Mayor Lurie's handpicked Sunset Dist. supervisor announces she'll resign after 1 week in office

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Just one week after being sworn in as San Francisco's District 4 supervisor, Mayor Daniel Lurie announced on Thursday that Beya Alcaraz intends to resign. 

By Friday, the position had become vacant. 

Resigning

What we know:

Alcaraz was appointed as supervisor for the Sunset District after former Supervisor Joel Engardio was recalled in a special election in September. He was the subject of voters' ire who were not pleased with the shutdown of the Great Highway to traffic in order to make way for a park. 

Lurie said he selected Alcaraz after listening to what Sunset residents told him they were looking for in a supervisor. He issued a statement Thursday, saying earlier in the day he learned about "her conduct while running a small business" and that that would be a distraction from the work that needs to be done in order to serve the community. 

Alcaraz, a lifelong resident of the Sunset, owned and operated The Animal Connection – a pet supply store, according to her bio on the city's website. The business was sold in May of this year after it had expanded in 2024. She had also been a music and art teacher in the neighborhood.

Texts about tax dodging, paid under the table

Local news outlet Mission Local reports they obtained texts that Alcaraz wrote on her phone that said she paid workers under the table and that she dodged taxes by filing false tax returns. 

Disarray & dead animals

The woman who took the pet-supply business over told the Chronicle, the store was left in disarray and that included dead mice. 

"I spoke to Supervisor Alcaraz tonight. She and I agreed, as we always have, that the Sunset deserves a supervisor who is fully focused on serving the community," Lurie's statement read. He continued, "I regret that I didn’t do more to make sure she could succeed." 

No prior experience 

When she was sworn in, volunteers from the campaign to recall Engardio had concerns of Alcaraz's appointment since she had no prior political experience and had not been politically tested. 

Lurie spoke of the politics that have divided the district and said he and his team are committed to finding a replacement. 

Following Lurie's next appointment, a special election will take place in June to let voters decide who should represent the district, then another next November. 

Last week, Alcaraz said she intended to run in both of those elections. That no longer appears to be the case. 

What they're saying:

Alcaraz issued her own statement saying in part: "I believe that my community deserves someone who will work 24/7 to advocate for us. And I understand that today’s news stories would distract me from doing that," she said. Alcaraz thanked the mayor for the opportunity. 

Mayor Lurie on Friday addressed reporters and said he would learn and grow from this experience. He initially brushed off the concerns about the business, but that changed Thursday evening with reports of Alcaraz's business practices and conditions of the shop. 

Fellow supervisor Matt Dorsey this evening said he was impressed by Alcaraz seeing her as someone who got involved in politics for the right reasons. "I have every confidence Beya will find other ways to contribute to our City, and I hope we’ll have opportunities to work together in the future," said Dorsey.

"I just know that she's not capable of doing what a supervisor needs to do," said Julia Baran, the current owner of the Animal Connection. "You know, maybe she wasn't being honest with herself or not being honest with the mayor's office, but someone messed up along the line." She said she was shocked that the woman who she just bought the shop from had become the district supervisor. 

Alcaraz was the first Filipina American to serve on the city's Board of Supervisors. 

What's next:

Mayor Lurie said conversations are already happening to determine who will be appointed as the supervisor next. 

"We are reviewing our vetting process. We're gonna get more thorough and we'll get better," Lurie said on Friday afternoon, adding that he has a meeting lined up later in the day. "We have names being submitted. I have a list. We'll continue the search starting right now."

At this point, we do not know who may be on the mayor's list of prospects, nor do we know when the announcement of an appointed supervisor will be made. 

Editor's note: Reporting from KTVU's Christien Kafton was added on Friday after the original story broke.