Andy Mullan, a New Hampshire native, and Bayview resident moved to San Francisco from Washington DC in 2012. He quickly became interested in SF politics because, “Being engaged with your local government is a really incredible learning experience.” We asked Andy to share his thoughts about housing and his reasons for being a Friend of SFHAC.
How did you choose moving to the Bayview?
The weather is amazing. The restaurants are delicious. The access to downtown is terrific. Bayview/Hunter’s Point gets a really bad rap, one that I believe is rooted mostly in vestigial bias and ignorance. Don’t believe the hype, people. Bayview has warm weather and even warmer residents.
What does San Francisco need to do in the short and long term to help manage our housing crisis?
The short term solutions seem the most difficult. Our immediate goal should be to demonstrate that working toward the long term goal of greater housing development doesn’t jeopardize existing residents or neighborhoods. Everyone needs to understand that development isn’t a threat before real progress can be made.
In the long term, the region needs to build housing at a higher rate. In San Francisco, we need to start to allow for greater housing density in our less dense neighborhoods well served by transit.
Why did you become a friend of SFHAC?
SFHAC really spoke to me because it seemed unique among the advocacy groups in that it really put a lot of energy into advocating for specific housing policies, but only after really understanding the housing needs of the community and city as a whole. It seemed a lot less dogmatic than many of the other housing advocacy groups in the city.
I also enjoy the happy hours which are a great place to meet other people who are deeply involved and have great insight on local issues.
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You can meet Andy at our upcoming Happy Hour on Tuesday, April 26th. Connect with him on Twitter at @askmullan.
