Dean Preston to bring ‘new vision’ to City Hall as District 5 supe

Things are about to get interesting on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

In the closely contested District 5 race, Democratic socialist and tenants’ rights organizer Dean Preston narrowly squeezed out a victory over current Supervisor Vallie Brown as of Saturday afternoon.

Mayor London Breed appointed Brown as her successor to the District 5 seat in July 2018.

The latest results provided by the Department of Elections show Preston leading by 170 votes after accounting for ranked-choice adjustments.

In a tweet Saturday night, Preston said:

“The votes have been counted — WE WON!!! This is a huge victory for all San Franciscans seeking bolder solutions to our city’s problems. I appreciate your support so much, and I’m excited to serve as your next D5 Supervisor!”

Preston, who vowed to bring a “new vision” to City Hall, will certainly change the dynamic on the Board of Supervisors. In contrast, Brown was widely considered the mayor’s ally. 

The newly elected supervisor ran on a platform to quickly reduce Muni fares, make Muni free for all by 2025, create a homelessness commission to oversee city department spending and implement a vacancy tax on unoccupied units.

Jerold Chinn

Jerold serves as a reporter and San Francisco Bureau Chief for SFBay covering transportation and occasionally City Hall and the Mayor's Office in San Francisco. His work on transportation has been recognized by the San Francisco Press Club. Born and raised in San Francisco, he graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in journalism. Jerold previously wrote for the San Francisco Public Press, a nonprofit, noncommercial news organization. When not reporting, you can find Jerold taking Muni to check out new places to eat in the city.