San Francisco Supervisor Candidate Manny Yekutiel Drops Out After New Allegations Surface
San Francisco supervisor candidate, Manny Yekutiel, is dropping out of the race to represent District 8, following new allegations of sexual assault against the small business owner.
The San Francisco Standard on Thursday reported that Yekutiel, who has strong political ties to the Democratic Party and was considered one of the frontrunners in the race, allegedly groped two men on June 23, 2023, at The Midway, an event space near Pier 80. The news comes months after another man publicly accused Yekutiel of groping him at a party in 2020.
“I am deeply sorry for any boundaries that I crossed. I’m going to take this time to work on myself,” Yekutiel said in a statement on Thursday afternoon. “This was never just about winning an election for me. It was about serving a city that has given me so much and bringing people together around the belief that San Francisco can once again take on big challenges with ambition, creativity and confidence.”
In his statement on stepping down, Yekutiel denied allegations against him of sexual assault. He said that “the machinery of San Francisco’s politics has left me with very little light left in my heart.”
Yekutiel’s campaign appeared to weather the initial allegation, with many allies continuing to support him, but the new report has dropped a political bomb on the race for one of the city’s hotly contested open seats, with some prominent backers revoking their endorsements almost immediately.
“My endorsement is a statement of my confidence in someone’s character and leadership, and in light of the additional accounts reported today I am withdrawing it,” Lurie said in a statement on Thursday, saying he would not be making another endorsement in the race. “Coming forward is hard and these survivors deserve to be heard, and treated with dignity and respect.”
KQED reached out Thursday to each of the supervisors who had previously endorsed Yekutiel, including Danny Sauter, Rafael Mandelman, Stephen Sherrill, Alan Wong, Bilal Mahmood and Matt Dorsey. All of them withdrew their support.
“Too often, people in political power close ranks around their allies to protect them from being held accountable. As an elected leader, I have a responsibility to hold my friends, colleagues and peers to a higher standard,” Mahmood said. “An endorsement is ultimately a statement of trust, and I can no longer in good conscience lend my support to this campaign.”
San Francisco Assemblymember Catherine Stefani also revoked her support.
“The allegations against Manny Yekutiel make it clear that he has repeatedly crossed boundaries and fully lost trust, including my own,” Sauter said in a post on Instagram. “This role gives power and requires care, temperament and respect. I do not believe Manny is able to take such responsibility. The voters and residents of this city deserve better.”
According to the Standard, Yekutiel was at a queer dance party called Electroluxx at the Midway when he encountered Ryan Clark. Clark said that Yekutiel groped his genitals and buttocks through his pants, according to the Standard.
Clark told him to stop and that he was in a monogamous relationship with his partner, who was also at the event. The account states that Yekutiel turned to the partner and put his hands down his pants and groped him. Clark said they asked Yekutiel to stop and that he didn’t until they physically pushed him away.
The description draws parallels to the accusations against Yekutiel made earlier this summer by Brad Chapin, who said that Yekutiel groped him at a house party in 2020. Yekutiel denied the allegations and said that Chapin’s story was “politically motivated.”
Speaking to KQED on Thursday, Chapin said he was grateful that other survivors came forward but was angry that his initial case was not enough for some of Yekutiel’s supporters to back off.
“I feel like this is the first time I can feel angry and people aren’t going to say I’m crazy,” Chapin said. “All of these people, every single one of them who endorsed him, they were willing to meet with him and ignore the survivor. I’m disappointed in so many of these people.”
After Chapin’s account was made public, many of Yekutiel’s supporters brushed the early accusations off, maintaining their support for their choice candidate.
The San Francisco Democratic Party went on to endorse Yekutiel for the race, and Lurie, who co-founded the Civic Joy Fund with Yekutiel, endorsed him after the allegations were made public.
But the additional people who came forward on Thursday tipped the scales for some elected officials who were previously backing Yekutiel.
This week, before the new allegations surfaced, Yekutiel removed a page of endorsements on his campaign website that previously listed the majority of members of the Board of Supervisors and many prominent Democratic elected officials.
“In July, I said I would wait for the [San Francisco Democratic Party] process to run its course. That process failed to produce a final determination of what happened, and as a result, I abstained from the District 8 endorsement vote. Now new allegations have been reported by multiple people,” Mahmood said. “Survivors should never have to wonder whether your leaders will minimize harassment, assault, or abuse because the person you’re naming is well-connected.”
On Thursday, the San Francisco Democratic Party announced that it will hold a special meeting on Oct. 11 to reconsider its endorsement of Yekutiel.
“Our endorsements must reflect the values of the Democratic Party, and San Franciscans deserve to have confidence in the process behind them,” said Chair Nancy Tung in a statement.
Yekutiel was facing off against Gary McCoy, who previously worked for Rep. Nancy Pelosi and has the former Speaker of the House’s endorsement, as well as patent attorney Michael Nguyen and former DoorDash employee Darshini Patel.
Calls for Yekutiel to step down from the race took off Thursday morning.
“Sexual assault and nonconsensual touching are unacceptable in any form… People who come forward with allegations of sexual assault deserve to be heard and treated with dignity, not dismissed or stigmatized, especially by our leaders,” McCoy, Nguyen and Patel said in a joint statement. “It’s shameful that it’s come to this. We stand with survivors in our community and across the country. We refuse to allow someone who has repeatedly committed sexual assault ascend to a position of power in San Francisco.”
Other supervisors and the San Francisco Women’s Political Committee also publicly called for Yekutiel to exit the race.
“All the allegations of sexual assault against Manny Yekutiel are appalling, and the conduct described is reprehensible. Enough is enough. Manny must immediately end his campaign for District 8 supervisor,” Supervisor Connie Chan said in a statement.
State Sen. Scott Wiener, who is running against Chan in San Francisco’s congressional race this November, urged Yekutiel to step down.
“I believe Manny Yekutiel should suspend his campaign given the repeated allegations of sexual misconduct and the pattern they represent,” Wiener said in a post on Instagram. Wiener previously had not made any endorsement in the District 8 race.
Rafael Mandelman, a moderate Democrat, currently represents District 8, which includes the Castro, Glen Park, Diamond Heights, Noe Valley and other neighborhoods. He is terming out, leaving an open seat in the city’s current majority-moderate Board of Supervisors.
Ballots for the November election will be mailed out in the coming days.