Activating the Activist

After graduating from high school in 1975, my 22 years of work was as a mechanical and electrical draftsman, primarily for San Francisco consulting engineering firms. This period included living in Oregon from 1979 to 1981. However, that one night in a Portland jail whispered: Go home.

From 1983 to 1993, I taught the Bible and counseled in the maximum-security unit of the San Francisco juvenile hall. It was the beginning of a 40-year journey of service and activism in the city.

My first try at shaping city policy resulted in a win in defeat. While homeless, I penned a ballot measure that collected 14,000 signatures and then garnered an impressive 98,000 “Yes” votes in the June 2018 special election.

Grandstanding and hypocrisy are the two traits in politics that I find most infuriating. They are obstacles that hinder good ideas from blossoming into successful projects, policies, or laws. 

Good ideas cut costs, and great ideas cut checks. I have a lot of both—one great idea: In addition to duties as supervisor, spearhead the creation of a museum to honor the world’s greatest acts of heroism. These exhibits will inspire school-aged children, and tourists will affirm a "World-class city" afresh.