San Francisco's 5th supervisorial district

San Francisco's 5th
City Council district
Map of the district
Councilmember
  Bilal Mahmood
D–Tenderloin
since January 8, 2025
Registration65.52% Democratic
5.53% Republican
24.24% No party preference
Demographics53.5% White
12.6% Black
10.6% Hispanic
20.8% Asian
2.5% Other
Population (2020)83,506
Registered voters (2025)32,526

San Francisco's 5th supervisorial district is a city and county electoral district in the city and county of San Francisco. One of eleven districts within the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, it is currently represented by Democrat Bilal Mahmood of the Tenderloin neighborhood.

Existing as a ward for the San Francisco Common Council from 1850 to 1856 and for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from 1856 to 1898, the district was re-established in 1977 after voters approved Proposition T, which replaced the 11‑member at‑large system with 11 single‑member districts. Its first elected supervisor was Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to public office in the United States. After Milk’s 1978 assassination, the district system was abolished in 1980 and the city returned to at‑large elections. The district was reinstated in 2000 and became a progressive stronghold, electing two Green Party supervisors and a Democratic Socialist supervisor, though it has also elected moderates.

Characteristics

Demographics

In 2025, the district population was 83,506, with the voting population being 53.51% White Americans, 20.75% Asian Americans, 12.60% African Americans, 10.59% Latino Americans, and 0.87% Native Americans. The homeownership rate that year was 11.4%.[1] From 2012 to 2016, according to the American Community Survey, the population was 84,030, with 35% family households and 65% non‑family households. The racial composition from 2012 to 2016 was 62% White Americans, 19% Asian Americans, 10% Black Americans, 9% Latino Americans, 0.4% Native Americans, 8% two or more races, and 0.1% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander.[2]

Politics

Since its restoration in 2000, it has been considered a progressive stronghold, being called one of San Francisco's most progressive districts in the city by Mission Local.[3][4] The political think tank SPUR identified this district, along with the 6th, 8th, and 9th districts, as among the city's most progressive, citing strong support for liberal and left‑wing candidates in the decade before 2000.[5] The first elected supervisor in the 2000 election was Matt Gonzalez, who had switched to the Green Party, who would be succeeded by another Green politician, Ross Mirkarimi.[6][7] The district also elected Democratic Socialist Dean Preston, the first democratic socialist to represent the district since Harry Britt in 1979.[8][9] However, the district has also elected moderates, including London Breed in 2012, who later appointed Vallie Brown after becoming mayor, and Bilal Mahmood in 2024.[10] During the 2024 election, the San Francisco Examiner called the district a "bellwether for the state of San Francisco politics" due to how much the politics of the city affected its voting.[11]

Composition

Under the 2022 redistricting, the district encompasses the neighborhoods of Haight-Ashbury, Lower Haight, Filmore District, Western Addition, North Panhandle, Japantown, Hayes Valley, Tenderloin, San Francisco, and Civic Center. The district lies entirely within California's 11th congressional district and 11th state senate district, and is split between the 19th and 17th state assembly districts.

History of district boundaries

Harvey Milk celebrating his win in the newly-created 5th district, 1977.

Before San Francisco's consolidation as a city and county, it was represented by the San Francisco Common Council from May 6, 1850 to July 1, 1856. The city's 5th ward was within the present Financial District, bounded by Sacramento, Market, and Montgomery streets.[12] After consolidation and the establishment of districts by the California State Legislature on July 1, 1856, the 5th ward was within the area bounded by Pine, Clay, and Kearny streets and the San Francisco Bay.[13] In 1870, the ward was bounded by California, Kearny, and Market streets, with the ward having two precincts by 1880.[14][15] The ward system was abolished on May 26, 1898, when the charter was revised to have the members be elected at-large.[16]

