Instructions:

1. There are 10 sections to this questionnaire. Each section corresponds with the 10 Key Values of the Green Party.

2. Each section begins with a written question and ends with several multiple-choice questions.

3. The multiple-choice questions are answered by checking the box in the
appropriate column to indicate which is closest to your position:
+ = Support / Agree / Yes
- = Oppose / Disagree / No
? = Undecided / Don't know / No opinion

4. The world is too complex to always break down neatly into yes/no/maybe choices, so feel free to clarify any answers to multiple
choice questions with a few words.

Candidate Name: John Avalos
Phone Number: 415-678-9990
Web site: avalosformayor.com
E-mail: john@avalosformayor.com
Name of Campaign Manager: Erica Fox
Are you receiving public financing: yes
Signed voluntary spending limit: yes
2nd, 3rd endorsements for Mayor in 2011:
Who did you support for Mayor in 2003: Matt Gonzalez
Major Endorsements:

San Francisco Democratic Party
Harvey Milk Club
Service Employees International Union- San Francisco Local 1021
United Educators of San Francisco
Coleman Action Fund
SF Rising Action Fund
The League of Young Voters
The Sierra Club #2
The League of Conservation Voters #3

1) Grassroots Democracy: What are your thoughts on Instant Runoff Voting, and District Elections? How have they worked to date? What
would you change in the future?

I am in favor of both: District Elections ensure that residents have
direct access to their elected representative, and Instant Runoff
Voting allows voters to have access to a greater choice of candidates
that represent their issues and concerns. By having multiple
candidates, the voter is able to make deeper comparisons amongst
candidates on specific issues. It also opens up the field for
candidates that reflect the values of San Francisco, rather than those
with high name recognition or the ability to raise funds from large
corporations.

+ - ?
[X] [ ] [ ] Sub-government such as Neighborhood Assemblies,
Networks or District Councils
[ ] [ ] [X] Some commissions should be democratically elected.
[ ] [X] [ ] The Mayor should appoint all commissioners.
[X] [ ] [ ] Residency requirements for elected officials should
be strictly enforced.
[ ] [X] [ ] Ethics Commission should be disbanded.
[X] [ ] [ ] Ethics Commission meetings should be televised.
[X] [ ] [ ] Ethics Commission should prioritize investigating
violations from well-funded campaigns.
[ ] [X] [ ] My campaign accepts corporate contributions
[ ] [ ] [ ] My campaign accepts contributions from paid
lobbyists or related entities having any interest in City and County of San
Francisco

2) Ecological Wisdom: Please outline your view of the major environmental and ecological issues facing San Francisco and your
proposed policies to address them.

I am a proud life-long environmentalist and an avid bicyclist; I have
brought my environmentalism with me to the Board of Supervisors, the
Local Agency Formation Committee, and most recently to the Bay Area
Air Quality Management District. In City Hall, I championed
legislation to save landmark trees, expand open space, and restore
natural areas.

On the Board of Supervisors, I have helped lead the charge to protect
our parks and public spaces from over-commercialization, and as Budget
Chair for 2 years, one of my top priorities was to protect the
Recreation and Parks Department from draconian General Fund cuts while
making targeted appropriations for increased open space and
recreational opportunities. We prevented immediate layoffs of the
City's Rec directors, funded workreation jobs for young people, added
community gardens, new recreation facilities, and playgrounds. One of
my most recent legislative efforts was to use revenue from my
Real-Estate Transfer Tax to attempt to repeal the visitor fee for
Golden Gate Park's Botanical Garden. I am currently crafting
legislation to close the Sharp Park Golf Course, to protect the
endangered species and improve public recreation at Sharp Park.

Development without consideration for its social and physical impact
is one of the most pressing environmental issues that our City faces;
I have consistently challenged out-of-place development, such as the
Port of San Francisco's current proposal for the Embarcadero Plan to
allow development right up to the waterfront, which seems more focused
on generating revenues than protecting the public trust. In the
progressive tradition that led Art Agnos to demolish the Embarcadero
Freeway, I believe that protecting our waterfront and the public trust
will pays off dividends in the long run.

