If you know John Avalos, you know how much he loves biking. He’s been a member of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition for over 20 years and when he served as District 11 Supervisor from 2008 to 2016, he was known to be an everyday bike commuter from his home in the Excelsior to City Hall.
John is now running to serve as your District 11 Supervisor once again, and we are excited to endorse him as an experienced leader and champion for biking.
“I began biking in San Francisco in 1992. At that time, I was one of a handful of cyclists commuting from San Francisco’s southern neighborhoods,” says John. “San Jose Avenue’s bike lane was just a stripe marking the right side of the car lane, a bit of pavement, and the gutter. In a part of San Francisco where the automobile has been king, we have had to fight for every transit and bike project over the years.”
John has dedicated his life to public service, spending 15 years as an advocate for working families. In 2008, he took a bigger step forward and ran to represent District 11 of the Board of Supervisors. He earned our endorsement and successfully came out on top of a crowded, 11-person race.
Supervisor John Avalos speaks at a Bike & Roll to School Week at the Excelsior Community School in 2016.
In his eight years in that seat, John fought for meaningful change to our city’s antiquated policies around biking and transportation. Most notably, he was the original sponsor of the City’s Bike Yield Law in 2015, which was passed by the Board of Supervisors before being vetoed by the Mayor.
Four years after leaving that office, John feels like there’s more work to be done. “District 11 needs a Supervisor who will work assiduously on moving our biking infrastructure forward,” says John. “Unfortunately, the current Supervisor has not recognized the advances the district has made in developing our sustainable infrastructure.” If he wins, John is committed to a wide range of transportation priorities, which include reviving Muni service through the district, moving forward with bus rapid transit, and building out the bike network — focusing particularly on Ocean Avenue.
Now is the time to make sure we elect people who understand biking and transportation needs. Make sure your vote counts this November, and let’s elect John Avalos for District 11 Supervisor.
