Mark Farrell (politician)
| Mark Farrell | |
|---|---|
| Member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from District 2 | |
|
Assumed office January 8, 2011 | |
| Mayor |
Gavin Newsom Ed Lee |
| Preceded by | Michela Alioto-Pier |
| Personal details | |
| Born | San Francisco, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence | San Francisco, California |
| Alma mater |
Loyola Marymount University University College Dublin University of Pennsylvania Law School |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Mark Farrell is a politician currently serving on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors representing District 2, consisting of the Marina, Pacific Heights, the Presidio, part of Russian Hill, and Sea Cliff.[1]
Prior to his election to the Board of Supervisors, he served as a mid-level director of Quest Hospitality Ventures, a venture capital firm.[1]
Supervisor Farrell was first elected in November 2010 by the voters of District 2, and subsequently reelected in November 2014 for his second term. Supervisor Farrell currently serves as Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee, as a founding member of the 2016-17 Super Bowl Bid Committee, and also serves on eight other local and state Boards and Committees.
Supervisor Farrell’s legislative priorities include advancing policies and projects that address housing affordability and the cost of living, homelessness, boost local economic development, ensure neighborhood vitality, and enhance public safety and quality of life issues that affect all San Franciscans.
Since his election, Supervisor Farrell ushered through a unanimously supported two-year City budget that reflects San Francisco values and priorities, reformed the way San Francisco pays for retiree health care benefits - solving a $4.4 billion unfunded liability, and passed small business tax credit legislation so our City’s small businesses can hire more employees and create more local jobs. In addition, Supervisor Farrell created a public-private partnership between the San Francisco non-profit Kiva.org and San Francisco’s Office of Small Business to provide small businesses citywide greater access to capital at 0% interest, and became the first elected official in California to personally endorse Kiva borrowers on the platform.
To address homelessness in San Francisco, Supervisor Farrell led the effort to double San Francisco’s Homeless Outreach Team, authored and pass Laura’s Law, which is a state law that allows for community-based compelled mental health treatment for the severely mentally ill, and has hosted numerous hearings on services and solutions to reduce and end homelessness in San Francisco.
To help keep families in San Francisco, Supervisor Farrell created the Schoolyards Project which opens public schoolyards on the weekends to create more open space and foster a greater sense of community and annually sponsors the Marina Family Festival in District 2. Supervisor Farrell has also called hearings on family flight to find and discuss the root causes which are causing families to leave San Francisco, and has worked on policies and projects to help reverse family flight.
To help integrate the benefits of technology into resident’s everyday lives, Supervisor Farrell led a broad coalition to create “Free Wi-fi” in our city parks, plazas and open spaces and is working to expand online access to all communities across our city. Supervisor Farrell also authored and passed the City’s landmark open data legislation that continued San Francisco’s national leadership in the open data movement and will promote further local economic development and government efficiency.
Supervisor Farrell is a born and raised San Franciscan, and grew up in the neighborhoods of District 2. He attended both Stuart Hall and Saint Ignatius College Preparatory, and subsequently received his B.A. from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, his M.A. from University College Dublin in Ireland, and J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in Philadelphia. Prior to being elected to the Board of Supervisors, Supervisor Farrell practiced law as a corporate and securities attorney at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in Silicon Valley for 3 years, joined Thomas Weisel Partners as an investment banker where he was an integral part of the Internet & Digital Media team for over 5 years, and subsequently co-founded Quest Hospitality Ventures, a San Francisco-based venture capital firm focused on the hospitality and travel sector.
References
- 1 2 Knight, Heather (December 29, 2010). "Mark Farrell, District 2 supervisor, a novice". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved January 3, 2011.
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