District 9 Supervisor David Campos was joined today by a phalanx of broad-based supporters on the steps of San Francisco City Hall during the announcement of his re-election bid. Photos by Luke Thomas.
By Luke Thomas
January 17, 2012
Vowing to continue bringing people together while representing diverse interests in his constituency, Supervisor David Campos today filed papers with the San Francisco Department of Elections officially announcing his bid for re-election in November to the District 9 seat.
A Guatemala-born immigrant first elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2008, Campos was joined on the steps of City Hall by as many as 100 supporters including several of his colleagues on the Board, community leaders as well as several labor leaders.
“I think it reflects the level of support that we have in our District and it’s a support that comes from across the political spectrum,” Campos said, referring to the large turnout and enthusiastic support for his re-election.
“I am very proud of the fact that I have tried to be a Supervisor for everyone in District 9 including people who have different perspectives on certain issues,” Campos added.
Campos is best known for his championing of due process rights for undocumented immigrant youth. A 2009 amendment sponsored by Campos to the City’s controversial Sanctuary City Ordinance requires undocumented youth must first be convicted of a suspected crime in a court of law before being reported to Federal immigration authorities. Former Mayor Gavin Newsom, who failed in his attempt to veto the amendment, ignored its implementation. His successor, Mayor Ed Lee, has taken a more balanced approach, affording due process considerations to those undocumented youth accused of a crime who are enrolled in school, have family members living in the Bay Area, and who do not have a criminal record of repeat or violent offenses.
Attending Campos’ campaign announcement included Supervisors John Avalos, Jane Kim, Eric Mar and Scott Wiener; Assessor-Record Phil Ting; Treasurer Jose Cisneros; San Francisco Labor Council Executive Director Tim Paulson; SEIU Political Organizer Gabriel Haaland; Firefighters Local 798 President Tom O’Connor; Unite Here Local 2 President Mike Casey; Local 261 Political Captain Vince Courtney; School Board Commissioner Kim Shree-Maufus; and College Board Trustees Chris Jackson and Steve Ngo.
“I’ve known David Campos for many years,” said District 8 Supervisor Wiener, a conservative-moderate on the Board. “Even though we certainly have our policy disagreements, we have a very, very close relationship on the Board. We work together on a number of different issues around transportation, around LGBT issues, health care issues – and he’s someone who I value as a colleague and I’m strongly supporting him.”
“I’m a friend and big fan of Supervisor David Campos,” added progressive District 11 Supervisor Avalos, who is also running for re-election in November but has yet to file. “He’s done tremendous work in San Francisco on economic justice, worker rights, immigrant rights. He is a voice of working people, a strong supervisor for his District and I wholeheartedly endorse him for his re-election.”
In addition to multi-partisan support on the Board of Supervisors, Campos has also garnered support from several factions within the powerful house of labor.
“Firefighters are supporting David Campos because he’s such a good friend of labor and, specifically, he’s a good friend of public safety so he’s always been there to cover our back when we’re up against the wall with budget cuts,” said Firefighters Local 798 President Tom O’Connor. “He’s just been a loyal friend for years now.”
Campos is a staunch supporter of community policing, using foot patrols to deter crime.
“We love David Campos,” added SFLC Executive Director Tim Paulson. “We have not officially taken a position yet. The San Francisco Labor Council hasn’t gone through its process but what we’ve seen so far in his term has been very pleasing to the Labor Council and to our positions.”
“One of the reasons why the Laborers are here today is because we know that Supervisor David Campos has always been a champion of working people but, more importantly, the people we represent – Laborers 261 – basically the working poor who live in the community and need people like David Campos in office,” added Local 261 President Vince Courtney. “So we’re proud of being here and we’re proud of standing with him today, and proud to see all our sisters and brothers in the labor community alike.”
District 9 encompasses some of the most culturally rich and ethnically diverse neighborhoods in San Francisco including the Mission District, Bernal Heights, Portola and St. Mary’s Park. Considered a progressive stronghold, District 9 was previously represented by Campos’ mentor, Assemblymember Tom Ammiano.
No incumbent Supervisor has lost a re-election bid since the introduction to San Francisco in 2004 of Ranked Choice Voting, a fact which may help to explain why no other candidate has, to date, filed to challenge the popular District 9 incumbent.
Campos signs on the dotted line at the Department of Elections, officially declaring his candidacy and intent to serve four more years on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
Luke Thomas
Luke Thomas is a former software developer and computer consultant who proudly hails from London, England. In 2001, Thomas took a yearlong sabbatical to travel and develop a photographic portfolio. Upon his return to the US, Thomas studied photojournalism to pursue a career in journalism. In 2004, Thomas worked for several neighborhood newspapers in San Francisco before accepting a partnership agreement with the SanFranciscoSentinel.com, a news website formerly covering local, state and national politics. In September 2006, Thomas launched FogCityJournal.com. The BBC, CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox News, New York Times, Der Spiegel, San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Magazine, 7x7, San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco Bay Guardian and the San Francisco Weekly, among other publications and news outlets, have published his work. Thomas is a member of the Freelance Unit of the Pacific Media Workers Guild, TNG-CWA Local 39521 and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists.
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