After Mayor London Breed made her last appearance at the start of Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors, the board sent her a message by rejecting her nominees to the Board of Appeals and to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Board of Directors.
The board voted 5–4 to reject Joanna Gubman to the Board of Appeals and Sara Barz to the SFMTA board. Board President Aaron Peskin and supervisors Shamann Walton, Hillary Ronen, Ahsha Safaí and Dean Preston voted to reject the nominees. Before the vote, Supervisor Myrna Meglar called for a continuance to the next board meeting in January but that motion failed 5–4.
Both Gubman and Barz were the last chance for Breed to make appointments to a city commission as the mayor lost her reelection in November to Daniel Lurie. The chance to nominate Barz came as former SFMTA board Chair Amanda Eaken announced last month that she would step down and take a job at the transportation agency. Guban would have replaced Richard Swig on the Board of Appeals, whose term expired.
Peskin said Tuesday that the board should reject the nominations and give the new mayor a “clean slate” to appoint whomever he wants.
“I think it is the obligation of this board to put our foot down and reject these and let the new mayor nominate who he chooses,” Peskin said.
At the board’s Dec. 9 Rules Committee, it was already clear from at least Walton, Peskin, and Safai that there was no appetite to approve Breed’s nominees as they voted to send the rejection motion to the full board.
Peskin said it was the desire of the committee to not allow Breed to “ram through last-minute appointments to very high-profile commissions.”
Melgar, who supported both Gubman and Barz, said the motion for a continuance still allowed the new mayor to make a decision on whether to keep the nominees or withdraw them, adding that it was difficult to find highly qualified candidates for city commissions.
Barz currently works at Apple as a transit product manager and was appointed by Melgar to serve as the District 7 representative on the San Francisco County Transportation Authority Community Advisory Committee. Gubman was a former administrative law judge for the California Public Utilities Commission.
“I think it’s really important that we support the leadership of young people, particularly young women, who want to serve our city and put in the long hours that are required,” Meglar said.
Breed also appointed James Bryne to the Police Commission, but withdrew her nomination.
