Voters in the Sunset have three months to decide whether to boot Joel Engardio from his seat on the Board of Supervisors, but the race to replace the embattled representative is well underway.
More than a dozen names are circulating as potential appointees if Engardio is ousted in the Sept. 16 special election. If he is recalled, Mayor Daniel Lurie will select a replacement.
One of the most visible contenders is Albert Chow, a merchant leader and president of the neighborhood group People of Parkside Sunset. He was an outspoken critic of Proposition K, the citywide ballot measure to close the Great Highway, and a prominent face of the recall campaign against Engardio.
“If the mayor asks me, I will be very interested in this opportunity,” Chow told The Standard.
Another name in the mix is Arthur Tom, who ran for supervisor in 2018 but lost to Gordon Mar. Tom served on city commissions for two decades and worked in City Hall as a tax auditor. A member of the Rent Board Commission, representing landlord interests, Tom may attract support from the real estate sector.
Tom didn’t play a major role in the Engardio recall campaign but said he signed the petition. He confirmed that he’s interested in the appointment.
Both Chow and Tom are moderate and Chinese American — a reflection of the district’s politics and demographics. Every Sunset supervisor since 2000, when district elections were reinstated, had been Chinese American until Engardio defeated Mar in 2022.
Moderate political group GrowSF has launched its own search for a replacement for Engardio. After the recall qualified, the group began soliciting names of potential District 4 candidates with certain qualifications — pro-housing, pro-police, and anti-Prop. K. In an interview, GrowSF confirmed that it has conducted outreach to Sunset residents on both sides of the recall and talked to people with interest in the seat.
“This isn’t about opposing Joel,” GrowSF cofounder Steven Bacio said, “but about being ready for the potential June election if the recall succeeds.”
GrowSF has long been an Engardio ally and supported Prop. K but shifted its tone in a recent blog post urging politicians to “focus on delivering what your constituents want.” Prop. K passed citywide but faced fierce opposition within District 4, where the portion of the now-closed Great Highway is located.
Progressives have remained mostly silent. One name that had floated as a possible wild card — former Assemblymember Phil Ting — appears to be off the table, according to sources. Mar, the former supervisor who lost to Engardio in 2022, did not return a request for comment about whether he is interested in the seat.
Lurie’s calculation
The mayor’s decision will likely take into account not just political alignment but whether the appointee can win a competitive election afterward. Lurie’s appointee would have to stand for reelection in June 2026.
David Ho, a political consultant who supported Mar in 2022, said he opposes the recall but believes Engardio is likely to be removed. He thinks that Lurie, who positioned himself as a City Hall outsider, could surprise everyone with an unexpected pick who is not from the political world or the recall camp. However, he cited former Mayor Ed Lee’s 2015 appointment of Julie Christensen to represent District 3, which contradicted community input, especially in Chinatown, and Christensen’s loss in the following election.
“If Lurie doesn’t listen to the recall activists, he may pay the price,” Ho said.
Lurie’s office declined to comment.
Joe Arellano, spokesperson for Engardio’s anti-recall campaign, dismissed the current effort to replace Engardio and pointed to the supervisor’s achievements in public safety, education, and small business.
“Sunset voters want results, not opportunists,” he said.
The Chinese American Democratic Club, which was a driving force in opposing Prop. K and supporting the recall, will also start vetting candidates. Its president, Josephine Zhao, and vice president, Selena Chu, are Sunset residents and advocates of the recall.
They told The Standard they won’t run for the seat but insisted that the next supervisor must have the recall campaign’s support.
“We want someone who shares the values of the Sunset and who’s been in the fight with us,” Zhao said. “Not someone moving in from the outside.”