Steve Nakajo is a member of the San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD) Commission. He was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and lived in Japan, where his parents are from, before moving to San Francisco. In this interview, Nakajo discusses growing up in the Fillmore district, his childhood and education, ethnic consciousness and social change, culture in Japantown, the culture of San Francisco, working with the Juvenile Justice Commission and Arts Commission, joining the SFFD Commission, integrating the department, administration, SFFD leadership, challenges, controversies, and triumphs, the consent decree, budget, political changes, interest in logistics, and his hopes for the future.
