I'm Diane Wesley Smith, your candidate for Supervisor of District #10, comprised of Alice Griffith, Bayview, Dogpatch, Hunters Point, Potrero Hill, Portola, Silver Terrace, and Visitation Valley communities. I am a homegrown candidate, having been raised in and by the Hunters Point Housing Project. My childhood was not one of privilege, and most of the time, my siblings and I didn't have enough to eat. Since she didn't want anything to wake us for fear that hunger would once again result in tears, our Mother would spend night after night praying over us while we slept. Eventually, knowing she would have to support us on her own, my Mother found the strength to return to school at S.F. City College and became a Licensed Vocational Nurse. Education opened her eyes to thousands of other possibilities and sparked the desire for her to make other changes in our lives so that we could one day be successful in our own right. She would often say all she wanted was, "A home and station wagon for her children." What she ended up with, a candidate for Supervisor of District #10 would be beyond her wildest dreams.

Looking back on my formative years, I realize that my Mom offered me much more than a home and a station wagon. She offered me character. She started the first chapter of the Camp Fire Girls group in Bayview, of which I was a proud member. I also grew up as a member of the congregation at Double Rock Baptist Church under the guidance of my Mother and Pastor Victor L. Medearis. These experiences helped teach me integrity, ethics, manners, hard work, and social responsibility; values that followed me through my education at Pelton and Portola Jr. High Schools, Woodrow Wilson High School, City College and S.F. State College, and eventually helped me earn a B.A. in Business Administration from Buxton University.

As an adult, these values have led me toward a happy marriage with a man who is also a San Francisco native. I have also passed these values on to my son, my two granddaughters, and my grandson. Although I will always be a member of the Double Rock Baptist Church, my life's experiences led me to become a member of Providence Baptist Church, providing service to the congregation as an Usher on the Usher Board, where I can continue to perfect my character and encourage others to worship the God of their understanding. My Mother used to tell me we all have a responsibility to God, our country, our family, our community, and ourselves. I used to wonder why I came last in this statement, but now I know. I am nothing if I do not give to and serve others first.

Beginning in the 1970s, some examples of how I have contributed to the community include:

  • Worked with ABU, under the direction of James Richards and NEW BREED with Tony Carpenter as one of the co-founders.
  • Became the first Director of the Bayview Opera House under the mentorship of Jim Larkin of United Projects.
  • Started the BVHP Girl Scout Troop.
  • Motivated, encouraged, and inspired our youth and children for over twelve years as a motivational speaker.
  • Conducted massive voter registration drive as the District 10 OFA organizer and current Chairperson.
  • Founded the Bayview Hunters Point Real Estate Professionals (BVHP REPS).
  • Wrote proposals advocating for the housing rights of residents and real estate brokers of District #10.
  • Wrote a Certificate of Preference Amendment for the present and former residents of District #10 housing projects, Alice Griffith (Double Rock), Hunters Point, Visitation Valley (Sunnydale) and Potrero Hill, to ensure their ability to return to their former housing as contributing, working members of the community. Also, mandated that monetary value be attached to the Certificate of Preference to assist with moving expenses or home purchase downpayment.
  • Founded the 3rd Street MoveOn Organization.
  • Founded the first Obama for President Campaign Office in San Francisco, located at 4636 Third Street, S.F., CA 94124 www.theobamameetingplace.com.
  • Founded the Obama Meeting & Gathering Place - a place for the Presidents supporters to gather, meet, organize, strategize, take ACTION, and rest.
  • As the Chairperson of Organizing for America (OFA) in District #10: Diane organized numerous Health Care Reform actions in District #10 and San Francisco in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

My service to the community continues to this day and I am currently a candidate for Supervisor of District #10 because I feel I have no choice. At 57 years old, I can no longer continue to watch the decline of my native city, San Francisco. Instead, I want to see progress, and I believe the planning for that progress must be smart, fair and transparent. The majority of my involvement in District #10 has been a result of the necessity to take action as an American citizen, and not wait until something or someone else comes along to do the job. I have no choice other than to exercise the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for myself and others by organizing and advocating in our District and our City.