<\/p>\n
While Supervisor Jackie\u00a0Fielder\u2019s circumstances are unique, her allies have drawn inspiration from how the city responded to other politicians who had to temporarily retreat from their duties.<\/p>\n
Gabrielle Lurie\/The Chronicle<\/p>\n
Supervisor Jackie Fielder, shown in a file photo, may ultimately reaffirm her previously stated plan to step down. But she is unlikely to meet serious resistance at City Hall if she decides to stay on after her health improves.<\/p>\n
Roland Li\/The Chronicle<\/p>\n
Supervisor Jackie Fielder is not the first sitting San Francisco politician to contend with a health concern<\/a> or step back from her duties, though the particulars of her situation appear to have few local parallels.<\/p>\n The disclosure by Fielder\u2019s aides that she is struggling with a mental health issue and needed to take time off before determining her political future is without modern precedent among elected officials in the city. But Fielder has received an outpouring of support from throughout City Hall and beyond in a sign of how public officials are trying to reduce stigma around mental health challenges.\u00a0<\/p>\n In 2010, then-Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier was sidelined<\/a> for an extended period while she was hospitalized because of an injury. More recently, Supervisor Danny Sauter took a few weeks off after his child was born last year. Former Mayor Gavin Newsom<\/a> and former Supervisor Aaron Peskin<\/a> each announced they were struggling with alcohol use while they were in office, but neither of them officially took time off from their jobs.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n While Fielder\u2019s circumstances are unique, her allies have drawn inspiration from how the city responded to other politicians who had to temporarily retreat from their duties. Supervisor Myrna Melgar, for example, noted in a Sunday statement that when Alioto-Pier was out 16 years ago, San Francisco was \u201cable to facilitate the representation of that district and her staff kept working.\u201d Melgar said she had \u201cfull confidence\u201d that Fielder\u2019s aides could do the same.<\/p>\n Fielder\u2019s aides said<\/a> Sunday that she would take a \u201cmedical leave of absence\u201d for an unspecified period because of a \u201cmental health condition\u201d that caused her to go to the hospital last week. Fielder had told a reporter Friday that she was unwell and planned to resign<\/a>, but the statement from her aides said she needed \u201ctime and space to recover before making any major decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n San Francisco Chronicle Logo<\/p>\n Make us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Fielder, a progressive who has been in office for more than 14 months, may ultimately reaffirm her previously stated plan to step down. But she is unlikely to meet serious resistance at City Hall if she decides to stay on after her health improves.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think there would be any issue if she decided\u00a0\u2014 after taking the time she needs and getting the treatment that she needs\u00a0\u2014 to say, \u2018I\u2019ve reconsidered. I have a renewed sense of mission and I\u2019m going to return to my job and return to work as a San Francisco supervisor,\u2019\u201d said political consultant Jim Ross. \u201cAnybody who made it an issue, I think it would hurt them\u00a0\u2014 politically and in public opinion\u00a0\u2014 more than it would hurt her.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Fielder\u2019s situation follows some high-profile examples of politicians outside San Francisco who have sought professional help in response to mental health problems.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sen. John Fetterman, a Democrat who represents Pennsylvania, spent some six weeks receiving inpatient treatment for clinical depression in early 2023. After experiencing a stroke during his campaign the year before, he started experiencing intense symptoms and eventually developed thoughts about harming himself, he told<\/a> NBC\u2019s \u201cMeet the Press\u201d later that year.<\/p>\n Fetterman\u2019s openness about his depression diagnosis earned praise from from his colleagues and inspired other lawmakers to share their own experiences, including Sen. Tina Smith, Democrat of Minnesota, who wrote about receiving treatment for depression in a personal essay; and Lina Hidalgo, the elected chief executive of Harris County, Texas, where Houston is located.<\/p>\n Hidalgo took a leave of absence for several weeks in 2023 to receive treatment for depression at an inpatient facility in Ohio. She had experienced symptoms, including suicidal thoughts, for years before seeking treatment, she told the Houston Chronicle<\/a>, adding that she wished she had sought care earlier.<\/p>\n Both Hidalgo and Fetterman returned to their positions after receiving care, and both have given extensive interviews about their conditions.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cAs it becomes more of a shared experience, it loses stigma,\u201d said Ross, the political consultant. \u201cThe reason why is because you have more and more people who are taking steps to take care of their mental health.\u201d<\/p>\n