San Francisco Assessor-Recorder Joaquín Torres was appointed by Mayor London Breed last February after she named then-assessor-recorder Carmen Chu as city administrator. Torres is on the ballot because this is the next election following his appointment. Prior to his appointment, Torres served as the director of the San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development since 2018, and has led citywide efforts to mitigate economic hardships on businesses and workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The office under Torres over the past 11 months has appeared to operate well — it also oversees registration of marriage licenses and assesses property taxes.
Torres is a straight ally whose dad, former state legislator and California Democratic Party Chair Art Torres, came out as gay several years ago. We recommend Torres, who is running unopposed, to serve until the start of the next term in January 2023. This contest will appear again on the November 2022 ballot.
Help keep the Bay Area Reporter going in these tough times. To support local, independent, LGBTQ journalism, consider becoming a BAR member.