San Francisco's west side will get a new BART director in December, and voters have only one choice. Sara Barz is the only qualified candidate for BART Board District 8 on the Nov. 3 ballot, according to the city's Department of Elections, which also lists no certified write-in candidates.

Why the seat is open

Director Janice Li, a former board president first elected in 2018, decided not to seek a third four-year term, the Bay Area Reporter reported in August. Her term ends at noon on Dec. 4. Because the incumbent did not file, the deadline was extended to Aug. 12, and Barz was the lone filer. Li endorsed her after it became official.

District 8 voters live in North Beach, Chinatown, Ingleside, the Marina, and the Richmond and Sunset districts, the paper said. The seat has full oversight of Balboa Park station and shares the downtown stations and Glen Park with District 9.

Who is Sara Barz?

Barz is a transportation planner who lives in Sunnyside. She co-founded the rider advocacy group Seamless Bay Area and served on the San Francisco County Transportation Authority's Community Advisory Committee. Her endorsers include state Sen. Scott Wiener and Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, the Bay Area Reporter said.

Where she stands

In an interview with Streetsblog SF, Barz said she is campaigning for the regional transit measure and called BART's finances existential if it fails. She said she supports the alternative service plan the board adopted in case of cuts, and would fight to keep as much service as possible for her district, pointing to Balboa Park and the downtown stations. She favors infill stations and the core network over extensions, and said planning for new west side housing should include better transit links. BART's East Bay District 4 seat, by contrast, is contested; see our District 4 explainer.

How to vote

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polls and vote centers close at 8 p.m., and mailed ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and arrive within seven days. You can check your registration and ballot status at sos.ca.gov/elections. California lets you register and vote the same day at a vote center.