Community reacts to resignation of supervisor in San Francisco’s District 4

Alcaraz, a political newcomer, was appointed by Mayor Daniel Lurie to fill the vacancy in District 4 on the west side of the city after voters recalled the district’s previous supervisor, Joel Engardio, in September.

However, her tenure has ended abruptly amid allegations that she mismanaged her former small business.

“I spoke to Supervisor Alcaraz tonight,” Mayor Daniel Lurie said in a statement Thursday. “We also agreed that the new information about her conduct while running her small business, which I learned today, would be a significant distraction from that work. In our conversation, she told me she intends to resign as supervisor.”

Alcaraz ran a pet store for 10 years called The Animal Connection in San Francisco’s Sunset District.

Some community members in District 4, like Albert Chow, were surprised when Alcaraz was chosen.

Chow owns Great Wall Hardware on Taraval Street and is the president of People of Parkside Sunset, a coalition of Parkside and Sunset neighborhood residents and local business owners. In addition to being a prominent voice in the recall effort against Engardio, Chow’s name circulated as a potential pick for District 4 supervisor.

“I think a lot of people scratched their heads when the appointment was made,” Chow said. “Nobody knew her, and we had all been expecting someone that we would know and trust.”

Baran said she was “shocked” when she learned that Alcaraz had been appointed.

When Alcaraz gave Baran the keys to The Animal Connection, the store was apparently left in unsanitary conditions with finances in the red. She also accused Alcaraz of improperly filing taxes for the business.

“The store was left with hundreds of dead mice in it. It never turned a profit,” Baran said. “She wrote off all her personal expenses on the business.”

Alcaraz did not respond to requests for comment.