Our City's and our citizens' health is also inextricably tied up in
the environmental health of the Bay; as the newest member of the
BAAQMD Board of Directors, my first responsibility is to ensure that
the air in the Bay Area is clean, and I will be working closely with
the Bay Area Environmental Health Collaborative and BAAQMD and City
staff to ensure that the plans to decrease air pollution in the
Bayview Hunters Point area are effective in reducing the area's cancer
and asthma rates.

Finally, for the preservation of our public spaces and protection of
our waterfronts and native species, I would put the full power of the
Mayor's office behind the total clean-up of the Hunters Point
Shipyard, and was very disappointed that the Board did not adopt more
stringent amendments to ensure the Navy fully remove all contaminants
in Parcel E2 during the approval process. Additionally I would direct
the Recreation and Parks Department to scrap their plans for building
a large soccer complex and recycled water plan on the western end of
Golden Gate Park.

+ - ?
[ ] [X] [ ] I voted/would have voted to approve the EIR for
Lennar construction in the Bayview
[ ] [ ] [ ] Phasing out diesel tour buses
[X] [ ] [ ] Public Power
[X] [ ] [ ] CleanPowerSF (Community Choice Aggregation)
[X] [ ] [ ] Found CleanPowerSF on hundreds of megawatts of
locally installed renewables/efficiency
[ ] [X] [ ] New runways in the bay at SFO
[X] [ ] [ ] Reducing or eliminating parking minimums in new
housing and commercial developments
[ ] [ ] [X] Congestion tolls on Doyle Drive
[X] [ ] [ ] Natural Areas Program
[ ] [ ] [X] Artificial turf on City-owned athletic fields

3) Social Justice: A) What is your assessment of homelessness in San Francisco, and what solutions do you propose?

Over the past two decades, City Hall's responses to homelessness have
been based on politics rather then sound effective policy. The result
has been tragic: severe poverty, a lack of health care, and racial
inequities. Furthermore, an increasing disparity between income and
housing costs has caused a homeless crisis here and across the
country. Homeless people and community members have been actively
seeking solutions to homelessness themselves, by developing proposals
and bringing them forward, and the City developed the Continuum of
Care, the five-year needs assessment required by the Federal
Government. Although the Board of Supervisors supported the Continuum
of Care, and many of its recommendations have been implemented, the
political will to enact the entire policy is lacking.

If elected, I would ensure we have the resources we need and that they
are spent efficiently. At the same time, local government must ensure
its homeless programs are effective, accountable, and
responsive. While the Continuum of Care contains carefully crafted
solutions to homelessness, there are literally hundreds of
recommendations, and they don't all fit into sex sound bites. They
are, nonetheless, solutions that make a real difference in the lives
of our homeless population, as they have come directly from experts,
homeless people themselves, and community members.

As Mayor, I will redirect the endless resources that have gone towards
the ineffective method of criminalizing homeless people in order to
invest in true and permanent solutions, such as housing, jobs,
treatment, and dignified emergency services. I will champion the
Sustainable Communities Affordable Housing Bond, which will be a
realistic, progressive approach to permanent funding for the
rehabilitation and redevelopment of affordable housing in our
City. Additionally, so many SF Housing Authority units are sitting
empty simply because they may need a paint job. By utilizing a "sweat
equity" program, where families fix up these units themselves, we can
ensure hundreds of homeless families have a place to live. I would
also utilize surplus city-owned properties for housing affordable to
poor and homeless people, and improve access to shelters by removing
"shelter" from the definition of housing under Care Not Cash.

+ - ?
[ ] [ ] [X] Project Homeless Connect
[X] [ ] [ ] Care Not Cash.
[X] [ ] [ ] Community courts
[X] [ ] [ ] SF's minimum wage law
[X] [ ] [ ] SF's health care mandate
[X] [ ] [ ] SF's sick leave requirements
[ ] [X] [ ] Law against sitting down on SF sidewalks

B) What are your views on housing affordability, what public sector strategies have worked, which have failed, and what are your proposals?

Lack of affordable housing is the number one reason that families
leave San Francisco, with many families paying more than 30% of their
income on housing costs. As a recent homeowner, I know firsthand how
tough it is to buy a home and raise a family in the City. It means
every day, my family has to prioritize our financial resources so that
we can continue to pay for our home, childcare and other
necessities. I want to make sure that San Francisco remains a City for
all by offering housing opportunities for families and individuals at
all income levels.

