Mahmood’s Mamdani move meets San Francisco City Hall reality
Plus: San Francisco Democrats punt District 8 endorsement process.
Supervisor Bilal Mahmood pushed legislation to subsidize grocery stores and levy a tax on vacant supermarkets and pharmacies owned by large businesses.
| Source: Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/The Standard
By Gabriel Lorenzo Greschler , Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez , and Hannah Wiley
For subscribers Published Jul. 12, 2026 at 5:55pm
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A flurry of sharp-elbowed politickin’ went down at City Hall this week, causing Supervisor Bilal Mahmood ’s government-backed-grocery-store proposal to go down in flames for now.
A quick rewind: Mahmood said he got a call from Supervisor Connie Chan on Thursday, telling him she did not support the vacant tax part of his legislation and conveying Mayor Daniel Lurie ’s displeasure with it, too.
She then struck it from the agenda of Wednesday’s Budget and Finance Committee.
The fracas offered a raw view into Mahmood’s political ambitions and how Chan is strategically positioning herself on the board.
Mahmood’s aspirations aren’t exactly a mystery: He ran unsuccessfully for the state Assembly in 2022 before nabbing a supervisor seat two years later on a moderate-ish campaign platform.
The way he has operated since — he’s been a prolific legislator compared with his fellow freshman class of supervisors ; he supported the union-backed Overpaid CEO Tax, a position that riled some (opens in new tab) of the city’s tech class; and he has been outspoken on the issue of Immigration and Customs Enforcement — paints a picture of a politico who can’t neatly be placed within the city’s moderate-progressive framework.
The Assembly seat he once ran for could open up if state Sen.
Scott Wiener wins his congressional bid and current Assemblymember Matt Haney makes a move for the upper chamber.
Mahmood has discussed his interest in a potential run, according to one political insider with direct knowledge of the supervisor’s plans.
More about the authors
Gabriel Lorenzo Greschler
@ggreschler (opens in new tab)
Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez
Senior Politics Reporter ·
Bilal Mahmood Chinese Community Connie Chan Politics Power Play