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Rafael Mandelmann unanimously elected president of San Francisco Board of Supervisors
Summary
At the Board of Supervisors' Jan. 8 inaugural meeting, Supervisor Rafael Mandelmann was elected president by an 11-0 vote. The election follows the swearing-in of newly elected supervisors and comes as the city faces a roughly $1 billion budget shortfall, officials said.
Rafael Mandelmann was unanimously elected president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Jan. 8, 2025, at the board’s inaugural meeting, receiving all 11 votes cast after nominations closed.
The vote followed the swearing-in of newly elected and re-elected supervisors earlier in the session. Under the municipal charter, the board elects a president for a two-year term at its January meeting in odd-numbered years; Mandelmann will serve that term, colleagues said during the meeting.
Supervisor Mark Dorsey placed Mandelmann’s name into nomination, praising his long tenure and his work on housing, behavioral health and homelessness. “It is my distinct honor to place the name of Rafael Mandelmann into nomination for president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors,” Dorsey said on the record. Supervisor Connie Chan spoke in support, citing Mandelmann’s temperament and readiness to work with the executive branch: “He does it respectfully and with intellectual honesty. And that is all you can ask in a board president who can lead us in unity,” Chan said.
When the board voted in alphabetical order, each supervisor publicly stated their preference; the roll call recorded 11 votes for Mandelmann and no votes against. The supervisors who voted in favor were: Connie Chan; Cheyenne Chen; Dorsey; Engadio; Jackie Fielder; Bilal Mahmood; Rafael Mandelmann; Mirna Melgar; Danny Sauter; Steven Sherrill; and Shamone Walton. The clerk declared Mandelmann the board president.
Mandelmann thanked colleagues after the vote, using a mix of levity and gratitude as he assumed the dais. “On behalf of occasionally weepy people everywhere,” he said during his remarks, and later told the board, “I will do my best not to let any of you down in that trust.”
The inauguration day also included remarks from Mayor Lurie, who congratulated the board and said the unanimous vote showed a willingness by supervisors to “put aside your differences for the betterment of our city.” The mayor and several city officials appeared at the ceremony earlier in the session.
The election comes as several supervisors highlighted near-term policy challenges. Supervisor Chan noted a growing budget gap that she described as roughly $1 billion and said the board will need leadership to address that shortfall. Dorsey’s nomination speech listed priorities he expects the board to tackle under Mandelmann’s leadership, including the city’s substance-use and behavioral-health crises and homelessness.
Public comment preceded the discussion and included a mix of congratulations for newly elected supervisors and appeals on city priorities; none of those comments changed the outcome of the president’s election. The board moved from the nomination and election process directly into President Mandelmann’s introductory remarks and the rest of the agenda.
President Mandelmann and the board did not adopt formal legislative action related to the budget or policy priorities at the meeting; the session was limited to oaths, nominations, public comment, and the presidential election.
