The Facts

Supervisor Stephen Sherrill says two forged “news releases,” impersonating him, were circulated in District 2, using City letterhead and the SF seal, per Alyce McFadden at the San Francisco Chronicle. “Malicious” misuse of the City seal is a misdemeanor under city law. Additionally, these advertisements lacked campaign finance disclosures, which are required by law.

Sherrill is on the ballot alongside Lori Brooke in the June 2, 2026 special election.

The Context

One forged flyer tried to redirect Marina residents’ Red Bull F1 complaints away from Sherrill’s office; neighbors later described disruption and damage in reporting by ABC7 News.

Some of the rhetoric in the fakes resembles rhetoric used by Brooke's campaign. It also resembles the broader “City Hall is ignoring neighborhoods” messaging common in the anti-housing ecosystem that makes up Brooke’s base. However, direct accusations cannot be substantiated without a paper trail.

The GrowSF Take

Forging City letterhead and the SF seal to impersonate a supervisor is dirty, potentially criminal conduct. Whoever did it should be identified and held accountable.

This also exposes a flaw in our campaign finance laws: bad actors will break them if they think they won't get caught. SF should follow up its stritct rules with strict enforcement, investigation, and punishment for violations. Otherwise, only the honest actors will be held accountable, and the bad guys will break the law with impunity.