What can (Vallie) Brown do for you?
I’ve lived in San Francisco’s 5th District for nearly six years — you know, the weirdest one that runs through the middle of the City and contains 93 different neighborhoods? (Hayes Valley, Haight Ashbury, Alamo Square, Fillmore…to name a few). Well, we have a Supervisor election on November 5th, 2019 and have the opportunity to re-elect a steadfast public servant and advocate.
Vallie Brown has lived in the District for 25 years. After spending years as a community activist working on cleaning up our streets and reducing gun violence, she became a legislative aide working with previous District 5 Supervisors for more than a decade. Over that time, she’s helped countless residents and businesses to improve our neighborhoods. When Mayor London Breed had the opportunity to appoint the person who would succeed her on the Board of Supervisors, Vallie Brown was the clear choice.
But my support for Supervisor Brown came before she was officially announced. I’ve known her work in the District and was an instant supporter. I renamed my wifi and my fantasy football team “VoteVallieBrown” (currently undefeated and #1 in my league FWIW. I hope this doesn’t jinx it), and sent roughly 30,000 emails getting folks out to events (Yes, I know that’s a lot) because I’ve seen her work firsthand and her commitment on issues like subsidized affordable housing, supporting small businesses, fixing transit, and protecting reproductive freedom.
Vallie has racked up endorsements from across D5 and the City since Day One: London Breed, the San Francisco Chronicle, Scott Wiener, David Chiu, the United Democratic Club, the Firefighters, etc. These organizations and individuals have known and worked with Vallie for years.
But then, she got a few other endorsements that turned some heads. The San Francisco Democratic Party, the San Francisco Examiner, SEIU Local 1021, and the majority of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Those endorsements were always within grasp, but the overwhelming progressive support for Supervisor Brown has made me and others go “wow”…
The reason is actually fairly simple — she’s the best person for the job. When an entire apartment building faces the threat of eviction because a landlord wants to convert units to condos, Vallie Brown knows the first call to make to protect their rights. When a merchant is having an issue getting a permit, Vallie Brown knows how she can help. The practical experience she has from working in the D5 office for 10 years makes her the easy choice to continue serving.
But, and this is a big but, she’s not only looking out for today. She’s thinking long term. She authored legislation to prohibit the City from doing business with states with abortion laws. She increased the amount of subsidized affordable housing in a mixed income housing proposal. She’s supporting the expansion of bike share and scooters as long as these companies are doing the work, talking to community members to improve the program and ease concerns.
Truth be told, Vallie has already done a lot for us. And now she needs our help. I’m helping organize a bunch of mobilizations for Vallie Brown over the next few weeks. Come knock on a door, make a phone call, wave a sign. It’s what we can do for her.
But most of all, make sure you vote on November 5th. Bring your friends, bring your neighbors — Vote Vallie Brown!
