Seven Candidates, in Their Own Words

Daly Citizen

Daly Citizen

— 29 min read
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On November 3rd, we all get to vote to fill three seats on the City Council. There are seven people running for those seats. I don't know about you, but I find it really hard to find meaningful information about local politicians, so I decided to do my own research and share it with you. I don't care about endorsements or their campaign flyers, I care about how they answer questions and how they have voted in the past.

Below is my attempt to compile information for each candidate just using their own words and for the three incumbents, their votes. I focused just on where people differ, generally the incumbents all vote together most of the time so it is more interesting to me where they don't. I am endorsing no one. Every bullet links to a recording, a meeting record or a campaign filing, so it can be verified.

Methodology

In order to stay informed and write the Daly Citizen blog, I have started to download and transcribe every document and every public video that comes out of the Daly City government. I then use Claude to summarize and from that summary I manually verify and write the blog posts. For this specific effort, I downloaded all videos and documents going back to 2020 and also the two recent candidate forums. I transcribed every single one and then started organizing statements by person and by topic. In total I have transcribed 350 meetings or about 700 hours in total.

AI Disclosure: I did use AI to create the video transcriber and downloader. And I do use it to summarize to help me identify topics. There is no way I could go through that much content on my own. But, I manually validate everything that comes out of it before using it. Each line in this post is sourced back to the meeting or document it came from.

The Candidates

Tony Bayudan

In his words: his parents bought a house at Top of the Hill in 1977 and he has lived there over 40 years. For the past ten years he has been chief of staff to County Supervisor David Canepa, where he said he worked on COVID response, Seton, the commission on aging and the youth commission and has mentored "over 200 interns." He said he learned "how to navigate government" and how to "bring resources to Daly City." His main focuses are cost of living: mortgages, groceries, gas prices, young families priced out and seniors "being bought out of their own homes." He named endorsements from Scott Wiener, Becker, four of the five supervisors and Juslyn Manalo. (00:21:34) He is vice chair of the city's Personnel Board, appointed in November 2023 (November 27, 2023; See meeting video, 01:38:06).

  • Campaign funding: Raised $47,000 through September 19 and had $15,912 on hand (Form 460), with $2,000 more in a late report.
    • The largest checks were $5,900 each from the IBEW's political committee and the California Real Estate PAC, $3,000 from the Asian American Medical Group, $1,000 from Supervisor Canepa's own campaign committee and $1,000 from Canepa's policy adviser.
    • Smaller gifts came from inside city government: the Finance Director ($500), the Personnel Board chair ($200) and two Planning Commissioners ($500 and $100).
  • City budget deficit: Took no position on the deficit at either forum.
    • The closest he has come is his 2024 interview for the council vacancy, where he said he wanted "a healthy and sustainable budget" and "I'm not interested in radical change" (April 1, 2024; See meeting video, 00:46:45). He was nominated in the second round; the seat went to Proaño on the first roll call (See meeting video, 02:59:47).
  • Housing: Says the city is "on the right track," citing Midway Village ("500 units") and the teacher housing being built near the schools, and believes one way to add more is to rebuild run-down developments taller: "build up. I know that's controversial." (01:40:13)
    • At Faith in Action he gave a fuller answer on tenants: a tenant anti-harassment framework with expanded just-cause eviction protections, plus funded legal representation for families facing eviction and county emergency rental assistance, "drawing on my nearly ten years of county-level experience." (Faith in Action, 00:36:07)
  • Parks: Has not taken a position on Westlake Park at either forum, on his site or in the council record. At the League forum the candidate just before him named the park as an example and he did not make a follow up comment.
  • Community spaces: Wants to improve Lincoln and Doelger rather than build a new center, and pointed to Serramonte's indoor walking for seniors as a model to copy. (00:53:44)
  • Transit: Favors housing "hubs" near BART stations and bus lines, and said he is working with seniors on technology training so they can use "the Zooxs, the Waymos, because that is the future." (00:44:45)
  • Police: Supports the license plate readers: "I am a firm believer in public safety. Therefore I am okay with that," provided the data is deleted after a set number of days and not shared. (01:18:26)
  • Immigration: Says "Public safety relies entirely on community trust," and that city police and resources "should be a shield for residents and not a pipeline for detention." (Faith in Action, 00:47:41)
  • Streets and parking: Says the city has "too many households with too many cars" and wants stricter enforcement against sidewalk parking: "we need to just be out there and enforce more." (01:30:18)
  • Business: Would push the city's economic development staff and the Chamber to "get out there more," naming the pizza shop, the sandwich shop and Grocery Outlet at Top of the Hill as the businesses he uses. (01:01:07)
  • LGBTQ+ residents: Spoke "as a member of the LGBTQ plus community," thanked the city for its flag raisings, noted "we did lose a gay business, which was Lisa's at the top of the hill," and said "we just want to be seen. We just want to be heard." (01:10:28)
  • Communication: Wishes the Daily Journal "would actually look at us as part of San Mateo County," and proposed using the electronic billboards at Westlake and in front of Doelger as "an onscreen bulletin board." (00:55:13)
  • District vs. at-large elections: Favors district elections, eventually. Says that at the county "that is a question that always comes up. Why are we not district?", that "certain pockets of Daly City are left out and they need a voice also," and calls the change "evolution in time," to be done "in a way where everyone has a voice." (01:23:38)
  • How the government runs: Said in his opening "We don't want to play any more political games," and in closing: "We can no longer be going into this office like it's some type of game or some drama." (01:49:40)

