There must be something very scary about Eric Mar, the slight and soft-spoken San Francisco State Asian American Studies teacher running for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in the Richmond. As of October 24, according to the Ethics Commission, over $141,000 in negative independent expenditures against him has been sent by groups like the San Francisco Association of Realtors.
Those same organizations and the Building Owners and Managers Association have spent over another $106,000 supporting his two main rivals. And that $247,000 is not even counting the other shadow groups not listed with the Ethics Commission as expenditures in the race. On the other hand, Mar has received supportive independent expenditures from groups like the San Francisco Democratic Party and the Labor Council totaling $55,000.
I have known Eric, a member of the San Francisco Board of Education, since I was a fifteen year old in high school, when I was first elected to be the student member on the board. I can legally drink now. During the years, he has shown himself to be truly human, sometimes prone to the expediency of a political life, but always ultimately seeking to act out of compassion, conscience and for justice.
He told me that a great reason why he and his twin brother became involved in politics was because of the murder of Vincent Chin, a man bludgeoned to death by hate. That was almost three decades ago, and since then he has committed himself to being an activist and leader fighting for equity and rights for the afflicted.
My own family sees a great need for such leaders because we have faced many challenges just to live in San Francisco. Whether it be my father, a hotel cook immersed in a far greater and bigger battle for good wages, getting locked out of work; finding housing within our financial means; or facing those unscrupulous enough to throw families out of their home for a bottom line. Everyday these small battles are waged, fought and lost or won in our City.
Politics is a struggle of conflicting interests and the interest groups have weighed in. The battle lines in this election are clearly drawn. His opponents are funded by the Association of Realtors, Building Owners and Managers Association and other wealthy downtown interest groups. Eric is backed by my father’s union UNITE HERE Local 2, the Democratic Party, Sierra Club and the Affordable Housing Alliance. Where do you stand?
I have always known Eric to be someone of great conscience, always so considerate of others and the diversity around us. As a community activist and attorney, he has fought for the civil rights and livelihood of immigrant parents like mine. As a labor leader, he has been an ally to people like my father. On the school board, he’s unceasingly fought for the unrepresented and disenfranchised.
He is someone who has never feared to fight the good fight and never feared to be intolerant of injustice. And even though we may not always see eye-to-eye, I feel that we can always see heart-to-heart.
And that is why I support Eric Mar for Supervisor.
Alan Wong is the former student delegate to the San Francisco Board
of Education.
