San Francisco Board of Supervisors, District 2

Why does this race matter?

District 2 is home to some of San Francisco’s most upscale neighborhoods, like Pacific Heights and the Marina, and tends to elect more moderate candidates to represent them on the Board of Supervisors. The district has some of the liveliest small business corridors and is a magnet for tourists. This is the first election for supervisor since then-Mayor London Breed appointed Stephen Sherrill in 2024 to fill the seat left vacant when then-Supervisor Catherine Stefani was elected to the state Assembly.

Candidates

Lori Brooke
Lori BrookePresident, Cow Hollow Association
Stephen Sherrill
Stephen SherrillSupervisor, San Francisco
 

Positions on Key Issues

Candidate summaries are based on interviews with the candidates, questionnaires, statements made at debates and public events, and past news coverage.

What’s your position on Mayor Daniel Lurie’s “family zoning plan” to build denser and taller housing in parts of the city, including District 2?

Brooke strongly opposes the plan, passed by the Board of Supervisors. She believes it won’t solve the affordability crisis and “it's just deregulating our zoning in San Francisco.” She characterizes the statewide push for more housing as “a developer giveaway,” adding that it ignores local voices. Before building more housing, Brooke wants to find ways to put vacant units and illegal units into use for rentals.
Sherrill was “very proud” to vote for Lurie’s housing plan, adding that he talked with residents, merchants and neighborhood groups before supporting it. “San Francisco has not created the opportunity to build housing for 30 years,” he says, adding that the lack of housing makes it hard for the city’s workforce to live here. Sherrill wants to reduce the cost of housing because it takes almost $1.2 million to build an affordable unit, and that isn’t scalable.

What steps do you support to increase public safety?

Brooke was part of a citizens group that came up with the idea of creating neighborhood “peacelets” in order to help resolve conflict or prevent crime. The peacelets, modeled after parklets, would be mobile and moved into hotspots to make people feel safer. She also supports using technology, including AI, to generate police reports to save time for officers on the streets.
Sherrill believes the city is now going in the right direction and supports the use of technology, including automatic license plate readers and drones, to deter “sideshow behavior.” He supports the three new members of the Police Commission, who he says will “build on the reforms and continue to move forward with sensible policing policies.”

What should the city do to help small businesses thrive?

Brooke supports steps to streamline the process of starting a business and staying in business. Brooke would crack down on “predatory brokers” who convince landlords to evict longtime businesses with the promise of new tenants who will pay higher rents, often leaving storefronts vacant.
Sherrill believes continuing to address homelessness and the fentanyl crisis is important to increase neighborhood foot traffic that small businesses need to thrive. To help employers hire workers, Sherrill wants to increase affordability so bartenders, firefighters and teachers can live here. Sherrill supported Proposition M in 2024, which lowered taxes for small businesses. “I think we need to keep going on that train,” he says.

Key Supporters

This list represents notable organizations and individuals who have taken a position on the ballot measure or candidate, or who are funding campaigns in support or opposition. This list is not exhaustive, and may be updated.

For Brooke

  • Richard Corriea, former police lieutenant, San Francisco
  • Quentin Kopp, retired judge, former state senator and supervisor 
  • Mark Leno, former state senator
  • California Working Families Party
  • San Francisco Tenants Union

For Sherrill

  • Daniel Lurie, mayor, San Francisco 
  • Rafael Mandelman, president, San Francisco Board of Supervisors
  • San Francisco Democratic Party
  • San Francisco Firefighters, IAFF Local 798
  • San Francisco Police Officers Association
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