Before I broke the story on The Voice’s X account about who Mayor Daniel Lurie had appointed to replace recalled District 4 supervisor Joel Engardio, I had no idea who she was, so I did an Internet search for her name, Isabella Alcaraz. The first result that came back was a strange Wayback archive of her former business, a pet store called The Animal Connection, located at 3401 Irving Street in San Francisco’s Sunset District.
In a letter, Alcaraz, who goes by the nickname “Beya,” says, “I’ve been wrestling with this decision a great deal over the last few months. As the sole owner of The Animal Connection, my job has been very hands-on. And although it’s been wonderful and fulfilling, I’ve come to a point in my life where I can’t be as hands-on as I need to be. My family has moved to the Philippines, and they are incredibly important to me. Frankly, I miss them, and my priorities have shifted to being able to move semi-permanently to the Philippines and spend more time with them.” She went on to write that she is willing to give the store away for free to “keep the spirit alive.”
The other thing that popped up in my search was a California Secretary of State listing for Animal Connection Pet Rescue, a California Nonprofit Corporation filed on March 4, 2019, with a filing status of “Suspended.” It is no secret to my readers and followers that I am a huge animal advocate, having volunteered and fostered with dog and cat rescues for many years. In fact, we recently adopted a 12-year-old deaf Staffordshire Bull Terrier named Marcie after her owner died tragically of a heart attack at just 41, and Marcie had nowhere to go. The amazing California Bully Rescue saved the 45-pound house hippo, and we fostered her for a week before making it official.
Say what you will about former Mayor London Breed, but her last two supervisor appointments were stellar….Not a single outrageous story has surfaced about either one.
As a regular donor, I also understand the financial challenges faced by rescue organizations. Still, I was taken aback by the suspended status of Alcaraz’s nonprofit, which I posted on X along with the breaking news of her appointment. In our latest newsletter, Editor in Chief Mike Ege explains that when he contacted the office about the suspension, they responded that Alcaraz had filed paperwork to establish the rescue, but “decided not to follow through.” That didn’t make me feel any better about her as a wannabe animal rescuer or as a businessperson.
Over the years, I have frequented every pet store in San Francisco at some point for my spoiled dogs and cats, so when I found out that Lurie had appointed Alcaraz, a memory of walking into The Animal Connection wafted through my mind — and my nose. I remember entering the dark shop in 2019, but the stench of urine and feces was so overwhelming that I walked out.
By now, everyone has read the competing stories in the San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Standard, San Francisco Examiner, and Mission Local, which provide troubling details about the state in which Alcaraz left the business, as reported by new owner Julia Baran. In a May 19 video, Baran pointed to and spoke about “hundreds of dead mice beneath shelving on the sales floor, cages covered in rodent urine, mounds of trash,” and, most disturbing, a freezer filled with dozens of deceased pets. “It smells like death,” Baran said. More videos and stories from Baran — including how she and her brother buried the frozen dead animals — came across more like Stephen King’s horror tale Pet Sematary than Pet Connection.
I am not a fan of stores that sell live animals. In Alcaraz’s case, she not only sold small animals and birds, but she also took owner surrenders and offered boarding (whether she had a license to do that is up for debate). She also touted a “handfed baby budgie program.” Budgerigars are small parrots from Australia, referred to as parakeets in America. Alcaraz said that once she was done handfeeding the babies, “they end up being sweet, playful, and curious companions.”
Again, I am not a fan of breeding animals — millions of dogs and cats die every year in shelters simply for lack of space, and about 37 percent are “purebreds.” Parrots are brilliant creatures, and in my opinion, don’t belong in cages for the amusement of humans.
The website touts not selling dogs or cats, but they couldn’t do that anyway, since in 2017, San Francisco passed a law banning the sale of non-rescue dogs and cats in city pet stores. Most reputable pet stores don’t sell small animals or birds, either. That’s why if you walk into Pet Food Express or Jeffrey’s, there is no “smell of death.” Not only is it cruel to keep animals in cramped, filthy cages, but it also attracts other vermin like rats and mice, which are looking for food.
