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Meet the District 2 candidates: How should SFUSD students be assigned to schools?

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Meet the District 2 candidates: How should SFUSD students be assigned to schools?


Welcome back to our “Meet the Candidates” series, where District 2 supervisor candidates respond to a question in 100 words or fewer. Answers are published every Tuesday.

District 2 covers neighborhoods in the north of the city including the Presidio, the Marina, Cow Hollow, Pacific Heights, Presidio Heights, Anza Vista and portions of the Western Addition and North of the Panhandle.


Every year, confused parents of children entering San Francisco’s public schools have to confront the lottery. 

The system is theoretically simple. Parents provide a ranked list of their top choice San Francisco Unified School District picks by late January. SFUSD runs a lottery, and a few months later the district tells parents where their kid is assigned. 

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But parents hate it. 

Making the list of schools is time consuming and the wait is anxiety-inducing, parents say. Plus, the results can be disappointing — an assignment to a school they didn’t want, or one with a start or end time that is impossible to coordinate around work schedules. 

So why have a lottery system? The lottery started in 2002 after a court case that prohibited the district from considering race when making school assignments. But SFUSD didn’t want to simply send students to their nearest school, which would result in schools segregated by class and race, mirroring the city itself. So, it started using a lottery. 

In the end, though, SFUSD data showed that the lottery system exacerbated inequality in the school system.

So, in 2020, SFUSD’s Board of Education voted to move San Francisco back to a zone-based system of school assignments. The hope was that the new zone system would lead to more predictability, students enrolled in schools closer to home, and more diverse classrooms. 

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In reality, figuring out how to divide the city into zones that allow for all three of those factors — predictability, proximity, and diversity — is a tall order. Though the new zones were supposed to be implemented by the 2026-2027 school year, there is no current proposal for what the zones would look like and no timeline for SFUSD switching over. 

This week’s question: How should SFUSD students be assigned to schools?


Lori Brooke

  • Job: President, Cow Hollow Association
  • Age: 62
  • Residency: Homeowner, moved to the district 31 years ago
  • Transportation: Driving and walking
  • Education: Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara
  • Languages: English

When assigning schools to students, SFUSD should prioritize accessibility, strong education and ensure schools across the city are equally resourced. 

I have heard complaints from many parents that they would like the option to walk their kids to school and not have to send them an hour across the city every day. 

We can improve the selection process to ensure that students can choose a school in their neighborhood. Limiting travel time will also give kids one less thing to worry about and ensure that they are more focused on their education. 

See Brooke’s full response here.

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Endorsed by: Former District 2 Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier, former State Senator and Supervisor Quentin Kopp, UESF, CA Working Families Partyread more here.


Cartoon illustration of a person with short brown hair wearing a blue suit and tie, shown inside a circular frame with a light green background.

Stephen Sherrill

  • Job: Appointed District 2 Supervisor
  • Age: 39
  • Residency: Homeowner, moved to the district 11 years ago
  • Transportation: Driving, public transportation, biking
  • Education: Bachelor’s degree from Yale University
  • Languages: English

SFUSD should move to a simpler, more neighborhood-based assignment system. Families deserve a fair chance to attend a school closer to home, without a confusing citywide lottery or long commutes. 

Assignment reform also has to be matched by a serious focus on school quality. In a district facing budget cuts and hard decisions about its footprint, resources should be concentrated so neighborhood schools can offer students the staffing, support, and academic programs they need. While the Board of Supervisors does not control SFUSD policy, I will continue to use this office to advocate for that approach.

See Sherrill’s full response here.

Endorsed by: Mayor Daniel Lurie, GrowSF, Nor Cal Carpenters Union, San Francisco Police Officers Association, SF YIMBY, Northern Neighbors … read more here.


Candidates are ordered alphabetically and rotated each week. Answers may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling, and grammar. If you have questions for the candidates, please let us know at io@missionlocal.com. 

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You can register to vote via the sf.gov website.





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San Francisco considers closing some permanent supportive housing

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San Francisco considers closing some permanent supportive housing


In San Francisco, homeless advocates are expressing concern as the city considers potentially closing some of its permanent supportive housing sites. As the San Francisco Chronicle reported, homeless service providers reported that the mayor’s chief of health and human services met with housing providers last month that the city was working on a list of potential buildings to be closed.

Multiple homeless advocates told NBC Bay Area they had heard about this proposal and the general approach by Mayor Daniel Lurie’s office to reexamine how the city uses permanent supportive housing.

“This is something that’s been discussed for a few months at this point,” said Christin Evans, a former San Francisco Homeless Oversight Commissioner and current small business owner in the city.

Advocates describe permanent supportive housing (PSH) as a more stable and long term option for people experiencing homelessness, providing a place to live that is directly connected to the health and social services a person needs when transitioning out of homelessness. San Francisco currently has more than 9,000 site-based permanent supportive housing units.

