San Francisco District 8 race shifts as Manny Yekutiel drops out

Things in San Francisco politics are moving fast, and honestly, the vibes are off. Manny Yekutiel—a well-known activist and the owner of the Mission district hotspot Manny’s Cafe—just pulled out of the race for District 8 supervisor at the eleventh hour. Real talk: it’s giving major chaos.

Yekutiel’s exit comes after fresh allegations surfaced about him allegedly groping two men at a 2023 Pride party. According to reports from the San Francisco Standard, he allegedly touched one man, Ryan Clark, and then turned his attention to Clark’s partner. This follows another claim from back in July, where he was accused of grabbing a man’s testicles at a house party in 2020. While Yekutiel denied the claims, he said in a statement, “I am deeply sorry for any boundaries that I crossed. I’m going to take this time to work on myself.”

The fallout

The situation has effectively nuked his campaign. Even Mayor Daniel Lurie, who had been backing him, pulled his endorsement, stating, “Coming forward is hard and these survivors deserve to be heard.” Every other city supervisor who had previously supported him followed suit.

Now, the city’s Democratic machine is shifting its focus to Gary McCoy. McCoy, who previously worked for Nancy Pelosi and held a VP role at the drug rehab nonprofit HealthRight 360, has a unique background as a formerly homeless person in recovery. He’s been highkey vocal about drug policy, specifically pushing for safe consumption sites.

Party tension

The plot thickens regarding the local Democratic Party's handling of these claims. Nancy Tung, the party chair, issued a formal apology after catching heat for the party’s initial decision to endorse Yekutiel despite an earlier complaint from a survivor named Brad Chapin. Supervisor Connie Chan, who is eyeing Nancy Pelosi’s congressional seat, hasn't let that slide, straight up calling for Tung to resign. Tung, however, isn't backing down from the chair position.

Why it matters

This scandal is a massive blow to the SF Democratic establishment, exposing deep failures in how they vet candidates and protect survivors. With Yekutiel out, the race for District 8 is now a completely different ballgame with McCoy emerging as the new frontrunner.