With ballots set to be mailed soon, seven Daly City candidates are vying for residents’ votes, answering questions about Flock cameras, the housing crisis and district elections.
Three at-large seats are up for grabs in the Nov. 3 election, with incumbents Rod Daus-Magbual, Teresa Proaño and Pamela DiGiovanni running again. Attorney Thomas Nuris, business owner Asia Su, Chief of Staff for Supervisor David Canepa Tony Bayudan and resident Barry Rodriguez have also thrown their hat in the ring for a seat on council.
At a candidate forum Wednesday, Daus-Magbual said that if reelected, he plans to continue advocating for social justice and work with organizations. He is seeking a third term on council. He previously served twice as mayor and also as vice mayor. Daus-Magbual is an ethnic studies professor at Skyline College and executive director for Pin@y Educational Partnerships, a nonprofit educational program.
Proaño, currently vice mayor, said she is ready to roll up her sleeves to help combat any challenges the city may face as it grows. She said she’s ready to tackle parking, overcrowding, illegal dumping and fixing aging streetlights. Proaño is running for a second term. She works as an assistant to the president at Duggan’s Serra Mortuary.
As a firefighter’s daughter, DiGiovanni said public service has always been important to her. She said being involved in the community is important to representing residents, and her office is wherever the community is. DiGiovanni is running for a third term. DiGiovanni has been censured by council after an investigation revealed harassment and misuse of a city car.
ARE THEY QUALIFIED
DiGiovanni said that during her time in office, she has created policies with legislators at all levels. She previously served on the planning commission. But the real crux of being qualified is having a connection with the community.
“The community is the upper tier, and that’s who we serve,” DiGiovanni said.
She said building relationships is essential to understanding people’s needs.
Proaño also boasts her many years of service in the community, which she said has helped her build relationships. She previously served on the Recreation Commission and Planning Commission. Living, working and raising a family in Daly City has given her insight into the community, she said.
Daus-Magbual said his experience as a teacher makes him a prime candidate. He said he teaches his students to fight for their rights and take action to create the type of future they want.
“For me to take everything that we learn from the four walls of our classroom and bring it right here, that’s the reason why I’m qualified,” Daus-Magbual said.
He previously served as a library board trustee and planning commissioner and is now on the board of West Light Energy, a clean-energy nonprofit in San Mateo County.
Rodriguez — a former representative for SEIU 1021, one of San Francisco’s largest labor unions —said he has experience working with budgets and interacting with supervisors, congress members and assemblymembers. He also worked on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s campaign for mayor of San Francisco.
Bayudan brings 10 years of experience working alongside Canepa, who represents Daly City on the Board of Supervisors. He said he has built relationships with commissions focused on youth and seniors. As chief of staff, he said he has mentored over 200 interns, passing the baton to future leaders.
Nuris pointed to his previous election victories as evidence of his experience in public office. He brings 33 years of experience as a former trustee of the Jefferson Union High School District, one year as a San Mateo Community College District trustee and as chairman of the Board of Directors of Seton Medical Center and Seton Coastside. He is currently chairman of the Chamber of Commerce.
“I have worked with budgets of half a billion dollars in the community college district. So I know how to run a city. I can bring my strength and my leadership to this board,” Nuris said.
Su started her business, ATS Ventures, a private investment company, at age 24 and has spent her career solving problems. She said running the business has taught her how to balance budgets, find problems and solve them.
“I make sure people have a paycheck to put food on their table,” Su said.
When issues arise, she said, she analyzes numbers to find a solution — a skill she believes would be valuable if elected.
IMPROVING COMMUNITY CENTERS
Daus-Magbual and Proaño said council is working to bring a new community center that would provide child care and a space for events near City Hall. The project is in the early stages.
The city needs more community outreach to hear what residents want, DiGiovanni said.
Su said she would analyze city expenditures and determine whether contracts could be renegotiated to free up funding for public recreation centers.
Youth and senior programs need more attention and finding creative ways to make money could help them flourish, Nuris said.
Rodriguez and Bayudan said community centers and parks, such as Westlake Park, should be improved.
“Rather than creating a new [community center], maybe focus on what we have to do [to make] some improvements and go from there,” Bayudan said.
FLOCK CAMERAS
All seven candidates said license plate readers help keep residents safe but acknowledged privacy concerns.
Laws and policies help prevent data from being shared with ICE, and Flock cameras have been shown to reduce crime, Su said.
“I think that it’s a valuable tool for our public safety and it’s something good for our community,” Nuris said.
Proaño said two trailers were stolen from her neighborhood and police used the cameras to trace them to Oakland.
“We have to look at the positive, not just the negative,” Proaño said.
Police Chief Cameron Christensen has assured council that Flock data is not being shared with ICE or used to target people of color, DiGiovanni said.
Daus-Magbual acknowledged concerns about being monitored but said Christensen’s assurance gave him some sense of security.
DISTRICT ELECTIONS
Unlike other cities, Daly City Council doesn’t hold district elections, so council members represent the city at large instead of specific neighborhoods.
DiGiovanni said council members should not represent specific areas because any resident should be able to approach them about any issue. Residents should not have to be redirected to someone else, which delays solving issues, she said.
“If someone comes to me, I like to be able to say, ‘let’s see how we can help you’ instead of saying go speak to so and so,” Proaño said.
Daus-Magbual said he would support district elections so neighborhoods such as Bayshore, which feel isolated, can be better represented. Rodriguez and Bayudan agreed, saying many pockets in the city aren’t fairly represented.
District elections could cause council members to prioritize their individual neighborhoods over the city as a whole, Nuris said.
Su said district elections would help councilmembers understand neighborhoods’ niche issues.
HOUSING CRISIS
Daly City has lost nearly 4,000 residents because of rising housing costs, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
But many developments are underway in Daly City that will provide more affordable housing, Proaño said. Council doesn’t have a magic bullet to solve it but has taken steps to keep residents in Daly City, Daus-Magbual said.
Council passed an ordinance giving residents who live and work in the city a preference for 70% of affordable housing units, whether for rent or for sale. Residents must still meet income requirements.
DiGiovanni said renter protections are needed and that council should monitor rent increases.
Land for new housing is difficult to find, and Su said council should consider increasing the number of units in existing places. Bayudan agreed, saying some rundown developments could be revamped.
Nuris said council should create more incentives to attract developers. The city needs more mixed-use projects, and Rodriguez said council should analyze income requirements to determine how to improve them.
Ballots are set to be mailed on Oct. 5.
incredibly useful info, thanks peninsula buzz for keeping our area up to date 🐝💛