Lori Brooke and Stephen Sherrill both answered questions about how the contamination should be remediated but stopped short of endorsing or opposing the longer-term vision — a new park and harbor that would follow once the site is cleared. The evasion matters because the cleanup and the redevelopment are linked in the planning pipeline. Candidates who back the remediation without weighing in on what comes next are leaving the harder political question unanswered.

The Marina sits on fill land placed over the former tidal marsh after the 1906 earthquake and the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition. That substrate has long been flagged for contamination issues, and any major ground disturbance for development brings the question of who bears cleanup costs and who controls what gets built afterward.

Neither candidate's campaign responded to questions about the cost framework or which agency — the Port, the Recreation and Park Department, or a redevelopment entity — would lead the project. The city has not released a public timeline or budget estimate for the proposed harbor redesign.

District 2 covers the Marina, Cow Hollow, Pacific Heights, and parts of the Presidio. The seat is currently held by Supervisor Catherine Stefani, who is termed out.

The November general election will determine who takes the seat. Voters should expect the Marina remediation plan to surface again at candidate forums before ballots are mailed in October. Watch for whether either campaign releases a position on the redevelopment component before early voting opens.