Kim, Wiener square off in debate on building, campaign funding

San Francisco Supervisors Jane Kim, left, and Scott Wiener had a cordial debate in their race for a state Senate seat. San Francisco Supervisors Jane Kim, left, and Scott Wiener had a cordial debate in their race for a state Senate seat. Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Kim, Wiener square off in debate on building, campaign funding 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

A state Senate debate Monday between contenders and fellow Supervisors Jane Kim and Scott Wiener opened with a handshake. Despite weeks of attack ads and increasingly negative campaigning from both sides, Kim and Wiener were largely amenable at the University of San Francisco event, which drew about 75 people.

Early on they fielded questions about their positions on 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s refusal to stand during the national anthem. Kim was known for standing, but not reciting, the Pledge of Allegiance during her early years on the Board of Supervisors. She praised Wiener for his support at that time.

“In 2011, when I got attacked for not always saying the pledge, Scott stood up for me,” she said.

“Can we have another Kumbaya?” Wiener asked moderator James Taylor, chairman of African American studies at USF.

The debate at Presentation Theater opened with questions on food security, sustainable farming across the state and urban agriculture, topics the candidates have spoken on less frequently in recent months. Both Wiener and Kim trailed off-topic in their responses or gave incomplete answers.

But they picked up momentum after a question from the audience about their biggest differences, of which there are many. Kim has advocated for more affordable housing, while Wiener supports building more housing overall, not just below-market rate ones. Wiener supports November’s soda tax, while Kim calls it a flat, regressive measure that would disproportionally affect low-income families.

“My opponent believes in build, build, build,” Kim said. “(He said) if we build as much luxury housing as possible, rent will naturally start to come down with free-market forces. ... The only real way to do that is to build as much affordable and middle-income housing as possible.”

Wiener said that the characterization was incorrect and that a broad spectrum of new units would help solve San Francisco’s housing crisis.

“She may categorize that as build, build, build,” he said. “But I say, let’s have enough housing so that the average rent isn’t $3,500 a month.”

But it was a question about campaign donations that sparked the most heated back-and-forth between Kim and Wiener, both of whom have accused the other of accepting dark money from corporations and developers.

This summer, Kim benefited from an ad campaign paid for by a political action committee whose key contributor was Pacific Gas and Electric Co. She has also indirectly received support from the American Beverage Association, which donated money to a committee for slate mailers supporting several candidates, including her.

Meanwhile, Wiener has been linked with tech titan Ron Conway, who is funding a more than $200,000 campaign against Kim. Wiener has also accepted checks from landlords and Realtors, Kim pointed out. But Wiener said she was cherry-picking.

“That took a lot of chutzpah, as my father would say,” Wiener said, after Kim accused him of receiving donations from Chevron. “The whole idea that Chevron is in this race is a lie. I am the only candidate in this race with any environmental record.”

“I don’t want all of this money coming into our races,” Kim later replied. “It is astounding to me the millions that have been put into the race.”

Kim proposed a pledge in July that would bar both campaigns from defamatory advertisements and limit outside spending on campaigns. But it would also include spending party money, requiring Wiener to denounce an endorsement from the Democratic Party. He called it a gimmick.

“Let’s talk about the pledge,” he said. “You can’t talk about any vote or position I’ve taken. Can you imagine saying that to Hillary Clinton? You can’t talk about any vote or pledge Donald Trump has said? It was the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen.”

In their closing statements, Wiener and Kim stuck to their messages, echoing language they have repeated often during the past eight months. Wiener said that even his harshest critic would acknowledge he’s a hard worker. Kim said she would fight to keep San Francisco affordable.

With one twist: Wiener picked up Kim’s tag word, saying he was a “fighter” for health care and climate change.

Kim’s response: “I’m not just a fighter,” she said. “I also win.”

Lizzie Johnson is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ljohnson@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @LizzieJohnsonnn