After hours of contentious debate, the San Francisco Democratic Party voted Wednesday night to remain neutral on the recall of Supervisor Joel Engardio, who represents the Sunset District and has faced backlash for supporting the Great Highway closure and creation of a popular seaside park.
The Democratic County Central Committee, which has 32 members, including local, state, and federal officials, voted 11 to oppose the recall, 11 for “no endorsement,” and none in favor. The rest of the members abstained or were absent.
Because no position reached a simple majority, the party effectively took no stance in the race. That outcome marks a victory for the recall campaign, which had pushed for the party to stay neutral, while Engardio’s supporters had lobbied heavily for a formal “no on recall” endorsement.
After the result was announced, recall supporters in the room cheered. Dozens of residents spoke in support of the recall during the public comment period, which lasted more than two hours. A smaller group of Engardio supporters also attended and spoke.
Engardio did not attend the meeting. His campaign said he was out door-knocking in the district and talking with voters. He did not comment on the DCCC vote.
Parag Gupta, a DCCC member and Board of Education commissioner, voted “no” to oppose the recall. He said that normalizing recalls in the middle of an official’s term risks eroding trust in democratic institutions.
“Recalls should be reserved for egregious misconduct, corruption, or dereliction of duty, not used as a political weapon when we disagree on policy,” Gupta said.
But former Sunset District Supervisor Gordon Mar, who’s a DCCC member, urged his colleagues to remain neutral.
“This is a decision for District Four voters alone,” Mar said. “Our community deserves to weigh this extremely divisive issue without further outside influence.”
With major political figures such as Mayor Daniel Lurie staying out of the race, the DCCC’s endorsement is viewed as one of the most coveted left in the campaign. Engardio has strong backing from the committee’s pro-housing YIMBYs and urbanist bloc, the same faction that pushed the board to endorse Proposition K last year.
No DCCC member voted to support the recall, showing that the city’s political establishment did not support the effort, despite the high emotions in Sunset driving the movement.
"Even the billionaire-funded DCCC knows Engardio will be recalled," Jamie Hughes, the recall campaign leader, said after the vote.
Sources said another faction of the committee, led by chair Nancy Tung, pushed for a “no endorsement” position to avoid alienating voters in the Sunset, particularly Chinese American residents who have increasingly distanced themselves from Democrats since last year’s election.
The timing of the vote, just three weeks before the Sept. 16 election with ballots already being cast, is expected to blunt the impact of any endorsements.
Tung did not confirm or deny her behind-the-scenes effort, but said that Democratic Party members voted as they saw fit and that she respects the different voices within the party.
The Department of Elections reported that 7,600 ballots had already been returned, with the turnout rate reaching roughly 15 percent.
Some votes on the DCCC drew particular attention. Several progressive members chose to abstain. House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, a supporter of Proposition K, voted to oppose the recall.