Allies didn’t back Pelosi at rowdy event

It was mostly teenagers doing the shouting, but a number of adults in the audience clapped and chanted in support while the youths hijacked House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi’s news conference pushing for a measure that would give “Dreamers” a path to citizenship.

The adults had all been invited to back up Pelosi and Democratic Reps. Barbara Lee of Oakland and Jared Huffman of San Rafael. But they didn’t exactly rush to the Democrats’ defense as the news conference dissolved and Pelosi fled.

“It was wonderful,” said former San Francisco Supervisor Sophie Maxwell, who was among those in the audience at the Monday event in the Bayview. “It reminded me of the civil rights movement. I was very proud, and I think we should all support them.”

She added, “This is what democracy looks like.”

What the scene looked like as it quickly went viral nationally was Pelosi, a longtime immigrant-community supporter, growing increasingly flustered as dozens of young people who described themselves as undocumented shouted her down as a “liar” every time she opened her mouth.

The youths accused Pelosi of using them as a “bargaining chip” in negotiations with Pres-

ident Trump over the proposed Dream Act, which would provide a pathway to citizenship to the 690,000 undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children and are covered by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. They suspect that Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York will trade stricter controls on immigration for protection for DACA recipients.

Sandy Valenciano, 24, who was leading many of the chants, said Tuesday, “We want to make sure that increased border patrols, or increased money for ICE (Immigrations and Customs Enforcement) or increased investment in detention centers are not part of any talks.”

The group also slammed Pelosi for being silent on deportations during former President Barack Obama’s eight years in office.

The Rev. Richard Smith of St. John the Evangelist Church in the Mission was among 15 faith leaders invited to the event to back Pelosi and company. Smith said he “could not be more proud” of the protesters, many of whom he said he had known for years.

“They were strong, articulate and clear in their message,” he said.

Tim Paulson, executive director of the San Francisco Labor Council executive director and a longtime Pelosi backer, praised the youths as well.

“I wish I had that type of energy and commitment in our movement,” he said.

However, Paulson said shouting down Pelosi was “incredibly disrespectful” for “someone who has been fighting for immigration rights for so long.”

But don’t hold your breath waiting for an apology.

“She needs to listen to them for a change,” Smith said. “She can’t always stack the deck at these town hall meetings.”

Valenciano said that her group had no immediate plans for further disruptions, but that she and her cohorts would “hold both Republicans and Democrats accountable.”

As for Monday’s shoutdown:

“It went great,” she said. “We really sparked a national conversation.”

Indeed they did. Playing ball: Scott McKibben, who had quit his job as executive director of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority to take a job overseeing Santa Clara’s troubled Levi’s Stadium Authority, will be staying put after all — thanks to a $50,000 raise and guaranteed three-year contract extension.

The turnaround came when Coliseum board member and county Supervisor Scott Haggerty stepped in and engineered a last-minute deal.

“It was important to retain him as we head toward the end game with some of our sports teams,” Haggerty said Tuesday. He called McKibben’s guidance “invaluable.”

The deal to keep McKibben took other board members by surprise. County Supervisor Nate Miley was close to finalizing plans to bring aboard a retired assistant county administrator to serve as the authority’s interim general manager.

Miley said that the Coliseum panel “always wanted to keep McKibben on board’’ — but that when he first floated the idea of a contract extension with a sweetened package back in August, there was little support.

But that was before McKibben pulled the trigger on the Santa Clara job, giving him leverage over an agency that’s trying to manage the impending departure of the Golden State Warriors, Oakland Raiders and possibly the Oakland A’s.

“I’m excited he is going to continue working for us,” said board member Chris Dobbins.

Under the new deal, approved following a closed-door meeting Friday, the authority agreed to match the $300,000-a-year salary and $500-a-month car allowance McKibben was offered by Santa Clara.

“There is certainly plenty of work to do here in the next three or four years,” McKibben said.

That starts with negotiating a new lease with the Raiders, who will still be playing in Oakland until their Las Vegas stadium is built — at least until 2020.

The authority is also in negotiations with the Warriors over who will pay off the debt on Oracle Arena when the team bolts for San Francisco.

And the authority still has hope of hanging onto the A’s, who are looking fondly at Peralta Community College District land near Lake Merritt for their new ballpark.

“We will still explore the opportunity to show that the Coliseum can be a viable site” for baseball, McKibben said.

That may be wishful thinking. The A’s say there’s no way they can make a privately financed ballpark work at the Coliseum.

“We are focused 100 percent on Peralta,” A’s President Dave Kaval told us. San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or email matierandross@ sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross