Nearly seven months into her first term, District 9 Supervisor Jackie Fielder has proven to be the most progressive voice at the Board of Supervisors, focusing on immigrant rights, housing for homeless families, accountability and a multi-faceted program to combat the city’s drug crisis.
Fielder was rewarded last week on one of her signature issues when the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing announced on Wednesday that it had amended the time limit for homeless families staying at city-contracted shelters to unlimited extensions. The city also allocated $30 million in housing for transitional youth and homeless families.
“She’s a fighter, and she’s the champion on this,” said Brenda Cordoba, co-president of the board of Faith in Action, an organization supporting homeless families. “Without her work I don’t think we would have secured those funds.”
Earlier in April, the supervisor had introduced an ordinance to amend the 90-day shelter cap. While the city’s decision last week makes her proposal unnecessary, advocates like Cordoba gave Fielder’s early support credit for the change.
“She pushed, pushed and kept pushing,” said Cordoba.
Along the way, Cordoba added, Fielder listened to the families and asked them questions like, “Do you like this?” “Do you agree with that?”
The ordinance proposing the cap was Fielder’s only ordinance or binding legislation.
Fielder has also introduced 12 resolutions: Legislation that seeks to establish the city’s position on issues, but has no mandate or legal weight. One consultant called these “feel-good” proposals that can be important in underscoring an issue.
In Fielder’s case, there were few surprising political statements. She reaffirmed the city’s support for immigrants, and declared April 18 as a day to honor the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).
The supervisor ran on a platform to address the city’s drug crisis without solely relying on law enforcement. On this, she picked up where former District 5 supervisor Dean Preston left off, and called for and held an informational hearing on the “four pillars strategy,” which Zurich, Switzerland, used during a heroin crisis. It is a multi-phased approach to a drug crisis that involves treatment, harm reduction, prevention and enforcement.
Some of those strategies are already being implemented in San Francisco through neighborhood street teams that offer a variety of services. The exception is that there are no safe-consumption sites in the city.
As chair of the board’s government audit and oversight committee, Fielder called for an audit on the Recreation and Parks Department following the Parks Alliance’s implosion. Supervisors grilled the nonprofit’s former leadership on July 17 for failing to understand their own finances and for not communicating with community groups about the severity of their financial situation.
The supervisor also sent a letter of inquiry to the police department about the chase that led to a crash at a Mission District bar that injured six people. Fielder’s office declined to share any details of the department’s response.
On Feb. 28, Fielder also asked the city to explore creating a pharmacy cooperative network to fill the gap left by the closure of pharmacies. At the time, the supervisor’s office said a report would take five months.
While strident on some issues, she’s shown a willingness to compromise.
Early in her tenure, Fielder voted for one of Mayor Daniel Lurie’s earliest legislative asks, “the fentanyl ordinance,” giving the executive more powers. In the process, said District 8 supervisor Rafael Mandelman, she negotiated a change to lower the number of Lurie’s administration heads that can ask for private program donations.
“I have been very impressed with Jackie. I think she really stands out, not just from the class of four who got elected in 2024, but from the entire board,” said longtime political strategist Jim Stearns, who said Fielder has found the right balance cooperating with other supervisors and the mayor in a way that fits her priorities.
“I appreciate the desire to work cooperatively and change the tone at City Hall … but there is a need and a space for the board to assert its own independence and be not subservient to the mayor,” said Stearns, adding that Fielder is one of the few to challenge the mayor. “I salute Jackie for that.”
Fielder and others criticized the administration for gutting funds from programs serving vulnerable populations while giving more money to law enforcement. But only Fielder voted against the mayor’s $15.9 budget proposal.
For District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar, the speed at which Fielder has hit the ground running is impressive.
“All the newbies have made their mark. I think what has surprised me and impressed me about Jackie is her ability to negotiate and negotiate hard and pragmatically to get things done,” said Melgar, adding that she’s proven “everybody wrong” who thought she was extreme and uncompromising.
Along with District 11 supervisor Chyanne Chen and District 10’s Shamann Walton, Fielder voted against the proposed changes to Proposition C — the ballot initiative voters approved in 2018 and that funds permanent supportive housing, homelessness prevention, mental health services, hygiene and temporary shelter.
The changes make it easier for the mayor to take money meant for permanent housing and use it for temporary shelters.
Immigration stance
Less than a week after being sworn in, Fielder proposed a resolution — later unanimously approved — calling for city leaders to reaffirm San Francisco as a sanctuary city, and later asked city officials to take a stance against the arrests at immigration courts.
On June 13, Lurie affirmed the city’s commitment to its sanctuary status for the second time this year.
Those efforts are largely symbolic and widely supported.
Fielder has also called for more police foot patrols and funds to address public safety across her district, as well as at 16th and Mission streets, where the city has deployed many agencies to address poor street conditions and drug use.
She has, however, been reluctant to support Sen. Scott Wiener’s legislation to give officers the ability to ticket unpermitted vendors, a major issue at both 24th and 16th streets.
The legislation was championed by former supervisor Hillary Ronen and the Vendors Association. Fielder has said that it calls attention to immigrants at a time when they are already under duress.
