{"id":489338,"date":"2026-10-08T15:48:56","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T15:48:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/489338\/"},"modified":"2026-10-08T15:48:56","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T15:48:56","slug":"san-franciscos-next-district-10-supervisor-will-inherit-a-toxic-legacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/489338\/","title":{"rendered":"San Francisco\u2019s Next District 10 Supervisor Will Inherit a Toxic Legacy"},"content":{"rendered":"

From the Hunters View housing project, San Francisco resident Joanne Abernathy can look out on two versions of the city: the radioactive, industrial legacy of the city\u2019s past at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard<\/a> and a technology-driven future rising in downtown skyscrapers.<\/p>\n

Abernathy grew up taking in this juxtaposition while walking up the hill from her family home in Bayview; her mom later lived in housing atop the slope.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can see everything from up here,\u201d Abernathy said. \u201cYou can see the Bay Bridge, and when it\u2019s the Fourth of July you can stand up here and see the fireworks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hunters View<\/a> was originally built as temporary housing for shipyard workers. Residents there have long had to advocate for themselves at City Hall, most recently as the promise of thousands of new homes in the city\u2019s southeast corner threatens to push them out. And in the decadeslong cleanup of the contaminated shipyard.<\/p>\n

Abernathy hopes whoever wins the District 10 supervisor race in November will be the neighborhood\u2019s<\/a> voice.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"District 10 supervisor candidates (from left) Dion-Jay \u201cDJ\u201d Brookter, Theo Ellington, and J.R. Eppler participate in a debate at the Potrero Hill Neighborhood House in San Francisco on Sept. 1, 2026.\u00a0(Beth LaBerge\/KQED)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to focus on a supervisor that\u2019s going to stand up for us, because we\u2019re almost one foot in the ground and one foot on the curb,\u201d Abernathy said. \u201cWe need the community to have a say-so in [the cleanup]. Build around the community and stop just building around City Hall.\u201d<\/p>\n

The race to replace Supervisor Shamann Walton comes at a pivotal moment for District 10, a large area on the city\u2019s southeastern edge, as the environmental cleanup of the shipyard continues alongside plans to transform the site into housing, parks and business space. Walton\u2019s replacement will inherit the task of advocating for the neighborhoods most affected by contamination, while also shaping what may become the city\u2019s largest redevelopment projects.<\/p>\n

Nine candidates<\/a> are vying to represent the sprawling district from Potrero Hill through Bayview to Vistacion Valley. The race has caught the attention of the city\u2019s biggest political funders<\/a>, like crypto billionaire Chris Larsen, who donated an eye-popping $500,000 to moderate Democrat Theo Ellington\u2019s campaign.<\/p>\n

Rachel Brahinsky, a University of San Francisco professor in urban studies and politics, said the next supervisor will need to actively \u201cshine a light\u201d on how the Superfund site is a \u201ctremendous liability\u201d that should be viewed as a \u201cSan Francisco problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

They won\u2019t \u201cbe treated as a central protagonist in the future of the city,\u201d Brahinsky said. \u201cThey have to insist on it and make themselves and their neighborhood be seen in that way. History shows that that person will be sidelined if they don\u2019t step up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\u2018This is a city-wide issue\u2019\n<\/p>\n

Standing on the worn granite steps of City Hall in June, environmental advocates called on city leaders to push for a full cleanup<\/a> at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard.<\/p>\n

The rally followed the U.S. Navy\u2019<\/a>s disclosure this spring that it found a cabinet filled with several hundred radiological items at the shipyard, the latest discovery at the Superfund site.<\/p>\n

Two candidates for supervisor took to the microphone: Ellington and Dion-Jay \u201cD.J.\u201d Brookter.<\/p>\n

\"\"District 10 supervisor candidate Dion-Jay \u201cDJ\u201d Brookter crushes grapes at Gratta Wines during Sunday Streets in the Bayview neighborhood in San Francisco on Aug. 23, 2026.\u00a0(Beth LaBerge\/KQED)<\/p>\n

Ellington grew up in Bayview and leads the Ruth Williams Opera House, a performing arts and cultural center located there. He said the fight is personal because he lives with his family within the shipyards\u2019 footprint.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you want to protect the people, then you must protect the land,\u201d Ellington said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Brookter is a community advocate and former local nonprofit leader who moved to the neighborhood 16 years ago. He said the city needs to invest in the existing neighborhoods around Bayview, not just focus on building new housing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are asking for what every family in San Francisco has the right to: clean land, honest science, a transparent government, and a future where our health is not sacrificed for someone else\u2019s timeline,\u201d Brookter said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Three candidates have raised the most money<\/a>, so far \u2014 Ellington, Brookter, and J.R. Eppler \u2014 and all told KQED the shipyard would be a main focus. However, none explicitly listed it among their top three priorities.<\/p>\n

