San Francisco's 5th supervisorial district is a city and county electoral district in the city and county of San Francisco. One of eleven districts within the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, it is currently represented by Democrat Bilal Mahmood of the Tenderloin neighborhood.
Existing as a ward for the San Francisco Common Council from 1850 to 1856 and for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from 1856 to 1898, the district was re-established in 1977 after voters approved Proposition T, which replaced the 11‑member at‑large system with 11 single‑member districts. Its first elected supervisor was Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to public office in the United States. After Milk’s 1978 assassination, the district system was abolished in 1980 and the city returned to at‑large elections. The district was reinstated in 2000 and became a progressive stronghold, electing two Green Party supervisors and a Democratic Socialist supervisor, though it has also elected moderates.
Characteristics Demographics In 2025, the district population was 83,506, with the voting population being 53.51% White Americans, 20.75% Asian Americans, 12.60% African Americans, 10.59% Latino Americans, and 0.87% Native Americans. The homeownership rate that year was 11.4%. From 2012 to 2016, according to the American Community Survey, the population was 84,030, with 35% family households and 65% non‑family households. The racial composition from 2012 to 2016 was 62% White Americans, 19% Asian Americans, 10% Black Americans, 9% Latino Americans, 0.4% Native Americans, 8% two or more races, and 0.1% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander.
Politics Since its restoration in 2000, it has been considered a progressive stronghold, being called one of San Francisco's most progressive districts in the city by Mission Local. The political think tank SPUR identified this district, along with the 6th, 8th, and 9th districts, as among the city's most progressive, citing strong support for liberal and left‑wing candidates in the decade before 2000. The first elected supervisor in the 2000 election was Matt Gonzalez, who had switched to the Green Party, who would be succeeded by another Green politician, Ross Mirkarimi. The district also elected Democratic Socialist Dean Preston, the first democratic socialist to represent the district since Harry Britt in 1979. However, the district has also elected moderates, including London Breed in 2012, who later appointed Vallie Brown after becoming mayor, and Bilal Mahmood in 2024. During the 2024 election, the San Francisco Examiner called the district a "bellwether for the state of San Francisco politics" due to how much the politics of the city affected its voting.
Composition Under the 2022 redistricting, the district encompasses the neighborhoods of Haight-Ashbury, Lower Haight, Filmore District, Western Addition, North Panhandle, Japantown, Hayes Valley, Tenderloin, San Francisco, and Civic Center. The district lies entirely within California's 11th congressional district and 11th state senate district, and is split between the 19th and 17th state assembly districts.
History of district boundaries
Before San Francisco's consolidation as a city and county, it was represented by the San Francisco Common Council from May 6, 1850 to July 1, 1856. The city's 5th ward was within the present Financial District, bounded by Sacramento, Market, and Montgomery streets. After consolidation and the establishment of districts by the California State Legislature on July 1, 1856, the 5th ward was within the area bounded by Pine, Clay, and Kearny streets and the San Francisco Bay. In 1870, the ward was bounded by California, Kearny, and Market streets, with the ward having two precincts by 1880. The ward system was abolished on May 26, 1898, when the charter was revised to have the members be elected at-large.
In 1976, with the growth of the city's gay community and anti-war movement, voters approved Proposition T, which allowed the city's residents to elect their supervisors by district with 52.4% of the vote. The first election under the system was held in 1977 and resulted in the election of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to public office. The district encompassed Haight-Ashbury and Upper Market Street, areas with large gay populations. A year after his election, Milk was assassinated by former supervisor Dan White, with the impact contributing to the districts being abolished and the city returning to an at‑large election system.
In the mid-1990s, grassroots neighborhood effort to restore district elections led to return of the district system in 2000, with the district now representing the neighborhoods of Western Addition, Haight-Ashbury and Lower Pacific Heights. In 2011, some of the area north of Japantown was reassigned to the 1st and 2nd districts, after community advocates successfully kept Japantown intact rather than split between districts, leaving the general district boundaries largely unchanged.
In 2022, the San Francisco Redistricting Task Force approved a new map that produced the largest border change for the district, which comprised the Tenderloin, Japantown, Western Addition, and Haight-Ashbury while excluding Cole Valley and the Inner Sunset. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the percentage of white voters fell by seven percentage points, while Black and Hispanic voter shares rose by 3.5 and 2 percentage points respectively, with Black and Hispanic voters together now composing 10% of the district electorate.
List of members representing the district CouncilmemberPartyDatesElectoral history District established January 8, 1978 Harvey MilkDemocratic January 8, 1978 – November 27, 1978 Elected in 1977. Assassinated. Vacant November 27, 1978 –January 9, 1979 Harry BrittDemocratic January 9, 1979 – January 8, 1981Appointed to finish Milk's term. Elected in 1979. Redistricted to the at-large district. District eliminated January 8, 1981 District re-established January 8, 2001 Matt GonzalezGreen January 8, 2001 – January 8, 2005Elected in 2000. Retired. Ross MirkarimiGreen January 8, 2005 – March 10, 2010Elected in 2004. Re-elected in 2008. Resigned after election as Sheriff of San Francisco.Democratic March 10, 2010 – January 7, 2012 Vacant January 9, 2012 –January 8, 2013 Christina OlagueDemocratic January 9, 2012 – January 8, 2013Appointed to finish Mirkarimi's term. Lost election. London BreedDemocratic January 8, 2013 – July 11, 2018 Elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2016. Resigned after election as Mayor of San Francisco. Vacant July 11, 2018 –July 16, 2018 Vallie BrownDemocratic July 16, 2018 – December 16, 2019Appointed to finish Breed's term. Lost election for a full term. Dean PrestonDemocratic December 16, 2019 – January 8, 2025Elected to finish Breed's term. Re-elected in 2020. Lost re-election. Bilal MahmoodDemocratic January 8, 2025 – presentElected in 2024.
Electoral results 2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2019 special
2020
2024
References