Albert Chow
Albert Chow is running in a special election to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to represent District 4 in California. Chow is on the ballot in the special general election on June 2, 2026.[source]
Biography
As of the 2026 elections, Chow was the owner and operator of Great Wall Hardware, a store his family opened in 1978. As of the same date, Chow had served 14 years as president of the People of Parkside Sunset neighborhood organization.[1]
2026 battleground election
Ballotpedia identified the June 2, 2026, special election for San Francisco Board of Supervisors as a battleground election. The summary below is from our coverage of this election, found here.
Two seats on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors are up for special election on June 2, 2026. Incumbent Stephen Sherrill, Lori Brooke, and Jeremy Kirshner are running in District 2. Incumbent Alan Wong, Albert Chow, Natalie Gee, Jeremy Greco, and David Lee are running in District 4. As of February 2026, Sherrill and Brooke led in fundraising and local media attention in District 2. As of the same date, Wong, Chow, and Gee led in endorsements and fundraising in District 4.
The winners of both elections will serve through January 2027. Both seats will be up for election again in November 2026 for full terms. Former Mayor London Breed appointed Sherrill to the board in December 2024 to fill the vacancy opened when Catherine Stefani (D) resigned after winning election to the California Assembly. Mayor Daniel Lurie appointed Wong to the board in December 2025 after voters recalled Joel Engardio.[2]
The Democratic Party of San Francisco and Mayor Daniel Lurie endorsed both Sherrill and Wong.[3][4][5] GrowSF, a group describing its mission as "[advocating] for a safer, cleaner, and more affordable San Francisco," says it will spend at least $250,000 in support of both Sherrill and Wong.[6][7]
Sherrill is a former staffer for both Breed and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I). Brooke is an activist and the president of the Cow Hollow Association.
Wong is a former member of the San Francisco Community College Board. Gee is the chief of staff for District 10 board member Shamann Walton. Chow is a hardware store owner and an organizer of the Engardio recall campaign.
Both Sherrill and Wong voted in December 2025 to pass a Lurie-backed zoning proposal. The plan increased height limits from four stories to six or eight stories for both new and existing structures throughout much of the city, with affected structures including both commercial and residential lots.[8] Brooke is the co-founder of Neighborhoods United SF, which opposes the zoning plan.[9] Both Chow and Gee oppose the zoning plan.[10]
The 11-member Board of Supervisors is the City of San Francisco's legislative body. Members are elected by district to four-year terms in nonpartisan elections. All five seats in even-numbered districts are up for election in November 2026. Four of the members up for election this year supported the rezoning proposal.
Elections
2026
See also: City elections in San Francisco, California (2026)
General election
The general election will occur on June 2, 2026.
Special general election for San Francisco Board of Supervisors District 4
Incumbent Alan Wong (Nonpartisan), Albert Chow (Nonpartisan), Natalie Gee (Nonpartisan), Jeremy Greco (Nonpartisan), and David Lee (Nonpartisan) are running in the special general election for San Francisco Board of Supervisors District 4 on June 2, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Alan Wong (Nonpartisan) | |
 | Albert Chow (Nonpartisan) | |
 | Natalie Gee (Nonpartisan) | |
| Jeremy Greco (Nonpartisan) | ||
 | David Lee (Nonpartisan)  | |
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Candidate spending
Candidates in this election submitted campaign finance reports to the San Francisco Ethics Commission. Click here to access those reports.
Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
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Campaign websites
Chow's campaign website stated the following:
The Right Housing Solutions
Those of us who live here treasure the Sunset for its cohesive, neighborhood-friendly community. That being said, we all need to do our part to make San Francisco more affordable. While I believe that the Sunset must contribute sites to meet housing goals the state is requiring of us – because the alternative for our community would be worse – there is a right way and a wrong way to get there.
The wrong way is having it imposed by others – whether that means City Hall or the State of California. The right way is to come to a community consensus about how to achieve our goals without destroying what we love about living here.
To me, that means developing under-utilized sites like the former Walgreens on Noriega or building higher density along our commercial corridors without destroying neighborhood storefronts. What we should never allow is wholesale bulldozing of our neighborhoods to create a wall of high rises that turn the Sunset into Miami Beach.
That’s why I could not support the Mayor’s so-called Family Zoning Plan. We didn’t get the chance to give our input on how we should tackle this problem. It is being imposed on us.
By offering thoughtful solutions, we can control our fate. With your support, I will go to City Hall as your next Supervisor armed with decades of experience negotiating and working through red tape to get things done for this community. As a leader of People of the Parkside Sunset (POPS), I cut through red tape to host events like movie nights and night markets that raised community spirit and brought us together.
As your next Supervisor, I will be your voice at City Hall fighting to preserve what we love about the Sunset and making sure that the growth we need doesn’t destroy the neighborhood we love.
Safer Streets
For years, I have been active through People of the Parkside Sunset (POPS) advocating for full staffing of SFPD’s Taraval Station. We are only safe in our homes and on our streets if SFPD officers are able to be there fast when we really need them.
I support efforts to continue cleaning up San Francisco by stopping rampant drug use and drug dealing on our streets. While the Sunset may not be the epicenter of this tragedy, everyone knows someone who has struggled with addiction. By going after high level dealers and cracking down on those actually selling on our streets, we can make it harder for dealers to operate and save lives in the process.
I also support efforts to install neighborhood cameras to help deter criminals and provide evidence that can be used in prosecuting car and home thefts in our neighborhoods. By working together toward solutions, we can make sure the Sunset continues to be one of the safest neighborhoods in the City.