All of this leads me to Lurie’s bizarre appointment of the 29-year-old political neophyte (who had never so much as attended a community meeting or bothered to vote over the past seven years) to the District 4 supervisor seat.
The story about Alcaraz randomly approaching Lurie at a night market and asking to be considered for the job never rang true. It turns out there may be more to it than luck — people solidly for opening the Great Highway and against the mayor’s upzoning plan have unearthed evidence that Alcaraz officiated the wedding of Senator Scott Wiener’s former district representative and campaign manager Jack Persons, insinuating that Wiener may have suggested Alcaraz to Lurie as a pro-upzoning ringer.
Whatever the reason Lurie chose Alcaraz, it is the biggest blunder of his nearly one year in office. While some social media commenters lauded the mayor for admitting his mistake and taking care of it quickly, I would argue that it never should have happened in the first place.
Say what you will about former Mayor London Breed, but her last two supervisor appointments were stellar, with Matt Dorsey in District 6 and Stephen Sherrill in District 2. Not a single outrageous story has surfaced about either one, and both have long track records of public service: Sherrill served as a senior policy advisor under New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. At the same time, Dorsey spent 14 years in the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office and was most recently communications director for the San Francisco Police Department.
So, who did the vetting (no pun intended) on Alcaraz? I hear it was Lurie’s young public relations team that he pays $350,000 from his own pocket to do social media. Whether that’s true or not, Lurie has around 40 people serving under him, and this should be a warning that too many cooks spoil the soup.
Lurie is frequently filmed walking around town, so it would have been simple to wander into Alcaraz’s former business and ask Baran about how she ran the company. As she was eager to talk to the press, I have no doubt she would have given the mayor an earful (and he would have gotten a nose full, too). It would have been an even shorter walk to his computer, where a swift search would have pulled up the filing for Alcaraz’s suspended nonprofit, and the public posting where she oddly offered to give away her store so she could move “semi-permanently” to the Philippines.
A call to the health department would have revealed the violations and visits from Animal Care and Control. A check of the voter rolls would confirm that Alcaraz has not voted since 2019. While a college degree isn’t necessary, our editor in chief, Mike Ege, also pointed out that “serious candidates for the Board of Supervisors generally have some experience as activists or officials, and policy experts come to work as aides from as far away as the Beltway.” Alcaraz didn’t even finish community college, with salacious rumors circulating the Internet about her being “kicked out of school for cocaine.”
As he began his apology tour, Lurie said, “In Supervisor Alcaraz, I saw someone with deep roots in the Sunset who cares deeply about healing a divided community. I admire her commitment and willingness to raise her hand to serve, just as much as I respect her decision to step aside in the best interest of her neighborhood. I regret that I didn’t do more to make sure she could succeed.”
Reality check: there was no way for Alcaraz to succeed — she was immature, unqualified, and had more skeletons in her closet than a Spirit Halloween store. The truth is her appointment never should have happened. That Lurie didn’t take the time to dig into her past is not only a significant blunder but also a major red flag for his ability to lead San Francisco to where it needs to be.
Bye Bye Beya.
STATEMENT FROM MAYOR LURIE
SAN FRANCISCO — Mayor Daniel Lurie today released the following statement:
“When I took office, I promised San Franciscans leadership, accountability, and a government that would work every day to make their lives better. If that’s not happening, it’s my job as mayor to be accountable and to address the issue.
“I spoke to Supervisor Alcaraz tonight. She and I agreed, as we always have, that the Sunset deserves a supervisor who is entirely focused on serving the community. We also decided that the new information about her conduct while running her small business, which I learned today, would be a significant distraction from that work. During our conversation, she informed me that she intends to resign as supervisor.
“In Supervisor Alcaraz, I saw someone with deep roots in the Sunset who cares deeply about healing a divided community. I admire her commitment and willingness to raise her hand to serve, just as much as I respect her decision to step aside in the best interest of her neighborhood. I regret that I didn’t do more to ensure she could succeed.