Dear neighbor
I'm a third-generation South San Franciscan born and raised right here to a union family in South City. I spent much of my childhood at the Paradise Valley Boys and Girls Club, attended Martin Elementary and Parkway Heights Middle School, played varsity basketball, and graduated from South San Francisco High.
A Crisis Close to Home
Growing up here, I’ve seen first-hand how the affordability crisis hurts ordinary people and tears apart our city. I witnessed the devastation of housing insecurity when a close family member lost their home in a fire. Instead of rebuilding, the landlord sold the property to a wealthy developer, forcing my family member to move from place to place until she finally won an affordable housing lottery.
My family has been lucky enough to stay, but so many others haven’t. I’ve watched as the people I grew up with had to leave because they couldn’t afford a place to live, let alone a good quality of life. I’ve seen the streets I used to play on get wider and more dangerous as cars push apart our community. I’ve seen families whose kids aged out of preschool before they got off the waitlist… and over and over again, I’ve seen the interests of Big Money corporations get put above the needs of residents.
But for some reason, every time I spoke up about what I saw, I was told I “just didn’t get how things worked,” and “this is just the way things are.”
PLANNING FOR CHANGE
I got pretty fed-up with that line. So, I decided to study how things worked and see for myself.
I became the first person in my family to graduate from college, earning my Bachelor’s from UC Berkeley, and a Master’s in Urban Planning from the University of Arizona. Now, as a Certified Associate Planner for Woodside, I draft flexible land use laws, present new affordable housing and economic development projects, and ensure projects meet the needs of the community.
Of course, it wasn’t enough just to work in urban planning. I wanted to bring those skills home to the city I love. So, I launched South City for Homes, a resident-first coalition that pushes forward vitally needed projects so people like my own family member who face housing insecurity can find homes to return to.
I also proudly serve on the South San Francisco Parks and Recreation Commission. I’ve pushed for more trees and landmarks in our parks, insisted on coordinating events with public transportation, and increased community outreach.
A VOICE FOR OUR COMMUNITY
I know first-hand the problems we face, and I know how we can make them better.
But it’s going to take a leader who knows how to work in and around the system to get stuff done. It’s gonna take a leader who will stand up to Big Money interests and represent our community. It’s gonna take a leader who brings people together to say with one voice: “this is how things are going to be.”
At a time when the federal government is threatening our neighbors, and Silicon Valley billionaires are using their tech and wealth to trample our rights, it’s more important than ever to have a leader who will step up and protect our people.
I am that leader. I reject corporate and private developer campaign contributions so the people I represent can be confident that I will always speak for you. I’ve spent years as a community activist, using my skills and knowledge as a planner to fight for affordable homes, safe streets, a healthy environment, and city where people can put down roots and build lives.
And I will take all of those efforts to the next level when I become your next Representative for South City Council District 3!
Sincerely,
Melanie Olson