In my first years in City Hall, I worked with a broad coalition of
stakeholders to secure over $30 million for the development of
affordable housing, and ensured that the funding went toward a wide
diversity of San Franciscans, including families, seniors, and
transitional-age foster youth. I also created the City's Rental
Subsidy Program for Low-Income Families, which helps struggling
families stay in their homes, and helps those families living in
overcrowded units, shelters, or single-room occupancy hotels to obtain
suitable housing. Lastly, I worked to protect tenants living in
foreclosed properties by introducing and winning passage of "just
cause" legislation that prevents their arbitrary eviction.

I am very concerned about losing rent-controlled units, because
property owners have been allowed to convert rental housing to
vacation rentals and timeshares, and as Mayor I will work on
compliance penalties and disincentives to put a stop to these
conversions. I want to strengthen rent control, as well as preserve
rent-controlled housing from demolition and conversion. As I mentioned
above, I will champion the Sustainable Communities Affordable Housing
Bond, which, among other things, will include an acquisition and
rehabilitation fund that allows organizations to buy existing
multi-family buildings and transform them into permanent affordable
rental housing.

+ - ?
[ ] [ ] [X] Impacts of all new development should be paid for
in advance by fees on developers
[X] [ ] [ ] Community Land Trust
[ ] [X] [ ] Rent Control is too strong
[ ] [ ] [X] Elected Rent Board
[ ] [ ] [X] Amnesty for illegal in-law apartments
[ ] [X] [ ] Condo conversion is currently too difficult

4) Nonviolence: What are your solutions for SFPD accountability while making the streets safer?

If elected Mayor, I will make sure that all neighborhoods get their
fair share of City services, and all of our residents feel secure and
safe in their communities. I will champion community policing and
violence prevention, as well as relationship build between local
merchants and the policemen on the beat; everyone should be on a
first-name basis. As I have done in the past, I will work to fund and
improve diversionary programs to offer alternatives to life on the
streets.

I want to make sure that there are clear standards for building trust
and relationships between our officers and community members,
including merchants. I believe it's important to have more
police-community relations forums to help build those relationships
and trust.

Additionally, I would sure there is greater security for youth when
they get out of school, especially around MUNI stops and on MUNI, as
well as for seniors using public transit at night.

Finally, District 11 needs more programs that get to the root causes
of crime, as well as programs for young people, and jobs for young
adults. My local-hiring ordinance was an effort to provide people with
opportunities as alternatives to a life of crime, and as Mayor I would
expand this ordinance outside of the construction sector to all
sectors to provide even more opportunities.

+ - ?
[ ] [ ] [x] Prioritize SFPD enforcement of moving violations
[X] [ ] [ ] Support expansion of foot patrols
[X] [ ] [ ] Demand stricter accountability in future MOUs with
the SFPD
[X] [ ] [ ] The Board of Supervisors should be able to set
policies and priorities for the SFPD through legislation

5) Decentralization: What are your thoughts on the Kaufman Charter of 1996? Does it need revisiting?

This charter has led the way to abuses in the past, and I would need
to look into it further.

+ - ?
[ ] [ ] [X] Bring the Housing Authority under the Board of
Supervisors
[ ] [ ] [X] Bring the Redevelopment Agency under the Board of
Supervisors
[X] [ ] [ ] Will you create formal district councils to advise
you?
[ ] [X] [ ] Two aides for each Supervisor are sufficient
[ ] [ ] [ ] Charter amendment allowing voters to choose the
replacement of an elected official being recalled on the same ballot as the
recall vote

6) Community Based Economics: What economic policies, including taxation, land use from the Planning Department, and investment from
the Redevelopment Agency would you propose that would drive capital
into our communities and keep that capital here for residents?

If elected, I will revitalize our local economic base by creating our
very own municipal bank to use, invest, and leverage our local tax
dollars here in San Francisco, not to line the pockets of
multi-national banks and corporations.

I believe taxes are a public investment, and I am in favor of
progressive taxation, making corporations pay their fair share, and
eliminating loopholes that allow them to pay less. I aim to
collaborate with community leaders and have a Planning Department that
is responsive to community concerns, rather than just to politically
connected developers and development lawyers.

Finally, my work in championing the Local-Hire legislation for
construction is emblematic of my commitment to guaranteeing our City
makes good on its promise to many of our communities to provide real
job opportunities. In the last decade, development that was promoted
under the banner of providing jobs, such as the Bayview-Hunter's Point
Development, ultimately drove out many working people and families. My
Local-Hire legislation is a token of my efforts to ensure our City
follows through on its pledge without displacing whole communities or
razing over a thousand units of rent-controlled housing.

