Members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors

San Francisco's city charter gives the mayor the power to fill any vacancies[1] and to suspend members in limited circumstances;[2] the latter case has happened only once, when Mayor Gavin Newsom suspended Ed Jew due to allegations of lying about his residency and extortion.

Board presidents are elected by their colleagues at the beginning of every odd-numbered year, or when a vacancy arises in the office.

[8] The first Board of Supervisors served only from July 8 to November 15, 1856, and consisted of one justice of the peace for each of the city's four districts.

Supervisors from the 19th century are listed in surviving copies of municipal reports, contemporary newspapers, and similar sources.

[8][10] Article II, Chapter I, Section 2 of the revised charter, ratified by voters on May 26, 1898, specified that "[t]he Board of Supervisors shall consist of eighteen members all of whom shall hold office for two years and be elected from the City and County at large."

[14] The new city charter adopted by voters in November 1931 reduced the Board of Supervisors' membership in two stages from 18 members to 11.

This graphical timeline depicts the composition of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors since district elections were resumed in November 2000, along with the mayor in office at each point.

Each color corresponds to one of the city's 11 districts, with a paler shade indicating periods when the officeholder was appointed rather than elected.