Biography
I am a fifth generation San Franciscan, a firefighter, and a 21-year Marine Corps veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan. I'm running because our city is in dire need of new leadership and change. I am the only candidate running who is able to turn our city around and restore common sense to city hall.
About Stephen:
Stephen attended St. Phillip's Elementary, Lowell High School, and University of California at Davis, graduating with a degree in Environmental Engineering in 2001. While at Davis, he was a member of the Men's Crew team for 4 years, and had a late night music radio show on KDVS 90.3FM, the college radio station.
Left photo: Promotion to Corporal, April 1, 2006, Miramar Marine Corps Air Station, San Diego California.
Right photo: On assignment for the Bureau of Land Management on a Type I (hot shot) Hand crew, Alaska, July 2009
After graduation, he enlisted in the US Marine Corps, and was selected to serve with the Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) of 7051, Aircraft Firefighter and Crash Rescue Specialist. He was stationed at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station in San Diego, California for 5 years, deploying to Iraq and attaining the rank of Sergeant. After Iraq, he was selected to attend the Officer Candidate School in Quantico, Virginia. He was promoted to Second Lieutenant, and earned the MOS of 0602 Communication Officer, and deployed to Afghanistan and Georgia (the country) as a foreign military advisor and trainer. He promoted to Captain, left active duty in 2014, and returned to San Francisco.
He was hired by the San Francisco Fire Department in August 2014 and transferred to the Marine Corps Reserves. As a firefighter, he has worked at every station, and has been assigned to Pacific Heights, Inner Sunset, Bernal Heights, Civic Center, Chinatown, Bayview, and Richmond district stations. He has done numerous deployments to the wildfires across California. He is a certified fire instructor, a NERT, and Listos SF instructor, and is a member of the department's Transit and Tactical EMS committees. He is also a Hazardous Materials Specialist and Heavy Equipment-Rigging Specialist with FEMA California Task Force 3 based in Menlo Park, CA. He was promoted to Major in the Marine Corps reserves in 2019, and has done short deployments to Canada, Korea, Jordan, Egypt, and the Philippines. As a union Pile-Driver with Local 34, he has worked as a welder on the Central Subway project in San Francisco.
He has been very active in the community, serving as president of the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association from 2016-2020, and has served as the President of the West of Twin Peaks central Council. He served on the San Francisco Veteran's Affairs Commission from 2019 to 2014. He has served on the district 7 participatory budget committee, and has been active as a neighborhood voice for the Balboa Reservoir Project, the Detroit Steps project, and the Circular Avenue Ribbon Garden cleanup.
He currently lives in the Sunnyside neighborhood with his girlfriend, dog, and four chickens. His hobbies include playing the guitar. He likes to travel and has been to nearly every state and major city in the US. He is fluent in Spanish, and proficient in Russian and Georgian (the language) from his time in the military.