Rod Daus-Magbual

In his words: two-time mayor, two-time vice mayor, running for a third term. He teaches ethnic studies at Skyline College and runs a nonprofit education program he said has mentored over 380 teachers in 25 years; before the council he was a library trustee, a Planning Commissioner and a Peninsula Clean Energy board member. At the candidate forum, he talked about his mother's graveyard shifts and the tutoring she gave him when she got home, and about his father, a welder and small-business owner who "made a dollar out of 15 cents." He described his approach as "revolutionary love" and said his job is to "bring the voice to the voiceless." (00:28:50, 00:37:15)

  • Campaign funding: Raised $7,571 through September 19, including a $500 loan to himself, after raising nothing through June 30; $6,132 on hand (Form 460).
    • Then $9,900 in late reports: $5,900 from Operating Engineers Local 39, $2,000 from AFSCME Local 829 and $2,000 from two Burlingame and Millbrae donors.
    • Other donors include the police union's PAC ($2,500), a Westlake School of the Performing Arts director ($1,000), former Mayor Buenaventura ($500) and Assemblymember Matt Haney ($500).
  • City budget deficit: Voted with the majority for the FY2022 budget in May 2021, 3-2 (May 24, 2021; no recording of this meeting exists), for the 15% garbage rate increase in 2024, 4-1 (August 12, 2024; See meeting video, 01:48:23), and for extending the City Manager's contract with a raise that year, 3-1 (January 22, 2024; See meeting video, 00:48:17).
    • In March he asked staff whether the deficit is structural and how it compares with other cities in the county; the Finance Director called it "very comparable" (March 23; See meeting video, 00:48:36).
  • Housing: Calls affordability his "first focus" and points to what is in the pipeline: the four-phase Midway Village redevelopment with 147 affordable apartments in phase one and 72 affordable rentals at Eastmoor and Sullivan, plus the new rule giving people who live or work in Daly City 70% of the affordable-housing lottery. "If we want to keep people here, I think we're doing a pretty good job ... But we don't have a magic bullet for it." (01:34:29)
  • Parks: As mayor in 2022 he tried to let the public speak when Sacred Heart first presented the Marchbank proposal; the City Attorney said the item was listed as information only (September 12, 2022; See meeting video, 04:26:26). He voted yes on the agreement in December 2022 and on the final version in 2025 (March 10, 2025; See meeting video, 01:34:42).
    • On Westlake Field, the Olympic Club's offer to rebuild the field for shared use, he asked about netting for golf balls and what a long-term deal would mean for a future park master plan, then let the MOU pass on the consent calendar without a separate vote, along with the rest of the council (June 22; See meeting video, 01:15:31).
  • Community spaces: Says the council has already voted on a childcare center with a community center above it "across the street" from City Hall, now "in the infant stages." (00:49:00)
  • Transit: Drove because Southern Hills is an hour's walk from City Hall, and wants the city to move toward electric vehicles, e-bikes and walking, framing it as a climate issue: "It's going to be a crazy year." (00:43:13)
  • LGBTQ+ residents: Proposed an LGBTQI commission, calling the flag raisings "great symbolic gestures" that the city needs to "go further" than, and pointing to the small business commission, the women's commission and the youth seats on the Recreation Commission created during his time. (01:12:19)
  • Police: Asked the chief, when the license plate cameras came up in June, whether the data goes to immigration authorities; the chief cited state law, and the item passed on a voice vote (June 8; See meeting video, 01:28:08).
    • At the League forum he said the chief's assurance "gives me a little bit of security, but it is also scary ... it is a little bit scary to have your privacy and to be monitored," citing stories elsewhere of officers looking up their exes. (01:18:57)
    • In 2022 he abstained on the police military-equipment policy after saying "we don't need type of warfare weapons to control or monitor our residents" (May 23, 2022; See meeting video, 04:03:50).
  • Immigration: Said that in 2018, soon after he joined the council, "we had our own DCPD detain an undocumented person and hand them off to ICE," that the council got him back to his family, and that the city then wrote "specific practices within our DCPD not to do that anymore." He also advises a Skyline College student group in the Bay Area rapid-response network. (Faith in Action, 00:51:30)
  • Streets and parking: Says the city has outgrown its parking and recalled "a parking transportation committee" with focus groups from his first term: "Not sure where that went." Wants more transit and walking but called it "a complicated answer that can't be answered in one minute." (01:28:18)
  • Business: Introduced the non-retail cannabis district in March and moved its adoption in April; it passed 4-1, DiGiovanni the one no (April 13; See meeting video, 02:09:31).
    • Co-sponsored and seconded the 2025 agreement with the building trades unions, over the carpenters' objection that they were left out; it passed 3-1 with one abstention (September 23, 2025; see meeting video at about 02:55 on the CivicClerk media page).
    • Credits the mayoral walks, the city's social-media spotlights, the Top of the Hill festival and Kasayahan sa Daly City with bringing attention to business districts. (01:03:38)
  • Communication: Called Daly City "a news desert" and "the stepchild of San Mateo County," proposed partnering with SF State and Skyline for student journalists, and credited the Peninsula Buzz as the one outlet covering the city in his eight years. (00:58:32)
  • District vs. at-large elections: Supports district elections, naming Bayshore and "different neighborhoods that physically feel isolated from Daly City," because "certain neighborhoods know their city best. And they need to be represented here on the dais." He acknowledged that with districts "I would have to go against friends" in his own part of town. (01:22:10)
  • How the government runs: In February 2024 he seconded the motion to set a hearing date for the Women's Commission ordinance; when two colleagues voted to wait until the vacant seat was filled, he called it "patriarchal privilege" from the dais. The motion failed 2-2 (February 26, 2024; see meeting video at about 01:20 on the CivicClerk media page).

