Mayor Lurie admits vetting failure after Alcaraz exit
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Mayor Daniel Lurie. Photo: Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
Mayor Daniel Lurie is coming under fire for failing to adequately vet Isabella "Beya" Alcaraz before appointing the political newcomer as District 4 supervisor.
Why it matters: Alcaraz served seven days on the job before resigning amid allegations that she mismanaged her pet shop. City records show that she was cited for violating health and safety codes last year after inspections revealed animal feces and unsanitary conditions.
Catch up quick: Lurie said at a press conference Friday that he took personal responsibility for what happened and that he regrets not setting up Alcaraz for success.
- "We are going to have a much more thorough vetting process," he noted, though he didn't go into detail. "But let me be clear that this rests on my shoulders."
- Alcaraz also released a statement Friday acknowledging that she "struggled to make ends meet" during her six-year ownership of The Animal Connection. "I regret the conditions it was left in, and am saddened to see the store's reputation tarnished."
What they're saying: Background checks are "just basic competence," political strategist David Ho told Mission Local. "That is Politics 101. Maybe someone forgot to hand in their homework."
- Alcaraz's appointment was a "catastrophic lapse in oversight," Mission Local managing editor and columnist Joe Eskenazi wrote Friday. "How could Mayor Daniel Lurie's office fail to properly vet a candidate who literally had skeletons in her closet?"
- "Now the city is stuck scrambling to replace a supervisor with another who will be set up to fail the moment they step into office," Lillian Archer said in a San Francisco Chronicle letter to the editor.
- "He's made a serious mismove here and he's starting to lose westside support," Sunset resident Lisa Arjes told KQED.
Reality check: Political insiders agree that this is a big blunder on Lurie's part that also brought scrutiny to Alcaraz — whom San Francisco Standard editor-at-large Adam Lashinsky referred to as "a young woman who was rapidly swept up in, then spat out by, the city's nasty political culture."
- "I really feel for her," Supervisor Myrna Melgar told the San Francisco Chronicle. The fiasco is "embarrassing for the Board of Supervisors" and could have been entirely avoided, she added.
What's next: Lurie's team has started the search for Alcaraz's replacement.