Joseph and The Issues

AFFORDABLE HOUSING & TENANTS' RIGHTS

Affordable housing is a major concern in San Francisco and we must come up with solutions that are fiscally responsible and benefit those who need affordable housing the most.

• Joe believes that rent control is essential and exists to protect tenants from excessive rent increases, while at the same time allowing landlords a reasonable return on their investments.
  
• Teachers, law enforcement officers, fire fighters and health care professionals must be a top priority in creating greater access to affordable housing. These are the professionals that San Francisco relies upon to live in close proximity in the event of an emergency.
• Joe supports Proposition M and efforts to stop harassment and intimidation from landlords because no one should ever be harassed or intimidated in their own home.

PUBLIC SAFETY

Joseph Alioto, Jr. has a plan to take control of street crime in our neighborhoods, creating a San Francisco where residents, families and visitors alike feel comfortable and secure.

• Joe knows we need new solutions to street crime like Community Justice Centers. This innovative program establishes a court designed specifically to target repeat offenders. The court speeds up the legal process, provides rehabilitation services, and addresses problems immediately. The CJC program has already had great success in rehabilitating repeat offenders in places like New York City, and Joe believes this program would help decrease street crime in San Francisco.
  
• Joe will put community safety first by making sure law enforcement has the resources they need, including increasing police staffing levels and adding more beat cops to District 3 streets.
• Joe knows we must develop an effective community policing plan that takes into account the needs of the neighborhoods, small businesses and law enforcement. Joe is already leading the way in holding troublesome nightclubs accountable for the safety of their patrons.
• The San Francisco Police Officers' Association gave Joe their #1 endorsement.

ENVIRONMENT

Joseph Alioto, Jr. is already leading the charge against climate change. Working with One Atmosphere, Joe helped create the San Francisco Climate Challenge in collaboration with the Sierra Club and SF Environment. Joe helped inspire San Franciscans to decrease their carbon footprints and conserve more than 200,000 pounds of CO2 last year alone. As Supervisor, Joe will keep San Francisco on the cutting edge of green innovation:

• Joe will work to create new green spaces and parks to filter storm water, decrease air pollution and greenhouse gases, and increase property values. Joe as already joined his neighbors to improve Joe DiMaggio Playground, creating more quality open space in North Beach. Joe has also worked with seniors, families and neighbors to ensure that parks like Huntington Park, Michelangelo Park and Sydney Walton Square remain open spaces that everyone can enjoy.
• By adopting building codes that focus on water and energy conservation, recycling and the reduction of carbon emissions, San Francisco will remain the national leader in environmental building innovation.
  
• Joe knows that better public transportation is the key to being less dependent on cars. With dedicated leaders, we can create a more reliable, farther-reaching public transportation system in San Francisco.
  

San Francisco has the know-how and passion to change the way the rest of the world thinks about city living. With Joseph Alioto, Jr. as our Supervisor, we will also have the leadership to make it happen. Together we will build a greener San Francisco.

SMALL BUSINESS CREATION AND PRESERVATION

As a small business attorney, Joseph Alioto, Jr. has been fighting for local businesses for over seven years. Joe knows how tough it can be to stay in the game when corporate competitors set their sights on running the little guys out of business. Joe has seen the boarded up store fronts and thinks it's time that the Board of Supervisors did more to help local entrepreneurs. As Supervisor, Joe will...

• Be a strong supporter of the Small Business Advisory Council (SBAC). Mayor Newsom's SBAC is the voice for San Francisco's small business community. Over the past five years, the SBAC has helped keep our local shops and cafes competitive by giving business owners a support system and opportunities to form connections.
• Help level the playing field for family-owned businesses that make District 3 unique by decreasing bureaucracy and increasing business development advocacy.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

Better public transportation is necessary to get cars off the road and keep our City moving - particularly in District 3. With dedicated leadership, we can create a more reliable, farther-reaching public transportation system in San Francisco.

• San Francisco's Municipal Transportation Authority (SFMTA) is in dire need of reform. It's time to create a system of oversight and accountability at the SFMTA. Our transportation funds cannot continue to be lost in a political slush fund while our transportation services are failing.
  
• The completion of the Central Subway is imperative to improving public transportation throughout the City.

ABOUT JOSEPH

My family has called San Francisco home for four generations. My wife Erica and I live in North Beach and intend on raising our family here and we are expecting our first child in December.

I attended University High School in San Francisco and graduated with honors from Georgetown University in 1994. I later attended graduate school at Cal Berkeley where I was the only member of my class to receive a joint degree in law and business (JD/MBA). I prosecuted criminal cases for the District Attorney in Oakland when I was in law school.

As a small business attorney, I represent small businesses and individual consumers. I take pride fighting for family-owned businesses against some of the largest corporate interests in the world from the pharmaceutical, oil and gas, and transportation industries. As a community leader, I served on the board of directors for the Telegraph Hill Dwellers for three years. I am a founding board member of One Atmosphere, an environmental advocacy group aimed at addressing global warming from a local perspective.

I am running for supervisor because I am tired of the bickering at City Hall. Petty name-calling has taken the place of reasoned debate. The outcome of a legislative vote should not depend on some extraneous political grudge; it should depend on the proposal’s merits. I would like to bring reasonable thought and civility back to our city's government.

I believe San Francisco needs to refocus on the basics: safer streets, cleaner sidewalks, and more inviting parks. We should redouble our efforts to put more police-officers on the streets. San Francisco is built, taught and protected by a strong middle-class and we must ensure it remains affordable for us. We should revitalize our neighborhoods’ commercial districts by inviting businesses into the district through strong incentive programs.