San Francisco Democrats built a system to hold politicians accountable for sexual misconduct — then failed to check the inbox set up to receive complaints, leaving one claim of sexual assault unanswered for nearly four months.
The breakdown began March 3, when a political organizer lodged a complaint to the “first-of-its-kind” reporting system set up by the party to field reports of sexual misconduct, NBC Bay Area reported.
The organizer, Brad Chapin, accused San Francisco Board of Supervisors candidate Manny Yekutiel of sexually assaulting him at a house party in 2020.
Chapin alleged Yekutiel cornered him, reached into his pants and grabbed his testicles. He told the outlet that attempts to pull away prompted Yekutiel to tighten his grip.
Chapin said he decided to report the alleged encounter after learning Yekutiel was seeking the District 8 supervisor seat, which covers the Castro, Noe Valley and parts of the Mission District.
But his complaint disappeared into a digital void.
After receiving no response, Chapin submitted it again April 16. He then reported the alleged assault to police the following week.
When the San Francisco Democratic Party finally reviewed the accusation months later, it dismissed the complaint on jurisdictional grounds and endorsed him the very same day.
The endorsement eventually unraveled after two more men accused Yekutiel of sexual misconduct and the once-promising candidate suspended his campaign.
Yekutiel denied assaulting anyone and he has not been criminally charged. San Francisco police told NBC Bay Area the investigation remains open.
Still, the party’s newly established accountability operation remained silent.
It wasn’t until June 30 — hours after the San Francisco Standard published Chapin’s allegations — that the party’s designated complaint handler emailed him to acknowledge his submission, NBC Bay Area reported.
The explanation? Nobody had specified how often the person responsible should check the email.
Party chair Nancy Tung told NBC Bay Area that the ombudsperson alone could access online complaints, and no backup notification system alerted anyone else.
Tung said the party had not established a schedule for checking the account.
She denied political interference caused the delay and said the problem has since been addressed.
The ombudsperson, whose identity the party has withheld to protect confidentiality and impartiality, has since resigned for personal reasons, Tung disclosed at a party meeting.
The fiasco dealt a blow to a program developed with volunteers, survivors and pro bono lawyers to address gaps in how political campaigns handle misconduct allegations.
Tung acknowledged the failure at a meeting last month.
“The first time out of the gate, we did not do right by Brad Chapin,” she said. “We did not do right by survivors.”
For Chapin, the eventual response brought another bitter twist.
In August, the party’s judicial commission concluded the alleged assault fell outside its misconduct policy because it did not happen at a party-sponsored event or during political activity.
The commission explicitly said its decision did not establish whether an assault occurred.
Chapin said he had disclosed the setting from the outset and questioned why officials put him through the process anyway.
“This is a sham,” he told the committee during an emotional appearance.
That same day, the party endorsed Yekutiel.
By Oct. 1, the political support was collapsing.
Two additional men accused Yekutiel of groping them at a 2023 Pride party, according to allegations first reported by the Standard and subsequently covered by ABC7.
Mayor Daniel Lurie and Supervisors Bilal Mahmood, Stephen Sherrill and Matt Dorsey withdrew their endorsements. The Democratic Party also rescinded its support.
Yekutiel announced he was suspending his campaign while disputing the accusations.
“I am not admitting to having assaulted anyone and some of the things that are being said about me are fundamentally untrue,” he wrote on Instagram.
He also apologized for any boundaries he had crossed.
Tung now faces calls to resign, including from Supervisor Connie Chan and the San Francisco Women’s Political Committee, NBC Bay Area reported.
The California Post reached out to Yekutiel and Tung for comment.