Candidate for
Supervisor; County of San Francisco; District 8

BEVAN DUFTY's passion for activism and service was instilled by his mother, Maely Dufty. Bevan's mom arrived in New York during World War II after losing most of her family in the Nazi concentration camps. She settled near Harlem where she met her best friend and Bevan's godmother, Billie Holiday. Bevan's father, William Dufty, co-authored Holiday's biography "Lady Sings the Blues." Bevan's parents later divorced and Maely raised Bevan as a single mother.

At 16, Bevan moved to California where high school classmates voted him "Most Radical" - a fitting title given his budding political activism. Later, at UC Berkeley, he served as Student Body Co-President.

In Washington, Bevan worked for Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm (D-NY), the first Black woman elected to Congress. Bevan became Chisholm's Senior Legislative Assistant for Education.

In 1979 Bevan became Chief Legislative Assistant to Congressman Julian Dixon (DLos Angeles). Dixon's strong advocacy for mass transit led Bevan to craft legislation that created the Los Angeles Metro Rail system. Bevan later managed Federal Affairs for the Los Angeles County Transportation system.

In 1993, Bevan returned to San Francisco and settled in what is now District 8 with his longtime partner, David Peckman. His college friend Susan Leal was appointed to the Board of Supervisors. Bevan became here Chief of Staff, writing legislation, working on City budget issues and solving people's problems.

When Assembly Speaker Willie Brown ran for Mayor, Bevan volunteered for his campaign and later became an aide to the new mayor. Bevan then became Director of the Office of Neighborhood Services. He helped neighborhood residents and merchants connect with City employees from every department to address quality of life issues of homelessness, public safety, housing, employment, traffic, pedestrian safety, and youth issues. Bevan realizes that local government can change lives tangibly - by honoring the public trust, responding to peoples' concerns and respecting differing viewpoints.

Additionally, Bevan instituted the Saturday morning Mayor's Open Door Program, which enables San Franciscans to meet directly with the mayor about their concerns. Thousands of people have talked with the mayor and countless problems have been solved.

Whether it's organizing the Great Sweeps to clean up the neighborhoods or attending community policing meetings, Bevan has responded to people's needs and gotten results.

Community-wide, Bevan is involved in the Buena Vista Neighborhood Association, the Eureka Valley Improvement Association, Merchants of Upper Market Castro, and the San Francisco Organizing Project.

Politically, Bevan is a member of the Alice B. Toklas LGBT and Raoul Wallenberg Jewish Democratic Clubs, as well as Plan C. Bevan is a found of San Francisco's new LGBT Community Center.