Sunset native Alan Wong tapped to lead San Francisco's District 4
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Alan Wong has 15 years of military experience. Photo: Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images
Mayor Daniel Lurie is poised to swear in Sunset native and City College board trustee Alan Wong as the new District 4 supervisor Monday, ending a chaotic weeks-long scramble following the abrupt resignation of his first appointment.
Why it matters: Lurie's newest pick gives him a needed reset in a district where trust has cratered and a chance to rebuild credibility after a politically bruising episode.
State of play: Wong, a two-time City College trustee and board president, is currently employed as a public policy director at the Children's Council of San Francisco.
- The 38-year-old has also served as a first lieutenant in the California National Guard, a healthcare union organizer and a legislative aide for former District 4 Supervisor Gordon Mar.
What they're saying: "I'm someone who has called the Sunset home my entire life," Wong said in a statement. "I'm stepping up to be District 4 supervisor because I believe the Sunset, and San Francisco, can thrive again."
Catch up quick: Wong was selected after Lurie's first choice, Beya Alcaraz, resigned a week into the job. Her short stint was marred by criticism over her inexperience and a scandal involving sanitary violations and alleged tax misconduct at her former pet store.
- The Alcaraz fiasco was a major political embarrassment for Lurie, prompting him to tighten his vetting process — adding detailed questionnaires and community outreach — before settling on Wong.
- "From the very beginning, I've been clear about the kind of supervisor District 4 needs: Someone who lives and breathes the district, and someone who can build bridges within it," Lurie said in a statement. "Alan Wong is that person."
The big picture: The Sunset has been a hotbed of tension over the shuttering of the Great Highway to cars and Lurie's contentious family zoning plan — divisions that helped drive the recall of Joel Engardio.
- Wong enters office without firm positions on either of the district's biggest fights. He's expected to be pulled into sharp debates over the future of Sunset Dunes and housing density at a moment when voter trust in city leadership is shaken.
- Lucas Lux, president of Friends of Sunset Dunes, hopes Wong will counter opposition to the park and "instead make decisions based on facts and what's best for the future of the Sunset and San Francisco," he said in a statement.
- "It's strange that the mayor appointed a supervisor who won't share his stance on the two biggest issues in the Sunset," Jamie Hughes, a leading organizer for the Engardio recall, told Axios. "It does not inspire a lot of confidence."
Yes, but: He'll have to move fast — Wong's first political test comes just a day into the role, when supervisors vote Tuesday on Lurie's upzoning plan to add thousands of new homes in west side neighborhoods long resistant to development.
What's next: Wong will serve until June, when voters decide whether he remains in office.