The path to filling San Francisco’s District 4 Supervisor seat has gone through tumultuous events of the recall of Joel Engardio in September and week-long appointment of Isabella “Beya” Alcaraz. Today, City College of San Francisco board trustee Alan Wong was appointed to fill the position.
This afternoon, Mayor Daniel Lurie held a press conference at Lincoln High School to announce Wong’s appointment to the supervisor position.
“Alan understands service and he has lived it in many ways,” Lurie said. “Alan has served our country and worked to keep communities safe.”
Wong, a native of the Sunset District, served as a legislative aide to former District 4 Supervisor Gordon Mar from 2019 to 2023.
During his time serving as legislative aid, he helped make City College of San Francisco free, worked to expand the city college into the Sunset, advocated for Asian hate-crime victims, helped with community policing and expanded public safety language access.
Wong expressed future efforts to ensure public safety, staff the police department, end open-air drug markets and bring genuine community policing to the Sunset, as it’s something that some residents felt had lacked with the past two supervisors.
“As supervisor, I will restore trust in city government and support small businesses by cutting red tape, streamlining permits and dedicating half my staff to hands-on constituent services,” Wong said. “For too long, the Sunset community has felt that local government is more of a burden imposed on them than a valuable service.”
When Wong began to speak about the Great Highway, he paused as residents laughed at the matter.
“You’ve been waiting for this, right? The people of this community have made it clear,” Wong said. “The status quo is unacceptable. I voted no on [Proposition] K and supported the compromise. I’ve never had an issue sharing it for recreation.”
Lurie said the Sunset District needs someone who “lives and breathes the district.”
Alcaraz, a lifelong Sunset resident and former owner of the pet shop The Animal Collection, was initially appointed on Nov. 6. After giving away the shop, which was left in a filthy condition, residents questioned her leadership and accountability, and questions arose about her financial practices.
Alcaraz resigned a week later on Nov. 13 after she and Lurie agreed that her previous business conduct “would be a significant distraction.”
“I was excited to see a new type of leadership, and I know she had no experience, but come on,” said Ella Garrison, a San Francisco State University nursing student and lifelong resident of the Sunset District. “It feels like the Sunset has bad luck, and I don’t care what happens next as long as they make the community believe that they care.”
Lurie said this time, the choice for supervisor was made with more care.
“After spending more time listening to residents, speaking with community leaders and going through a deeper, more deliberative process. I am proud to say that District 4 will have a supervisor with community buy-in,” Lurie said.
Wong grew up in the Sunset District with his parents, who immigrated from Hong Kong and attended San Francisco public schools. After Wong completed his undergraduate degree at the University of California, San Diego, and a master’s degree at the University of San Francisco, he served in the California National Guard for 15 years.
Wong also completed the fire department neighborhood emergency response team training, the San Francisco Police Department community police academy and served on CCSF’s Board of Trustees for five years, serving as president in 2023.
Margaret Graf, the founder of Senior Power, and Frank Noto, the co-founder of Stop Crime SF, both said Wong is the right fit for the Sunset District, citing their previous work experience with him.
“Hard work is part of his character,” Noto said. “He helped grow our organization from 1,200 members to over 3,000 members when he was on the board of Stop Crime SF. He’s always been involved.”
There will be a reelection for the District 4 Supervisor in June 2026, and Wong will have to run again if he wishes to remain in the position.
As Wong becomes supervisor, he recognizes that it’s his responsibility to “heal a divided community” and said he is committed to always listening before acting on any legislation.
“Serving as supervisor is the greatest honor of my life,” Wong said. “I will approach this work with a public servant’s heart. I’ll listen, learn and step into this next chapter of my service.”
