A San Francisco lesbian's application to the San Francisco Sunshine Ordinance Task Force appears to be in jeopardy after Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman said Monday that he could not support the nominee because he disagrees with her. A motion from the Rules Committee to forward Cynthia Dai's name to the full board with a positive recommendation failed, and the panel continued the item until next week.
Dai, a former member of the San Francisco Elections Commission, first spoke at the committee's February 10 meeting, where she was the only applicant for the sunshine task force. There, several members of the public spoke against her, mainly because they didn't like actions the elections panel took in 2022 during the city's contentious redistricting process. The elections commission had three appointees on the redistricting task force and, at one point, the commission eyed removing them, though that did not happen.
This is the second time this month the supervisorial oversight panel has postponed recommending someone for the task force seat. At its February 10 meeting, the committee members continued the matter to February 24, and Mandelman hinted there might be more applicants interested in the Sunshine panel. Voters approved the Sunshine Ordinance Task Force 27 years ago. Its purpose is to protect the public's interest in open government. It also provides information to city departments on appropriate ways to implement the Sunshine Ordinance.
On Monday, there indeed was another applicant, San Francisco resident Honest Charley Bodkin, a former reporter for the Los Angeles Times and open government advocate. He said that he is an active member of the Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council.
But after hearing from Bodkin, Dai, and their supporters, Mandelman said he could not support Dai.
"I have struggled with this appointment," said Mandelman, a member of the rules committee. "I'm impressed with Cynthia Dai and the work she's done. The challenge for me is I think I disagree with her. I have in the past and I think I will in the future."
He added that his "challenges" with Dai revolve around her "judgments, not that they're bad."
Committee Chair District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton countered that he doesn't make decisions based on who has the same views as him. He then made a motion to advance Dai's name to the full board with a positive recommendation. That failed on a 2-1 vote, with committee Vice Chair District 2 Supervisor Stephen Sherrill voting with Mandelman.
The panel then unanimously voted 3-0 to continue the item to March 3.
Dai declined to comment.
Seat vacant for a year
The seat on the Sunshine Ordinance Task Force has been open for a year. It is for the unexpired portion of a term that ends April 27, 2026. Bodkin said it was his understanding the seat was reserved for a blogger. Walton asked who told him that, and he responded that he has gotten that information from a current member of the task force.
According to the rules committee agenda, the seat is for someone who has demonstrated interest in, or has experience in, the issues of citizen access and participation in local government.
During his remarks, Bodkin, who uses his middle name, Charley, said that he has filed public records requests over the years and looked forward to working with other members of the task force.
Dai used to serve on the California Citizens Redistricting Commission before joining the city's elections commission. At the February 10 meeting, she said she's proactive. At the February 24 meeting, she offered three priorities if she's appointed: being proactive to prevent violations through training; institute guardrails to prevent abuse; and modernize to clarify gray areas on what information city departments are required to provide through record requests.
Unlike the February 10 meeting, one person seemed to speak against both nominees. One spoke in support of Bodkin and the rest spoke in support of Dai.
Retired Navy commander Zoe Dunning, a lesbian who previously served on the city's library commission, spoke in favor of Dai, whom she said she has known for over 30 years.
"She's very collaborative and has a wealth of information," Dunning said.
Dylan Hirsch-Shell spoke in support of Bodkin. Hirsh-Shell was a 2024 mayoral candidate, and Bodkin served as his campaign's operations director.
"I think we need people like Charley in government," he said.
Paul Gardiner, who writes a Substack on San Francisco education issues, said that Dai was "eminently qualified."
Other issues
Another issue that came up for Dai at the February 10 meeting was the elections commission's move in November 2022 to open up the elections director position, potentially removing longtime elections director John Arntz by not renewing his contract.
In a phone interview last week, Dai told the Bay Area Reporter that the episode was "unfortunate."
"The process of opening up [the position] was a collaborative process, which we're supposed to do every five years," Dai said. "We saw it as an opportunity to show opening up to other candidates."
Arntz was "strongly encouraged" to go through the process, she added.
"It was important to go through it," Dai said of the process.
When news broke, there was much blowback from city leaders. Then-Supervisor Aaron Peskin called it "commission malfeasance" in an interview with Mission Local.
Dai went on NPR in early December 2022 to discuss the issue. She said that no decision had been made about Arntz's contract. "Our decision wasn't about an individual but about the position," she said. "We voted to start the search. That was mischaracterized as not renewing his contract."
Dai acknowledged that the commission was also looking to take action on the mayor's racial equity plan. (Arntz is white.)
"We saw the search as an opportunity to give people a shot," Dai said on the radio program.
By mid-December, the matter seemed to resolve. There was no funding for a competitive national search and the commission backed down, as Mission Local reported. Arntz said he would accept a new five-year contract, which he did.
Nonetheless, the matter remained on the minds of some members of the public at the Rules Committee two weeks ago. Justin Sah asked the three supervisors on it to "carefully consider" Dai's appointment and mentioned the elections commission's controversies both with the redistricting task force and Arntz's contract renewal.
Updated, 2/24/25: This article has been updated to correct that Honest Charley Bodkin is an active member of the Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council. He does not serve on the body's executive board.
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