Myrna Melgar
Member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for the 7th District
Assumed office
January 8, 2021
Preceded byNorman Yee
Personal details
Born (1968-03-17) March 17, 1968
El Salvador
NationalityAmerican
Political partyDemocratic
Residence(s)San Francisco, California, U.S.
Alma materExcelsior College
Columbia University
OccupationPolitician
WebsiteBoard of Supervisors District 7 website

Myrna Melgar (born March 17, 1968) is an American politician currently serving as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for District 7 since January 8, 2021.[1] Melgar is the first woman elected to represent District 7. Additionally, she is the first Jewish Latina to serve on the Board of Supervisors after the implementation of District elections in 2004.[2]

Early life and education

Melgar was born in El Salvador. Her family fled during the Salvadoran Civil War when she was 12 and settled in San Francisco. Later on, she attended San Francisco State University and graduated from Excelsior College, earning a bachelor's degree in Liberal Arts and a master's degree in Urban Planning from Columbia University.

Career

Myrna formerly worked as the executive director of the Jamestown Community Center, Deputy Director of the Mission Economic Development Agency, Director of Homeownership Programs at the Mayor's Office of Housing during the Newsom Administration, and served as President of the City Planning Commission and Vice President of the Building Inspection Commission. Melgar also served as a legislative aid to Eric Mar.[3]

San Francisco Board of Supervisors

Melgar was elected Supervisor for District 7 on November 3, 2020, with 18,561 total votes after ranked-choice allocations, garnering 53.1% of the vote.[4] She was sworn into office on January 8, 2021, replacing former Supervisor and President of the Board Norman Yee, who endorsed her as his successor.[5]

Melgar chairs the Land Use and Transportation Committee of the Board and serves on the Youth, Young Adult, and Families Committee, and the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee. Melgar is also a Commissioner for the County Transportation Authority, Bay Area Air Quality District, and the First Five Commission.[6]

Melgar has advocated for the expansion of the "Free Muni for Youth" program to all youth in August 2021.[7]

Housing

In 2021, Melgar voted to block construction of a 495-unit apartment building with 25% affordable housing on the site of a valet parking lot. The controversial vote prompted an investigation of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors by California state officials.[8][9]

In 2023, Melgar voted to halt the conversion of a single-family home in Nob Hill into ten townhomes over concerns of contaminated soils.[10]

Personal life

Melgar resides in the Ingleside Terraces neighborhood with her partner, environmental lawyer Sean H. Donahue, and three daughters.

References

  1. ↑ "District 7 | Board of Supervisors". sfbos.org. Retrieved 2021-04-15.
  2. ↑ Mirsky, Maya (2020-12-22). "SF Board of Supervisors welcomes first Jewish Latina, an immigrant from El Salvador". J. Retrieved 2021-04-15.
  3. ↑ Knight, Heather (2012-03-29). "Friend of Mirkarimi's wife: family 'destroyed'". SFGATE. Retrieved 2021-12-17.
  4. ↑ "Myrna Melgar". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  5. ↑ "Former Supervisor Yee - District 7 | Board of Supervisors".
  6. ↑ "Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District | Golden Gate". www.goldengate.org. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  7. ↑ "Youth Can Ride SF Muni for Free Starting Mid-August". KQED. 14 July 2021. Retrieved 2022-03-07.
  8. ↑ "'Absurdity': San Francisco leaders stall SOMA housing project to preserve parking lot". The San Francisco Examiner. 2021-10-29. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  9. ↑ Knight, Heather (2021-10-30). "S.F.'s real housing crisis: Supervisors who took a wrecking ball to plans for 800 units". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  10. ↑ Morris, J. D. (2023-06-28). "S.F. halts project that would replace single-family in Nob Hill with 10 homes". San Francisco Chronicle.
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