+ - ?
[X] [ ] [ ] Legislation limiting formula retail outlets/chain-
stores
[X] [ ] [ ] Conditional Use permit required for big box stores
[ ] [X] [ ] The biotech payroll tax break
[X] [ ] [ ] Municipal broadband
[X] [ ] [ ] Local hiring requirements should be enforced
[ ] [ ] [X] Conversion of some golf courses into soccer fields
[X] [ ] [ ] Prop 13 limits on tax increases should apply only
to residential properties

7) Feminism: Do you believe women are underrepresented in city government? If so, why do you believe this is the case? Is this a
bad thing, and if so, what would you do to remedy the situation?

I have always supported and endorsed progressive, community-minded
women to leadership positions. I am the only Supervisor with three
female aides and I hope, of the two that live in D11, to groom one to
take my place one day.

In recent elections, I have endorsed both Debra Walker and Jane Kim in
D6, Janet Reilly in D2, and Kim-Shree Maufas and Margaret Brodkin for
School Board. In 2010, I appointed Gaylen Mohre, a young MSW student
from SF State, to serve on the Citizen's Committee on Community
Development. I have reappointed Sharon Eberhardt to the PROSAC as well
as appointed Linda Davirro to the same committee. I have supported the
appointment of Laura Guzman to the Local Homeless Coordinating
Committee, Ana P�rez to the Immigrant Rights Commission, Lorena
Melgarejo to the Immigrant Rights Commission and many other women to
positions of leadership in the city.

Since my election to the Board of Supervisors, I have hired two female
aides, both of whom I believe to have strong potential to serve in
public office. I make every effort to play a mentoring role to both of
them, as well as learn from them specific issues concerning women. I
have had four female MSW interns in my office over the past two years,
one of whom I have hired in my City Hall office and two of whom are
now working on my campaign. Since I have an MSW as well, I have served
as their field supervisor for their final year as SF State MSW
students.

+ - ?
[X] [ ] [ ] The City should help SFUSD provide child care for
children of working parents
[X] [ ] [ ] The DPH should provide reproductive health
services
[ ] [X] [ ] Require parental consent for minors seeking an
abortion
[ ] [X] [ ] Require parental notification for minors seeking
an abortion

8) Respect for Diversity: Tell us what you believe are the best and the worst aspects of San Francisco's diversity. How would you try to
protect the best while trying to change the worst?

I am running for Mayor to protect and foster San Francisco's great
diversity. It is what brought me to this city and what continues to
attract people from all over the country and all over the world. If we
are to be a true Sanctuary City, we need to acknowledge and honor the
great contribution our immigrant population brings to our culture and
our economy; it is why I have created and sponsored "art walk" events
in my district to encourage the sharing of culture among neighbors and
to support local merchants.

Discrimination obviously does still exist in this City and I will seek
to eliminate it where it persists. Our current immigration system is
designed to divide workers and further exploit immigrants and
migrants, and we need a strong mass movement at the local and national
level to demand legalization for all. As Mayor I will push back
against infringing and unfair federal policies like S-Comm, and will
make sure that no City resources or personnel go towards these federal
enforcement campaigns.

+ - ?
[X] [ ] [ ] Multilingual government and education
[X] [ ] [ ] Undocumented immigrants should have equal access to
education and health care
[X] [ ] [ ] Non-citizen residents should be able to vote in all
local elections
[X] [ ] [ ] Full rights for transgender persons
[ ] [X] [ ] Boards and commissions now reflect the ethnic
diversity of San Francisco
[ ] [X] [ ] Boards and commissions now reflect the political
diversity of San Francisco
[X] [ ] [ ] My campaign reflects the diversity of San Francisco

9) Global and Personal Responsibility: What are your thoughts on the City (e.g., the Mayor's office) taking positions on state, national
and international issues?

Generally, I would not view my role as Mayor as one that leads San
Francisco in articulating positions on international affairs. However,
to the extent that such issues do inevitably arise, my pledge is to
consult broadly with local and national community and advocacy groups
and leaders. As I mentioned above, I would do everything I could as
Mayor to guarantee that no City resources go toward the enforcement of
infringing federal polices, like S-Comm, and to the extent that is
possible, I will use my position as Mayor to influence our state
legislators and elected officials to do what is best for San
Francisco.

