Meet Bilal Mahmood, District 5
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Photo illustration: Axios Visuals. Photo: Courtesy of Bilal Mahmood.
Five new members are joining the San Francisco Board of Supervisors following the November election, representing residents across the city. Over the next couple of weeks, we'll be introducing you to them.
Zoom in: Bilal Mahmood, who will be representing District 5, worked for the Obama administration, co-founded a software company and has held several other roles in tech.
- We asked him what his top priority is, what he loves most about his area and what constituents might not know about him.
- Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
Top priority: Ending open air drug markets.
What he's saying: "It is unacceptable to have a city where hundreds of our residents are dying of overdoses every year. I have advocated for a drug market intervention — an evidence-based approach that focuses on deterrence through arrests of fentanyl dealers coupled with workforce development for those willing to leave the trade," he told Axios via email.
One thing to love about District 5: "The diversity. From the Haight to Western Addition to Tenderloin, District 5 has been a hub for immigrants from Ethiopia to Yemen."
Favorite restaurant: "Shalimar in the Tenderloin was the first Pakistani restaurant in the Bay Area and the one I've been coming to since I was eight. The tandoori chicken is perfect."
Most important issue: Affordable housing.
- "San Francisco is the slowest city to build housing in the entire state. We must address the red tape and permitting bureaucracy that is uniquely holding us back."
What to know about him: Mahmood, who grew up in Palo Alto, finished high school in Pakistan. After 9/11, he and his family left the U.S. due to rising Islamophobia concerns.