Another high-profile candidate will join the competitive race to represent Chinatown and Downtown San Francisco on the city’s Board of Supervisors.
Danny Sauter, 35, a nonprofit executive and neighborhood activist, is expected to announce his candidacy for supervisor and file paperwork with the Department of Elections today. He’s running in District 3, which covers the Financial District, Union Square, North Beach, Nob Hill and Russian Hill.
“District 3 will play an outsized role in the success of San Francisco for the next five or 10 years,” Sauter told The Standard. “We've got such economic engines for our entire city, when you look at Downtown and tourist hotspots like Fisherman's Wharf and Union Square.”
Sauter touted his experience in establishing a successful small business, working for the nonprofit Neighborhood Centers Together as its executive director and helping organize the neighborhood’s farmers' market. He believes he has the expertise to help the city recover.
“I'm really excited to do that work,” he said. “That's why I'm getting in this race.”
The election will be held in November 2024.
This is not Sauter’s first run for office. In 2020, he challenged the incumbent, Supervisor Aaron Peskin as a political newcomer, receiving an impressive 43% of support in the final round.
Other candidates include former transit commissioner Sharon Lai, Deputy City Attorney Moe Jamil and Democratic County Central Committee Vice Chair Peter Gallotta. Peskin, who is terming out, said in a text that he’s co-endorsing Lai and Jamil.
Sauter is considered a more moderate pick in San Francisco politics, while Peskin has long been a progressive voice on the board. State Sen. Scott Wiener is among Sauter's early endorsers.
The 2024 race will also be the first time since 2008 that no incumbent is running to represent District 3, leaving an open seat up for grabs.