Last September, District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio was recalled. A candidate who campaigned on his support for recalls — that of three members of the San Francisco Board of Education and District Attorney Chesa Boudin — was himself ousted by angry constituents-and a tool that had been wielded by billionaires against progressive office holders had been, in turn, used to bring down one of their favorites.

Engardio’s downfall can be blamed on his decision to place a measure on the November 2024 ballot which closed a stretch of the upper Great Highway, a vital north-south artery along Ocean Beach. More pertinently, by promoting the Great Highway’s closure, Engardio had prioritized the wants of his wealthy donors over the needs of his constituents.

When Proposition K passed by a citywide vote, Engardio’s fate was all but sealed. As expected, Prop K was opposed by most Sunset District residents. However, among its most ardent supporters were Astroturf Network groups GrowSF, Abundant SF as well as tech billionaire Jeremy Stoppelman. Notably, Engardio had served on GrowSF’s board before running against, and defeating, incumbent Supervisor Gordon Mar.

Engardio’s ouster allowed Mayor Daniel Lurie to name a replacement. After weeks of deliberation, he chose Beya Alcaraz, a former pet shop owner, and like Lurie, a political neophyte. A week later Alcaraz was forced to resign after reports surfaced of her shoddy business practices. In the wake of that disaster, Lurie made a safer choice, selecting Alan Wong, a trustee on the City College of San Francisco Board.

Wong was sworn into office on December 1, 2025. Twenty-four hours later, he voted to approve Lurie’s housing bill, a plan that calls for upzoning wide swathes of San Francisco’s west side, including the Sunset. The Mayor’s scheme has been widely unpopular in the Sunset, a neighborhood largely composed of single-family homes, and mom-and-pop businesses. Among those Wong invited to his swearing in was Sunset resident and longtime political activist Barry Hermanson, who not-so-politely declined. Hermanson had known Wong since his days as an aide to Mar, and had enthusiastically volunteered for his campaign for the City College Board.

“I said, ‘Come on, if you’re not going to stand with the community, I’m not going to stand behind you again,’ ” Hermanson said. “I told him his political career will be over in six months.” 

Standing with Wong are many of the same moneyed individuals and interests that bankrolled Engardio’s successful campaign against Mar. He sat on the board of Stop Crime SF, a right-wing group founded by Engardio and funded by Neighbors for a Better San Francisco, the Astroturf Network group founded by conservative billionaire William Oberndorf. 

GrowSF has promised to spend $250,000 to see Wong elected in the upcoming June special election, calling it a “first priority” in the 2026 election year. He also stands to benefit from an independent expenditure committee linked to Lurie. SF Believes, which has backed Wong, has raised a staggering $600,000 in a single month, money that will be used to elect Lurie allies to the Board of Supervisors. Among its donors are deep-pocketed tech executives and investors like Adam Clammer, the managing partner of True Wind Capital, a private equity firm, and Jonathan Gans, chief executive of Ironwood Capital Management, a hedge fund, who gave $100,000 each.

Wong, a recent arrival to the Sunset District, is running against two candidates with deep ties to the neighborhood, city hall aide Natalie Gee, and hardware store owner Albert Chow. Both Gee and Chow were raised in the Sunset and have vowed to take no corporate money. 

Today, Wong finds himself in a similarly uncomfortable position as his predecessor Engardio. Wong is  squeezed between the demands of his moneyed donors and his less well-heeled constituents, He’s struggled to strike a balance. In an attempt to placate Sunset voters, Wong made a half-hearted stab at getting a measure to reopen the Great Highway onto the ballot, an effort that ultimately failed.

Wong has also sided with Sunset residents in their efforts to delay the opening of an affordable housing complex until a complete toxic waste cleanup can be performed, and he has professed to be less than enthusiastic about a housing development staunchly opposed by Sunset residents. 

As a result, Wong received a stern rebuke from San Francisco YIMBY which has not ruled out rescinding its earlier endorsement. Alan Wong would do well to heed a lesson all too painfully by his predecessor, Joel Engardio: Beware billionaires bearing gifts.