The District 8 supervisor race is shaping up to be a fascinating political contest, pitting the incumbent supe, Rafael Mandleman, former D8 Sup Bevan Dufty, and possibly the mayor, against what remains of Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s political operation in the city.
Pelosi is strongly supporting her aide, Gary McCoy. McCoy, who will have a kickoff in the Castro this weekend, will also have access to Pelosi’s formidable fundraising machine.
Mandelman and Dufty are backing Manny Yekutiel, who owns Manny’s the Mission District cafe that is a gathering spot for political events (and has created its own controversy).
All of this is happening as Pelosi ponders running for another term, and faces an opponent, Saikat Chakrabarti, in 2026. It’s no secret that state Sen. Scott Wiener badly wants that seat, although he would never run against Pelosi. Daughter Christine Pelosi might also be a candidate, although she has hardly any ties to local politics.
Wiener hasn’t endorsed yet. McCoy used to work for him, back when he was a supervisor. Yekutiel is, these days, probably more close to him politically and is part of the Lurie/Yimby establishment. But the last thing he wants to do is anger Pelosi.
In an interview with the Standard, Yekutiel said he wanted to be the “builder supervisor:”
“More housing, more businesses, more ideas, more events. For too long, we thought of the government as an entity that can stop things.”
That fits the Yimby line nicely. It also fits the needs of developers, who have long sought to deregulate housing, offices, and all other sorts of projects that make money, often at the cost of existing residents and small businesses.
McCoy is in recovery, and in an interview with the Standard, talked about his criminal record, which I don’t think anyone in D8 cares about at this point. He’s got the support of former D9 Supe and state Democratic Party Vice Chair David Campos, and current progressive D1 Sup. Connie Chan.
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He’s also a former employee of Healthright 360, which promotes harm-reduction programs, and noted:
“Handcuffs didn’t get me sober, almost dying several times didn’t get me sober, overdoses didn’t get me sober,” McCoy said. “There should be a balance.”
That could put him in conflict with some of Lurie’s approaches, which de-emphasize harm reduction and seek to force people into treatment (or jail).
On the other hand, he supports Lurie’s zoning plan:
San Francisco must say yes to housing at every level so that we can build a city that’s affordable for everyone – the working class, young families, aging adults and seniors, our long-term survivors of HIV/AIDS, people with disabilities, and kids who grew up here and want to stay. … I’m supportive of Mayor Daniel Lurie’s Family Zoning plan to expand family-friendly housing options across the city. I’ll fight to legalize more density along our major transit corridors, creating vibrant neighborhoods where people can afford to live, work, and get around without a car.
So at this point, there is no left/progressive candidate in the race.
Yekutiel has already raised more than $100,000. With Pelosi’s help, McCoy will raise all the money he needs. And the election is more than a year away.
