The applicants for District 4 supervisor have been quizzed about everything from taxes to potentially incriminating social media posts, according to a five-page questionnaire Mission Local obtained.
The application, 13 sections in all, was prepared by the mayor’s office for would-be District 4 supervisors. Applicants were asked to turn in the “District 4 Candidate Questionnaire” to Adam Thongsavat, the mayor’s liaison to the Board of Supervisors, by the end of the day Monday, Nov. 17.
A statement from the mayor’s office is pending.
The more thorough scrutiny of applicants came after Mayor Daniel Lurie’s appointment of pet store owner Beya Alcaraz quickly unraveled, forcing the supervisor to resign after only seven days in office.
The revelations of paying her former pet shop workers “under the table” and allegations of squalid conditions at her former business could easily have been discovered if the mayor’s office had spoken with the new owner of the pet store. This time around, the mayor promised, the vetting would be stronger.
Alcaraz was the least experienced San Francisco supervisor appointee in 30 years, according to a Mission Local analysis. She had no political or community service experience and no college degree.
The new survey included questions on education and employment records.
Several sections inquired about applicants’ taxes: property taxes, business ventures, and taxes on personal wealth — including “offshore bank accounts.” In an only-in-San Francisco touch, applicants were queried if they had hired a permit expediter on their properties.
“To the best of your knowledge, are [your] companies and non-profit organizations current on their taxes?” the questionnaire asked. “To the best of your knowledge, are they registered with the San Francisco Treasurer & Tax Collector?”
It was the tax question that finally felled Alcaraz — she resigned only hours after Mission Local published a story documenting texts in which the supervisor talked about writing off dinners and drinks with friends as business expenses.
The Animal Connection, a pet store on Irving Street, was formerly owned by new District 4 Supervisor Beya Alcaraz. Photo by Junyao Yang on Nov. 12, 2025.
In the new questionnaire, applicants were asked to list all their social media accounts, and told to be prepared to share even private profiles: “Do you have a “finsta” (‘fake’ Instagram account, typically only used to post ‘bad’ photos) account, or do any of your friends have finstas with potentially compromising content about you?”
There were follow-up questions about arguments the applicant may have been “entangled” in online: “Have you ever said anything that could be perceived as offensive on social media platforms such as X?”
Applicants were also asked if they’d attended city meetings or listening sessions, which Alcaraz had not. A space was given to provide 10 references who live in San Francisco.
In the questionnaire’s final section, applicants were asked to describe “perspectives or positions” they may have on four local issues. Listed first: The mayor’s upzoning plan, which would allow developers to build higher and denser on the west side of the city.
“What do you believe is the right approach to the Family Zoning plan, and how would you vote if appointed?”
That plan will go before the board in early December, but it appears the mayor has enough support to pass the legislation with or without support from the new supervisor.
Applicants were also queried about their experience overseeing a large budget, their thoughts on police drones, and, of course, if they’d voted to close the Great Highway, an issue that propelled the recall of Joel Engardio from this very position.
At Sunset Dunes, along the Great Highway. Photo by Kelly Waldron.
Albert Chow, a hardware store owner in the Sunset who was considered for the job after three interviews and filling out a survey but passed over in favor of Alcaraz, said he got the questionnaire from the mayor’s staff in a group chat with them towards the end of the past weekend.
While Chow didn’t want to identify who was in the group chat, he said he was told that “they are considering me again.”
Chow decided to fill out the questionnaire, which took him a couple of hours. He noted the difference between this questionnaire and the previous survey he had to fill out when he was considered as a candidate before the appointment of Alcaraz.
The previous survey, he said, was more focused on the “what-if” type of questions. Chow said he was asked about what he would do about the city’s homelessness issue and the staffing level at the police department.
But that survey, Chow said, “never really dug into” more details around his personal background. “This questionnaire dug a little deeper.”
Even though Chow told Mission Local that he will run for the seat in 2026, he said he still filled out the questionnaire regardless.
“We don’t have representation in the Sunset,” Chow said. “We’ve lost a lot of time already… If you [the Mayor] are gonna appoint, I might as well get in there and start doing the work right now.”
Additional reporting by Joe Eskenazi.