Pamela DiGiovanni

In her words: "a firefighter's daughter" who said public service doesn't require a title. She first came to the dais as a resident when the council was going to shut down Engine 95, and said that fight was lost and the city "outsourced our 911 dispatch." (The council restored Engine 95 in 2021 with Measure Q money, on a motion she seconded: March 8, 2021; See meeting video, 02:28:02.) Her pitch was access: "my office is wherever the community is," and residents can reach her any time of day. She named the state's vehicle license fee money as the budget fight and renters' protections as unfinished business: "we need other council members to do the same." Asked what qualifies her, she cited policy work on the Planning Commission, Safe Routes to School and the county's C/CAG board, plus a California Nurses Association endorsement received that day for her Seton Medical Center advocacy. (00:24:30, 00:33:43)

  • Campaign funding: Raised $9,402 through September 19, including $1,702 carried over from her 2022 committee, with about $2,100 on hand. Her filings are handwritten (Form 460).
    • Then $10,900 in late reports: $5,900 from the Carpenters' PAC and $2,500 each from two retirees (September 29 report). Earlier, one retiree gave $5,900 and Plumbers Local 467 gave $1,000.
  • City budget deficit: Has cast the council's lone no on several spending items that affect the budget in both positive and negative ways.
    • One of two no votes on the FY2022 budget in May 2021, over a restorative-justice pilot she said hadn't been promised under Measure Q (May 24, 2021; no recording of this meeting exists).
    • The lone no on the 15% garbage rate increase in 2024, saying she wanted graduated pricing phased in (August 12, 2024; See meeting video, 01:48:23).
    • The lone no on extending the City Manager's contract with a raise, citing "fiduciary responsibility," at a meeting where one resident called the raise "far too fast and far too high" (January 22, 2024; See meeting video, 00:46:03).
    • This year she flagged the city's audit for public discussion so staff would explain its control finding on the record (February 9; See meeting video, 00:29:19). At the League forum she named the state's unpaid vehicle license fee money as the budget fight. (00:26:27)
  • Housing: Moved the 2022 eviction-protection resolution, which failed 2-3 (September 12, 2022; See meeting video, 02:13:43), and seconded the 2025 resolution backing a tenant anti-harassment ordinance, which passed 3-1 (December 8, 2025; See meeting video, 03:21:54). At the League forum: "fighting for renters protection with Dr. Rod." (00:26:37)
    • Says the first avenue is the approved developments plus the new 70% local-preference rule, and "second avenue is to make sure we have the renters' protections," citing an "8.9% increase in rents" without a source. (01:35:38)
    • At the Faith in Action candidate forum: "it's been too long that the people here in this room have been coming and coming to the Council," and "You have my commitment, and I will support strong legislation." She pointed to South San Francisco's relocation ordinance, under which landlords pay six months' rent, as a model. She credited her colleague for a resolution "about two years ago" that he "put forth and I seconded"; the record shows the 2022 resolution was hers, with him seconding. (Faith in Action, 00:37:46)
    • Voted no on the Housing Element in November 2024 and on the rezoning ordinances that went with it, saying "Everything but the Seton, so I guess it has to be a no" (November 12, 2024; See meeting video, 02:33:26).
  • Parks: Asked, in 2022, who the Marchbank Park deal was for. Under it, Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory, a private San Francisco high school, is rebuilding the baseball field at its own expense in exchange for 20 hours a week (the staff report says up to 25) for 15 years at $100,000 a year.
    • In 2022 she said residents feel "people are coming in Daly City and using" the fields while local teams get squeezed out, asked "can we get grants and can we do another way so that it could be ours," and pointed out the public couldn't comment (September 12, 2022; See meeting video, 04:08:01). She then voted yes on the MOU that December, and in 2025 seconded the final version (March 10, 2025; See meeting video, 01:34:42). No member of the public spoke on the item at any of those meetings.
    • On Westlake Field she objected to all-day Saturday hours and to approving it when "we haven't even asked the community what is their input," then let the MOU pass on the consent calendar without a separate vote, along with the rest of the council (June 22; See meeting video, 00:54:32).
    • Three days before the Magical Bridge groundbreaking she carried Hillside neighbors' complaint that "they don't feel like the city has outreach to them"; the City Manager called the outreach adequate (July 13; See meeting video, 02:06:17).
  • Community spaces: Points to Measure Q money going into senior and youth programs and food access and to keeping the Bayshore senior shuttle running; she asks for more community outreach rather than a new building. (00:49:46)
  • Seniors: Flagged the county senior-meals grant for discussion to ask "are you getting enough money? ... does it match the dollar amount?" (March 23; See meeting video, 02:03:34).
  • Transit: Shares a car with a friend because of cost. Supports transit-oriented development and the BART measure on the ballot, plus expanding Got Wheels and paratransit for seniors and disabled riders, which she said "got cut." (00:46:17)
