Everyday residents like you, dear readers, are serving the city in a variety of roles on city boards, commissions, and advisory bodies. They have all committed their personal time and energy to representing the community’s priorities around everything from land use policy to transportation. Get to know them, thank them for their service, invite them to your neighborhood meetings, and let them know what’s on your mind.
Youth Commission: Maggie Dong. Our new District 3 youth commissioner is currently majoring in Urban Studies and Planning at San Francisco State University. She loves getting to know the district via Muni and neighborhood walks, and wants to dedicate her term to policy work on open space and transit equity. Email [email protected] if you would like to invite Commissioner Dong to your neighborhood meeting.
Park Recreation and Open Space Advisory Committee: Kenneth Maley. He is serving his second two-year term on PROSAC. Since 1999, he has been a member of Friends of Washington Square Park, the committed stewards of North Beach’s historic living room. Maley is also engaged in upgrades to Pioneer Park and active in the Coit Tower Working Group. You can reach him at [email protected].
Deputy AG: Gisele Rainer. She has lived in San Francisco since 1986 and is a deputy attorney general for California, specializing in governmental bond transactions. Rainer resides in Russian Hill with her husband, Albert, and their Labrador retriever, Daisy. Her top priority is ensuring access to fun, clean, and safe recreational facilities citywide.
SFMTA Citizens Advisory Committee: Queena Chen. Chen has deep roots in District 3, starting as a former pedestrian safety organizer for Chinatown Community Development Center. She is a member of Chinatown TRIP, which advocates for safe and accessible transit in Chinatown. Her priorities include monitoring construction mitigation efforts for large infrastructure projects like Central Subway, and ensuring the full funding of the Transportation Task Force 2045 expenditure plan, including critical dollars for Vision Zero safety projects, transit modernization, and increased operations.
Bicycle Advisory Committee: Marc Brandt. Marc is an engaged BAC member, who has authored many resolutions with a focus on safety design. He was an active representative and participant in the Polk Street Improvement Project redesign, as well as the Embarcadero Enhancement Project and Columbus Avenue Safety Improvements. When not volunteering for Sunday Streets, he is training as an emergency services coordinator or swimming at the South End Rowing Club.
SFCTA Citizens Advisory Committee: Rachel Zack. Zack graduated from University of Pennsylvania’s planning program, where she developed a love of transportation systems. She lives in the downtown area of District 3, where she regularly witnesses the impacts of unmitigated congestion. She has successfully deployed congestion management programs and new mobility pilots across the Bay Area, and now consults for clients across the United States on new mobility and autonomous vehicle planning. Her priorities for the County Transportation Authority are ensuring community inclusion in the planning process, Vision Zero safety implementation and securing revenue for vital infrastructure.
S.F. Public Utilities Commission CAC: Amy Zock. Amy lives in the Financial District and brings her years of experience helping to coordinate 12 city departments to craft and pass the Urban Agriculture Ordinance to her work on the SFPUC CAC, and was a key proponent of my winning 2017 Charter Amendment, Proposition A, which gave the SFPUC expanded bonding authority to build out clean and safe energy facilities. She is passionate about advocating for women at the intersection of technology and politics, and she was recently unanimously elected as chair of the SFPUC CAC.
Finally, congratulations to the following District 3 residents on their commission appointments:
Planning Commission: Kathrin Moore. Russian Hill resident Kathrin Moore was recently reappointed to serve her fourth consecutive term on the Planning Commission. Her passions are architecture, historic preservation, and community-based planning. She was recently elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Certified Planners, one of the highest honors to be bestowed on an AICP member.
Small Business Commission: Kathleen Dooley. Telegraph Hill resident and independent florist Dooley was recently reappointed to the Small Business Commission, where she has been a relentless advocate for small business owners. She was a key stakeholder in the negotiations to preserve the S.F. Flower Mart, and has also stepped up to advocate for construction mitigation and small business relief funds for vendors displaced by fires and large-scale infrastructure projects and events, like Super Bowl City. She has prioritized healthy and vibrant neighborhood commercial corridors, as well as the successful Legacy Business program.
Port Commission: Gail Gilman. Gilman is the executive director of affordable housing nonprofit Community Housing Partnership and co-chaired many efforts to secure funding for affordable housing and homeless services. After memorizing the Public Trust Doctrine, she served on the Port Commission, with unanimous confirmation by the Board of Supervisors, ensuring continued public access to our beautiful waterfront.
These are some of the District 3 residents giving their time and expertise to serve our community. I am incredibly grateful for their sacrifices, insight and commitment — and especially proud to have appointed so many women to key advisory positions. If you’re interested in serving, please review the Board of Supervisors website.
