Who is Manny Yekutiel? Local community leader enters supervisor race
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Manny Yekutiel has called the Castro home for most of the past 12 years. Photo: Nadia Lopez/Axios
Manny Yekutiel, the outspoken community leader behind his eponymous Mission cafe, is running for District 8 supervisor on a platform focused on housing, street safety and vibrant communities.
Why it matters: The 2026 election will be the first time since 2018 that District 8 voters in neighborhoods including the Castro, Cole Valley and the Duboce Triangle choose a new supervisor without an incumbent on the ballot.
- Supervisor Rafael Mandelman is terming out after eight years.
State of play: The race is still more than a year out, but it's already heating up, with Yekutiel facing off against Gary McCoy — a former Pelosi aide running on his record as a health care advocate, longtime LGBTQ resident and recovering drug addict.
- Yekutiel, a 36-year-old Castro resident and small business owner, joins a wave of self-described City Hall outsiders. He sees his run as the next step in expanding on his work as someone who's built a business, started a nonprofit and worked on neighborhood revitalization projects.
- He positions himself outside the city's entrenched political factions, saying that he aligns more with Mayor Daniel Lurie's practical governance style than ideological camps.
"I will work with everyone. I don't care what your politics are — I want to build coalitions," he told Axios. "That's what I've done and that's what I would do."
His three main priorities:
- More housing: He supports Lurie's Family Zoning Plan and building dense, mixed-use development, especially along transit corridors. He's also exploring ways to make housing more affordable for creatives, young people and city employees.
- "Joyful," safe and clean streets: He wants to scale up nightlife efforts that boost small businesses and increase foot traffic like the Castro Night Market, expand public trash pickups and get people off the streets.
- Filling empty storefronts: He's pledging to eliminate commercial vacancies in his district by the end of his first term.
The big picture: Yekutiel, who is gay and Jewish, is of the community that has historically come to the Castro seeking refuge. After being disowned by his father when he came out, he found a new home in San Francisco — a journey shared by generations of queer men who've made the city their sanctuary.
- The LA transplant, who has lived in the city since 2012, says reducing the cost of living is key to preserving "the soul of the city" and maintaining it as a welcoming place for all.
Context: Yekutiel founded his business Manny's nine years ago as a hub for political dialogue and co-launched the Civic Joy Fund amid the pandemic with Lurie, a longtime friend.
What we're watching: Whether he obtains Lurie's endorsement.
- Already, Yekutiel has picked up early support from a growing slate of leaders — including Mandelman and former Mayors Willie Brown and Art Agnos.
- Both Yekutiel and fellow candidate Gary McCoy claim endorsements from former state senator and mayoral candidate Mark Leno. Leno could not be reached for comment.
The bottom line: "I have the experience to get things done," McCoy said. "I've always focused specifically on the policy or the issue at hand and how we address it to benefit the most number of people."
The bottom line: "I'm a problem solver and I've taken it upon myself to be useful and to bring people together to solve the problems," he said. "That is the unique experience I bring in this race."
Editor's note: This story has been updated to note that Yekutiel and McCoy both claim endorsements from Mark Leno.