In 1976, with the growth of the city's gay community and anti-war movement, voters approved Proposition T, which allowed the city's residents to elect their supervisors by district with 52.4% of the vote. The first election under the system was held in 1977 and resulted in the election of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to public office.[17] The district encompassed Haight-Ashbury and Upper Market Street, areas with large gay populations.[18] A year after his election, Milk was assassinated by former supervisor Dan White, with the impact contributing to the districts being abolished and the city returning to an at‑large election system.[17]

In the mid-1990s, grassroots neighborhood effort to restore district elections led to return of the district system in 2000, with the district now representing the neighborhoods of Western Addition, Haight-Ashbury and Lower Pacific Heights.[17][19] In 2011, some of the area north of Japantown was reassigned to the 1st and 2nd districts, after community advocates successfully kept Japantown intact rather than split between districts, leaving the general district boundaries largely unchanged.[20]

In 2022, the San Francisco Redistricting Task Force approved a new map that produced the largest border change for the district, which comprised the Tenderloin, Japantown, Western Addition, and Haight-Ashbury while excluding Cole Valley and the Inner Sunset. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the percentage of white voters fell by seven percentage points, while Black and Hispanic voter shares rose by 3.5 and 2 percentage points respectively, with Black and Hispanic voters together now composing 10% of the district electorate.[21]

List of members representing the district

Councilmember Party Dates Electoral history
District established January 8, 1978

Harvey Milk
(Castro District)		 Democratic January 8, 1978 –
November 27, 1978		 Elected in 1977.
Assassinated.
Vacant November 27, 1978 –
January 9, 1979

Harry Britt
(Castro District)		 Democratic January 9, 1979 –
January 8, 1981		 Appointed to finish Milk's term.
Elected in 1979.
Redistricted to the at-large district.
District eliminated January 8, 1981
District re-established January 8, 2001

Matt Gonzalez
(Lower Haight)		 Green January 8, 2001 –
January 8, 2005		 Elected in 2000.
Retired.

Ross Mirkarimi
(Lower Haight)		 Green January 8, 2005 –
March 10, 2010		 Elected in 2004.
Re-elected in 2008.
Resigned after election as Sheriff of San Francisco.
Democratic March 10, 2010 –
January 7, 2012
Vacant January 9, 2012 –
January 8, 2013

Christina Olague
(North of Panhandle)		 Democratic January 9, 2012 –
January 8, 2013		 Appointed to finish Mirkarimi's term.
Lost election.

London Breed
(Lower Haight)		 Democratic January 8, 2013 –
July 11, 2018		 Elected in 2012.
Re-elected in 2016.
Resigned after election as Mayor of San Francisco.
Vacant July 11, 2018 –
July 16, 2018

Vallie Brown
(Lower Haight)		 Democratic July 16, 2018 –
December 16, 2019		 Appointed to finish Breed's term.
Lost election for a full term.

Dean Preston
(Alamo Square)		 Democratic December 16, 2019 –
January 8, 2025		 Elected to finish Breed's term.
Re-elected in 2020.
Lost re-election.

Bilal Mahmood
(Tenderloin)		 Democratic January 8, 2025 –
present		 Elected in 2024.

Electoral results

2000

District 5 supervisorial election, 2000
Candidate Votes %
Runoff election
Matt Gonzalez 10,384 65.36
Juanita Owens 5,503 34.64
Invalid or blank votes 36 0.23
Total votes 15,923 100.00

2004

District 5 supervisorial election, 2004
Candidate Votes %
Ranked choice voting — Pass 19
Ross Mirkarimi 13,211 50.60
Robert Haaland 7,272 27.85
Lisa Feldstein 5,628 21.55
Exhausted votes 13,144 33.48%
Total votes 39,255 100.00

2008

District 5 supervisorial election, 2008
Candidate Votes %
Ross Mirkarimi (incumbent) 27,482 77.39
Owen P. O'Connell 5,962 16.79
Rob Anderson 1,982 5.58
Write-in 87 0.24
Valid votes 37,408 86.85%
Invalid or blank votes 5,662 13.15
Total votes 43,070 100.00

