Recalled San Francisco School Board President Blames 'White Supremacists'

The San Francisco school board president recalled earlier this week insinuated that "white supremacists" were "aligned" with her ouster.

Gabriela Lopez was one of three progressive school board members recalled by voters Tuesday for what critics called misplaced priorities and putting progressive politics over the needs of children during the pandemic.

"So if you fight for racial justice, this is the consequence," Lopez tweeted Thursday. "Don't be mistaken, white supremacists are enjoying this. And the support of the recall is aligned with this."

Lopez's tweet included an image of a Washington Post story about the recall. The Post report was titled, "San Francisco recalls school board members seen as too focused on racial justice."

The Post story's subheading read: "In a warning for the left, critics saw misplaced priorities, as the board focused on equity issues while schools remained closed."

Post political reporter David Weigel, who did not write the recall story, said that Lopez’s "white supremacist" complaint didn't actually hold up, as supporters of the recall movement were "racially diverse."

"The 'yes' vote for recall was racially diverse, including hundreds of noncitizen immigrants who were eligible to participate," Weigel tweeted Thursday. "The 'white supremacist' charge just didn't convince anyone."

School Board Vice President Faauuga Moliga and Commissioner Alison Collins also were recalled.

The board in January voted to rebrand schools named after such historic figures deemed to be racist, anti-women, or anti-gay. That included former Presidents George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Thomas Jefferson.

The board in February then decided to delay the effort until schools closed due to COVID-19 reopened, and in April reversed its decision.

"The voters of this city have delivered a clear message that the school board must focus on the essentials of delivering a well-run school system above all else," Mayor London Breed said in a statement Tuesday. "San Francisco is a city that believes in the value of big ideas, but those ideas must be built on the foundation of a government that does the essentials well."

Breed, who will appoint school board replacements to serve until another election in November, released another statement on Wednesday.

"Moving forward, the School Board must focus on the essentials of delivering a well-run school system above all else," Breed said. "My focus in the coming weeks is to identify individuals for these seats that can tackle the many immediate decisions the District faces right now, as well as structural issues the District has faced for years.

"The election is over, and now it is time for everyone to do the hard work of supporting our students and educators as we emerge from this pandemic and get this District on the path to sustainability."

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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