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Back to supervisor mapShamann Walton
District 10 Supervisor
District 10 includes Potrero Hill, Central Waterfront, Dogpatch, Bayview-Hunters Point, Bayview Heights, India Basin, Silver Terrace, Candlestick Point, Visitacion Valley, Little Hollywood, Sunnydale, and McLaren Park.
Elected
November 2018
Won by 5,399 votes.
Re-elected
November 2022
Up for Re-Election
Termed out in 2026
Shamann Walton was raised in Vallejo, California, where he currently resides. Before joining the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 2019, he was on the San Francisco Board of Education. He served as Board of Supervisors President from January 8th, 2021, through January 8th, 2023.
Walton's tenure as supervisor has been marked by repeated controversies. For example, since 2022 alone, he has caused several high-profile scandals:
Walton was reported to have a home in Vallejo, despite claiming San Francisco residency to run for Board of Supervisors. In response to the controversy he admitted to owning the home, but claimed that he needed it to create "generational wealth," and that for election purposes his "residency" was a rental in San Francisco.
He pushed for a hearing on reparations for Black people, then asked to delay the hearing while he partied at a Hooters in Colombia.
He used a racial slur while allegedly threatening and verbally abusing a sheriff's cadet at City Hall. Walton then retaliated against the cadet for reporting his misconduct.
He was caught on video being held back as he waved his middle finger at a protester.
Policy positions & priorities
Here's where Supervisor Walton stands on the issues:
Public Education
Like others in local politics, Walton used the Board of Education as a stepping stone to become a supervisor. As a member of the Board of Education from 2014-2019 (and president from 2017-2019), Walton had a hand in creating many of the problems that plague the city's public schools today. For example, during Walton's presidency the BOE launched its disastrous project to select a new payroll system, which failed to pay teachers correctly and ran dramatically over budget.
As BOE president, and later as a supervisor, he helped his ideological allies control the city's educational policy. He endorsed Alison Collins and Faauuga Moliga for the BOE (two of the three failed school board members who voters later recalled by overwhelming margins). He opposed the recalls. After the recalls succeeded he doubled down, endorsing Gabriela López--the third recalled board member, and the only one that ran again after being recalled. López lost her bid to rejoin the board by a large margin, despite Walton's endorsement.
Walton has advocated for stripping merit-based admission from Lowell (San Francisco's flagship high school), calling the school's grades-based admissions criteria "a racist policy" and opining that "it's unfathomable" that people would want one of SF's schools to focus on high-achieving students (instead of admitting students through a lottery like the city's other public schools).
Public Safety
Walton has been an outspoken advocate for defunding the police. In 2020, he partnered with the mayor's office "to reinvest $120 million . . . from law enforcement into San Francisco's Black and African-American community." While he was successful in redirecting funds, the mayor later directed other funds to the police force to avoid cutting officers.
Walton was also a passionate defender of former district attorney Chesa Boudin. He opposed giving voters an opportunity to recall Boudin for his refusal to enforce criminal laws, opining that "it is extremely dangerous to use recalls strictly because you don't agree with someone's views." Faced with the recalls of his allies on the BOE and in the DA's office, Walton tried to limit voter's ability to recall future officials, but voters rejected his attempt. Walton has also worked to shutter the city's juvenile hall.
Housing
Walton consistently votes against new housing in San Francisco, claiming that new housing causes displacement (despite evidence that new housing "actually benefits incumbent tenants by reducing rents, evictions, and the risk of moves to poorer zipcodes"). For example, Walton was the only member of the BOS to oppose allowing homeowners to convert their corner lots into four-plexes, claiming that it "would speed up the gentrification in areas like Bayview." He also opposed building family-sized housing units on a Nordstrom valet parking lot, among other projects, and opposed changing California law to encourage denser housing near job-rich areas and transit hubs.
Key votes and actions
Education
Board of Education: Led the Board of Education when, instead of using a proven technology, it launched a selection process that led to a built-from-scratch payroll system that would ultimately fail to pay teachers, leading to a years-long scandal and millions of dollars in cost overruns.
Ideology over competence: Endorsed his ideological allies as Board of Education members, who failed badly and were ultimately recalled by voters.
Opposed School Board Recall: Opposed the overwhelmingly popular recalls of incompetent BOE members, claiming that they were driven by "closet Republicans."
Supported Recalled BOE member: Supported disgraced former BOE President Gabriela López in her unsuccessful bid to be re-elected, after voters removed her from office.
Opposes merit: Advocated for stripping merit-based admission from San Francisco's flagship high school, Lowell, calling grades-based admissions "a racist policy."
Public Safety
Defund the police: Supported defunding the police, and succeeded in shifting $120 million from the police budget to Black-oriented community programs.
Chesa Boudin: Opposed the recall of former District Attorney Chesa Boudin.
Housing
Blocked 495 homes: Opposed the development of 495 units of family-sized housing, which would have been built on a Nordstrom valet parking lot.
Fought against homeowners: Opposed the conversion of a single-family home to 10 units at 1151 Washington St.
Opposed affordable housing: Opposed the pro-housing Proposition D, and instead endorsed the rival Proposition E (which was put forward by Walton and other anti-housing supervisors to block Prop D.)
Public Spaces
JFK Drive: Opposed the closure of JFK drive to cars. The road was permanently closed to create a safe area for pedestrians and cyclists, which Walton attacked as "segregationist" because, he said, his constituents drive to the park. The park still has many roads for cars and 4,700 parking spaces.
Great Highway Voted in favor of closing the Great Highway, running along the city's coast, on weekends, creating a bike- and pedestrian-friendly area along the coast.**