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ERIC QUEZADA: A DIFFERENT KIND OF SUPERVISOR

It's not hard to tell that Eric Quezada will be a different kind of Supervisor: his family moved to San Francisco to get away from an earthquake.

Born in L.A. in 1965, Eric Quezada moved to San Francisco when he was 6, after his family's home was destroyed in the 1971 San Fernando earthquake. The Quezada family had a long relationship with San Francisco: Eric's uncle, Luis Sagastume, was a famous soccer player at USF, his great-grandmother had worked for one of the Wharf fishing companies, and walked across the Golden Gate Bridge on Opening Day, and his mother had come to San Francisco and attended attended Mission High before she returned to Guatemala.

After they came to San Francisco, Eric's father worked for American Can on Florida Street where Project Artaud is now. When American Can moved out, Eric's dad had a bicycle shop for 10 years at 24th & Folsom. On 24th St., the bicycle shop was in the center of a community, and it became a kind of community center. In addition to fixing bicycles, the shop hosted meetings and printing presses and low-riders and lots of local kids. Eric grew up in a small-scale University of the Mission District, its vibrancy and vitality and strengths, and its problems and desperations, too.

Eric went away to college at Chico State, and finished his degree in 1990. He then moved to Bernal Heights, where he has rented the same house for the last 18 years. Eric Quezada has spent almost his entire working life providing services and leadership to District 9. After briefly working for Catholic Charities in East Palo Alto, Eric went to work at E.R. Taylor School in the Portola District. He left E.R. Taylor to work for the community organization P.O.D.E.R. ( People Organized to Demand Economic and Environmental Rights) and in 1995,Eric went to work for the Mission Housing Development Corporation (MHDC), where he served as Director of Resident Programs until 2004.

Quezada was a senior member of the management team at MHDC which doubled the number of housing units developed and managed, managing over $ 250 million in assets. He was responsible for programs for over 2000 MHDC residents, creating and managing after-school programs, senior programs, youth and employment programs, youth, senior, and family activities, and tenant organizing, particularly in the areas of community safety and violence prevention. The organizing programs significantly reduced crime and increased safety in MHDC managed units. The MHDC team also built the first family housing for persons with HIV/AIDS and was awarded the contract to do the pilot housing development in Mission Bay.

While at Mission Housing, Eric was also one of the founders of MAC, the Mission Anti-displacement Coalition. MAC was organized to stop the chaotic and ruthless displacement of Mission residents by unplanned and unregulated development and achieved notable and substantial successes.

MAC persuaded City Planning to institute the first-ever planning process for the Mission. Through the planning process -- the Eastern Neighborhoods Plan that MAC instigated--District 9 residents will be able to use zoning controls to ensure the preservation and development of affordable housing, to promote and retain light industrial and artisan businesses, and to protect neighborhood serving small businesses.

Eric and MAC were also successful in helping to end the City's live-work scandal, where developers were avoiding city use fees by falsely claiming they were building work spaces for artists. In locations like Bryant Square, Eric and MAC were able to increase new, affordable and family housing.

In 2004, Eric left MHDC to be treated for an extremely rare cancer, Alveolar Soft Parts Sarcoma. His treatment was successful, and he returned to work . Eric became Executive Director of Dolores Street Community Services in 2005.

In the short time he has been with Dolores Street , Eric has increased the budget by $ 1 million, and increased homeless shelter beds by 46%. Dolores Street is currently under consideration by the Mayor's Office of Housing to run a program to provide permanent housing for homeless urban migrant workers, and they have been selected by the City to be the lead agency in the Mission SRO (Single Room Occupancy residential hotel) Collaborative as well as the lead agency for $ 1 million in immigrant services funded by the City through the SF Immigrant Legal and Education Network.

Eric understands the value of sports and arts programs for our youth. In high school, Eric lettered in 3 sports and played for the Mission-based youth soccer team, Club America. He also played tenor saxophone in his high school band. A soccer scholarship gave him the opportunity to attend college at Cal State -Chico. Chico State won their Conference soccer championship in 1985,1986, & 1987. Eric was an Academic All Conference player, and the team voted him "Most Inspirational". He still plays the tenor sax, works occasionally as a D.J., and has been taking music lessons again at the Community Music Center on Capp Street.

Eric Quezada is a Board Member of the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center and P.O.D.E.R. He has served on Mayor Willie L. Brown's Welfare Reform Task Force, and on the San Francisco Day Laborer Advisory Board. An avid and accomplished soccer player, he has played for the Sons of Italy and other top clubs in the San Francisco Soccer Football League. He is currently the Player/Manager of Barbary Coast Football Club. His family has also remained active, and Eric's mother, Clara, leads a support group at St. Anthony's Church for Spanish speaking residents around mental health issues.