Richmond resident running for city's top political office

by Karen Kinney

San Francisco mayoral candidate Joanna Rees has a dream for San Francisco: to be known for something that could be about the future - not just about the Golden Gate Bridge and sourdough bread. Speaking in her Richmond District headquarters on Geary Boulevard at Seventh Avenue, she says her goal is to inspire forward thinking within the city's diverse communities and to make San Francisco the innovation capital of the world.

"We have an unbelievable amount of engaged communities and are fortunate to have so many people who care. That does not exist in lots of places and says a lot about the potential of this City," Rees said.

Rees says in order to make this happen city residents and political leaders must use innovative thinking, concerning aspects like business, social justice and technology, in order to grow and expand the rich history of progress made so far. She also feels it is imperative not only to put into practice our use of them but to also become the pilot of that innovation so San Francisco can move into the future.

Born in New Jersey to an Italian-American family, Rees went to Duke University Medical School until her first time working at a hospital showed her that she was more interested in the science of medicine rather than watching people in pain.

While taking care of her five-month-old son, she earned her MBA in finance in just one year and four months. She eventually took over her family-owned hotel. After turning the business around after just three years, she sold the hotel and buried her father in the same week. That's when she decided to come to San Francisco with a 4-year-old son and 12-day-old daughter in tow. She came with an idea and a purpose and has been a Richmond District resident for the last 14 years.

Rees was strong in marketing and wanted to practice what she had learned.

"Technology companies fail not because they don't build the technology they said they would, but because they don't understand the market and their customers," Rees said. "Instead, the idea was to find market needs and market trends that resonated with people."

Rees thrived as a venture capitalist, eventually becoming one of the few woman partners in the industry. She went from entrepreneur to having political ambitions after being mentored by former Texas Governor Ann Richards at a leadership program. Richards told her she had an obligation to go into public service and taught her it is more about service than building a resume. To this day, Rees avoids the term politics and replaces it with public service.

"To me politics sounds strategic and manipulative," Rees said.

Claiming to be an independent progressive and not part of the City Hall crowd, Rees spent the last two years on a "listening tour," visiting peoples' homes, businesses and schools to hear what they wanted in the next phase of leadership in San Francisco. She discovered what she calls the "silent rational majority" of San Francisco, people who love the City, want a good quality of life and are not screaming down at City Hall. The consistent issues that came from the dialogue are what framed her platform - improving the decline of public education, preserving families in San Francisco and making City Hall more transparent.

"After listening to the communities, I think I am well aligned with the majority of people in San Francisco regarding the big themes - the high impact things that are really going to make the quality of life better in this community," Rees said.

Improving education is by far her most passionate fight. She believes the mayor has to make education a high-level priority in order to make any significant changes.

Rees's approach will be putting in place a structure through optimizing and experimenting that will keep improving San Francisco communities instead of just executing what leadership has been doing. Rees does not believe City Hall needs to be transformed; instead she wants to implement "little wins," which will influence and create positive change.

"We are here to serve the community like a successful business serves its customers," Rees said.

Jessica Alvarez, 24, a political science major at San Francisco State University and intern on the Rees for Mayor campaign, feels Rees is a good listener dedicated to improving the City. Being a first generation Mexican-American, Alvarez watched her friends drop out of high school and realized at a young age that the more education one had the better they would be able to make their own decisions in life.  She is encouraged by Rees's emphasis on improving education and bringing jobs back to San Francisco.

"Since I just graduated, bringing jobs back to San Francisco is important to me and I believe she has what it takes to motivate, change and inspire people - a real leader," Alvarez said.

Rees's son Arthur Gallanter, 22, works at her headquarters while commuting to Santa Clara University, where he is majoring in business. Gallanter knows first-hand how Rees is able to balance her priorities and adapt to any situation.

"When she came home, she was home - and at home she was my mom!" said Gallanter. "She's a phenomenal leader and takes a mature view on how to have a constructive dialogue with people."

When asked what her long-term political goals are, Rees said the goal now is to win in November and serve the City for two terms - all eight years.

"Who knows, after that I'll work on my bucket list and write a book about it. It's not about the next job, it's about serving the community now," she said.