The making and unmaking of Beya Alcaraz: A strange and terrible saga

"When the story broke that Beya Alcaraz, the pet shop owner turned District 4 supervisor, had allegedly left a stash of dead pets decomposing in the store's freezer, the metaphor seemed a little too on the nose, even for this town. How could this happen? How could Mayor Daniel Lurie's office fail to properly vet a candidate who literally had skeletons in her closet?"

"Alcaraz was sworn in on Nov. 6 on her 29th birthday. That's young, but it's hardly unprecedented: Katy Tang and Carmen Chu were both 29 when they were appointed supervisor. Sean Elsbernd was 28. Chris Daly was only 28 when he was elected. But here's the thing: Tang, Chu and Elsbernd had advanced degrees and/or years of experience in government. Daly won a hard-fought vote of the people. Alcaraz had none of these attributes. Her resume was largely six years atop a pet shop."

"Alcaraz, whom Mission Local has learned did not know the distinction between a motion, resolution or ordinance, showed remarkable hubris putting herself forward for a job she was in no way qualified to perform. But Mayor Daniel Lurie's office should never, ever have allowed this situation to devolve in public. This should have been politely handled behind closed doors and Alcaraz should never have been advanced. This failure to do even the most basic of background checks was a great disservice to Alcaraz."

Beya Alcaraz, a pet shop owner, was sworn in as District 4 supervisor at age 29. Allegations emerged that she left dead pets decomposing in a store freezer. Prior young supervisors had advanced degrees, government experience, or electoral mandates; Alcaraz lacked those qualifications. Her resume consisted largely of six years running a pet shop, and reporting revealed troubling conditions and alleged slipshod business practices. She reportedly did not know basic legislative distinctions and displayed hubris in seeking the role. Mayor Daniel Lurie's office failed to perform basic background checks and allowed the appointment to proceed publicly, harming constituents and Alcaraz.

Read at Mission Local