Theresa Sparks

Theresa Sparks – District 6 Supervisor Candidate

Theresa Sparks’ Website: www.sparksfor6.com

Contact Theresa Sparks: info@sparksfor6.com

.

Fun Facts About Theresa Sparks:

• Member of the SF Police Commission, 2004-2009.

• President of the SF Police Commission, 2007-2009.

• Former CEO, Good Vibrations

• Executive Director of the SF Human Rights Commission

.

From Theresa Sparks’ Website:

I care about San Francisco, I’m concerned about its future, and I am the only candidate in District 6 with a tack record of the kind of successful leadership, government service, business experience and community activism this City needs. Think about a city where our diversity is not just a slogan but our greatest strength, the engine of our creativity and economic recovery; a city that is family-friendly with neighborhoods that are safe for children, seniors and people of all socio-economic levels; and, a City that allows everyone to engage in a civil conversation about the role of City government.

..

LiveSOMA.com’s Candidate Questionnaire:

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

I live in the Civic Center on Van Ness in an apartment building built in 1922. I have lived there for about eight months after living five blocks out of the District on Leavenworth for seven years. I worked in District 6 from 2001 to 2008, on Howard Street between 5th and 6th, as CFO then CEO of Good Vibrations. I also opened and oversaw the new Good Vibes store at 17th and Valencia. My five years on the Police Commission were also mostly spent in District 6. I continue to work in the District at Van Ness and Market as Executive Director of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission.

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

I can’t really just name one but I do go to a few places quite often, Sai Jai Thai on O’Farrell for cheap Thai, Don Ramons on 11th for authentic Mexican, the Tempest (Darla’s) on Natoma at Mary for the brownies and, of course Brainwash for the burgers and laundry. Then there’s the amazing Farmer Brown’s for fried chicken, Sinbad’s for old school seafood, MoMo’s for brunch, Orson for bar food……the list goes on and on.

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

With a US Patent in Recycling and more than 20 years as CEO of several multi-national environmental firms, I came to San Francisco and, within a two year period of time, drove a taxi for DeSoto Cab from 5PM to 3AM, worked as a bank teller at Bayview Bank, was an enumerator for the US Census Bureau, ran the field campaign for Mark Leno’s political campaign for Supervisor in 2000, packed Valentine’s gifts for Good Vibrations in the warehouse where I was then promoted to CFO and ultimately president of the organization.

But in the spirit of full disclosure, I am the transgender woman who ran environmental companies for twenty years, a worker/woman owned cooperative, Good Vibrations, for eight years and the San Francisco Human Rights Commission currently that is being labeled as the “downtown/moderate” candidate in this race….only in San Francisco. In reality, I live my progressive values out loud, in the open, for all to see, every single day of my life.

Describe your campaign platform in 150 words or less?

Our campaign is about bringing real change to District 6, not just the same polarizing politics we’ve had for ten years. It’s promoting civil discourse about civic policy that impacts us all. It’s creating a coalition of labor, such as SEIU-UHW and the SFPD Pride Alliance, business groups such as BOMA, the San Francisco Association of Realtors and small business owners and the people who live and work in District 6. It’s bringing leadership to City Hall that represents all people of District 6, transparency, accountability and insuring the voice of District 6 is represented in all policy decisions. Our campaign is about electing the only candidate with practical experience as a small business owner, a human rights activist, a public safety policy-maker and an early pioneer in clean technology. And, about San Francisco once again making history and giving hope to hundreds of thousands of people world-wide.

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

Yes, by far.

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

In District 6, as in all of San Francisco, the most important issues are jobs and economic vitality. We need to focus on creating more jobs by supporting balanced development and creating incentives to put the construction trade unions back to work, by insuring City purchasing power benefits District 6 residents, not out-of-town vendors and by creating a business environment that encourages creative companies in high-tech, bio-tech and clean-tech to see District 6 as not only the economic engine of the region but also a zone of innovation for the Country.

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?

Fee deferrals are one way of jump-starting construction projects in the District. We also need a balanced approach to development as opposed to the current model of only supporting projects that focus on one segment of our community. We desperately need workforce housing, in addition to low income housing, and I would support a housing bond and encourage more public-private partnerships to allow that to happen.

