This weekend, our Political Action/Endorsement Committee interviewed local candidates for the November 2026 election. Every PAC recommendation that follows is rooted in how the candidates align with and advance SFWPC’s policy agenda – on gender-based violence, reproductive freedom, housing, childcare, and economic security. Alignment with our platform is the foundation for these recommendations.
We appreciate all the candidates who made time to speak to us during their interviews this past weekend.
We also invite you to vote from August 17 – August 19, should you be an eligible member. If you have not received an electronic ballot via email by 8am on Tuesday August 18 and believe you are an eligible member, please contact our Membership Chair at membership@sfwpc.org.
Please note that a group of candidates received SFWPC’s early endorsement prior to these interviews. For the full list of SFWPC early endorsements, please click here.
For our thoughts, please read our statements below these PAC recommendations.
Candidates
Governor — Xavier Becerra
California Superintendent of Public Instruction— No Endorsement
San Francisco Assessor-Recorder — Joaquin Torres
San Francisco Public Defender — Mano Raju
Board of Supervisors, District 4 — [Sole] Alan Wong
Board of Supervisors, District 6 — [Sole] Matt Dorsey
Board of Supervisors, District 8 — [Sole] Gary McCoy
Board of Supervisors, District 10 — [Sole] Theo Ellington
San Francisco Board of Education — Autumn Brown Garibay
*SFWPC early endorsed Phil Kim and Alida Fisher*
City College Board of Trustees — Monroe Lace, Bunny McFadden, Jeremy Lee
City College Board of Trustee (Partial Term) — Ruth Ferguson
BART Board, District 8 — Sara Barz
SFWPC STATEMENTS ON OUR PAC RECOMMENDATIONS
This weekend, our Political Action Committee met with candidates from local San Francisco races. The criteria used to determine our organization’s endorsements for each were:
- Preparedness and responses in their PAC interview
- Responses to the SFWPC questionnaire submitted pre-interview
- Alignment with SFWPC’s mission, values, and policy agenda per both their interview and questionnaire
- Involvement, engagement, and impact on our work to fight sexual violence in SF politics
A note on the quality of new voices running for office.
While making decisions on recommendations is never easy, we were particularly impressed with the quality of candidates running for local office this year, many of whom have deep expertise relevant to the positions they are seeking. For many races, there were more people we wanted to recommend than slots available, leading to a few promising new voices and prior endorsees going without our recommendation. However, it is our hope that the candidates who did not receive our PAC recommendation this cycle continue the conversation with our organization. We look forward to continuing to work together, advocating for important issues that align with SFWPC’s mission.
A note on toxicity in political spaces from current political leaders.
While we recognize that San Francisco politics are famously a “knife fight in a phone booth,” we continue to demand better of those who already hold leadership positions within our city. Our recommendations today are in recognition of a candidate’s current work and leadership in the community. However, elected office and our recommendation is a privilege. The behavior of private community members with whom you disagree should not be held as the standard of behavior for public officials, and we are disappointed by poor in-person and digital communication we have witnessed from some with those they disagree with. Prior to receiving our recommendations, we spoke with these leaders and will be continuing to monitor their behavior as an accountability partner.
CANDIDATES
California State Superintendent of Public Instruction
We recommend a No Endorsement for the California State Superintendent of Public Instruction. While the Democratic nominee, Richard Barrera, has an impressive resume of leadership in the public education space, we are extremely troubled by a letter from his former union outlining his part in an alleged cover-up of abuse, including alleged sexual harassment, by the former President of a union where he held a significant leadership role.
We are also aware that his opponent is a self-proclaimed “Moms for Liberty” Republican focusing on right-wing grievances and targeting a small number of children in sports. She should not be allowed to make education decisions for California schools.
However, with the significant reduction of the Superintendent of Public Instruction’s future role, and the fact that we were unable to connect with the Barrera campaign to discuss these allegations despite numerous attempts, we feel compelled to recommend “No Endorsement” in this race, with the knowledge that whoever takes office next year will be doing so in an advisory role.
San Francisco Board of Supervisors District 4 – Alan Wong
SFWPC recommends Alan Wong for endorsement. Supervisor Wong has a record of serving the community through his work as a union organizer, as well as on the Children’s Council and the City College Board of Trustees. We strongly appreciate the collaboration we have had with him on the City College Board of Trustees, and hope to continue that collaboration in office as he represents the Sunset District.
At the same time, we believe that it is important to acknowledge that this race has attracted significant dark money, and we are concerned by the attacks on women and women of color that happened during the June cycle. We would like to see Supervisor Wong confront these more directly.
