The San Francisco Latino Democratic Club condemns the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee’s decision to endorse Manny Yekutiel for District 8 Supervisor while a serious allegation of sexual assault remains unresolved.
Let us be clear: Manny Yekutiel denies the allegation, and the DCCC’s process did not determine whether the alleged assault occurred. But that is precisely why tonight’s endorsement exposes such profound hypocrisy.
For years, influential members of the DCCC have treated accusations against Latino men and other men of color as sufficient grounds for public condemnation, political exclusion, and permanent reputational damage—before any neutral investigation, hearing, or opportunity to respond. Under that standard, an accusation itself became the verdict.
Last night, those same political leaders suddenly discovered the importance of uncertainty, jurisdiction, evidence, and due process when the accused was a well-connected candidate supported by some of San Francisco’s most powerful political interests.
Due process cannot be a privilege reserved for the elite. Either it belongs to everyone, including men of color, or it is not due process at all.
The contradiction is especially glaring for Lily Ho and Nancy Tung. As chairs of the SFDCCC and of the DCCC’s Special Committee on Sexual Assault and Harassment, these so called “leaders” publicly presented publicly themselves as champions committed to accountability and creating safer political spaces.
The DCCC cannot claim to center survivors when politically convenient and then retreat behind procedural limitations when accountability threatens an ally. It cannot demand that some accused individuals prove their innocence while extending others the full benefit of every doubt.
It cannot use allegations as political weapons against men of color and then call for restraint, nuance, and fairness when one of the establishment’s preferred candidates faces scrutiny.
We hold accountable every DCCC member who cast one of the twelve votes to endorse Yekutiel. Each affirmative voter made an individual choice to provide exceptions to some and award the Democratic Party’s credibility, resources, and institutional support despite an unresolved allegation and a process that produced no determination on the underlying facts.
It’s a political racist double standard.
This statement is not a declaration of anyone’s guilt. It is a demand for one consistent standard. If an accusation alone disqualifies a Latino man or another man of color, political connections must not transform that same accusation into an inconvenience that can be managed, minimized, or ignored. The principles of fairness, accountability, and due process must not change according to a person’s race, influence, donors, or proximity to power.
The twelve members who voted for this endorsement must answer publicly for their decision. San Francisco Democrats deserve to know why due process has so often been denied to men of color but invoked as a shield for members of the political elite.
Our community sees the double standard. We reject it, and we will not remain silent about it.