I met Rebecca Prozan at the Brainwash Cafe on Folsom near 7th. Brainwash is a cafe and Laundromat, with food, drinks, pinball machines and a bathroom filled with celebrity quotes printed on white ceramic tiles, such as "I wish Frank Sinatra would just shut-up and sing" by Lauren Bacall, "It takes a lot of money to look this cheap" by Dolly Parton, and "The only parts left of my original body are my elbows" by Phyllis Diller.
Rebecca arrived at noon, taking a break from her job at the Hall of Justice, or "the Hall" as she told me it's called, where she works as a prosecutor in the narcotics division.
I saw Rebecca a few evenings earlier, at the District 8 Candidates Forum held in the Milk Recreation Center near Duboce Park, where she and six other candidates answered questions on topics ranging from safety and housing to budget and taxes.
I started the conversation by asking how she felt Monday's meeting went. Overall, she was pleased with the event. There were great questions, but she wishes she spent more time discussing environmental issues, such as clean water. She is excited with the results of her budget survey thus far (more on that below), and is on target for a few hundred surveys completed by the end of April or May.
Rebecca's campaign has taken the fundraising lead, quite an accomplishment considering she has no professional fundraiser and was the last candidate to enter the race. Rebecca says the fundraising success is a result of her proven track record, her ability to create common sense results, and the fact people believe in her campaign, which is not about her but is about the future of San Francisco. She feels an energy in the city, which started with Obama, but says the change the people desire has not happened yet. "They are hungry for things to improve", but "don't feel city hall has been responsive enough". She's built a groundswell of support by meeting people one on one and looking them directly in the eye, lessons learned from the campaigns of Willie Brown, Bevan Dufty and Barack Obama.
I asked Rebecca if she feels being a woman for Harvey Milk's legacy seat is an advantage, as no woman has yet won this seat. She said she never heard the question stated that way before, as she is usually asked if being a woman is a hinderance to getting elected. I'm not sure if the question comes from my own progressive view (I grew up in a family of strong, successful woman and love to hear a glass ceiling shatter) or a sign of the times, but I got the sense from Rebecca it doesn't matter either way. She is not in this as an affirmative action candidate nor token woman candidate, she is running because she believes she is the best candidate.
I asked Rebecca for her thoughts regarding the Campos sanctuary city amendment, which passed last fall and called for the Juvenile Probation Department to implement steps to protect the confidentiality of a juvenile's immigration status. Rebecca says this issue as part of a bigger picture. Working in the criminal justice system, Rebecca sees first hand the problems encountered by undocumented people affected by crime. "It's hard to get undocumented victims to talk", but there is a need "to get people to seek police help regardless of documentation status." She has hope for this issue to be resolved, as she has seen the ability of the criminal justice system to deal with right from wrong.
Rebecca has also spent time on economic issues. She's hopes to help new businesses move into empty storefronts, matching businesses to locations. She believes there are creative solutions that can be found to address parking and traffic concerns with the new Trader Joe's in the former Tower Record location on Market at Noe, and likes the idea of more residential units above Gold's Gym in the Castro, but would need to see the plans for final support.
In a field of qualified, competent candidates, all of whom are friends, Rebecca says what makes her unique is style. She wants to hear directly from the people, which is why she has implemented a budget survey, to give the community a voice in budget priorities and spending. She recently spent time talking with a crowd at the Mix bar, and is planning additional outreach events. She has worked as a legislative aide for District 8 and moderated meetings involving neighborhood disputes. Rebecca knows the players and constituents, because she has worked with and for them and has earned their respect. According to Rebecca, even her enemies will say she "works her ass off and is well liked", and she says her style is "straight up, no nonsense". She always finds a way to bond with someone, even if they disagree, a lesson taught by Bevan Dufty.
We finished our lunch with a question about the biggest challenge she faces in the months ahead. Without missing a beat Rebecca replied "finding 10,000 votes". And if she does, she will be our next supervisor in District 8.
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