  • Police: Supported both of this year's purchases, adding 105 plate-reading cameras to the 88 the city already has in June and the indoor police drones in July (June 8, See meeting video, 01:30:31; July 13, See meeting video, 01:57:31), after asking the chief on the record whether drone footage goes to immigration authorities (See meeting video, 01:45:54).
    • At the League forum: the chief has assured the council the data isn't shared "like the other cities," and the council has raised its concerns "on more than one occasion." (01:16:08)
    • In 2021 she moved to end the red-light camera program after police reported no drop in collisions (March 22, 2021; See meeting video, 01:09:24).
  • Immigration: Told of seeing a delivery worker "dragged out of Sprouts" and calling a rapid-response contact so the family could get legal help, and said she tells churches about the hotline. (Faith in Action, 00:49:11)
  • Streets and parking: Argues that sidewalk parking comes from families doubling up in homes their children can't afford to leave, and that while community service officers are writing more tickets, "we want to make sure we're not a city that goes and just penalizes our community because it's not affordable and where are they supposed to go?" (01:31:45) She voted for the parking fine increase (June 22).
  • Business: Has voted no on alcohol and cannabis items more often than any other councilmember since 2020, by a count of every roll call on those items in the record.
    • No on the Westlake Target liquor license in 2020 (April 13, 2020; See meeting video, 01:13:21); the lone no on the Vira Market license in 2024, "Sadly, I'm a no" (January 8, 2024; see meeting video at about 02:50 on the CivicClerk media page); no or abstaining on every cannabis zoning and licensing vote since 2021, including this spring's district, "I think we can do better in our neighborhoods" (April 13; See meeting video, 02:10:03).
    • Voted no in 2022 on the ordinance that restricted new smoke shops with a 1,000-foot buffer, saying it was "not as expansive enough" and should have been bundled with other regulations she had raised at the hearing (April 25, 2022; See meeting video, 01:39:14).
    • Is the only councilmember on record against data centers: after a Global Stack presentation at the Cow Palace, she asked for "a moratorium or make sure people know that we are no for data centers" (July 27; See meeting video, 03:11:39).
    • Abstained on the building trades agreement, "I just got this last night" (September 23, 2025; see meeting video at about 03:17 on the CivicClerk media page), on the Chamber's 2025 funding after asking why there was "no staff report, no financials" (February 24, 2025; See meeting video, 01:55:18), and on the 2024 Top of the Hill festival contract, saying the council wasn't told "until at the last minute" (July 8, 2024; See meeting video, 02:20:24).
    • At the League forum she named Lisa's Mexican restaurant as a lost family business, praised the Small Business Commission's legacy-business program, and held up Serramonte's tenants as a model of businesses supporting one another. (01:06:36)
  • LGBTQ+ residents: Says the community "now feels more marginalized than ever" because of the national climate, and would build partnerships through the schools and the Daly City Youth Health Center. (01:11:14)
  • Communication: Warns that "not everyone has social media access," and credited the notices left on tables during the Westlake Park fight with reaching seniors who then "were able to get the word out." (00:57:31)
  • District vs. at-large elections: Supports at-large. Her reasoning: the voting-rights lawsuits went after cities where people "didn't feel like they had representation, especially with the Latinos," while "Daly City has been a pride of having diversity on their council," so it was never approached; at-large means that when someone brings her a problem she doesn't have to "give it to your district person"; and colleagues in districted cities find being the only member for an area "a little cumbersome." (01:20:21)
  • How the government runs: Abstained on the December 2024 mayor and vice mayor votes and asked for a fixed rotation like other cities use, saying it was her seventh year without being mayor and "it's about process and democracy" (December 16, 2024; See meeting video, 02:11:18).
    • Voted in February 2024 against setting a hearing date for the Women's Commission ordinance, saying "we need to wait and there's really not a hurry"; the motion failed 2-2 (February 26, 2024; see meeting video at about 01:15 on the CivicClerk media page). For the 2024 vacancy she nominated a Bayshore resident, saying the area "has not been represented" (April 1, 2024; See meeting video, 02:48:04).
    • The council censured her on October 27, 2025 (Resolution 25-150), 4-0 with her absent, under a discipline policy it adopted that March; on September 28, 2026 it voted 4-1 that she had not met the censure's conditions (October 27, 2025, See meeting video, 03:22:26; September 28, See meeting video, 03:09:53).
    • Closed the League forum with "this seat belongs to the people," and that she would "stand strong" "regardless of the adversities." (01:47:21)
  • Transparency: Her habit is to flag routine items for public discussion so staff explain them on the record, "for informational only," then vote yes: the audit, the taxi pilot, the senior meals, the City Manager's standing authority over Caltrans agreements (February 23, See meeting video, 00:57:47; April 27, See meeting video, 02:09:21).

