SF Supervisor Jackie Fielder Hospitalized During Leaked Memo Investigation

Residents of the Mission, Bernal Heights, and Portola have gone two weeks without their supervisor casting a vote at City Hall. Jackie Fielder, who represents those neighborhoods, is hospitalized following what her office described Friday as an "acute personal health crisis," while an internal investigation into a leaked legal memo continues to unsettle her already-turbulent office.

Fielder has excused herself from at least four board and committee meetings this month. A legislative aide shared a statement from her office: "Jackie Fielder is going through an acute personal health crisis right now and we are not at liberty to share details, but we appreciate the support people have given us and are proud of her for taking care of herself."

She told a reporter she was available to speak in person at the hospital, and a security guard confirmed she was in the facility but blocked entry. As of 4:30 p.m. Friday, the Board of Supervisors clerk had no formal resignation on file, though Fielder has told multiple people she plans to resign.

The City Attorney's Office response was notably direct. "Our thoughts are with Supervisor Fielder," said Jen Kwart, spokesperson for City Attorney David Chiu. "We wish her a quick recovery and encourage her to take the time and space necessary to thoroughly consider any potential resignation."

That statement came as Chiu's office continues an internal investigation it opened in February to identify who leaked a confidential memo to the media. The memo, obtained by Mission Local, warned elected officials that the mayor's South of Market proposal could violate state laws and presents a "very high legal risk." The proposal centered on a sobering center near the city's downtown core, where homeless people could receive treatment without immediate punishment but face arrest if they chose to leave. The full Board passed the plan 9-2; Fielder was one of the two supervisors who voted against it.

An unnamed source with knowledge of the investigation said the leak almost certainly came from one of San Francisco's 11 supervisors or a member of an elected official's staff. The City Attorney's Office has not publicly named a suspect, and the investigation remains in its early stages; Fielder has not been identified as a culprit.

The turmoil in Fielder's office predates her hospitalization by weeks. Aide Feng Han's employment in the office ceased March 12, according to the city clerk, as the office faced mounting disruption following the city attorney's investigation into the reported leak.

Fielder won her seat in 2024, defeating moderate candidate Trevor Chandler, and has been considered the board's most left-leaning member. Known for advocacy on public banking and tenant protections, she called for an audit of the Sheriff's Department this month before her absences from public meetings began. She previously ran for state Senate in 2020 but lost to incumbent Scott Wiener.

Any formal change to her seat requires paperwork filed with the Board clerk. As of Friday afternoon, that documentation does not yet exist.