San Francisco’s District 8 continues to grapple with a high number of empty storefronts, especially in the Castro neighborhood where sales are still down 22 percent from 2019. The city’s past efforts—fee waivers, grants, and the Vacant‑to‑Vibrant pop‑up program—have not fully reached the Castro, and a revised vacancy tax now exempts properties near long‑term public construction projects, reducing taxed vacancies from 241 in 2024 to 27 in 2025.

Candidate proposals

Manny Yekutiel, founder of Manny’s and co‑founder of the Civic Joy Fund, says he would work storefront by storefront to identify obstacles, broaden the vacancy tax, cut exemptions, and raise penalties for landlords who keep spaces empty. He also proposes $100,000 startup grants and the removal of most zoning barriers to help new businesses open quickly and stay open.

Gary McCoy, former staffer to former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, plans to strengthen incentives for landlords to lease quickly, including month‑to‑month pop‑up options for local artists. He would also enforce the Commercial Vacancy Tax more aggressively, close loopholes, and increase penalties for owners of two or more vacant properties.

Michael Nguyen, a patent attorney, wants to expand the Vacant‑to‑Vibrant program from three months to two years, push for commercial rent stabilization, and standardize lease terms to protect small businesses. He supports Prop B, the public bank, to fund these initiatives and help immigrants and underserved communities build wealth.

Darshini Patel, former DoorDash employee and campaign staffer, calls for a thorough audit and enforcement of the commercial vacancy tax, an audit of delinquent filings, and a city‑wide marketplace that lists available storefronts, rents, and lease terms. She would bring the Vacant‑to‑Vibrant program to District 8 and create a central resource to navigate permitting.

Endorsements and context

Yekutiel is endorsed by Mayor Daniel Lurie, the San Francisco Democratic Party, Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, Assemblymember Catherine Stefani, former Mayor Willie L. Brown Jr., Supervisor Bilal Mahmood, Jane Fonda, Senator Cory Booker, Grow SF, Abundant SF, and the San Francisco Apartment Association.

McCoy’s endorsements include Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, Supervisor Matt Dorsey, the San Francisco Labor Council, the Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club, the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club, the San Francisco Tenants Union, UESF, the Working Families Party, and the San Francisco League of Pissed‑Off Voters.

Nguyen is backed by the GLBTQ+ Asian Pacific Alliance, the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club, the San Francisco Green Party, former Supervisor Dean Preston, UESF, and the Working Families Party.

Patel’s supporters include UESF, Solidarity Club SF, San Franciscans for Social Housing, Supervisor Myrna Melgar, and the Rose Pak Asian American Club.

Election Day is November 3, 2026. Voters can register via the sf.gov website.

Original reporting: Mission Local — read the source article.