After month-long delay, S.F. Dems deadlock on endorsement vote — well after recall ballots have been sent out
by JUNYAO YANG August 27, 2025 (MissionLocal.org)
The San Francisco Democratic Party deadlocked 11-11 and took no position on the recall of District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio Wednesday night.
Six members abstained from the vote and four were absent, leaving Engardio, once an ally of the ascendant moderate Democrats steering the party, out in the cold.
The tie and resultant “no position” came as a surprise to vote-counters on both the pro- and anti-recall side, who were anticipating the county Democratic Party, dominated by political moderates, would narrowly side with the moderate Engardio.
A key factor in tonight’s shock outcome: Four voting members were not only absent, but did not send proxies to vote in their stead.
Among the six progressives on the body, four abstained and Jane Kim was absent. Gordon Mar was the sole progressive to cast a vote, and he opted for “no endorsement.” Assemblymember Catherine Stefani and Michael Lai joined the progressive bloc in abstaining.
With progressives — John Avalos, Connie Chan, Peter Gallotta and Michael Trung Nguyen — largely abstaining as a bloc, it was expected that Engardio would narrowly prevail. Abstentions reduce the total number of votes, which reduces the number of votes required to reach a simple majority. But the vote still ended in a draw, with 11 votes against the recall and 11 votes for “no endorsement.”
“There is no majority for any position. The party remains in ‘no position,’” party chair Nancy Tung announced following the 9:38 p.m. vote. The remaining crowd at the Ruth Williams Bayview Opera House, almost all recall supporters, cheered.
Crucially, three party members who could’ve potentially voted to spurn the recall were absent from the meeting: Supervisor Bilal Mahmood, Michela Alioto-Pier and Assemblymember Matt Haney.
Late vote, surprising outcome
The Sept. 16 recall election is a little over two weeks away. But, as of Wednesday, more than 7,000 people have already cast their ballots in an election with between 18,000 to 20,000 expected voters.
This is notable, because tonight’s endorsement vote was originally scheduled for July 30, but was postponed for nearly an entire month — until weeks after voting was underway.
The month-long delay was a consequential decision, made by Tung. She sent out an email to party members on July 21, days before a scheduled July special meeting, pushing the vote until August.
On Wednesday evening, some 100 people packed the Bayview Opera House, far from the Sunset District, to witness tonight’s vote and have their say; public comment lasted some two hours and was dominated by recall proponents.
“Time and again, candidates in the city have come to the Chinese community when they need votes. They come when they need campaign volunteers. They come when they want to win,” said Wilson Chu with the Chinese American Democratic Club, which supports the recall. “But when it comes to policy, when it comes to listening to our concerns and our voices, too often we are ignored.”
The San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee, known as the DCCC, is the local branch of the Democratic Party. It has the power to grant the coveted status of “Endorsed by the Democratic Party” on local matters in a city where Democrats far outnumber Republicans.
In past elections, the party has spent heavily to send out campaign fliers, take out ads, and mobilize volunteers for its candidates and ballot measures. Less-informed voters often follow the party’s voting guide to cast their ballots.
And, while the DCCC is largely composed of moderate Democrats, like Engardio, who took over the majority on the committee last March, its base is fractured on the recall.
Westside homeowners and more conservative Chinese voters are anti-Joel; YIMBYs and younger white urbanists are anti-recall. Both make up the moderate voter bloc, and members risk alienating one side or the other.
“Voters in the Sunset are still very angry, and there’s still an anti-establishment bent in their reactions to elected officials,” said David Ho, a political consultant who lived in the Sunset for two decades. “These recalls demonstrate: You gotta pay attention to your constituents, no matter what the agenda is.”
That was evident at Wednesday’s meeting: Dozens of Chinese American seniors sat in groups in the middle rows. A couple of them held signs supporting Engardio, but the majority of them boasted black-and-yellow recall signs. For almost every speaker who spoke in support of the recall — many spoke in Cantonese — the crowd let out a loud cheer.
Some of the same donors who spent handsomely to elect the new DCCC are supporting Engardio’s fight against the recall, like cryptocurrency billionaire Chris Larsen, venture capitalist Ron Conway, and the San Francisco Police Officers Association.
Too little, too late?
Even if the body decided to stand behind Engardio, it might not have affected the outcome after the month-long delay.
“It matters very little,” wrote political consultant Jim Ross of today’s vote. “With vote-by-mail, too many ballots have been cast, or [too many] people’s minds made up to make a difference.”
It is also not clear that the Democratic imprimatur means much to District 4 voters. In the last election, the local Democratic Party voted to endorse incumbent Mayor London Breed, but most District 4 voters ranked Daniel Lurie as their first choice.
It also endorsed Prop. K, which closed the Great Highway, but District 4 voters swung 64-36 against it. The party rejected Prop. C, which would create an inspector general, but Sunset voters greenlit it.
“I think the Democratic Party should just allow District 4 residents to decide on their own without further outside influence,” said DCCC member and former supervisor Mar, who lost his Board of Supervisors seat to Engardio in 2022. Mar stood alone among fellow progressives on the body to vote “no endorsement” instead of abstaining. In a tie vote, his decision loomed large.
Recall backers were pleasantly surprised by tonight’s outcome.
The DCCC is “obviously a more likely Joel crowd,” said Jamie Hughes, the recall’s campaign manager. “Even they decided to stay out of it. It just further diminishes Joel’s chance of surviving this recall.”
For Engardio, his plea to Sunset voters to do what the local Democratic Party would not do — reject the recall effort — continues.
“Recalls should be reserved for corruption or impropriety — not policy disagreements on a single issue,” Engardio said in a statement. “Voters should reject this unnecessary recall on Sept. 16 so I can keep focusing on what really matters.”
ELECTION COVERAGE
In stunner, S.F. Democratic Party takes no position on Engardio recall
Besides closing the Great Highway, what else has Joel Engardio done?
S.F. Republicans want Joel Engardio gone. So do progressives.
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JUNYAO YANG
I’m a California Local News Fellow, focusing on data and the Westside. I moved to the Inner Sunset in 2023, after receiving her Master’s degree from UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. Sometimes I try too hard to get attention from cute dogs.More by Junyao Yang