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Mayor Daniel Lurie’s press secretary, Charles Lutvak, shared a statement on Thursday, noting, “… our administration is prioritizing tools to get people struggling with addiction into treatment and the path to stability.”

“Permanent supportive housing is a critical one, but we need to make it work better,” Lutvak continued, noting the city is spending $300 million a year while also facing hundreds of millions of dollars in federal cuts.

Lutvak also said it is not determined yet whether the city will be closing permanent supportive housing beds in the coming months.

Still, the conversations so far are enough to have advocates worried.

“Every housing unit you get rid of, you’ve got additional homeless people on the streets,” said Jennifer Friedenbach, executive director with the Coalition on Homelessness.

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Friedenbach said there are currently thousands of people on the city’s waitlist to get into permanent supportive housing.

“Permanent supportive housing does work. It has been studied to death, and it is the primary resolution of homelessness that has the highest level of success,” she added.

This conversation about permanent supportive housing units is unfolding as the city already faces a 643 million dollar budget gap. But advocates argue, while housing is expensive, it will cost the city even more to have unhoused people in the city who are disconnected from a place to live or support services.

“We’re cutting really essential services for our most vulnerable san Franciscans, and its actually going to harm our recovery as a city,” Evans said.

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San Francisco tops US housing market as homes sell far over asking, report says

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San Francisco tops US housing market as homes sell far over asking, report says


The average San Francisco home sold for nearly 90% over the asking price in March, according to Redfin.

The city is now the most expensive metro area in the country.

Artificial intelligence is driving much of those costs, as companies grow and hire, with many requiring staff to work in person.

Housing inventory, on the other hand, isn’t keeping up.

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NBC Bay Area spoke with Arrian Binning, an agent with the Binnings Team at Christie’s San Francisco, who said the city is expensive but worth the investment.

“San Francisco is one of the best markets in the world,” Binning said. “I’ve seen supply constriction benefit property owners, so when you’re a property owner in a market that has scarce inventory but also is an engine of growth, that’s kind of the trifecta in terms of investing your hard-earned dollars into a new home.”

San Francisco bumped San Jose out of the top spot.

In San Jose, the median home price in March was more than $1.46 million, about what it was a year ago.

NBC Bay Area’s Kris Sanchez has the full report in the video above.

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Thousands head to San Francisco’s East Cut for 415 Day Market & Party

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Thousands head to San Francisco’s East Cut for 415 Day Market & Party


On April 15, back in the year 1850, San Francisco was first incorporated as a city. Each year on April 15, many in San Francisco celebrate 415 day, honoring that anniversary and the date that aligns with the city’s area code. Wednesday, thousands of people headed to The Crossing at East Cut for a night market to ring in the occasion.

This night market was hosted by San Francisco-based record label EMPIRE along with the East Cut Community Benefit District. The event brought a fleet of food trucks and local vendors to the plaza at The Crossing at East Cut, as well as musical talent performing throughout the evening. This night market was free for attendees and drew in people of all ages, many of whom were decked out in their most San Francisco-inspired outfits.

“We are so honored to have this happening here at The Crossing at East Cut, to be welcoming people from across the city, from across the Bay Area, to come see what downtown can be, and to celebrate the beauty of San Francisco,” said Andrew Robinson, the executive director of the East Cut Community Benefit District. Robinson explained that this was the Benefit District’s first time helping to put on the 415 Day celebration. He noted that the event brought in welcome business and foot traffic to the neighborhood.

EMPIRE CEO Ghazi Shami, who is a San Francisco native, was at the event too. Shami explained to NBC Bay Area that the event is a chance to put a spotlight on the creative community in San Francisco.

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“I’m a product of my environment, I love San Francisco,” Shami said.

“It’s perfect time to celebrate, like our cultural diversity, music, food, street fashion, all the things that make San Francisco unique,” he said.

Shami added that he hopes next year to see even more 415 Day celebrations across San Francisco.

“I hope this becomes something that everybody adopts and celebrates no matter where you’re from,” he said.

The crowds at the event continued to grow throughout the night. People stopped to take photos with a giant, illuminated “415 Day” sign at the plaza.

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“Just seeing this community come together, the diversity, the music, the food, we got it all in San Francisco,” said San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, addressing the crowd at the start of the event.

An artist who goes by the name Mando told NBC Bay Area he though the event was “well orchestrated,” he enjoyed the food, drinks, and entertainment.

Mando, who lives in San Francisco, said he thinks 415 Day is an important holiday for the city.

“I think celebrating 415 Day is like a religion, if you’re from the city you basically gotta live it up today, today is the day,” he said.

“The bridge, the city, the everything, the music, the culture, it’s a beautiful thing, today’s the day to just let it all out and not care about nothing,” he continued.

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