San Francisco’s latest political drama could make even the most jaded conservative raise an eyebrow. Isabella "Beya" Alcaraz, the city’s youngest supervisor at 29, has resigned in a cloud of disgrace just days after taking office, all thanks to a stomach-churning mess at her former pet store. This isn’t just a misstep; it’s a full-on faceplant into a pile of ethical quicksand.
According to the Daily Mail, Alcaraz, sworn in as District 4 supervisor on Nov. 6, 2025, stepped down a mere seven days later on Nov. 13 at the behest of Mayor Daniel Lurie, following revelations of horrific conditions at The Animal Connection, a pet store she ran for six years in the Sunset District.
Let’s rewind to the beginning of this sorry tale. At just 22, Alcaraz took the reins of The Animal Connection, a business she operated with what Mayor Lurie initially praised as grit and dedication, especially through the pandemic. But beneath the surface of this supposed success story bubbled a cauldron of neglect that would soon boil over.
Fast forward to May 2025, when Julia Baran, 26, took over the pet store and stumbled into a scene straight out of a horror flick. She uncovered hundreds of dead mice under shelves, cages encrusted with rodent waste, piles of trash, and even a freezer stuffed with deceased pets like lizards and guinea pigs. If this is the “grit” of a businesswoman, one shudders to think what failure looks like.
Baran didn’t just find a mess—she documented it with photos and videos, capturing the sheer scale of the filth. “It smells like death,” she said in a video shot on May 19, 2025, as she revealed piles of rodent carcasses and droppings behind a store shelf. That’s not a quote you slap on a campaign poster, and it paints a grim picture of Alcaraz’s management.
City records back up Baran’s claims with cold, hard evidence. Inspections by Animal Care and Control in 2024 noted rodent droppings, spilled food, and foul odors at the store, with a warning issued to Alcaraz in May of that year to clean up within a week. A follow-up check in July still found rat feces and bad smells, though the animals seemed healthy—a small mercy in a sea of mismanagement.
But the rot wasn’t just physical; financial records from 2020 to 2023 show The Animal Connection bleeding money, with Alcaraz frequently behind on rent. A leasing agent even refused to transfer the store’s lease due to its dismal payment history, signaling the end of the line by 2026. For a supervisor touted as a business success, these numbers tell a very different story.
Then there’s the ethical quagmire. Text messages released by Baran on Nov. 13, 2025, reveal Alcaraz admitting to using business funds for personal expenses like dinners and paying employees under the table. This isn’t just sloppy bookkeeping; it’s a deliberate sidestep of accountability that raises serious questions about integrity.
Baran and her brother had to bury the dead animals they found, while months of cleaning and thousands of dollars were needed to make the store remotely presentable. It’s hard not to wonder how Alcaraz could oversee such chaos while being promoted as a community pillar. This isn’t leadership—it’s a liability.
Mayor Lurie initially championed Alcaraz, citing her pet store tenure as proof of her work ethic and community commitment. But skeptics are now asking whether proper vetting was done, given her lack of political experience and a résumé thinner than a dollar-store napkin. Was this a rush to diversity over substance, or just a blind spot in City Hall?
“The Sunset deserves a supervisor who is fully focused on serving the community,” Lurie stated in a written release about Alcaraz’s resignation. Fine words, but they come after the damage is done, leaving District 4 to pick up the pieces of a failed experiment. One hopes the next appointment prioritizes competence over optics.
Alcaraz, for her part, tried to frame her exit as a noble sacrifice. “I believe that my community deserves someone who will work 24/7 to advocate for us,” she said in her resignation statement. Admirable sentiment, but it’s tough to buy the selflessness when the alternative was likely a drawn-out public shaming.
Alcaraz’s brief tenure—she replaced recalled supervisor Joel Engardio—marks her as the first Filipina American on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, a historic note now overshadowed by scandal. It’s a shame when identity milestones are tainted by personal failings, but merit must always trump symbolism in public office. The progressive push for fresh faces in politics often ignores the hard reality that governing isn’t a startup experiment. Alcaraz’s collapse under scrutiny shows why experience and accountability matter more than feel-good narratives. San Francisco deserves better than leaders who can’t even keep a pet store clean.
So, what’s the takeaway from this debacle? If we’re to avoid more embarrassing flops, city leaders must prioritize substance over surface-level achievements. Let’s hope District 4’s next supervisor brings a broom—not for a pet store, but to sweep away the mess of misplaced trust.
