One year ago, Katy Tang was an aide to then-Supervisor Carmen Chu, working on legislative proposals, constituent needs and behind-the-scenes negotiations.

Now, Tang is sitting in the supervisor's chair - and will appear on the ballot alongside her former boss, who left the role six months ago to become the city's assessor-recorder.

It's the first race for Tang and the first citywide election for Chu, who were handpicked by Mayor Ed Lee to fill the roles in February. Chu was appointed to the assessor's position after her predecessor, Phil Ting, was elected to state Assembly; Tang was the mayor's choice for District Four supervisor around the same time.

Both women, Chinese American Sunset District residents who once worked in the mayor's budget office, say they went straight to work and have big plans if they win Nov. 5.

Chu's victory is all but assured: She is running unopposed. Tang faces one challenger, accountant Ivan Seredni, but she is widely expected to win the Sunset District seat. Seredni could not be reached and does not seem to be mounting a formal campaign.

Both women say they are not taking their election for granted and have the numbers to back them up: Tang has raised $168,000 for her campaign, while Chu has rounded up more than $176,000.

Tang has focused largely on district issues since her appointment, embarking on a "Sunset District blueprint" that she hopes will allow her office and other city leaders to be more "strategic and proactive" about how they approach issues ranging from children and families to land use. Her office in May launched a one-year outreach and planning process; in 2014, it will come up with a list of long- and short-term goals and how to tackle them.

Her biggest legislative proposal thus far - to crack down on prostitution in massage parlors, in part by explicitly outlawing sexual activity at the businesses - is expected to come up for a vote at the full board in the coming weeks. Tang's policies and votes have mirrored those of her mentor and former boss: fiscally pragmatic and politically moderate, at least by San Francisco standards.

"I'm really glad I had the experience of working as a legislative aide for six years - I could hit the ground running, and I didn't have to learn new issues," said Tang, 29, who grew up in the Sunset District and has lived there most of her life. "For me it's really about taking what I learned and using it in a way that's helpful to the district."

Tang cites general transit and transportation issues - including pedestrian safety - as some of her priorities if she wins next month, as well as the revitalization of Ocean Beach, the Larsen Playground rebuild and bringing a farmers' market to the Sunset.

"A lot of my role is seeing how I can work to bring resources to the west side - the city is rolling out car sharing, bike sharing, Muni improvements, and we want to make sure they come" to the Sunset District, she said.

Chu, 35, has also settled into her new role quickly, implementing a series of new strategies and programs at the assessor's office aimed at helping her staff become more efficient and offering the public better service.

"In the first six months I have spent a lot of time making sure I understand the organization," said Chu. "I have spent time at the front counter. ... For appraisers and auditors, I have looked at system tools. I have worked with title companies, real estate agents, homeowners associations."

One of Chu's first big accomplishments was launching an electronic recording system that allows title companies to file their documents online. Previously, the office would receive 300 to 400 pieces of paper per day, Chu said, which employees had to manually label, take payment on and scan into the city's system.

"This will mean no more lost documents, and it frees up the staff to do other things," she said.

Chu also successfully advocated for a third assessment appeals board team, a change that she hopes will cut down the timeline of what's currently a two- to three-year appeals process. She wants to cut down the backlog - currently there are 8,000 outstanding appeals and 9,000 reassessments that need to be done - and improve the department's technology and "be more proactive in helping people" to understand what her office does and how it can help San Franciscans.

The first few months, Chu said, "were about setting the tone of where we want to go."

"It's about integrity and building the organization and office to be the best it can be," she said. "I know it sounds cheesy, but the core function of government should be to work for the people. It's one of my core beliefs - my parents were immigrants and small-business owners, and I remember how frustrating it could be when they would receive documents from the government they didn't understand. ... Government exists to serve people the best it can."