Interesting piece. I must admit that I've never given a lot of thought to the Portsmouth Square Garage.
By Greg Wong | Examiner staff writer
Jul 23, 2025 Updated Jul 23, 2025
Jaynry Mak admits she has a lot going on. But, she said, “I love it all.”
Mak is a mother of two teenagers, a lawyer in private practice, a community organizer, a board member for a slew of nonprofits, and a well-networked and influential San Francisco politico. She was one of five people in the room when former Mayor London Breed met with Han Zheng, the vice president of China, during a diplomatic trip to that nation last year.
But believe it or not, one of her most intense jobs these days is the management of a parking garage.
“There are so many people who are like, ‘You’re doing too much. It’s just a garage,’” Mak said. “But for me, it’s more than a garage.”
Mak is also president of the City of San Francisco Portsmouth Plaza Parking Corporation, the nonprofit that runs the Portsmouth Square Garage. The four-level underground parking lot sits beneath the historic plaza and playground where you can find a few dozen pigeons and a few dozen Chinese elders playing mah-jongg or practicing tai chi.
If Portsmouth Square is Chinatown’s living room, then Mak treats the garage as the neighborhood’s front door or welcome mat.
SF political pillar’s latest mission is reviving ‘lifeline’ of Chinatown
Greg