San Francisco Democrats appear to be on the verge of a #MeToo moment based on comments shared Thursday evening at a special hearing on sexual assault and harassment by local party leaders.
More than 50 people attended the hearing inside the Milton Marks Auditorium, where rape survivors and victims of sexual assault and harassment shared personal stories while calling out local leaders who have turned a blind eye to allegations for years—if not decades.
“I’ve gotten sick and tired of having to make phone calls to leaders around the city to let them know that this person and that person is problematic,” said Denise Heitzenroder, a board member for the San Francisco Women’s Political Committee. “It really just boggles my mind that 20 years later we still are having these conversations about whether or not this is a problem.”
Nancy Tung, chair of San Francisco’s Democratic County Central Committee, called the hearing in response to multiple allegations against prominent figures in the local Democratic Party, including former housing nonprofit director Jon Jacobo and Kevin Ortiz, a co-president of the Latinx Democratic Club.
House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi endorsed the committee’s work in a letter last weekend—Ortiz worked in her office as recently as 2022—and social media posts have since been identifying other individuals in local politics who have been accused of sexual misconduct.
Jay Cheng, the head of the powerful moderate political group Neighbors for a Better San Francisco, sent a letter to the committee Thursday morning that detailed sexual abuse claims made against him in 2010 when he was attending the University of California Irvine. In an attempt to get out in front of the situation, Neighbors hired political consultant Sam Singer—who specializes in crisis communications—to work with Cheng in once again denying the allegations.
At the time, Cheng said an ex-partner had fabricated the allegations, and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office dropped the case due to insufficient evidence.
“I’ve done my best to move forward from the false allegation with humility,” Cheng wrote in his letter to the DCCC.
Emma Heiken, a new member of the DCCC who was selected to serve on the special committee, said the purpose of Thursday’s event was “to give voice to survivors,” which appears to be a staggering number of people within the local party. A recent survey of 80 people by the San Francisco Women’s Political Committee found that half identified as victims of sexual harassment in political spaces.
Tung made a surprising announcement by recusing herself to kick off the meeting, saying she was still having conversations with her employer, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, about her ability to speak on certain issues.
While most speakers were supportive of the committee’s intentions, a handful expressed reservations about the racial makeup of the committee and whether the results would be politicized to help a few committee members who are running for elected office.
Deldelp Medina, a co-president of the Latinx Democratic Club with Ortiz, said she was grateful for the new committee but called into question the people selected to serve on it. She noted that the culture of city politics too often leads to dangerous situations.
“Too many of our political spaces in San Francisco revolve around alcohol, late nights and a lack of boundaries,” Medina said.
Michael Rouppet, a vice president for the Latinx Democratic Club, noted that he spent 10 years working on rape prevention and had concerns about a lack of Latino and Black committee members, as well as the fact that some members are running for supervisor.
After the meeting, Rouppet confirmed that Ortiz continues to serve as co-president of the Latinx Democratic Club. He declined to discuss the allegations against Ortiz.
Sophia Andary made reference to Michela Alioto-Pier’s decision to step down from the committee after being criticized for writing a letter in support of former Gavin Newsom staffer Nate Ballard, who was convicted of domestic violence and child abuse.
Andary said that no one should be allowed to serve if they have aided or sought lenience for abusers, as the work of the committee is too important for Latino community members “who have suffered at the hands of these abusers.”
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly cited the source of a survey on sexual harassment in local politics.