Even constituents in the Portola, where Fielder lost in all precincts, community leaders say they are pleased with her tenure thus far.
Maggies Weis, the chair of the Portola Neighborhood Association, said she respects Fielder staying true to her principles, and supports her approach to homelessness and public safety.
Yensing Sihapanya, the executive director of Family Connection Center, a nonprofit in Portola offering services to families and children in early education, agreed.
“She really advocates for what is right, and not what is easy. She doesn’t just go with what the majority is saying because it’s kind of like a lost cause,” said Sihapanya, adding that she feels like both Fielder and her staff are making an effort to be present in the neighborhood.
Mission Local does great community reporting, but this piece feels too close to a campaign ad—there’s a lot of praise for Supervisor Fielder, yet little thoughtful or critical analysis of her actual effectiveness or results.
Darrel, yes there was a little of a “puff piece” feel to this narrative of JF being this plucky young fighter for the underdog.
But in reality isn’t she just the latest in a long list of affluent “champagne socialist” Bernal Heights homeowners (Ammiano, Redmond, Campos, Fielder) perhaps only equaled by the D5 “limousine liberals” (Gonzalez, Welch, Mirkarimi, Preston)?
Supervisor Fielder’s ‘About Jackie’ page on her website describes her as a “Latina renter” and “Democratic Socialist” amongst other attributes. Gonzalez, Mirkarimi and Preston especially, are more likely to self describe as progressive, and eschew the label “liberal”, associated now with the moderates and capital-D establishment Democratic Party. Unsure who Welch refers to.
Fielder has also claimed to be “indigenous” so I guess she is trying to tick all the boxes. Could be she rents but she is definitely part of the Bernal Heights left-wing mafia.
The Welch reference was to Calvin Welch. He was a NIMBY before that term had been invented and, along with Sue Hestor, is significantly responsible for SF’s lack of housing. They both own SF property, of course.
MT, I don’t have a lot of use for labels and stereotypes but am happy for you if you do. I suspect most people looking at JF’s photo just see a white woman. But of course these days anyone can “identify” as anything
You are unfamiliar with indigenous Latino cultures in the Americas? Really?
Maybe the little red hat is on too tight?
As a district 9 resident and voter, I feel like this article was completely pro-Jackie and did not point out any of her shortcomings. There was no focus on neighborhood small businesses, crime, housing creation, street conditions, or budget deficits. I guess it is no surprise because Supervisor Fielder does not seem to focus on any of these issues so it might be a little inconvenient to mention them. Maybe future articles about Supervisor Fielder might address some of these topics.
You are not able to read apparently.
She has introduced 1, yes only 1, ordinance so far. Resolutions are for weaklings that don’t want to lead. It’s a wet thumb to check which way the wind blows. I wish she would introduce more legislation to show her solutions to the problems. She doesn’t seem to have many solutions. Just questions and feel good statements. Didn’t we elect her to lead???
Did Mission Local interview any Mission District residents or are the nonprofits speaking for us all?
Jim Stearns has an economic interest in progressive campaigns and elections.
Mission Local ignores the sentiments of residents around 16th and Mission where Fielder is walking away. Apparently, Mission Local knows when to fold ’em and knows when to run.
Where is your paste job proving them wrong?
You may have fullsome points to make, so make them?
Nobody is being ignored. Speak.
Fielder has at least shown more political savvy than her predecessor Ronen, in that she has read the room on political appetite and isn’t immediately lightning-rodding her district for every failed progressive policy concept.
She’s picking her spots, but so far there have been very few to pick. Can’t strike out if you don’t swing. Given her campaign tone, which was softening towards the finish line, I think this is simply an sentiment landing in the Venn diagram between “not as bad as we thought she would be” and “thank god we have one progressive left on the BoS”
Sir or madam —
You can absolutely strike out if you don’t swing. That’s what the backwards “K” is for in scoring.
Best,
JE
I’m too relieved that my usage of “lightning rod” as a verb managed to escape editor scrutiny, to be embarrassed about my flawed sports metaphor. Besides, the NY Mets are my favorite squadron.
Sir or madam —
Say hey to Tyler Rogers for me. Gonna miss that guy.
JE
San Francisco’s “progressive” politicians come and go with predictable regularity.
As long as they show a willingness to stay in their own lanes and exhibit a willingness to compromise, the establishment will heave a sigh of relief and might even consider kicking them upstairs to a comfortable sinecure.
To the uninitiated, San Francisco is either a model of enlightenment to be emulated or a socialist delusion to be pilloried.
Of course it is neither.
The model chiefly relies on quick-fix gimmicks that broadcast a message of warmth and kindness, which seldom actually improve much of anything.
The delusion is convenient for keeping anyone from ever considering, in any informed way, what a genuinely socialist San Francisco could actually look like.
As intelligent people try to fix this city’s doom loop, we have at least one supervisor doing her best to make things more difficult for working-class people. Criminals rejoice: Chesa Boudin lives on!
“Intelligent people” says the troll. Great job.
so glad my current supervisor likes to do her job, and that shes good at it.