Supervisor Connie Chan and Senator Scott Wiener debate their spot for Congress at the October 13, 2026 event moderated by Mission Local and New York Times. Photo by Zoe Malen.Play
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On Tuesday night, San Francisco congressional hopefuls Connie Chan and Scott Wiener squared off for the final time at the Sydney Goldstein Theater, in a debate before hundreds of people moderated by Mission Local and the New York Times.
The two candidates fought over their visions for AI regulation, discussed what would make San Francisco affordable again, and waded into foreign policy, including Iran, Israel and Palestine.
In the more lighthearted portion of the evening, they talked favorite Muni lines, best Bay Area sports team (both picked the Valkyries), and their ideal night on the town.
By the end, asking each other a question apiece, the candidates admitted they actually get along just fine — off the campaign trail, at least.
Joe is the executive editor of Mission Local. He is an award-winning journalist whose coverage focuses on politics, campaign finance, Silicon Valley, and criminal justice. He received a B.A. at Stanford University for political science in 2014. He was born in Sweden, grew up in Chile, and moved to Oakland when he was eight. You can reach him on Signal @jrivanob.99.More by Joe Rivano Barros
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pm pillonsays:October 14, 2026, 4:40 pm at 4:40 pmWiener continues to post ads on Youtube smearing Connie essentially as pro-crime and anti-housing.+1 -1 votes. Sign in to voteReply
h. brownsays:October 15, 2026, 10:33 am at 10:33 amYour comment is awaiting moderation.I’m proud of Chan, Most of us here are transplants drawn by the promise of freedom to be ourselves and to maximize same and few have flourished and grown more than Connie Chan. And, she has always worked for the people from interpreting for our monolingual neighbors to combing through tens of billions in City budget gold to tease out as much as possible for those who struggle and the organizations that minister to them. Scott has always been the top Corporate Real Estate lawyer when it comes to advising his clients how to get around the law and as a legislator he has concentrated on overturning laws that cost Developers profit and writing new laws that always favored the rich. I am amazed that no one has mentioned the Wiener/Chiu destruction of some 2,000 Rent Controlled units at Park Merced. Or, picked at any of Wiener’s legislation aimed at keeping everyone in the dark as to what’s happening on their blocks or even next door development wise and did you know that Scott passed a law that says that developers no longer have to post little things like they’re going to tear down the house next door to you tomorrow ? This guy is a menace to both homeowners and tenants alike along with being a staunch supporter of the genocidal purge of the Palestinian people. Chan just puts her head down and pushes forward working for you. Wiener puts his head down and thinks of how to further empower his gods who are Daddy Warbucks and Benjamin Netanyahu. And, you know, Campers … it might not be so bad with the world stage as it is to send a fluent in Chinese legislator to DC to represent a City of immigrants like you. go Niners !! h.
I’m h. brown, the creator and author behind this blog. I’m a political blogger covering San Francisco local politics. Everything I write from now on is my attempt to carry on the torch for Linda Laflamme (Neska) and Roscoe Robinson (Frank Leslie/Mickey/Roscoe) two gifts to so many many thousands.
So far.
“I’m supposed to play here.”
That’s what Linda Laflamme said the first time I saw her under the snow topped skylight in the old Steam Auto factory my friends and I had converted to h. brown’s in 1977 I believe it was.
pm pillonsays:October 14, 2026, 4:40 pm at 4:40 pmWiener continues to post ads on Youtube smearing Connie essentially as pro-crime and anti-housing.+1 -1 votes. Sign in to voteReply
h. brownsays:October 15, 2026, 10:33 am at 10:33 amYour comment is awaiting moderation.I’m proud of Chan, Most of us here are transplants drawn by the promise of freedom to be ourselves and to maximize same and few have flourished and grown more than Connie Chan. And, she has always worked for the people from interpreting for our monolingual neighbors to combing through tens of billions in City budget gold to tease out as much as possible for those who struggle and the organizations that minister to them. Scott has always been the top Corporate Real Estate lawyer when it comes to advising his clients how to get around the law and as a legislator he has concentrated on overturning laws that cost Developers profit and writing new laws that always favored the rich. I am amazed that no one has mentioned the Wiener/Chiu destruction of some 2,000 Rent Controlled units at Park Merced. Or, picked at any of Wiener’s legislation aimed at keeping everyone in the dark as to what’s happening on their blocks or even next door development wise and did you know that Scott passed a law that says that developers no longer have to post little things like they’re going to tear down the house next door to you tomorrow ? This guy is a menace to both homeowners and tenants alike along with being a staunch supporter of the genocidal purge of the Palestinian people. Chan just puts her head down and pushes forward working for you. Wiener puts his head down and thinks of how to further empower his gods who are Daddy Warbucks and Benjamin Netanyahu. And, you know, Campers … it might not be so bad with the world stage as it is to send a fluent in Chinese legislator to DC to represent a City of immigrants like you. go Niners !! h.
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