Matt Dorsey

District 6 Supervisor

District 6 includes Mid-Market, Rincon Hill/East Cut, South of Market, South Beach, Mission Bay, Treasure Island, Yerba Buena Island, Alcatraz, the Design District, the 6th Street Corridor, and the Leather Cultural District.

Appointed

May 2022

Elected

November 2022

Won by 998 votes.

Up for Re-Election

November 2026

dorseystaff@sfgov.org

(415) 554-7970

Matt Dorsey is the Supervisor for San Francisco's District 6. Dorsey is an openly HIV positive, out gay man who is the first self-identified member of the substance use recovery community to serve on the Board of Supervisors in a generation.

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Policy positions & priorities

Here’s where Supervisor Dorsey stands on the issues:

Housing

A strong supporter of affordable housing, Dorsey has repeatedly emphasized his support for building housing at all income levels in San Francisco. At the time of his appointment to the Board, he described the role of D6 Supervisor as "a forceful advocate for the promise of authentically progressive urbanism" and noted that he was "committed to removing constraints and barriers that make building housing more difficult." Dorsey vocally supported the pro-housing Proposition D, and voted against an ordinance that would have removed fast-track approval for certain developments.

He has noted that "SF is the slowest jurisdiction in the state to move housing projects to construction." In April of 2023, Dorsey introduced an ordinance to reduce fees for projects seeking to convert vacant office buildings into housing.

In 2024, he was one of only three supervisors to oppose Aaron Peskin's ordinance limiting housing density in parts of North Beach.

Transportation

Dorsey represents a transit-heavy district that includes the Salesforce Transit Center, the SF Caltrain terminus, and the SF side of the Bay Bridge. He has pointed out that his district has the most to lose if the city takes actions that threaten state-level funding for transportation, including---importantly---if the city loses funding by failing to meet California's requirements to build additional housing. Dorsey doesn't own a car, and commutes by taking public transit, biking, or walking. Dorsey supported keeping JFK Drive car-free; co-sponsored the 2022 ordinance to extend Upper Great Highway's closure to cars on weekends; and was among the supervisors who introduced a 2024 ballot initiative that would permanently close Upper Great Highway to allow creation of a seaside park. He has tweeted support for incentives for e-bike programs, as a way of reducing emissions.

Public safety and police reform

Dorsey's website touts his support for "investing in public safety resources so people can feel safe in their communities." Before his appointment to the Board, Dorsey served as the Director of Strategic Communications for the San Francisco Police Department, and as a Supervisor he has advocated for a better-staffed and more effective police force. Dorsey proposed (unsuccessfully) a carve out to San Francisco's sanctuary city policy to allow the SFPD to cooperate with federal authorities to deport suspected fentanyl dealers. He voted to allow SFPD to use private video camera footage, supported funding for police overtime and, with Supervisor Stefani, introduced a ballot measure to establish mandated staffing levels and funding for the police force.

Addiction

As the first elected Supervisor in active recovery for substance abuse, Supervisor Dorsey has been a major advocate for better solutions for addiction. With Supervisors Mandelman and Stefani, Dorsey unveiled the San Francisco Recovers plan, an ambitious proposal to tackle drug dealing, addiction, and drug-related deaths through a coordinated response across multiple city agencies. Dorsey toured safe injection sites in New York City, alongside Supervisor Hillary Ronen.

Key votes and actions

Safety & Policing

Proposed adding a carve out to SF’s sanctuary city policy for fentanyl dealers. To date, the proposal has not gathered enough support from other Supervisors to proceed.
Voted to allow police to access up to 24 hours of live video outdoor footage from private surveillance cameras, without a warrant, if the camera’s owner allows it.
Introduced a ballot measure with Catherine Stefani to establish mandated staffing levels and create budget provisions to reach those numbers.

Housing

Voted against an ineffective “fourplex” bill, which could have actually harmed housing development. The legislation was ultimately vetoed by Mayor Breed.
Voted against putting Prop E, the housing reform measure widely seen as a deliberate impediment to the passage of Prop D (Affordable Homes Now), on the November 2022 ballot.
Paired with Aaron Peskin to introduce a bill to allow developers to agree to rent control in lieu of affordable units in exchange for height.
Introduced a bill to ease the conversion of vacant office buildings to housing through fee exemptions.
Was one of only three supervisors to vote against Aaron Peskin's initiative limiting density in parts of North Beach.

Transit

Voted to keep Great Highway car-free on weekends and holidays
In 2024, submitted a ballot initiative to permanently close the middle portion of the Great Highway to cars.