3 newcomers win seats in race that may alter district policies

Alison Collins, Gabriela Lopez and Faauuga Moliga won seats Tuesday night on the San Francisco school board.

Election results showed Collins topping the list of 19 candidates on the ballot, followed by Lopez then Moliga. Takeaway: It could take days to finalize the winners, but three new faces on the seven-member board could shake up the status quo. Several of the candidates called for reconsideration of district policies, including the elimination of Algebra I classes in middle schools.

And it was looking like another seat on the board would open up: Matt Haney was winning his bid for a seat on the Board of Supervisors. A win for Haney means Mayor London Breed can appoint a replacement to fill the remaining two years of his term, resulting in a majority of new members. Background: The race in San Francisco was among the most crowded in recent memory and a rare school board election without a veteran incumbent.

Breed recently appointed Moliga to fill the position of Hydra Mendoza, who resigned from the board in late September to take a job in New York. He will fill her seat until the term ends in early January.

A big question mark in the race was the candidacy of Josephine Zhao, who withdrew in September amid reports of derogatory comments about transgender rights and the sexuality of her opponents. But she didn’t pull out in time to remove her name from the ballot.

In addition to Mendoza, Shamann Walton and Emily Murase did not seek re-election.