Tom Nuris

In his words: an attorney in his 48th year of practice. He moved to Daly City at nine and went to public schools here, then USF and Hastings. He opened his first office in the Westlake Shopping Center. Elected nine times: 33 years on the high school board starting at age 28, four on the community college board. He has also spent decades on the city's Personnel Board (the college district's bio dates his appointment to 1986) and chaired Seton's board through the hospital's bankruptcy and sale: "A lot of people have claimed it, but I was there." He said he chairs the Planning Commission and is president of the Chamber of Commerce. "I can hit the ground running." (00:12:51, 00:39:39, 01:54:05) The city's Planning Commission page lists him as a commissioner, with Cheryll Catuar as chair.

  • Campaign funding: Raised $42,404 through September 19 and had $23,354 on hand (Form 460), with $2,000 more in a late report.
    • Donors include the police union's PAC ($2,500), D&C Lee Management ($2,000, the largest single gift), a cluster of Makras Real Estate donors and Planning Commissioner Ray Satorre ($500). Fellow candidate Teresa Proaño gave $100 (first-half report).
  • City budget deficit: Says he has "worked with budgets of half a billion dollars" on the community college board, "so I know how to run a city." (00:40:30)
    • His closest thing to a position: youth and senior programs need "creative financing" because they "don't get the amount of attention in the budget." (00:52:15)
  • Housing: Believes the city has to give developers "the incentives so they'll do it," because "no one's going to come and build things if they have to give it away for free," and says the Planning Commission has been looking at areas to rezone to meet the state's housing targets. (01:38:32)
  • Parks: Has not taken a position on Westlake Park at the League forum, on his site or in the council record. Two other candidates raised the park at the forum and he did not address it.
  • Community spaces: Worked for the Recreation Department as a rec leader in college, when "we ran 21 playgrounds," and says "We have centers, but they have to be funded. We have libraries, but they have to be open." (00:52:15)
  • Transit: Lives and works five minutes from City Hall. Says people "in education and in public service" can't afford to live here, and would keep working with the county and regional agencies on transit. (00:42:09)
  • Police: Has "no problem" with the license plate readers "with the way it's being used here in Daly City," as long as the information isn't misused. (01:16:56)
  • Streets and parking: Says sidewalk parking "stops by enforcement. That means we have to make that a priority and the police have to go and do what needs to be done," while noting that "a lot of our city was built at a time when people had one car." (01:27:09)
  • Business: "This is an easy one for me because I'm the president of the Chamber of Commerce." Wants businesses "permitted better, quicker" and better coordination between the Chamber and the city's economic development department. (01:02:40)
    • As a Planning Commissioner he supported the 2025 cannabis rezone on Mission and Geneva, saying he was "not an advocate of cannabis himself but saw this as an opportunity to allow a legal business." It passed 2-1 (June 3, 2025; See meeting video, 00:51:37).
  • LGBTQ+ residents: Says "every group and every ethnicity group is equally important," and "I don't really know what I can offer or what we can specifically offer unless I know what the needs are." (01:09:29)
  • Communication: Disagreed with the premise of the question about reaching people without a newspaper: "Everyone is not going to get the message"; teach people to find what's already there, and "I'd love to have a paper as well." (00:59:38)
  • District vs. at-large elections: Would "not support district elections at this particular time." His reasoning: the city's diversity is already recognized. Small peninsula cities of 40,000 with three or four districts are "a little bit overkill" and in districts "everyone is looking for their own territory and not looking what's best for the city as a whole." He would revisit it "if the demographics do change more drastically." (01:24:15)
  • How the government runs: As college board president he signed the February 2021 letter firing chancellor emeritus Ron Galatolo (Almanac), and was the lone dissent in the board's 4-1 vote in December 2020 to seek a new operator for the San Mateo Athletic Club (Daily Journal). Calls his superpower "being a collaborative leader."

Teresa Proaño

In her words: a lifelong resident from a family of seven who went to Vista Grande, Colma and Jefferson High, raised three children here and has six grandchildren. She has worked at Duggan's Serra Mortuary for 27 years. Most of her introduction was a volunteer résumé: 17 years on the North Peninsula Food Pantry board, the Hillside Homeowners Association, Friends of Seton, the library associates, a school board, the Lions Club, the Chamber board and the Recreation and Planning commissions. Appointed to the council in April 2024 and elected that November, she said the council "approved a balanced budget without a single layoff," listed police and fire, parking, overcrowding, street lights, Seton and illegal dumping as her priorities; she also said she sits on the council's illegal dumping committee. (00:18:33)

  • Campaign funding: Raised $39,406 through September 19, including a $1,000 loan to herself, and had $19,742 on hand (Form 460), with $6,900 more in late reports.
    • Her largest single source is the police union's PAC at $4,000. Duggan's Serra Mortuary and its owner, her employer, have given $5,900 between them; a Daly City Toyota executive gave $3,000; AFSCME Local 829 gave $2,000; fellow candidate Tom Nuris gave $100.
  • City budget deficit: Says "We approved a balanced budget without a single layoff or cut to the essential city services." (00:20:16) It balances by drawing reserves.
    • Moved the resolution accepting staff's plan to apply the city's existing utility tax to streaming services, an estimated $750,000 to $1 million in revenue; it passed 5-0 (June 8; See meeting video, 02:08:59).
  • Housing: Says her proudest vote is the rule giving people who live or work in Daly City 70% of the affordable-housing lottery: "That gives that opportunity to the people we have." Otherwise she pointed to the projects in the pipeline and did not raise renter protections. (01:36:50)
    • As a Planning Commissioner in 2021 she and the vice chair recommended lower building heights at Serramonte Del Rey to keep the area's residential character, as the council staff report summarized it (September 27, 2021).
    • On the council she introduced the ordinance repealing the city's own ADU rules in favor of state law (September 14; See meeting video, 04:17:00).
  • Parks: On Westlake Field she pressed staff to confirm that community meetings would come before any final agreement, got that assurance, then let the MOU pass on the consent calendar without a separate vote, along with the rest of the council (June 22; See meeting video, 01:01:34). Voted yes on the Marchbank agreement (March 10, 2025; See meeting video, 01:34:42).
  • Community spaces: Points to the childcare center with a community center above it that the council has already voted on near City Hall, and says a city this large and spread out needs several centers: Doelger, Lincoln, Bayshore "and we are planning something on this end." (00:50:42)
  • Transit: Supports the BART and SamTrans measure on the ballot, and cited the Skyline College President's Council raising money for a shuttle between the college and BART as the kind of last-mile fix she wants. (00:47:28)
  • Police: Supports the license plate readers, saying police "do not share with ICE, we do not share with other entities," and gave two examples: a shooting solved "within minutes" and two trailers stolen in her neighborhood traced to Oakland. (01:17:26)
  • Streets and parking: In July she flagged the Safe Routes to School design change for discussion and argued, against the two residents who spoke, that lane reductions near the schools give bike riders "a false sense of security." The item was tabled to the first September meeting on a motion she seconded; it wasn't on that agenda or the next (July 13; See meeting video, 00:56:43).
    • Likes the idea of "revisiting a committee of sorts" on parking. She attributes sidewalk parking to ADUs and crowded homes and notes that "there's a certain amount of staff" for enforcement. (01:32:58)
  • Business: Calls herself the longest-serving director on the Chamber board and credits the Chamber, the city's economic development staff and the Small Business Commission: "we work together behind the scenes." (01:05:26)
  • LGBTQ+ residents: Asked "How would you support the LGBTQ plus community members and what services do you plan to provide for that group?", she answered first, and said the city already does right by them, while admitting the question was new to her: "I think Daly City does. I'm going to say think because, you know, I never thought of it that way." Her case was that the city is "welcoming to everyone," works with the county on events and "we do do a flag raising as well," so "I feel we're very inclusive." She closed with "perhaps we could do more. And we should look at that." (01:08:16)
  • Communication: Says she has called the Daily Journal twice to ask them to cover the city, and points to the newsletter, water-bill inserts and the billboards at Westlake and Serramonte. (00:56:24)
  • District vs. at-large elections: Supports at-large. Says districts "were important, especially in cities where the representation isn't like it is here in Daly City," calls the city "a huge melting pot," and wants to be able to say to anyone who comes to her "let's see how we can help you instead of saying, go speak to so and so." (01:21:18)
  • How the government runs: Worked with Mayor Sylvester on this year's boards-and-commissions ordinance, which pays commissioners $50 a meeting, defines excessive absence and lets the council remove a commissioner by majority vote. She argued for the pay from the dais: "if they need to buy dinner or gas or babysitter or whatever it is." It was introduced May 11 and adopted 5-0 on June 8 (May 11, See meeting video, 02:33:40; June 8, See meeting video, 02:10:34).
  • Libraries: Is half of the council's two-member library committee, which has met to look at options for more open hours (April 13; See meeting video, 02:26:43).
  • Transparency: Flagged a construction-management contract for discussion this spring with no objection to it, "because I thought it would be interesting to hear about it ... it's important for us to talk about what we do with other entities" (March 9; See meeting video, 01:38:40).

