Dean Preston holds slim lead over SF Supe Vallie Brown in D5 race
Trisha Thadani Nov. 6, 2019
Dean Preston and his supporters listen to speakers at his election watch party at Noir Lounge in Hayes Valley.Photo: Kate Munsch / Special to The Chronicle
Tenants’ rights activist Dean Preston held a slim lead over San Francisco Supervisor Vallie Brown in the battle for her District Five seat, but the race was too close to call Wednesday.
The race pitted Brown, a close ally of Mayor London Breed who received high-profile endorsements, against Preston, a would-be newcomer to City Hall who has been critical of the mayor.
Preston had 50.86% of the vote to Brown’s 49.14%, with all precincts reporting and ranked-choice voting completed. But the margin between Preston and Brown was small — 218 out of 12,660 ballots counted. Mail-in ballots will continue to be counted in the next few days, as will provisional ballots. Ultimately, the candidate with more than 50% will win.
When early returns came in Tuesday night, Brown led, but as ranked-choice votes were reallocated, Preston passed her. Two other candidates with low vote totals were eliminated, and Preston got more of their votes.
Late Tuesday, Preston rallied the crowded bar of supporters with a rousing speech punctuated by chants of “Tax the rich” and “We’re gonna win!”
He said he is proud of the clear, progressive campaign he ran, and that it resonated with voters in District Five.
“What is missing in so many campaigns is a vision of what this town could be if we did not surrender to the darkest forces of capitalism and neo-liberalism,” said Preston. “We are going to change (this town) with mass mobility, democratic socialism and fearless advocacy for the things we know are right.”
“I am confident and optimistic that we will win,” he added.
Brown gathered with supporters at the Church of 8 Wheels, a roller-skating rink in a converted church.
“We knew it was going to be a nail-biter,” Brown said. “I’m just waiting to see.”
She said the campaign was very community driven, with people in her district canvassing in their own neighborhoods.
“The district needs a good supervisor that’s going to take care of the district,” she said.
Mayor London Breed arrived at Brown’s party at about 10 p.m.
“They want us to clean up the city. The only way we can do that is if we’re working together,” Breed said. “That’s why Vallie Brown is so important and that’s why I’m hopeful.”
Brown was appointed by Breed to a seat on the Board of Supervisors last year, representing a diverse collection of neighborhoods that includes the Fillmore, Western Addition, Haight-Ashbury, Hayes Valley and the Inner Sunset.
Brown, who grew up in Utah, has lived in San Francisco for 34 years and owns a home in Cole Valley. She started out as a neighborhood activist and later became a City Hall legislative aide. She was appointed to the seat in July 2018 by Breed after she became mayor.
Preston, originally from New York, has lived in District Five for 20 years and owns a home on Alamo Square. He is best known for writing Proposition F, the June 2018 ballot measure that gives tenants facing eviction the right to a lawyer. He also created Tenants Together, a statewide renters’ rights group, in 2008. He was the executive director but took a leave of absence to run for office.
This is his second attempt to win the seat. In 2016, he ran against Breed, only to lose by a small number of votes.
The race is important for Breed — who cruised toward an easy re-election Tuesday — and her ability to push her legislative agenda through during her four-year term. While Brown has sometimes gone against the mayor, she is seen as one of her few allies on the board. Preston, on the other hand, is seen as an adversary.
Both candidates were well-funded and well-known. Brown received $486,408 in contributions through the end of October, and Preston received $440,932.
Brown received major criticism late in the campaign after the Tenants Union — which endorsed Preston — unearthed 25-year-old documents last month that proved Brown evicted three low-income African American tenants from her Fillmore building. Brown incorrectly said she evicted the tenants because they weren’t paying rent and issued a public apology for the misstatement last week.
Preston, a democratic socialist, ran on a platform of making sweeping and immediate change in San Francisco. He proposed a ballot measure for the March 2020 ballot that would create free Muni service for all, and a plan to build 10,000 units of 100% affordable housing within 10 years.
But his critics said his platforms were too pie-in-the-sky and unrealistically expensive. Unlike his opponent, Preston has no experience within City Hall.
Preston was backed by several of Brown’s colleagues and groups such as the Democratic Socialists of America, San Francisco Tenants Union and National Union of Healthcare Workers.
He was able to energize an enthusiastic base and challenge the incumbent, who was supported by big names in San Francisco politics, such as Breed, state Sen. Scott Wiener, Assemblyman David Chiu and California Sen. Kamala Harris.
Brown’s notable pieces of legislation as supervisor include a program to transform a parking lot near the Balboa Park BART Station into a place for homeless people who live out of their vehicles; a plan to streamline lengthy permitting processes for small businesses; and a deal to increase the amount of affordable housing in a Divisadero Street development, though her opponents say it wasn’t enough.
During the campaign, her critics said she was too incremental in her approach and argued that Preston would take a much more aggressive approach. Her critics also said she is too close to the mayor and wanted a more independent candidate.
At Preston’s party on Tuesday night, the candidate walked in around 8 p.m. to cheers as supporters hugged him and posed for smiling pictures.
Volunteer supporters said they back Preston because of his emphasis on housing issues or connection to the Democratic Socialist organization.
William Zeier, 39, of Richmond, said no matter what happens, he’ll be satisfied with the passionate effort of the campaign.
“It’s like playing a good sports game where you leave it all on the field,” he said.
At Brown’s party, supporters, who seemed to be an older and more diverse crowd than Preston’s group, had deep ties to Brown.
Maestro Curtis lives in Brown’s neighborhood and has watched her sweeping the streets and picking up trash for the last 16 years. When she became supervisor, he said, it was a natural fit for a community-minded, engaging individual.
“Vallie literally swept and cleaned her way into her position,” he said.
Trisha Thadani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tthadani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TrishaThadani