Student runs for District 6

By Greg ZemanThe Guardsman

City College graphic design  student Nate Payne is trying to turn his vision of a new and improved  District 6 into legislative reality by running for City Supervisor in  the upcoming election. He is seeking to replace Chris Daly who has  reached his term limit as a supervisor.

“I’d like to make this a  self-made district where we don’t have to rely on corporations to make  the city,” Payne said. “We can use local business and community  involvement.”

Payne’s life story is a familiar one in the Bay  Area. He was born in the Philippines but moved to San Francisco when he  was four years old, and has lived here ever since.

“I’m a native  of SF for 28 years. I’ve been here through the earthquakes, the dot-com  bust … I’ve been here through everything.”

A father of three,  Payne says that his candidacy is about making the city safer and  stronger for his own daughters.

“I believe it starts with the  children, with us educating our children and volunteering our time to  motivate these kids to stay out of trouble,” he said. “I emphasize  children a lot because they are our future and they’re going to be  running the streets of SF soon, and hopefully City Hall as well.”

He  says that his political philosophy is based on the words of former city  Supervisor Harvey Milk, “The American dream starts with the  neighborhood.”

“I’m just a person,” he said. “But I’m a person  with a dream and I follow my dreams. I’m about making things happen.”

Payne’s  candidacy is based on a three-part platform: safe neighborhoods,  controlled public spending and housing programs.

“Something we  need to do to save money in our districts, instead of hiring all of  these cops to the patrol the streets, is to work together as a community  to watch our neighborhood,” Payne said. “For us to improve District 6  and the city of San Francisco, it starts with improving ourselves.”

Payne  also wants to bring green businesses, like solar power companies, to  District 6 to create new jobs and encourage the production of clean  energy.

Payne says his philosophy of personal responsibility is  an integral part of his plan for fostering community growth and  cooperation in District 6 to combat the unique issues its residents  face.

In an effort to establish his credibility with voters early  on, Payne has refused to accept any public funding to offset his  campaign costs.

“I’m opposed to matching funds,” he said. “I’d  rather use that money to help out other students.”

Payne views  his rejection of public money as a matter of integrity.

“I  decline to be a part of the problem when I can be a part of the  solution,” he said. “It shows strength that I don’t have to take money  from the city, because if you do, it shows that you could take money  from lobbyists or anyone else once in office.”

Payne isn’t afraid  to suggest sweeping policy initiatives in his quest for solutions to  social problems facing the state and his district, including childhood  obesity.

One of the policies Payne has already begun researching  and considering is a punitive tax on sugar and high fructose corn syrup,  which he believes will positively impact City revenue and obesity  rates, particularly among children.

“When it comes to my  district, there’s a lot of talk about narcotics, but sugar, that’s the  other white powder that kills people,” he said. “There are more people  who die from sugar and diabetes than from overdosing on cocaine or  narcotics.”

He says that he supports removing high-sugar foods  and beverages from public schools and encouraging better nutrition among  San Francisco youth.

“If you look at the prison system, their  food nutrition is higher than what they’re serving the kids in school,”  Payne said. “Better nutrition is one step on the right path towards  producing future law-abiding citizens who will definitely give back to  the community.”

Payne is confident that by addressing the issues  facing children and young people early on, it will remove the need to  address destructive behavior later.

“We need kids to understand  and learn how to operate a small business, instead of seeing these young  children selling weed and crack or cocaine which have been plaguing  South of Market for years — the TL for years — and like I said, it  starts with children.”

Payne is looking for volunteers to help  with all aspects of his campaign. He can be contacted through his  campaign website: www.votenate2010.com