+ - ?
[ ] [X] [ ] City government cooperating with the PATRIOT Act
[ ] [X] [ ] City government cooperating with ICE
[X] [ ] [ ] City government should boycott Arizona until
policies are changed
[ ] [ ] [X] City government should boycott Israel until
policies are changed
[ ] [ ] [X] Fleet Week

[ ] [X] [ ] Blue Angels flyover
[ ] [X] [ ] Business taxes are too high
[ ] [X] [ ] In a severe recession, environmental regulations
should be suspended to create jobs
[ ] [ ] [X] SF should take a position on offshore oil drilling
outside CA

10) Sustainability: What does the Transit First City Charter provision mean to you? How has Transit First fared in recent years, and how
would you enforce that Charter Provision if elected?

Public transit has been a perpetual priority in my years of public
service, having been a supporter of Prop 1 for High Speed Rail. MUNI
would most certainly be front and center in my administration. I will
collaborate with progressive members of the Board, like Supervisor
David Campos, to pass his Charter Amendment for comprehensive MUNI
reform, and will follow through on Supervisor Mirkarimi's proposal to
increase the parking tax or another commuter tax to generate revue. I
will take steps to expand car-free Market Street, and implement the
Transportation Authority's congestion pricing proposal for downtown
San Francisco.

The Newsom administration cut services and raised MUNI fares. We must
do better. As someone who rides my bike from my home in the Excelsior
to City Hall, I know that if we provide real public transit options
and alternatives to car use, San Franciscans will gladly give up their
cars. As Mayor, I will make San Francisco a truly Transit First City,
one that is pedestrian and bike friendly. I will work with regional
and local partners to transform Balboa BART Stations from its decrepit
state to a modern transit hub, with transit-oriented development to
serve not just the Excelsior, OMI, Vis Valley, but all neighborhoods,
as well as the thousands of City College students who pass through its
doors every day.

+ - ?
[X] [ ] [ ] MUNI should be funded greater levels and be free
to the rider
[X] [ ] [ ] Downtown Transit Assessment Tax to support MUNI
[X] [ ] [ ] Citywide Transit Assessment Tax to support MUNI
[X] [ ] [ ] Higher residential construction along neighborhood
transit corridors, which may include raising height limits by two to three
stories.
[ ] [X] [ ] Diversion of money set aside for seismic retrofit
projects into a solar energy incentives program
[ ] [ ] [X] State law change that lets bicycles treat stop
signs as yield signs and red lights as stop signs
[X] [ ] [ ] I ride MUNI, bicycle and/or walk instead of
driving on a regular basis
[X] [ ] [ ] Bus Rapid Transit on Geary
[ ] [X] [ ] Allow residents to park on the sidewalk without
getting a ticket, unless their neighbors complain
[X] [ ] [ ] I agree with the recommendations in the Peak Oil
Task Force Report
[X] [ ] [ ] Congestion pricing for parking
[ ] [X] [ ] Power more City vehicles using corn-based ethanol
[ ] [ ] [X] Power more City vehicles on plant or animal fat-
based diesel produced using factory farm agriculture
[ ] [X] [ ] Residents should be allowed to park in the street
in front of their own driveway for free
[ ] [X] [ ] Oppose expanding parking meter hours to include
later evening hours and weekends
[X] [ ] [ ] Remove parking spots and car lanes to create
dedicated bike and bus lanes or wider sidewalks

Your positions on selected current and past Propositions:

[ ] [X] [ ] 2008 Prop 8 (Limit on Marriage)
[X] [ ] [ ] 2010 Prop AA (Local VLF)
[X] [ ] [ ] 2010 Prop D (Non-citizen voting for School Board)
[X] [ ] [ ] 2010 Prop E (Same-day voter reg)
[ ] [X] [ ] 2010 Prop L ("Sit/Lie" ban)
[X] [ ] [ ] 2010 Prop M (Foot Patrols)
[X] [ ] [ ] 2010 Prop 19 (Legalize Marijuana)
[X] [ ] [ ] 2011 Prop C (Lee pension reform)
[ ] [X] [ ] 2011 Prop D (Adachi pension reform)