Gary McCoy Claims Victory in San Francisco District 8 Race
McCoy, a longtime advocate of harm-reduction programs, will represent District 8 on San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors after winning the ranked-choice contest. His campaign emphasized safer streets, better sidewalks and public transit, support for small businesses and filling vacant commercial corridors.
In the early count, McCoy received 11,281 first-choice votes, or 49.94 percent. Darshini Patel had 5,852 and Michael Nguyen had 2,531. San Francisco’s ranked-choice system allows candidates to be eliminated and votes redistributed; McCoy prevailed after that process.
The seat covers areas such as the Castro, Noe Valley and Glen Park. It opened because outgoing supervisor and Board President Rafael Mandelman could not seek another term. The race shifted after Manny Yekutiel withdrew in October following multiple sexual assault allegations, which he rejected. His name was still printed on the ballot.
McCoy has backed needle exchanges, broader access to naloxone, and safe consumption services. He also supported the Tenderloin Linkage Center, a facility opened in 2022 to connect people experiencing addiction and homelessness with services. In 2021, he held a 60-hour hunger strike at City Hall to press for funding for safe consumption services.
Supporters say harm reduction can prevent deaths and connect people to care. Critics argue that concentrating drug services in struggling neighborhoods can worsen street disorder. McCoy has opposed proposals to hold drug sellers criminally responsible for a death following use of drugs they provided, arguing that such measures do not address the public-health crisis. He has also promised to pursue more housing, functional transit and safer neighborhoods as he takes office.
McCoy’s Harm-Reduction Record Wins a Seat at City Hall
San Francisco voters have chosen Gary McCoy, a prominent supporter of harm reduction, to represent District 8 on the Board of Supervisors. His victory gives a voice in city government to an approach focused on preventing overdose deaths and connecting people with care, rather than relying mainly on arrests and punishment.
McCoy received 11,281 first-choice votes in the early count, equal to 49.94 percent, ahead of Darshini Patel with 5,852 and Michael Nguyen with 2,531. He went on to prevail in the ranked-choice count. The district takes in the Castro, Noe Valley and Glen Park.
McCoy has championed needle exchanges, wider distribution of naloxone and safe consumption services. He backed the Tenderloin Linkage Center, opened in 2022 to connect people facing addiction and homelessness with support, and held a 60-hour hunger strike at City Hall in 2021 to push for safe consumption funding. He has also drawn on his own experience with addiction and homelessness.
Critics say drug services can bring more activity and disorder to neighborhoods already under strain. But McCoy has argued that punitive policies, including proposals to prosecute dealers for homicide after a fatal overdose, perpetuate an ineffective war on drugs instead of confronting a public-health emergency. His election puts that disagreement at the center of a supervisor’s work on homelessness, addiction and public safety.
The contest changed after Manny Yekutiel withdrew in October following multiple sexual assault allegations, which he disputed; the ballot still bore his name. McCoy has also pledged to pursue affordable housing, reliable transit, safer streets and support for small businesses.
San Francisco Voters Back a Harm-Reduction Advocate Amid Street Crisis
Gary McCoy’s victory gives a prominent champion of San Francisco’s harm-reduction policies a seat on the Board of Supervisors as residents and businesses demand safer, cleaner streets. The central question now is whether the programs he supports can address a crisis that has left public drug use, dealers and encampments visible across the city.
McCoy recorded 11,281 first-choice votes, or 49.94 percent, in the early count, ahead of Darshini Patel and Michael Nguyen. He prevailed in the ranked-choice count. District 8 encompasses the Castro, Noe Valley and Glen Park.
He has backed needle exchanges, wider naloxone distribution and safe consumption services, and supported the Tenderloin Linkage Center, a 2022 facility intended to connect people facing addiction and homelessness with services. Critics warn that concentrating drug programs in struggling neighborhoods can draw more drug activity and disorder. Their concern reflects a demand for public safety that compassion alone cannot answer.
McCoy has opposed proposals to make dealers culpable for homicide if a person dies from drugs they provided, saying such policies fail to address the underlying emergency. That position sets him against a tougher enforcement approach at a time when residents and business owners have pressed politicians to restore order. His record will put that divide in sharp focus as he takes office.
The race was reshaped when Manny Yekutiel withdrew in October after multiple sexual assault allegations, which he disputed; his name stayed on the ballot. McCoy has also promised safer streets, improved transit, more housing and help for small businesses.
Reported by KTVU FOX 2, Daily Mail US.
