Supervisor Preston criticizes redistricting task force for late‑night map vote, cites Sunshine Ordinance warnings

Supervisor Aaron Preston on April 5 publicly criticized the San Francisco Redistricting Task Force for advancing a map he said had “little to no support from the public” and for taking last‑minute actions in meetings held late at night.

Preston told the Board of Supervisors that nearly 300 public commenters opposed the map the task force approved after a vote held around 3 a.m., and quoted the task force chair as allegedly saying, “To hell with the law.” Preston said he had discussed the matter with the city attorney and learned the task force had pending sunshine requests and received warnings about document preservation and potential document destruction.

Why it matters: Redistricting determines future supervisor districts and voting precincts; claims that a task force ignored public input or open‑records obligations raise legal and procedural questions and could prompt additional oversight.

What Preston asked Preston urged the task force to respect the clerk’s office, to heed pending sunshine requests and to preserve documents. He said he was “shocked and frankly appalled” by the task force’s actions and suggested the Board of Supervisors would need to review how those maps were produced and whether the task force complied with open‑government rules.

Board action and next steps Preston said he had already spoken with the city attorney’s office and asked that the council pay attention to pending sunshine requests; he urged the clerk and task force to produce records. There was no formal motion attached to his remarks in the transcript; rather, Preston’s comments were a public call for investigation and oversight.

Ending note Preston’s remarks put the task force’s process under public scrutiny and signaled potential follow‑up by the city attorney’s office and the Board of Supervisors' committees.