of Supervisors needs more people with private sector experience.

Are the majority of your District 6 Supervisor Campaign Donors from within District 6? (A ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ answer is fine.)

The number changes as more contributions come in.  Probably not a majority.

What do you feel is the most important issue in District 6, and what is your position on the issue?

On a local level, our most important issue is our quality of life.  Our streets should be safe and clean.

Thinking about the most important issue that you listed above, how do you plan to work on that issue, and what do you feel will be the biggest challenge(s) that you’ll face in solving the issue?

This problem will not be solved right away.  We can start by putting the cops where the criminals are.  Some parts of the district have much higher rates of crime than the rest of San Francisco.  We should concentrate the SFPD these areas.

Once we have cops on the street we then need to prosecute these crimes.  For too long, low level crimes have been tolerated.  I will work with the District Attorney and the police to push to prosecute these crimes.

How will fixing the issue benefit District 6?

Crime affects everyone.  Obviously violent crime is terrible.  But even low level crimes, like car break-ins and drug dealing on the street, detract from our neighborhoods.

List the neighborhood groups or organizations (within District 6) that you have worked with in the past. What do you consider your accomplishments while working with these groups, and how you would help them further if you were elected Supervisor in November?

Yerba Buena Community Benefits District: I have been involved with this organization since before it existed.  I now serve on the Finance Committee and previously served on the Incorporation Committee.
Clementina Cares: I am on the Board of Clementina Cares, which has spent the last few years planting trees and improving the central SOMA neighborhood.
SOMA Forward: I am also on the Board of SOMA Forward, which also focuses on the central SOMA neighborhood.

These groups are more nimble and move faster than city government.  I want to support them and others.

There’s a lot of talk about “progressive values and agenda items” vs. “moderate values and agenda items” in San Francisco politics. What do these terms mean to you, and how does either side help District 6 residents today, as well as over the long term?

I don’t think these terms have much relevance to the average voter.  Voters don’t care about ideology; they just want a government that works.  People want their street to be safe and they want Muni to run on time.

If you become supervisor, will you spend equal time meeting with both the San Francisco Tenants Union and the Small Property Owners of San Francisco before proposing more rent control legislation?

Yes.  I will regularly meet with all groups.  I’ll want input from a wide variety of people on what is important to them.

We keep hearing about million dollar condos being built and SROs moving into the neighborhood – If elected, what do you intend to do about housing for the middle class?

For the last several years, we have succeeded in building high end housing and low end housing but not middle class housing. Our cost structure ensures that developers can only turn a profit by building high end housing.  We need to change our incentive structure.  We should give developers a break when they offer to build middle class or family housing.

There are a number of residents in the middle of SOMA (between 4th and 6th streets, and Harrison and Folsom Streets) who are concerned about a specific SRO that is relocating from the Tenderloin to the corner of 5th and Harrison. What are your thoughts on SRO Swaps particularly with regards to rules and regulations? How should they be managed? What rules and regulations should apply to ensure a safe and vibrant community in the future?

I have been involved with this building, which is now vacant, all year.  I support additional housing in the district.  The present plans for this building, however, do not include any family housing, nor do they include any supportive services for the people who will live there.  If we are serious about creating more family housing, we should include it in all buildings.  I’m hopeful the developer will include some family housing in the project, but if none is included, I will not be able to support it.

This SRO transfer was arranged without the knowledge or input of the community.  I would hope that in the future, the neighbors would be proactively informed.  I also support mixed use buildings, with some SRO tenants and some family housing.

Anything else that you would like to share about yourself or your campaign platform with the residents of District 6?

More information about my campaign is available on my website, www.drakeforsupervisor.com.  In addition to my campaign, I strongly urge everyone to vote in favor of Muni reform (Fix Muni Now) and pension reform (SF Smart Reform) in November.