2012

District 5 supervisorial election, 2012
Candidate Votes %
Ranked choice voting — Pass 5
London Breed 14,945 56.16
Christina Olague (incumbent) 11,668 43.84
Exhausted votes 13,640 33.89%
Total votes 40,253 100.00

2016

District 5 supervisorial election, 2016
Candidate Votes %
London Breed (incumbent) 21,318 51.91
Dean Preston 19,534 47.56
Write-in 218 0.53
Total votes 41,070 100.00

2019 special

District 5 supervisorial special election, 2019
Candidate Votes %
Ranked choice voting — Pass 3
Dean Preston 11,723 50.40
Vallie Brown (incumbent) 11,538 49.60
Exhausted votes 406 6.24%
Total votes 23,261 100.00

2020

District 5 supervisorial election, 2020
Candidate Votes %
Ranked choice voting — Pass 3
Dean Preston (incumbent) 22,853 55.24
Vallie Brown 18,520 44.76
Exhausted votes 375 6.24%
Total votes 41,373 100.00

2024

District 5 supervisorial election, 2024
Candidate Votes %
Ranked choice voting — Pass 4
Bilal Mahmood 14,741 52.99
Dean Preston (incumbent) 13,077 47.01
Exhausted votes 1,851 6.24%
Total votes 27,818 100.00

References

  1. ↑ Lu, Xueer (March 4, 2025). "Know your S.F. district: Who lives there, who represents you, how to contact them". Mission Local.
  2. ↑ "San Francisco Supervisor Districts Socio-Economic Profiles" (PDF). San Francisco Planning Department. 2018.
  3. ↑ Gordon, Roboert (January 17, 2011). "S.F. supervisors prepare for redistricting battle". SFGate.
  4. ↑ Balakrishnan, Eleni (July 16, 2024). "Supe candidates say Dean Preston isn't the only 'progressive' in District 5". Mission Local.
  5. ↑ "District Elections in San Francisco". SPUR. February 1, 2000.
  6. ↑ Herel, Suzanne (January 3, 2005). "Forever the rebel with a cause, Gonzalez exits left at City Hall / Idealist energized young liberals in strong run for mayor". SFGate.
  7. ↑ Schaeffer, Brett (February 23, 2003). "Good Government, Green and Simple". In These Times.
  8. ↑ "Dean Preston sworn in as District 5 supervisor". San Francisco Examiner. December 16, 2019.
  9. ↑ Malanga, Steven (August 2020). "City Hall Socialists". City Journal.
  10. ↑ "District 5 race presents a challenge for moderates". San Francisco Examiner. June 28, 2020.
  11. ↑ Gurevich, Natalia (September 15, 2024). "Everything you need to know about the District 5 supervisor race". San Francisco Examiner.
  12. ↑ Parker, James M. (1852). The San Francisco directory for the year 1852-53. p. 162.
  13. ↑ Colville, Samuel (1857). Colville's San Francisco directory for the year commencing 1856. Monson, Valentine, & Co. p. 246.
  14. ↑ The San Francisco directory for the year 1873. 1873. p. 832.
  15. ↑ Langley, Henry G. (1880). Langley's San Francisco directory for the year commencing 1880. Francis, Valentine & Co. p. 1087.
  16. ↑ Charter of the city and county of San Francisco. Shannon-Conmy. 1919. p. 4.
  17. 1 2 3 Shanks, Adam (April 22, 2022). "How San Francisco's turbulent history spawned district elections". San Francisco Examiner.
  18. ↑ Crewdson, John M. (November 28, 1978). "Harvey Milk, Led Coast Homosexual‐Rights Fight". The New York Times.
  19. ↑ Epstein, Edward (March 28, 2000). "S.F. District Elections in Fall Promise to Be a Wild Ride". SFGate.
  20. ↑ "S.F. Japantown Leaders Pleased with Outcome of Redistricting Process". Rafu Shimpo. June 21, 2012.
  21. ↑ Sumida, Nami (April 29, 2022). "These 11 maps show exactly how San Francisco's supervisor districts will be redrawn". San Francisco Chronicle.
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