A San Francisco political newcomer has vanished from office as quickly as she arrived, caught in a storm over shocking revelations about a pet store she once managed.
Isabella 'Beya' Alcaraz, a 29-year-old Democrat, resigned as District 4 supervisor just one week after her appointment, following allegations of horrific conditions at The Animal Connection, a pet shop in the Sunset District she previously ran, as reported by Breitbart.
The resignation came at the request of Mayor Daniel Lurie, who had initially praised Alcaraz as a 'bridge builder' and 'problem solver,' only to see her tenure implode under public scrutiny over dead animals stored in freezers alongside hundreds of deceased rodents at the store.
Julia Baran, 26, who took over the pet shop after Alcaraz, exposed the grim reality with photos and videos shared with the San Francisco Standard, painting a picture of neglect that’s hard to stomach.
Baran described the scene in a video, saying, 'It smells like death,' after finding hundreds of dead mice beneath the sales floor shelving, a detail that raises serious questions about basic responsibility.
She added, 'There was a layer of pee and dust and poop on everything,' from walls to cabinets to unsellable inventory, a level of filth that suggests more than just oversight—it hints at a complete disregard for decency.
Mayor Lurie appointed Alcaraz despite her lack of political experience, citing her background as a businesswoman and pet store owner as proof of her capability for a role on the County Board of Supervisors, which pays over $175,000 annually.
That decision now looks like a glaring error, as Alcaraz never even attended a local government meeting after being sworn in on her 29th birthday, leaving one to wonder how such a high-stakes position was handed to someone with no track record in governance.
The San Francisco Chronicle called this appointment 'the biggest misstep of Lurie’s first year in office,' a judgment that’s hard to dispute when the fallout unfolded in mere days.
Baran didn’t stop at exposing the store’s conditions; she also shared text messages with the San Francisco Chronicle in which Alcaraz allegedly admitted to paying workers under the table and writing off personal expenses like 'dinner and drinks' with friends to reduce her tax burden.
Baran told the paper directly, 'To say you’re a successful businesswoman is not true,' a pointed critique that cuts through any polished narrative about Alcaraz’s qualifications for public office.
These revelations paint a troubling picture of someone who, at best, lacked the judgment needed for leadership, and at worst, skirted ethical lines long before stepping into a taxpayer-funded role.
Alcaraz’s swift exit from office serves as a reminder that flashy titles like 'businesswoman' don’t automatically translate to competence in governing, especially when the underlying record is this tarnished.
While it’s unfortunate to see a young appointee falter so publicly, the real lesson here is for leaders like Mayor Lurie to prioritize proven accountability over feel-good optics when filling critical roles.
San Francisco deserves better than a revolving door of scandals; let’s hope this debacle prompts a harder look at who gets entrusted with the public’s business, before the next headline writes itself.