Barry Rodriguez

In his words: he came to Daly City in 2003 to care for his mother and stayed after she died in 2010. Born in San Francisco, a Vietnam-era veteran, a San Francisco State political science graduate and a retired San Francisco city employee who was active in SEIU 1021 and once worked on Gavin Newsom's mayoral campaign. He lives in the Skyline area. "I am a new voice representing everyone." (00:27:23)

  • Campaign funding: Filed the short form saying he will raise and spend under $2,000, with no committee (Form 470). "I'm not supported by any outside donation," he says in a campaign video. No endorsements, no website and no candidate statement in the voter guide.
  • City budget deficit: Took no position on the deficit. Says that as a union representative "I was involved in the budget process many times." (00:38:16)
  • Housing: Believes mixed-use projects (apartments over retail) are one way to bring developers in, and questions the income limits on affordable units: "I don't qualify for any of these kinds of things, and I'm not wealthy." (01:39:37)
  • Parks: Opposed the Olympic Club proposal for Westlake Park.
    • A campaign video filmed at the Doelger center on September 3, before the Olympic Club withdrew, calls the proposal a "land grab" and urges people to show up at the September 14 council meeting (video). A second video credits "the people" for the withdrawal: "You don't have to be a victim." (video)
    • At the League forum he said he went to the park during the fight and "most of them had no idea" it was happening. (00:54:43)
  • Community spaces: Would use and improve existing spaces (naming Westlake Park) rather than build a new center, and would weigh parking and traffic flow in any siting. (00:53:13)
  • Transit: Wants more buses to BART and into the neighborhoods, and is wary of scooters and bicycles because "the city has a liability problem" with them. (00:44:20)
  • Police: Would not ban the license plate readers but is skeptical of them: they make more sense in San Francisco than in "a smaller place like Daly City," and "you have to really be careful how this is monitored and audited." (01:15:34)
  • Streets and parking: Wants stop signs enforced in the Skyline area, "I've reported it many times," and raised a jurisdiction gap where police say certain streets are Broadmoor's problem, not the city's. (01:29:46)
  • Business: Wants a zone dedicated to small business, a streamlined process and more variety: "I have to leave Daly City for a lot of small business needs," since most of what is here is medical and retail. (01:04:50)
  • LGBTQ+ residents: Would make sure "everyone knows that everyone's welcome to live here and work here," with education on people's rights and pride events. (01:13:47)
  • District vs. at-large elections: Expects district elections to come: "whether we want it or not, there's going to be district elections," because the population is growing and "there's pockets of Daly City not adequately represented." (01:23:10)
  • How the government runs: A 2015 one-post blog under his name, "Daly City: The Next Day," which carries the same copyright line as his campaign videos, asked whether a part-time council gives full-time residents full-time representation and whether it is "time to have a FULL-TIME Elected Mayor" (blog). He hasn't raised it this year. His platform, repeated in every video and in his closing: transparency, fiscal accountability, inclusion, integrity, service to the people and justice.
  • Seniors: In a campaign video from the Kasayahan festival at Gellert Park, he complained that "I see senior citizens like myself who are disabled and there's no shuttle or anything to bring them to this event." (video)

