Power Play

Two controversial issues drew a large crowd of parents and other locals to a San Francisco Unified School District hearing Tuesday night that devolved into intense bickering and debate over roughly five hours.

The brawl focused on the board’s move to approve a controversial ethnic studies curriculum and its consideration of a proposal to open a Mandarin-language charter school in the city.

In a 5-2 vote, the board approved the $100,000 purchase of an ethnic studies curriculum, which will be used in a mandated pilot course for high school students. The vote followed strong opposition from parents and activists this year over a previous curriculum proposal that many considered ideologically and politically biased, especially in regards to the war in Gaza. 

Superintendent Maria Su abandoned that original plan and moved forward with the purchase of another curriculum. But parents have raised concerns over what they say has been a lack of transparency over the process and the possibility that the new materials are also divisive.

“I thought SFUSD had learned,” said Amanda Fried, a former SFUSD parent. “But here we are again: another rushed, unvetted political experiment — this time with ethnic studies.”

The issue has caused so much controversy that even Mayor Daniel Lurie weighed in last month, floating the idea of suspending the ethnic studies program. But Su decided to press ahead despite the pushback, placing herself at the center of the debate.

“I have received a lot of questions and concerns,” Su said at the meeting. “We know how to do hard things and make tough decisions.”

Commissioner Supriya Ray criticized the process, blasting the district for denying her access to the new curriculum. 

“If I cannot get access to this curriculum through the district, I really have to wonder how much confidence anybody in our community should have,” Ray said. Her comments prompted pushback from Commissioner Alida Fisher, who said Ray appeared to be taking “pot shots” at the district staff who are involved in ethnic studies teaching.

Meanwhile, the powerful teachers union appears to support the purchase but argued that educators need more time to work with the new content.

Despite the vote, the battle over the curriculum is far from over — and could result in litigation. Neighbors for a Better San Francisco, a well-funded political group that has organized parents in opposition to the curriculum’s rollout, sent a legal letter to the district before the vote, alleging that the adoption of the curriculum would violate the state education code. The letter included warnings of legal action if the district proceeds.

“Should the school board take action at tonight’s meeting with respect to the purchase of the curriculum, SFUSD families are prepared to proceed with legal action,” the letter said.

District officials declined to comment on the legal threat.

If that wasn’t enough, the board earlier in the evening held its first public hearing on a proposed Mandarin-language charter school, an issue that also attracted a long series of public comments. Supporters, who include a coalition of parents behind the school, which would be called Dragon Gate Academy, urged the district to respect their choice and community needs. Opponents — including members of the teachers union — argued that charter schools divert resources from public schools.

"There needs to be no charter expansion," Cassondra Curiel, president of the United Educators of San Francisco, said during the meeting. She emphasized that the district should focus on addressing its enrollment challenges and navigating the school closure crisis, instead of supporting a new charter school.

Su has introduced a competing proposal to launch the district’s own Mandarin immersion program — widely viewed as an attempt to block the charter. District staff are expected to present a report on the charter proposal in mid-August, with a final board vote scheduled for late August.

— Han Li

Programming note: Power Play will move to a summer schedule for August. We will publish the newsletter once a week during that month, on Wednesdays.

Got tips? Send us an email at powerplay@sfstandard.com.

SUMMER BREAK: The Board of Supervisors’ August recess began this week, giving all 11 members (and Power Play reporters) a month-long break from meetings, hearings, votes, and, let’s be honest, drama. 

Power Play asked the supervisors how they plan to spend the break.

Congratulations to Bilal Mahmood, who is taking advantage of the down time to get married. The 38-year-old proposed last winter in front of Mount Fuji. The Bay Area wedding ceremonies will honor both South Asian and Chinese traditions, Mahmood said.

Supervisor Matt Dorsey told Power Play he’s planning a trip to Richmond, Virginia, where he will visit a jail known for its innovative drug addiction recovery program. He cited a Wall Street Journal article about the facility’s success, saying in a text message, “It’s remarkable how well it’s working.”

Many supervisors said they’ll spend the time off with family. Myrna Melgar said she is caring for elderly relatives. Danny Sauter will be in and out of the office for the first two weeks, then will travel to Ohio to visit relatives. Stephen Sherrill is launching a series of small business events and may head to the East Coast to visit family. Shamann Walton said he’s looking forward to being with his five grandchildren.

Perhaps the busiest supervisor will be Joel Engardio, who is facing a recall election Sept. 16 — and probably can’t take time off before then for a beach vacation. His campaign said he’ll be door-knocking, talking to voters, and fielding media calls throughout the break. Similarly, Chyanne Chen said she will be working and accessible to constituents. 

Rafael Mandelman, Connie Chan, and Jackie Fielder didn’t respond to our request.

And what about Lurie? The “relentless” mayor doesn’t get a summer recess like the supervisors.  We still expect to see him having fun on Instagram.

— Han Li

WHAT’S IN A NAME?: Four years ago, then-Police Chief Bill Scott announced plans to dismantle the so-called Gang Task Force and rebrand it as the Community Violence Reduction Team. 

“There is no Gang Task Force,” Scott said at the time.

Critics claimed victory over a unit they said targeted people of color, while others saw the renaming as a PR stunt that kept the force in place, minus its loaded title.

The debate was resurrected in July, when interim Police Chief Paul Yep internally revived the unit's former, controversial name — only to backtrack under pressure, he said. 

“After hearing from the community and listening to their feedback, we will continue to call this unit the Community Violence Reduction Team,” Yep said Monday. 

Supervisor Walton, who represents the Bayview, said he was “glad the department realized that certain framing causes harm to communities and further negatively affects the relationship between law enforcement and community.” 

The idea to revert to the former name came from the unit’s officers, according to a source in the department’s leadership. They argued that the unit's title fails to describe their work, which has continued despite the alterations. 

The unit’s officers continue to testify in San Francisco and other counties as gang experts and are described in some court documents as the Gang Task Force.

But the flap nearly says out loud what many have whispered: The unit's focus never changed, no matter what it has been called. If anything, sources say, the recent U-turn on the name is a signal that Yep is trying to shed much of the touchy-feely community approach with which Scott branded the unit. 

— Jonah Owen Lamb

SHOCKER: Former Vice President Kamala Harris announced Wednesday that she will not run for governor of California in 2026.

ALL ABOUT THE VIBES: More than 500 people flocked to the Inner Sunset on Tuesday evening for the launch of Saikat Chakrabarti’s long-shot bid to unseat Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi from Congress in next year’s election. 

MONEY PROBLEMS: America’s billionaires promised to give away their money 15 years ago. Of the original Giving Pledge donors, few are even close to giving away half their wealth.