Feeling emboldened by the recall of District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio, activists are now directing their outrage at another city official they claim is out of step with constituents.
Recall enthusiasts are focusing their attention on District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar, who, like Engardio, supported Proposition K, the 2024 ballot measure that closed the Great Highway to cars, while representing west-side neighborhoods that voted against it.
Melgar’s district covers a swath of the city’s southwest side, anchored by West Portal and surrounded by affluent neighborhoods such as Forest Hill and St. Francis Wood, as well as the more progressive Inner Sunset and San Francisco State University.
“We do think the recall in District 4 has galvanized the [District 7] electorate,” Deirdre Von Rock, president of the West Portal Merchants Association, said. “[Melgar] does not listen to us.”
Melgar told The Standard she is “not worried.”
“Yes, there is a group of people who have been threatening me with a recall since I won the first time,” she said. “But D7 is very different from D4.”
Von Rock, who is not a D7 resident, declined to share details on any organized effort to oust Melgar but said momentum has grown since Tuesday, when voters ousted Engardio. She said constituents have taken issue with Melgar’s policy positions on housing, zoning, and transportation.
“She’s totally erased … West Portal from her constituency,” said Karen Tarantola, president of the Greater West Portal Neighborhood Association. “It’s very frustrating. We’re not being represented, period.”
Despite Engardio’s overwhelming loss, recalls are no easy lift. Any effort in D7 would require major financial and political support, not to mention the roughly 10,000 signatures organizers would have to gather from registered voters in the district to qualify a special election for the ballot.
Still, recall advocates are leveraging their momentum to target supervisors for their support for urbanist policies they see as a threat to the more suburban lifestyles of quiet neighborhoods far from the city’s center. The activists are particularly concerned with Mayor Daniel Lurie’s upzoning plan to build more housing on the west side, which needs majority approval on the 11-member Board of Supervisors.
This week, a digital flyer circulated on social media calling on Supervisor Danny Sauter, a moderate Democrat who represents Chinatown, Financial District, and North Beach, to think twice about supporting Lurie’s upzoning plan — lest he end up like Engardio.
“Ignore your constituents and find out,” the post said, with an image of Sauter next to Engardio, who wears a “Recalled” hat.
Targeting Melgar
However far-fetched some efforts may be, critics of Melgar claim she is vulnerable to a recall attempt.
The supervisor has faced criticism from constituents over what they view as anti-car policies and statements that threaten their neighborhood. In 2024, for example, Melgar called for more traffic restrictions near an intersection in her district where an SUV struck a family of four waiting at a bus stop. After receiving pushback from merchants and neighbors who claimed the restrictions would be too burdensome for the neighborhood, Melgar backed off.
Melgar also drew criticism after saying in an interview with The Standard that if it were up to her, she would “take all of the cars off West Portal.” While that was never an official city proposal, the remark fueled backlash, and she later walked back her plan and created a community committee as a compromise.
“[Supervisors are] supposed to represent their constituents,” said West Portal resident Kris Veaca. “But instead, she was pushing her own agenda, because she doesn’t want cars.”
Jamie Hughes, who managed the recall campaign against Engardio, said many volunteers were D7 residents who are also frustrated with Melgar.
Tarantola, of the Greater West Portal Neighborhood Association, said that outrage could worsen if Melgar, who often votes in favor of housing production, supports Lurie’s upzoning plan. Melgar has not confirmed if she is a definite yes vote on the legislation and has pushed during hearings for amendments on affordability and tenants’ rights.
“They were furious about the traffic plan a year ago,” Tarantola said. “And as this new plan for upzoning develops, I have a feeling we’re going to hear a lot more from my neighbors.”
Have recalls gone too far?
Melgar would face any recall effort — however unlikely — with much better odds than Engardio. She was elected in 2020 and reelected in 2024, defeating challenger Matt Boschetto by seven points.
And while 56% of D7 residents voted against Prop. K, that margin is much narrower than the 64% who rejected it in D4. Melgar has also built strong support across San Francisco’s political spectrum, from progressives to moderates and YIMBYs.
Melgar argued that recalls have gone too far in California. A year after voters statewide rejected an expensive recall effort against Gov. Gavin Newsom, San Francisco voters ousted District Attorney Chesa Boudin and three school board members from office. Alameda and San Mateo counties have also recalled elected officials in recent years.
And for every detractor, Melgar has supporters.
Kath Tsakalakis, a D7 resident and cofounder of Lakeside Village Business Council, said Melgar and her team have been helpful to small businesses and residents, noting that the supervisor has facilitated new commercial leases and permits and supported building more housing.
“I can’t think of any reason why people would want to recall an experienced elected official who listens, has empathy, and knows how to get things done,” Tsakalakis said.
Even if she’s not worried about her own political future, Melgar said recalls come with consequences.
“Recalling elected officials who have not committed crimes or malfeasance destabilizes local government and has a cost,” Melgar said.
She argued that upzoning is not a valid reason for a recall, noting that even if she were removed, the mayor would appoint a successor aligned with his housing plan.
“It is the principle that is at stake,” she said.