SF Mayor Lurie Appoints City College Trustee Alan Wong as Sunset District Supervisor

Mayor Daniel Lurie has announced that Sunset District native Alan Wong will fill the Board of Supervisors seat left vacant after a recall election and abrupt resignation by the two most recent District 4 leaders.

Wong, an elected trustee for City College of San Francisco who worked as a legislative aide for former Sunset Supervisor Gordon Mar, faces the daunting task of trying to steer the Sunset forward after a tumultuous period of land use debates, racial politics and a merry-go-round of leadership.

“We need leadership that restores trust in city government, keeps our neighborhoods safe, supports working families, expands housing opportunities, and helps residents actually access the services their tax dollars fund,” Wong said at his swearing-in ceremony on Monday, located outside his alma mater, Abraham Lincoln High School. “For too long, the Sunset community has felt that local government is more of a burden imposed on them than a valuable service. I’m here to change that.”

Residents in the district have scuffled for years over whether to allow cars back on the Great Highway, a fight that led to the recall of Supervisor Joel Engardio in September, after he supported a citywide ballot measure to transform a two-mile stretch of the road into a beachside park.

Residents’ frustration bubbled over after Lurie’s pick to replace him, Beya Alcaraz, quickly stepped down after reports showed she may have falsified expenses to skirt business taxes for her former pet store.

Wong was the second appointee for the foggy, coastal neighborhood in a month, after Lurie’s recent pick, a 29-year-old political newcomer, flopped after just a week on the job.

“Throughout my conversations with the residents of the Sunset and Parkside, one message came through clearly: This district needs a supervisor who can be a strong, steady voice on the issues that matter most. With Alan Wong as the supervisor, District 4 will have that voice,” Lurie said at the press conference on Monday.

Lurie said he chose Alacaraz because of her small business background and her ability to bring a fresh perspective to City Hall. While her business decisions that came to light ultimately led to her swift downfall, she had no government or community organizing experience.

But Alcaraz also vowed to support Lurie’s controversial Family Zoning Plan, which could bring thousands of new homes to the quiet, residential Sunset and has been a point of friction among residents who want to see more capacity for housing versus those who say the plan will invite real estate speculation and displace low-income families.

In Wong, Lurie selected a far more experienced candidate, but also one who could potentially challenge some of Lurie’s more moderate policies. Wong has not clearly stated his position on the zoning plan yet, but Lurie may have already secured the votes he needs in order to pass it once it goes before the full Board of Supervisors on Dec. 2.

“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.

At his swearing-in ceremony, Wong said he plans to back the rezoning plan when the Board votes on Tuesday.

“I plan to support the Family Zoning Plan and, at the same time, it is my commitment to follow through with trailing legislation and potential amendments as I gather feedback as I begin my term as supervisor for this district,” Wong said.

When asked about the district’s other hot-button issue—whether to allow cars back on the Great Highway—Wong said he supported the city’s previous compromise that closed the road to cars only on weekends. He also stated that he voted no on Proposition K, the November 2024 ballot measure that permanently banned cars from the upper portion of the Great Highway to open Sunset Dunes park.

“I want to be able to bring people together and listen to both perspectives, listen to people that supported both the compromise and those that supported closing the Great Highway,” Wong said. “Maybe not everybody will agree with whatever decision I move forward with, but I want to ensure that people know it was well considered and has public legitimacy and trust.”

Other candidates on Lurie’s shortlist for the appointment, including Natalie Gee, had also said they would revisit the idea of putting cars back on the thoroughfare to appease angry residents.

But park supporters say the road is doomed anyway due to climate change, and that the neighborhood needs to adapt. Some local businesses say that people who come to the park from all over the city and region to ride bikes, check out the park’s art displays or walk around have led to an uptick in sales.

“A coastal park does more good than a crumbling coastal bypass road ever could. Many of even the loudest park skeptics understand that, due to the reality of climate change, the future of our coastline will need to be a park, not a road,” said Lucas Lux, president of Friends of Sunset Dunes. “Meanwhile, local business is booming, data continues to show that traffic is flowing as expected, and the city is saving millions of dollars in sand clearance and road maintenance.

In addition to working for Mar, a progressive supervisor on the board from 2019 to 2023, Wong is a first lieutenant in the California National Guard and served as the policy director at the Children’s Council of San Francisco. As a City College trustee, Wong has frequently advocated for preserving the school’s Cantonese language program.

He is also a former member of the board of directors of Stop Crime SF, a local tough-on-crime nonprofit.

“No one is more qualified than Alan,” said Frank Noto, co-founder of the public safety group, in a statement included in a press release from the mayor’s office. “He has the requisite policy, political and community experience to serve as an exemplary member of the Board serving the Sunset.”

At his swearing-in ceremony, Wong stressed the importance of public safety as he stood flanked by the city’s top brass, including the chief of police and fire chief, as well as members of the military and two of the city’s moderate Democratic supervisors.

David Ho, a political consultant who worked on Wong’s campaign for City College trustee, said that while Wong historically held support from the city’s progressive political factions, the newest supervisor has “started to evolve towards more of a center-left platform.”

“So the question is,” Ho said, “is he still too liberal for his constituents in the Sunset?”