Yekutiel, who owns a popular cafe in the Mission, has risen among the city’s political ranks with close ties to Mayor Daniel Lurie and other moderate Democrats.

Aug 27, 2026

Updated 3:35 pm PT

Manny Yekutiel and former presidential candidate Tom Steyer during Steyer’s appearance at Manny’s in San Francisco, California, on July 17, 2019. Yekutiel has powerful allies in City Hall, including Mayor Daniel Lurie, with whom he started the nonprofit Civic Joy Fund. (Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty)

The San Francisco Democratic Party voted to endorse Manny Yekutiel for District 8 supervisor despite sexual assault allegations against the local cafe owner who has forged close ties with many of the city’s prominent political leaders. 

The endorsement arrived the same day the local party announced the conclusion of an investigation into allegations made by Brad Chapin, who claimed Yekutiel assaulted him at a party in 2020.

An ombudsperson tasked with reviewing Chapin’s complaint said that no judgment could be made about whether the alleged incident occurred.

Yekutiel said in a statement that he was grateful for the party’s endorsement. 

Manny Yekutiel introduces U.S. presidential candidate Tom Steyer during Steyer’s appearance at Manny’s in San Francisco, California, on July 17, 2019. (Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images))

“Our campaign is focused on delivering results on the issues voters care about most, making San Francisco more affordable, building the housing we need, supporting small businesses and keeping our neighborhood safe,” he said. “I’m proud of the momentum behind this campaign, and I’m going to keep taking that message directly to voters across District 8.”

Chapin’s case was one of the first tests for the San Francisco Democratic Party’s newly created policy for reporting sexual misconduct in political spaces. Chapin, a city gardener who previously worked as an organizer in local politics, filed a police report in April before reporting the incident to the local Democratic Party.

Chapin said he did not receive a response through the reporting process until he came forward publicly with his story in the media, however. 

Mayor Daniel Lurie during a news conference on his budget proposal in San Francisco on June 1, 2026. (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

“I support him because he embodies Democratic values and he’s lived through them for years doing civic engagement, bringing people together, championing equality and inclusion. He has truly built community,” a District 8 resident named Trey Gwen said at Wednesday’s meeting. 

Yekutiel is facing off against three other candidates also running to represent District 8, which includes the Castro, Noe Valley and Glen Park neighborhoods.

They include Gary McCoy, a former aide for Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi; Democratic Party member and lawyer Michael Nguyen; and former DoorDash employee Darshini Patel.

The Democratic Party narrowly voted against backing McCoy, who has an endorsement from Pelosi, as a second-rank candidate.

“I know Gary very well. He is somebody I consider a friend, and I think he would be a terrific colleague,” said Supervisor Matt Dorsey, who said the two met through drug recovery meetings. “It would mean a lot to people in the recovery community.”

Catie Stewart, a spokesperson for McCoy’s campaign, said in a statement on Wednesday that they share “grave concerns” about the Democratic Party’s process and findings around Chapin’s assault allegations against Yekutiel.

Gina Roccanova, a professional mediator and arbitrator who chairs the Democratic Party’s judicial committee tasked with the investigation, declined to comment. 

“The policy is sloppy and wasn’t adequately considered. They were not effective at creating an environment where they could hear from a variety of survivors about what our needs were, and so those needs are not reflected in the policy,” said a woman who has accused Ortiz of sexual assault and who requested anonymity to discuss the policy because she has not come forward publicly. “It’s a betrayal to all survivors because you can’t just pick and choose which assaults matter based on who politically aligns with you.”