Supporting Our Local Schools
San Francisco has one of the lowest percentage of school age children of any city in the State. Enrollment in SFUSD schools is at 55% of what it was at peak enrollment in 1970-71. I was born and raised in San Francisco. My parents moved from Chinatown to the Sunset when I was a child and I attended AP Giannini Middle School and Abraham Lincoln High School. I went on to attend City College then finally UC Berkeley to study Architecture. If we want families to stay in San Francisco and raise their children here, our Supervisor needs to work with SF Unified to make our neighborhood schools the models for the city. I will do that as your next Supervisor.
Helping Neighborhood Businesses Thrive
I moved from Chinatown to the Sunset in 1978 and my parents opened the Great Wall Hardware Store on Taraval in 1983. Until a tragic arson fire in 2024, we served the neighborhood, helping generations of Sunset residents find the right tools and do home repair and remodeling. I know that our local stores need a helping hand from time to time. They also need help from City Hall navigating the tortuous permitting process that is required to get a new store up and running – or an old store repaired and back on its feet. I am going through that process now as I prepare to reopen the Great Wall Hardware Store. As your Supervisor, I will go to work as a neighborhood advocate for local businesses, helping to ensure our neighborhood shopping streets are able to continue serving our communities.
— Albert Chow's campaign website (March 3, 2026)
Chow's campaign website stated the following:
The Right Housing Solutions
Those of us who live here treasure the Sunset for its cohesive, neighborhood-friendly community. That being said, we all need to do our part to make San Francisco more affordable. While I believe that the Sunset must contribute sites to meet housing goals the state is requiring of us – because the alternative for our community would be worse – there is a right way and a wrong way to get there.
The wrong way is having it imposed by others – whether that means City Hall or the State of California. The right way is to come to a community consensus about how to achieve our goals without destroying what we love about living here.
To me, that means developing under-utilized sites like the former Walgreens on Noriega or building higher density along our commercial corridors without destroying neighborhood storefronts. What we should never allow is wholesale bulldozing of our neighborhoods to create a wall of high rises that turn the Sunset into Miami Beach.
That’s why I could not support the Mayor’s so-called Family Zoning Plan. We didn’t get the chance to give our input on how we should tackle this problem. It is being imposed on us.
By offering thoughtful solutions, we can control our fate. With your support, I will go to City Hall as your next Supervisor armed with decades of experience negotiating and working through red tape to get things done for this community. As a leader of People of the Parkside Sunset (POPS), I cut through red tape to host events like movie nights and night markets that raised community spirit and brought us together.
As your next Supervisor, I will be your voice at City Hall fighting to preserve what we love about the Sunset and making sure that the growth we need doesn’t destroy the neighborhood we love.
Safer Streets
For years, I have been active through People of the Parkside Sunset (POPS) advocating for full staffing of SFPD’s Taraval Station. We are only safe in our homes and on our streets if SFPD officers are able to be there fast when we really need them.
I support efforts to continue cleaning up San Francisco by stopping rampant drug use and drug dealing on our streets. While the Sunset may not be the epicenter of this tragedy, everyone knows someone who has struggled with addiction. By going after high level dealers and cracking down on those actually selling on our streets, we can make it harder for dealers to operate and save lives in the process.
I also support efforts to install neighborhood cameras to help deter criminals and provide evidence that can be used in prosecuting car and home thefts in our neighborhoods. By working together toward solutions, we can make sure the Sunset continues to be one of the safest neighborhoods in the City.
Supporting Our Local Schools
San Francisco has one of the lowest percentage of school age children of any city in the State. Enrollment in SFUSD schools is at 55% of what it was at peak enrollment in 1970-71. I was born and raised in San Francisco. My parents moved from Chinatown to the Sunset when I was a child and I attended AP Giannini Middle School and Abraham Lincoln High School. I went on to attend City College then finally UC Berkeley to study Architecture. If we want families to stay in San Francisco and raise their children here, our Supervisor needs to work with SF Unified to make our neighborhood schools the models for the city. I will do that as your next Supervisor.
Helping Neighborhood Businesses Thrive
I moved from Chinatown to the Sunset in 1978 and my parents opened the Great Wall Hardware Store on Taraval in 1983. Until a tragic arson fire in 2024, we served the neighborhood, helping generations of Sunset residents find the right tools and do home repair and remodeling. I know that our local stores need a helping hand from time to time. They also need help from City Hall navigating the tortuous permitting process that is required to get a new store up and running – or an old store repaired and back on its feet. I am going through that process now as I prepare to reopen the Great Wall Hardware Store. As your Supervisor, I will go to work as a neighborhood advocate for local businesses, helping to ensure our neighborhood shopping streets are able to continue serving our communities.
— Albert Chow's campaign website (February 12, 2026)
See also
2026 Elections
External links
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Candidate San Francisco Board of Supervisors District 4 |
Footnotes
- ↑ Albert Chow campaign website, "Home page," accessed March 4, 2026
- ↑ Lurie first appointed Beya Alcaraz to replace Engardio. Alcaraz took office on November 6, 2025, and resigned on November 14, 2025. Lurie appointed Wong after Alcaraz's resignation.
- ↑ Stephen Sherrill campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed February 27, 2026
- ↑ Alan Wong campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed February 27, 2026
- ↑ Democratic Party of San Francisco, "June 2, 2026 Primary Election Voter Guide," accessed February 27, 2026
- ↑ GrowSF, "Home page," accessed February 27, 2026
- ↑ The San Francisco Standard, "SF political group dropping nearly $2 million to support moderates," February 5, 2026
- ↑ Mission Local, "Board of Supervisors passes plan to upzone San Francisco," December 2, 2025
- ↑ Neighborhoods United SF, "About Us," accessed February 27, 2026
- ↑ Mission Local, "S.F. supe says campaign rival sabotaged Great Highway measure. She says he didn’t do the work. " February 27, 2026
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