April 27, 2022
Mayor London Breed:
On behalf of the San Francisco Women’s Political Committee (SFWPC), we are writing to urge you to name a woman of color that represents diverse communities in District 6 for the duration of Supervisor Matt Haney’s term now that he is Assemblymember-Elect for AD-17 and will be stepping down from the Board of Supervisors in early May 2022.
SFWPC’s mission is to endorse, empower, and support women candidates for local office and people who share our values. SFWPC champions policies and candidates committed to advancing intersectional feminism, racial justice, gender equity, and equitable systems and structures through participation in the San Francisco political process. Additionally, we provide an advocacy and political network to build a bench of diverse women candidates, activists, organizers, and leaders who will advance these goals at every level of governance and beyond.
We know that in your professional and personal work, you have been committed to advancing women’s representation in public office, as well as in leadership roles across all sectors. As you are all too aware, naming a woman to fill Supervisor Haney’s seat will be an important step in advancing gender equity of the current Board of Supervisors. Women are underrepresented in elected office, including on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, where women hold just four out of eleven seats. Only two out of eleven Supervisors are women of color. This lack of representation impacts how the board conducts official business, makes decisions, and works together. Our organization measured tangible proof of these inequitable impacts in Spring 2021 when we reported on data identifying gender inequity on the Board of Supervisors as part of a time study analyzing women Supervisors’ committee representation and speaking times that we conducted with Supervisor Melgar.
Additionally, the new Supervisor should reflect the tremendous diversity of the District that she will represent. District 6 is home to vibrant communities that have been historically marginalized and remain underrepresented on our boards, commissions, and in elected office in San Francisco. Over 20% of the residents speak a primary language other than English. The district contains three cultural districts: the SOMA Pilipinas San Francisco’s Filipino Cultural Heritage District, Leather & LGBTQ Cultural District, and a portion of the nation’s only Transgender Cultural District, a community that remains underrepresented in positions of power across the political spectrum. The District is also home to the second largest proportion of Black residents in the city.
SFWPC endorses policies that promote supporting women and communities in need, ensuring women are treated equally, supporting and protecting women in San Francisco, and advancing a more just society. In this spirit and with this vision, we urge you to nominate a woman reflective of the District’s diversity.
Sincerely,
SFWPC Board of Directors
Sources:
- https://sfbos.org/sites/default/files/3.24.21%20Supervisor%20Melgar%20and%20SFWPC%20Speaking%20Time-Study.pdf
- https://www.sfdph.org/dph/files/sfchip/SF_SupervisorialPrintableHealthProfiles/D6_Health_Profile.pdf
- https://www.somapilipinas.org/; https://sfleatherdistrict.org/; https://www.transgenderdistrictsf.com/; https://sf.gov/information/cultural-districts-program
- https://www.sfdph.org/dph/files/sfchip/SF_SupervisorialPrintableHealthProfiles/D6_Health_Profile.pdf
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