Asia Su

In her words: she came from Shanghai at 15 and has lived in Daly City about 20 years. She started her first business, a salon in Colma, at 24 and now owns restaurants and commercial property. She leads with the city's budget numbers: the $7.9M and $8.8M deficits, and illegal dumping at "7,000 staff hours" and about $300,000 a year, no source given. Her priorities in order: public safety, local commerce, affordability. "We cannot solve recurring deficit by managing the same resources year after year." (00:15:41) The one business tied to her by outside reporting is a² Wine Bar in San Mateo, which 2024 coverage said she co-owns (Palo Alto Online); her filings list her as owner of ATS Ventures LLC. None of the city's board and commission rosters list her.

  • Campaign funding: Raised $69,455 since her committee opened in late 2025. $63,660 of it is spent, most of that before July ($41,800 went to a consultant). In September she lent the campaign $22,500 and had $22,455 on hand (Form 460, first-half report).
    • The two biggest early checks were $5,900 from her own company (ATS Ventures LLC) and $5,900 from a Daly City property investor. Most of the rest came from Chinese-American restaurant and business owners around the Bay, with only a handful of Daly City addresses. Her committee also gave $2,000 to an Alameda County district attorney candidate's committee (first-half report, Schedule E).
  • City budget deficit: The numbers she leads with are the city's own, a fiscal year behind. The adopted two-year budget drew $7.9M from reserves last fiscal year and planned $8.8M for the current one (FY2026-27 budget, p.9); a June mid-cycle adjustment trimmed this year's gap by about $1.9M (June 8). In March staff's chart showed reserves falling from about six months of spending to 3.5 by 2027 (March 23).
    • Has a cutting plan: go through city spending for duplicate programs, renegotiate contracts and cut overtime, then "move the money around." (00:16:10, 00:51:42)
    • Calls tax increases "a last resort" on her site (sufordalycitycouncil.com), and calls her superpower "I know how to make money. Everything takes money. It's about revenue." (01:42:21)
  • Housing: Believes that with Daly City "about 98% built out," the way to add units is to redevelop existing properties, make the process easier for developers and find grants for ADUs, which she put at "easily $200,000" to build. (01:37:40)
    • Her site says she "does not support expanding local rent control or mandatory Opportunity to Purchase Act policies," and that housing policy "should recognize the real costs of owning, maintaining and improving rental housing while protecting residents from unfair treatment and displacement."
  • Community spaces: Says "Everything takes funding," and would pay for community spaces by finding savings in the budget first. (00:51:42)
  • Transit: Would prioritize public transportation infrastructure, station and route safety, clean-energy buses and more bus stops, plus "educate our residents about the safety" of BART. (00:45:34)
  • Police: Supports the license plate readers, saying they "are very useful for public safety" and "we do have actual case that proved that Flock cameras actually helped to reduce crime," with privacy, data use and the vendor's for-profit status as her caveats. (01:14:52)
  • Streets and parking: Wants more traffic and parking enforcement: "I've been here for 20 years in Daly City. I actually never got a ticket." (01:31:15)
  • Business: Wants one dedicated contact at City Hall for business owners and faster permits, and would start by listening to owners' needs. (01:02:06) Her site adds that "Asian-owned restaurants and businesses should not encounter informal assumptions that a neighborhood already has 'too many' businesses serving a particular community."
  • LGBTQ+ residents: Says her friends in the community "feel safe, they feel welcomed," that the city "is already doing a very good job," and that there are apps and websites the community uses that the city could use to reach them. (01:13:12)
  • Communication: Would hold more community outreach events in Tagalog, Spanish and Chinese. (00:56:06)
  • District vs. at-large elections: Supports district elections because "the city is actually geographically really, really big" and a district representative "just has a better understanding and knows the local issues for that specific area." Her example was her own neighborhood: "I am in Serramonte. I know the traffic is getting worse. But at the same time, I know the business is blooming." She added that district members "still work for the city. They still have to see the big pictures." (01:25:13)
  • Representation: Her site says Daly City "has never elected a Chinese councilmember" and puts registered Chinese voters at about 7,400, the third-largest group, by the campaign's own count. The only press on her is a World Journal interview in Chinese (World Journal, September 24), where she said a councilmember who speaks Chinese would give residents "a window" to raise concerns.

Ballots are already in the mail. Register by October 19 for a regular ballot. Election day is Tuesday, November 3.

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