School recall leader runs for supervisor
For years, San Francisco resident Autumn Looijen has pushed for change through loud, uncompromising community activism — including a big win in the school board recall — but she’s ready to stop yelling and start working within the system.
Looijen, a moderate, announced Monday that she will be running for the District 5 seat on the Board of Supervisors, currently held by Dean Preston, the board’s only Democratic Socialist, who’s running for reelection.
Looijen and her partner Siva Raj were the leaders in the successful recall of three progressive school board members in 2022, and more recently, in the effort to bring back Algebra 1 in middle schools.
They launched a grassroots advocacy organization, SF Guardians, following the recall, to train leaders and push what San Francisco residents would consider a more moderate agenda.
She is expected to file as early as Thursday and would be the third challenger so far in the race for a historically liberal district that includes the Tenderloin, parts of Hayes Valley, the Haight-Ashbury, Japantown and the Western Addition. The San Francisco Standard first reported the news.
Looijen feels the district is in play despite its history as a liberal bastion, noting that the Board of Supervisors has a low approval rating, down to 12% about 18 months ago. A recent Chronicle poll of likely voters found nearly 70% said they disapprove of the Board of Supervisors’ performance.
The other major candidate in the race is former California Assembly candidate and Obama administration staffer Bilal Mahmood, who’s a pro-housing advocate and progressive on many issues. Looijen would likely run to the right of Mahmood.“I think we treat this as an open seat,” she said. “People of San Francisco are very practical. They’re very focused on getting things done.”
She’s already launched her campaign website, which lists a platform focusing on the drug crisis, public safety, cleaning up neighborhood streets and cutting what she calls wasteful spending at City Hall. The race is expected to be one of the most closely watched elections in the city as moderates — including Mayor London Breed — attack Preston, who’s record on housing, policing and the drug crisis they’ve picked apart.
Preston’s agenda includes strengthening tenants’ rights, boosting affordable housing and reining in the power of the city’s Police Department.
Preston’s campaign wasted little time in responding to Looijen’s announcement, citing her connection to Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan, who attacked several city supervisors in a vulgar social media post, urging them to “die slow.” Tan financially supported the school board recall.
“Looijen and Mahmood have each taken thousands of dollars from Garry Tan and neither has repudiated his death threats against 7 Supervisors,” the Preston campaign said in a statement Monday. “This kind of toxic politics doesn’t improve our city.”
Looijen responded hours later, saying she doesn’t like what Tan said, adding that he has apologized for it.
“I received much more serious threats running the school board recall, and it didn’t stop me from standing up for our kids,” she said.
“As D5 Supervisor, it is Preston’s job to protect our most vulnerable from the drug dealers who would prey on them. If badly quoted rap lyrics are enough to scare Preston off, he’s in the wrong job,” she added, referring to Tan explaining that he was quoting a Tupac Shakur song when he wished supervisors ill.
She said she’s ready to make the move to writing legislation and negotiating compromise while representing District 5.
“As much success as we’ve had as activists, I’m actually more comfortable in the other role,” Looijen said. “I love chatting with people who disagree with me even if they are fiery with me. That’s how we get to something that works.”
She wants to enforce the law, specifically in the Tenderloin, while maintaining compassion for those who need help, she said. She also wants to make sure money going to nonprofits is “delivering results,” and that the “little things” are taken care of, whether it’s the dying tree outside a house or the need for a fence around a dog park.
“Every dollar we waste is a dollar we could have spent helping people,” she said. “It drives me nuts when things aren’t run well.”
While no one has yet to solve the overdose crisis and homelessness in the city, she said she doesn’t believe Preston is able to do it.
What the community needs is “relentlessly practical people,” she said.
“No one knows the way out of this,” she said. “But I know there is a path out of it.”