Meeting addresses San Francisco politics’ ‘Me Too’ movement
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – San Francisco politics is having a “Me Too” moment. The San Francisco Democratic Party is embarking on a new effort to support survivors of sexual abuse and assault after members of the party have been accused of sexual misconduct.
More than a dozen people stepped up to the microphone last week in a special meeting organized by the San Francisco Democratic Party. This comes after recent allegations against prominent figures in local politics.
Survivors of sexual harassment shared their experiences with party leaders. Nancy Tung, the chair of the party, says this is long overdue. The idea was originally floated back in 2021.
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“The party at that time did not act,” she said. “But this is something that I was very supportive of when (the San Francisco Women’s Political Committee) first came to us, and then given some of the recent events in the press, I felt like this was the time to act. And if not now, then when?”
This comes as fewer young people are engaging in politics, according to Tung. She says that’s because many of them don’t feel safe.
The organization hopes to draft a code of conduct that members of the Democratic party and affiliated groups must abide by. Tung says this hearing is the first of many sessions to come, but the first was a success.
“I was overwhelmed by it, actually,” she said. “It was really something that we strove to do, was to make it very survivor-centric. We had a sexual assault therapist on hand. We had a Marsy’s Law expert.”
San Francisco Rep. Nancy Pelosi also threw her support behind the committee, sending a letter addressed to Tung. Pelosi urged the committee in part to “implement a robust standard of independence, thoroughness, and due process” as the effort moves forward.
“It’s the party’s duty to address so that we have these safe environments that are free from harassment, free from violence. People can exercise their right to be a part of the political discourse, and we can continue to grow a new generation of leadership in the Democratic Party,” Tung said.
Meanwhile, San Francisco city leaders held their own hearing last night to examine how top officials have handled some of these cases. Nearly five years ago, San Francisco founded “SHARP,” or the Office of Sexual Harassment and Assault Response and Prevention.
Supervisor Hillary Ronen said Thursday that she will require that the committee reports often on its efforts and works to enhance confidentiality to better protect survivors who do come forward.
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