Currently, more than 95% of the $1.85 billion that the City spends on commodities and services are purchased from vendors located outside the City and this doesn’t even include large infrastructure projects or Federal or State projects. As the Executive Director of the City agency that enforces all local business enterprise ordinances, we have made great strides in substantially increasing the requirement for local procurement on contracts up to four hundred thousand dollars. Unfortunately, there is institutional reluctance towards expanding that to multi-million dollar contracts. We need to create the political will to require more local purchasing.

San Francisco should be the hub of innovation for the entire Country in the areas of bio-tech, high- tech and clean-tech, and it can be. We need to create a business environment that is not only supportive of tech growth but encourages it and provides basic infra-structure that attracts more of these creative people and companies to the City. One of my first projects as your District 6 Supervisor will be to create Tech-Business Innovation Zones in SOMA with municipal ultra-high speed web access for developers, payroll tax exemptions for start-up companies and small business incubation services for entrepreneurs.

How will fixing the issue benefit District 6?

District 6 is the epicenter of development, creativity and business innovation. All of the initiatives I’ve mentioned will directly benefit the people who live and work in SOMA and the inner Mission. Greater economic activity and more sustainable jobs will stimulate support industries such as nightlife, street life, restaurants, service businesses and overall community growth.

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?

As a community activist in the mid-90’s, I worked with clients at TARC (Tenderloin Aids Resource Center) as a facilitator and an advocate for transgender clients. During those years, there was an absence of wrap-around services for transgenders in the City, most notably in the Tenderloin. As a result, there were cases of transgender women intentionally becoming HIV positive to be eligible for services designed for people with HIV/AIDS. I met with many and assisted them in obtaining needed care.

As the District 6 Supervisor, I will continue working with people with HIV/AIDS and the transgender community. It’s important to understand that living with HIV/AIDS has become part of the compassionate culture and values of San Francisco, from wrap-around care to affordable housing to ensuring end-of-life dignity.

In 2001 after 9/11, as a Human Rights Commissioner, I helped organize the first public hearing in the United States to address violence and discrimination against people perceived to be of Middle Eastern descent. The result was an extensive public awareness campaign resulting in a substantial decrease in such incidences.

Recently, as the Executive Director of the Human Rights Commission, I help mediate discussions between the SFPD and members of the AMEMSA community, particularly Afghani-Americans and Yemini-Americans, after remarks were made by the Chief of Police that were perceived to be insensitive. The discussions resulted in a formal apology by the Chief and the creation of an ongoing task force comprised of leaders from the AMEMSA community. It is important we represent all the diverse communities of District 6, not just specific advocacy groups.

In 2003/4, as president of Good Vibrations, I met with numerous community and business groups about locating at Good Vibes retail store on Valencia. We received hundreds of comments, good and bad, and responded to all with modifications to the use permit, signage, hours of operation and participation in the neighborhood business association. It is important to have the full participation of community, neighborhood and business groups whenever development or occupancy issues arise in any neighborhood of District 6. I will continue that philosophy as the next District 6 Supervisor.

From 2004 through 2009, as a commissioner and president of the Police Commission, I worked with neighborhood organizations, community groups and individuals throughout District 6 on issues of public safety, from deploying more beat cops to relocating district station boundaries to use-of-force to quality-of-life enforcement. I am proud to say we held more public hearings in the District 6 community, during my five years on the Commission, than any other single district in the City, eleven in the Tenderloin alone. It is also useful to note that the incumbent Supervisor never attended one of those public hearings in all that time.

As the next District 6 Supervisor, I intend to hold regular office hours several times per month, on a rotating basis, in all parts of District 6. In addition, I will conduct quarterly town hall style meetings at least quarterly. It is imperative that your district representative stay in close touch with all members of the community.

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?

To begin with, by far, the majority of San Franciscans hold progressive values, also known nationwide as San Francisco Values. These values encompass many concepts that apply to all, non- discrimination, affordable housing, accessible health care, living wage, wrap-around care for people with HIV/AIDS, freedom of expression, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, transparency in government, accountability of public officials, community input to policy before it’s made, workforce development, full employment, creativity and innovation….just to name a few.

As a former chair of the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club, I led the largest chartered Democratic Club in Northern California and was proud of the club’s progressive values. I am sure Debra Walker as former chair of the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club and Jane Kim, a recent Green party member and former chair of the People’s Party, feel the same way about their own organization’s political positions.

