Newly appointed San Francisco Supervisor Beya Alcaraz resigned at the request of Mayor Daniel Lurie after allegations emerged about her past as the owner of a Sunset pet store.
Lurie said he spoke with Alcaraz Thursday night, November 14, and that she agreed the Sunset needed a supervisor who "is fully focused on serving the community."
The mayor appointed the 29-year-old on November 6 to replace Supervisor Joel Engardio, who stepped down in the September 16 special election amid backlash over his support for the Great Highway's closure.
Lurie would now have to find someone to replace Alcaraz as the Sunset's supervisor. He said his hopes for the neighbourhood are unchanged and that it deserves a supervisor "who can be fully dedicated to representing them, advocating for their families, and bringing people together."
Alcaraz came under fire almost immediately after her appointment when the new owner of her pet store, the Animal Connection, said the business had a rodent infestation that was worse than expected when she took over.
The new owner, Julia Baran, said the store "smelled like death." Financial records revealed that Alcaraz was often late on paying rent for her store and operated at a loss from 2020 to 2023.
Her political inexperience was also a shock to City Hall observers, who raised concerns that her resume was made up of six years as a pet store owner and her work as an art and music teacher at an enrichment centre.
On Thursday, Baran released text messages in which Alcaraz said she had paid employees of her pet store under the table and wrote off personal expenses such as "dinner and drinks" with her friends as business expenses to lower her taxes.
The Chronicle obtained Alcaraz's text messages after the news site Mission Local first published them.
Beya Alcaraz's resignation came after news outlets began reporting on her background.