San Francisco Board of Supervisors District 6 – Matt Dorsey
SFWPC recommends Matt Dorsey for endorsement. While we do not always see eye-to-eye, policy-wise, with Supervisor Dorsey, we appreciate his willingness to engage with us on issues that impact women’s holistic safety, and are heartened by his commitment to work with us on issues impacting trans women in particular as one of two Supervisors representing portions of the Transgender Cultural District in San Francisco. We look forward to continuing to work with Supervisor Dorsey on issues that are important to SFWPC during the upcoming budget cycle.
San Francisco Board of Supervisors District 8 – Gary McCoy
SFWPC recommends Gary McCoy for sole endorsement.
Gary McCoy has a unique background that combines personal lived experience with strong policy experience. He has spoken openly about surviving homelessness and addiction, rebuilding his life through recovery, and carrying that experience into advocacy and legislative work. He has built a career advocating for women and underserved communities, including managing the Save Our Health Care campaign as Political Director for Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, fighting to protect the Medicaid and ACA funding that millions of women depend on. He has also committed to expanding IVF and fertility coverage, extending paid family leave to cover fostering, surrogacy, and pregnancy loss, and fully funding legal representation for survivors of sexual violence. We also appreciate his demonstrated ability to build bridges across the San Francisco political spectrum, which makes him well suited to collaborate effectively in City Hall. Gary McCoy has both the record and the policy commitments that make him the strongest choice for D8 Supervisor.
We also appreciate Michael Nguyen and Darshini Patel’s candidacies in this race. We appreciate Nguyen for his consistent support of anti-violence policies at the DCCC, and we look forward to continuing the conversation with him on how we can further improve these policies. Additionally, we appreciate Darshini’s courage and willingness to run for District 8 Supervisor, recognizing that District 8 hasn’t had a woman-identifying Supervisor since the establishment of Supervisorial Districts in 2000. We look forward to seeing Darshini grow more connected with San Francisco, the communities and neighborhoods of District 8, and SFWPC.
San Francisco Board of Supervisors District 10 – Theo Ellington
SFWPC PAC Committee recommends Theo Ellington for District 10 Supervisor. Ellington is a third-generation San Franciscan who grew up in the Bayview and is now raising his family in the same community he grew up in. He’s a public servant who’s served on multiple City Commissions and a demonstrated community advocate, serving in roles from the Salvation Army to the Executive Director of the Ruth Williams Bayview Opera House. District 10 Bayview-Hunter’s Point remains one of the last Black neighborhoods in San Francisco, and Ellington is committed to ensuring that the residents can afford to stay and thrive in the neighborhood that their families and themselves have grown up in. Ellington is also committed to building partnerships with UCSF and neighboring healthcare providers to address the disparities in black maternal health and to improve healthcare access in the District. His work addressing the environmental and health impacts of toxic pollution at the Hunters-Point Shipyard sets him apart from other candidates, and we hope Theo can continue to draw attention to this issue and make progress in cleaning up the Shipyard.
While we appreciate Ellington’s demonstrated ability to build a broad coalition of supporters, we are concerned that big tech and other moneyed interests with whom we do not align are part of that coalition. Ellington’s long history of advocacy within District 10 has earned our trust, and we look forward to working with him to ensure that his work and tenure on the Board continues to center the District’s needs, livelihoods, and those who need his advocacy most.
City College of San Francisco Board of Trustees – Full Terms
SFWPC recommends Monroe Lace, Dr. Bunny McFadden, and Jeremy Lee for endorsement.
Monroe Lace brings a much-needed, firsthand perspective of the importance of career technical education to the race. We trust her to center students who depend on City College for the skills they need to secure careers with liveable wages in our City. As a City College Career Technical Program graduate herself, we trust Monroe to protect and grow programs that build careers, not debt.
Dr. Bunny McFadden brings a unique combination of professional, educational, and community experience. She is a mother of two, a PTA President, and her experience as an English teacher in community college as well as high school gives her a firsthand understanding of the challenges facing students, staff, and educators within CCSF. She would bring a fresh perspective to the Board of Trustees.
Jeremy Lee is dedicated to maintaining and expanding access and equity at City College, ensuring that the Board stays responsive to the diverse communities that make up our City. His professional work interacting with state agencies gives him a practical understanding of the forces driving City College’s budget. With the departure of Supervisor Wong, the Board’s architect and largest booster of the culturally-significant Cantonese language program, we trust Jeremy to carry this beloved resource forward.
SFUSD Board of Education – Autumn Brown Garibay
SFWPC recommends Autumn Brown Garibay for endorsement. A working mom with three small children, Autumn is a candidate who understands the challenges of students, parents, and teachers, and is ready to jump into work at the Board of Education. Her approach to intersectional feminism aligns closely with SFWPC’s values, and her policy platform has been shaped by years of listening to the community through her PTA and school advocacy work.
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