Welcome back to our โMeet the Candidatesโ series, where District 8 supervisor candidates respond to a question in 100 words or fewer. Answers are published every Wednesday.
District 8 includes neighborhoods in the center of the city, including the Castro, Noe Valley, Glen Park, Twin Peaks, Duboce Triangle, Dolores Heights, Parnassus Heights, Ashbury Heights, Corona Heights, and Diamond Heights.
Four candidates are vying to replace current District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who has served since 2018 and terms out at the end of the year.
The district includes the Castro, a gay neighborhood, and has been represented by a gay man since San Francisco returned to district-based elections in 2000.
From now until Election Day, Mission Local will pose the same question to candidates each week and publish their responses.
Hereโs our first question: What is your No. 1 issue in this election and what do you plan to do about it?
Gary McCoy
- Job: Former staffer to Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and former vice president of policy and public affairs at HealthRIGHT 360
- Age: 48
- Residency: Renter, has lived in San Francisco for 24 years and District 8 for 15 years
- Transportation: Driving, biking, public transit and walking
- Education: Former City College of San Francisco student, certified phlebotomy technician from Bay Area Medical Academy
- Languages: English
Affordability.
Renters in District 8 are spending nearly half their paycheck on housing, while many are unable to find a larger home or apartment for a growing family. Small businesses are struggling to keep up and stay open. Childcare and grocery costs are out of control.
I will fight to build housing at every level โ affordable to market-rate โ while defending rent control and tenant protections. I will work to cut the permitting delays that keep storefronts dark. I will expand low-cost childcare and preschool options, and deliver Muni service that is affordable and reliable so people can get to work.
Endorsed by: Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, Supervisor Matt Dorsey, San Francisco Labor Council, Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club, Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club, San Francisco Tenants Union … see more here.
Michael Nguyen
- Job: Patent attorney
- Age: 44
- Residency: Renter, has lived in District 8 since 2006
- Transportation: Driving, public transit and walking
- Education: Bachelorโs degree from Southwestern University, law degree from University of California Law, San Francisco
- Languages: English, some Spanish, some Vietnamese
Affordability.
San Francisco is losing artists, nurses, teachers, queer families and working people who built this city’s culture. When they go, so does the city we love.
I’ve been a renter in San Francisco for 20 years. I am an anti-displacement, pro-growth progressive who wants more housing without sacrificing the people already here.
I support social housing, permanently affordable and city-owned. Since the family zoning plan has passed, Iโll fight parcel by parcel for tenant protections, require developers to pay their fair share, and restore real affordability. I also support commercial rent control to keep small businesses alive.
Endorsed by: GLBTQ+ Asian Pacific Alliance, Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club (#2), San Francisco Green Party, former supervisor Dean Preston … see more here.
Darshini Patel
- Job: Former DoorDash employee, worked on the 2012 Obama campaign and the 2024 Harris campaign, former Obama staffer
- Age: 38
- Residency: Homeowner, has lived in District 8 for 10 cumulative years since 2010
- Transportation: Public transit, walking and biking
- Education: Bachelorโs degree from Wellesley College
- Languages: Gujarati, English
Follow-through. Skyrocketing rents, unreliable bus routes, empty storefronts and unsafe sidewalks donโt need more empty promises. Every candidate agrees on the issues; Iโm the only one with a platform designed to deliver for District 8.
I will use all the tools available to a supervisor to unlock housing, from improving permitting timelines to exploring community land trusts, and publish clear tracking to better resource bottlenecks.
Iโll also enforce the commercial vacancy tax voters already passed, simplify opening new childcare centers, and share public report cards on my progress. Transparency and accountability will be the hallmarks of my office.
Endorsed by: N/A
Manny Yekutiel
- Job: Founder and owner of Manny’s, co-founder and former executive director of Civic Joy Fund
- Age: 36
- Residency: Renter, has lived in San Francisco since 2012 and District 8 since 2013
- Transportation: Driving, public transit and walking
- Education: Bachelorโs degree from Williams College
- Languages: English, Hebrew
My number one priority is making San Francisco affordable enough for working people and families to stay and thrive. That starts with housing. I have a plan for 10,000 new homes in District 8 so teachers, first responders, artists, small-business owners, and the next generation of San Franciscans are not priced out.
I will also work to reduce childcare costs and strengthen public education. San Francisco should be a city where people can build a life, raise a family, and see a better future.
Endorsed by: District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, Assemblymember Catherine Stefani, former Mayor Willie L. Brown Jr, Supervisor Bilal Mahmood, Jane Fonda, Senator Cory Booker, Grow SF, Abundant SF, San Francisco Apartment Association … see more here.
Candidates are ordered alphabetically and rotated each week. Answers may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling, and grammar. If you have questions for the candidates, please let us know at io@missionlocal.com.
Election Day is on Nov. 3, 2026. You can register to vote via the sf.gov website.
Since all their platforms are basically, “I’ll make stuff cheaper and keep people we like coming to down and people who live here happy”, I find that the best way to differentiate is to ignore their promises entirely and look at what they’ve actually done in the past.
* Manny Yekutiel guy started “manny’s”, which seems like an excellent addition to San Francisco. I looked into it and was pretty impressed. But I don’t know the guy.
* Darshini Patel seems like money and DNC political connections. Home owner in SF and Wellesley College and volunteer for Dem candidates.
* Michael Nguyen seems super liberal and LGBT with a law degree from SF, so that’s good capability for working in legal/gov with some language skills.
* Gary McCoy is a city college dropout (not necessarily bad, but shows that he doesn’t finish stuff) who later got certified to take blood samples 60 hours of class and 40-160 hours of clinical externship. He some political background with Pelosi at some point.
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That said, education, work experience, money, etc… isn’t proof of their ability to lead. The blood taker guy may be just as effective as someone with a law degree and the politically active unemployed candidate with money may be more capable, etc…
What really matters as well for a local supervisor candidate is how willing they are to represent the district itself. This is competitive. When people come to invest, which of these people will be more likely to be able to get them to invest in the district and not other districts. When cops decide where to place walking patrols, that’s money. When cities plan festivals. When roads need repair. When funding for clinics and housing and other stuff needs to come in…. all that stuff is critical as a supervisor. Not one mentions that, which is disappointing.
Then there are things like this: *no supervisor* is going to make 10k new units in their district in their term. None. So stuff like that is either a lie or the candidate is delusional.
Anyway. I hope things go better for your district than mine, because my supervisor is pretty lame.
Dear Lord, Manny’s “plan” for 10,000 units in District 8 sounds like a total pipe-dream. No height limits or fees for projects between Market and Octavia? Mmmmkay.
Thats one intersection.
Doh. Castro to Octavia, on Market Street
mea culpa
Doh. Castro to Octavia, on Market Street
mea culpa
If only there were some way to differentiate between their platforms… It seems like they all want the same things, so it’s really just a question of ‘who can deliver?’