By John Ferrannini

At least one Sunset resident is not waiting for Mayor Daniel Lurie to select a replacement for recalled District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio.

Natalie Gee, chief of staff to District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton, said she pulled papers on Oct. 28 to run in the June 2026 election for the seat.

Gee surmises she is not on Lurie’s short list to be appointed D4 supervisor. She said she had spoken with Lurie’s staff, and they knew she was interested, but that “I think the mayor would have met with me if I had a chance.”

A graduate of Lowell High School, Gee has lived in the district since 2021, when she and her husband got a deal leasing a rent-controlled apartment. Her specific focus will be “making sure working families can thrive in San Francisco, including the Sunset,” she said.

“I’ve been advocating for my community for as long as I can remember,” Gee said. “As a child, I translated English to Cantonese so my mom could understand what was happening at neighborhood meetings. I’ve organized in Chinatown for over 10 years. I co-founded Youth MOJO to empower high schoolers to take action on issues affecting their lives, and for the past seven-plus years, I have organized tirelessly to secure critical legislative wins.”

Engardio left office in October after having been recalled by a wide margin in a special election in September. At any time, Lurie can select a successor to represent the district at least until the June special election. The mayor has said he wants to appoint someone who would be willing to serve a full term, but an appointment has not been made as of press time.

On the matter that mainly led to Engardio’s being ousted – the end of the Upper Great Highway compromise and replacing it with the creation of a park on the roadway called Sunset Dunes – Gee said she would support a return to the compromise that allowed the space to be used for traffic on weekdays and as a park on weekends. She said it is just about “trying to restore common sense.”

Gee is in support of District 1 Supervisor Connie Chan’s proposed ballot measure to overturn Proposition K – the citywide measure that closed the thoroughfare to vehicle traffic – and reinstitute the compromise.

Gee said she is also a big supporter of public safety, saying she would push for San Francisco Police to have more foot beats. She was critical of Lurie’s upzoning plan but said that there will have to be some changes.

“In terms of upzoning, I think growth and preservation are not mutually exclusive,” Gee said. “We should be able to do both because we have to. When the mayor introduced the proposal, his plan, he did not engage with the community and we see that in other policy areas, too.”

The planning department has held community meetings on the plans; Lurie has held town halls on the matter. The mayor argues the plan is necessary to prevent the state from taking away the City’s power to OK or deny new housing developments.

The mayor’s office declined to comment for this report.

In Walton’s district, Gee was able to help establish the Bayview Community Shuttle to help with gaps in public transit. The shuttle has been helpful to seniors needing assistance going to the pharmacy to pick up medications, for example.

“I want to also bring that model here,” she said.

Walton, Gee’s boss, lent his support to Gee’s ambitions.

“Natalie has the knowledge, skills, passion and commitment to represent the residents of the Sunset,” Walton said. “She is a daughter of San Francisco and is deeply concerned about addressing issues of the community and willing to listen to the concerns of constituents. I know that she will bring her experience of working in a supervisor’s office into the role, which makes her uniquely qualified to represent her constituents from day one.”

David Lee is considering running for the seat. He is an educator and the 20-year executive director of the Chinese American Voters Education Committee who unsuccessfully ran for State Assembly from District 19. He lost to then-Supervisor Catherine Stefani last year.

Lee’s was one of the names floated in a September San Francisco Chronicle report on potential replacements for Engardio, which said he did not live in the district.

In October, however, Lee said he now does live in District 4. He’ll decide on a candidacy after the Nov. 4 election, he said.

Lee said he is not seeking the appointment because, “I don’t think I’d be on any mayoral list.” He also wants to work on public safety issues, being that Taraval Station has one of the longest response times in the City. He is also critical of the way the roll out of the mayor’s “Family Zoning Plan” was handled. Lee has major problems with the plan itself.

“Many voters have told me they don’t feel they’ve had a voice,” he said. “I think people are very concerned, and I am too.”

Meanwhile, the Chinese American Democratic Club has published an open letter to Lurie stating what it views as prerequisites for anyone appointed to the seat. These include having opposed Prop. K and supported Engardio’s recall.

Julia Quon spoke on behalf of the club, saying that “We want someone with strong roots in District 4 – have been here at least a minimum of a year – who shows commitment and leadership, not just someone who moved to the district to run for office.” She also said that the club wants someone who understands the “lived experiences of the Chinese American community.”