\"\"District 10 supervisor candidate J.R. Eppler talks with attendees at Sunday Streets in the Bayview neighborhood in San Francisco on Aug. 23, 2026.<\/p>\n

\"\"District 10 supervisor candidate Theo Ellington speaks with Sandra O\u2019Neil at Punkin\u2019s 1 Stop Beauty Bar while campaigning in the Bayview neighborhood in San Francisco on Aug. 21, 2026.<\/p>\n

Ellington ranked housing, economic development and transportation as the most important issues. But decades of stalled and scandal-plagued cleanup efforts<\/a>, he said, have taught residents that \u201cnobody takes anyone\u2019s word\u201d about how the Navy cleans up the site.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As supervisor, Ellington would push for independent testing before land is transferred to developers, greater transparency and community involvement.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to use every rule in the book to push the Navy to do their part, and make sure this development is safe,\u201d Ellington said, adding that he would fight for health screenings, because \u201cexposure records kept today are the evidence families will need tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brookter\u2019s top three priorities include: housing stability, economic opportunity and effective government. On the shipyard, he said the \u201cburden is on the government to prove\u201d the land is safe.<\/p>\n

\u201cResidents should not be expected to take the Navy, its contractors, or City Hall at their word,\u201d Eppler said. \u201cI would push for every parcel to be cleaned to a residential standard and independently verified before it is transferred, opened to the public, or developed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eppler said the cleanup should not be rushed. Still, other areas could be redeveloped in the meantime because \u201cDistrict 10 should not have to choose between protecting public health and creating economic opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe city needs to rediscover the southeast,\u201d Eppler said. \u201cWe\u2019ve built the arsenal of democracy at the shipyard. It\u2019s time for us to be on the map of San Francisco.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nThe district is \u2018not forgotten\u2019\n<\/p>\n

Gail Hampton lives in senior housing on the hill overlooking the shipyard. She moved to the district more than half a century ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe next supervisor needs to pay more attention to the shipyard, period,\u201d Hampton said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tonia Randell, a Bayview environmental advocate and resident, said the next supervisor must understand that the \u201cenvironment has to be protected\u201d if the neighborhood is going to thrive \u2014 especially as future floodwaters could expose the community<\/a> to further harm from the toxic site.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"District 10 supervisor candidate Theo Ellington campaigns in the Bayview in San Francisco on Aug. 21, 2026.\u00a0(Beth LaBerge\/KQED)<\/p>\n

\u201cIf someone who\u2019s in that office doesn\u2019t understand that, doesn\u2019t attend the meetings or listen to the experts, then we\u2019re gonna be cooked,\u201d Randell said. \u201cIt\u2019s a beautiful place, but it has underlying secrets that are deadly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Arieann Harrison, executive director of the Marie Harrison Community Foundation, said she will miss Walton\u2019s leadership.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has shown the community that he\u2019s willing to step up and be a part of the actions that we are taking,\u201d Harrison said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Harrison has helped spearhead a campaign for community oversight, independent testing, cleanup to the highest standards, reparations for impacted residents and long-term monitoring.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She worries development could shift demographics and reduce representation for existing residents.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"District 10 supervisor candidate Dion-Jay \u201cDJ\u201d Brookter talks with attendees at Sunday Streets in the Bayview neighborhood in San Francisco on Aug. 23, 2026.\u00a0(Beth LaBerge\/KQED)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will probably not have any representation moving forward after this election, that is, us \u2014 Black or people of color \u2014 because of the influx of money,\u201d Harrison said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Brahinsky, who is writing a book about Bayview environmental leaders, said: \u201cThe future is not written yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there is still an opportunity because people like [Harrison] are pushing on the outcomes at the shipyard,\u201d Brahinsky said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Brahinsky hopes the district elects someone \u201cwho will represent the underdogs\u201d and is \u201cwilling to keep pressure on continuously.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes that means someone who\u2019s not worried about what\u2019s next for them politically,\u201d Brahinsky said. \u201cThe district is, in some ways, the last industrial heart of San Francisco. In that sense, it\u2019s not forgotten at all and is central to the functioning of the city.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"From the Hunters View housing project, San Francisco resident Joanne Abernathy can look out on two versions of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":489339,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[101,103,102,104,106,105],"class_list":["post-489338","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco-headlines","tag-san-francisco-news","tag-sf","tag-sf-headlines","tag-sf-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/489338","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=489338"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/489338\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/489339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=489338"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=489338"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=489338"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}