Unfortunately, some politicians and special interest groups have tried to co-op the term “progressive” and make it into an expression of their individual viewpoints, rather than what it really is, values held dear by all of us; and define the term “moderate” as what they profess as evil, such as “downtown”, small business, police, firefighters, balanced development, quality of life and others. In reality, outside of this City, the rest of the Country sees us all as the uber-left, lefty-loonie and ultra- progressive. In reality, we all have very slight differences in our beliefs and, as the next Supervisor in District 6, I intend to mediate those slight differences, yet never compromise our collective progressive values, and develop sound public policy that works for all San Franciscans.

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?

Absolutely, in addition to the SFPD and Police Watch, Fix MUNI and the Transportation Authority, the Guardian and the Chronicle, the dog owners and the City park advocates, just to name a few.

As president of the Police Commission, and head of the selection panel for the new Chief of Police last year, I scheduled 49 stakeholder meetings across the City from which the panel developed criteria against which it compared every candidate for the position. The successful applicant was the only individual that met every one of those criteria.

It is critical to discuss issues with all the stakeholders before developing conclusions about public policy that ultimately affects all of us. This is an important element of government that has been missing in this District for the last 10 years.

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?

I believe the largest housing deficiency we have in San Francisco is that of working class/middle class housing. I intend to support a new bond measure to provide funding for all types of housing including an equal distribution for working class housing. Less than half of our public safety employees live in San Francisco. That is the same for health-care workers, construction workers and transportation employees. I also intend to work with all public employee, building trade and health care unions to negotiate their participation in the creation of opportunities for their members to not only work, but also live in San Francisco. Wouldn’t it be nice if police, firefighters, health care workers, the people that run our trains and build our buildings could actually live in the City they love and they serve. I will work tirelessly to make that happen. The New York Times refers to “the death of the middle class”. San Francisco needs to insure that we not only do not contribute to that trend but we proactively develop sound urban policies to bring our middle class back into our City.

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 met with those residents and their underlying concern is not necessarily that one development, although it was certainly mentioned, but the whole concept of locating multiple low income housing projects in one neighborhood as opposed to spreading them throughout the City. Over the last several years, only certain neighborhoods and certain constituencies in District 6 have been represented at City Hall. Because of that, the vast majority of low income projects have been proposed and built in this District. The residents are just getting tired of supporting all such projects when other areas of the City have few, if any. An example of the result of this policy is the (unintentional) creation of a “containment zone” for low income residents in the Tenderloin. Those projects are now being targeted for mid-SOMA because the Tenderloin is now being squeezed by market rate developers from Polk Street east and Post Street south. We need to spread the responsibility of low income SRO’s throughout the City, not just concentrate it in one neighborhood.

As far as SRO swaps, I think they can work to everyone’s advantage if properly conceived. We can’t though continue to allow those swaps to only occur in certain neighborhoods and create low income zones on the City. To create diversity, vibrancy and to maintain neighborhood character, we need to have planning policies promoting mixed housing in all neighborhoods across the City, including inclusionary housing, senior housing, low income SRO developments and market rate projects.

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

I came to San Francisco in the mid-1990s, after making a very personal decision that would alter my life forever. In doing so, I lost my home, family, friends, job, financial security and, to a great extent, even my history. I experienced firsthand the kind of discrimination that leading one’s life down a different path can engender. I felt that I had no choice but to speak up to create change in both people’s attitudes and the laws that adversely affected many disenfranchised communities, with which I now had a special kinship.

I have been recognized as a national leader in the fight for LGBT civil rights and have had the fortune of being honored by groups such as the Human Rights Campaign, Equality California and named Grand Marshal of the San Francisco Pride Parade, one of the OUT Magazines 100 LGBT Leaders in the United States and named Woman of the Year by the California State Legislature.

The time has come for common sense, rational and real progressive leadership in San Francisco. I am unique as a candidate in this race as I have real experience as a public servant, community activist, civil rights pioneer, clean-tech entrepreneur and successful small business owner. I want to bring those experiences to the Board of Supervisors to help rebuild our economy, put people back to work, put more beat cops on the street, make our neighborhoods livable again and to ensure San Francisco remains a beacon of real progressive values into the future.