Friends like these

Erica Sandberg, the conservative writer who has frequently criticized the city’s drug policies on social media and in publications like The Voice of San Francisco, told me that the endorsement by Dorsey was “shocking” to her and others opposed to the city’s harm reduction strategies. 

McCoy has expressed strong criticism of the American “war on drugs” and the overuse of the criminal justice system to punish drug users. He has also argued that those in treatment should not lose housing over a relapse, and that improving access to long-term services is key to reducing drug demand.

“Making sure that people are being arrested, prosecuted, that there are meaningful consequences, that’s something we’ve relied on Dorsey to represent, to be a strong reaction to what’s been happening,” Sandberg said. “But it weakens his case when he’s connected to someone like McCoy, who has been quite open on his position to not incarcerate drug dealers and users.”

“I don’t trust Gary, and I’m absolutely appalled that Dorsey would throw his name behind him,” Sandberg told me.

Other political critics, many with substantial followings on social media, took the opportunity to chime in. In response to Sandberg’s post on Dorsey and McCoy on X (where she has 22,000 followers), conservative writer and editor Susan Dyer Reynolds of The Voice of San Francisco and the Marina Times claimed that McCoy mismanaged the now-shuttered Tenderloin “linkage center” in his role at HealthRight360, which she has previously denounced. (The claim is based on city emails obtained by Reynolds that depict miscommunication in HealthRight360’s reported data, with no evidence McCoy “ran an illegal drug den,” as Reynolds asserted on X.

Another notable opponent of McCoy is drug policy advocate Tom Wolf, who also had a long struggle with addiction but now works with the Salvation Army and the nonprofit Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions.

A frequently cited expert in media reports, Wolf has been a staunch critic of harm reduction policy in the city. He has railed against the “radical left,” platformed far-right activists like Chris Rufo (an architect of the anti-DEI panic), and recently suggested most San Francisco residents would support a takeover of the city by federal forces to curb its drug markets. (His post on X was reposted by Elon Musk, who added that “it’s the only solution at this point.”) 

This week, Wolf stated that it is “absolutely shocking” that McCoy is considered a serious candidate. “Radical harm reductionist, radical anti-police and radical criminal justice reform. SF continues [to] platform this and it's just nuts,” he wrote. 

Adam Mesnick, owner of the sandwich shop Deli Board and social media figure who posts about public disorder on his popular X account, declared “when they tell you who they are, believe them” about Dorsey’s endorsement, implying the supervisor is not as big of a harm reduction critic as he seems. 

Right-wing talking head and organizer Richie Greenberg, a noisy presence in the recall of Joel Engardio, wrote McCoy is a “reckless advocate unfit for City Hall.” 

Even Daniel Francis, the founder of police-assisting AI startup Abel and a viral figure on X who has more than 174,000 followers, chimed in. “Maybe they’re friends,” he wrote about Dorsey and McCoy.

Many of these voices have consistently backed a crackdown on drug use and conservative policy efforts in San Francisco, levying accusations against progressives and sometimes leaning into rhetoric that is transphobic and racially charged. 

The term “harm reduction” can mean many things in practice, but some core principles exist. Harm reduction strategies meet people where they are to attempt to improve the material conditions and safety of drug users without demanding abstinence as a requirement for services. In addition, harm reduction advocates often promote alternatives to incarcerating drug users. 

Dorsey has maintained that harm reduction strategies do have a place in the city’s efforts to confront its public drug crisis, but has lambasted the city’s current response as being overly permissive of open drug use and responsible for rampant overdoses. He recently described the city as a “national magnet” for drug tourism. 

Earlier this year, Dorsey introduced legislation that would focus the city’s approach on a “recovery first” agenda that works toward “long-term remission” for those struggling with substance use. (The original language of the bill prioritized abstinence as the final goal, but it was amended after criticism from medical advocates.) 

Mayor Daniel Lurie signed it into law in May, and although the legislation is only a guideline — it doesn’t actually change any specific policies — it affirmed Dorsey’s position on drug-crisis priorities. 

“By enacting ‘Recovery First’ into law, San Francisco is finally aligning our drug policy goal with what any of us would wish for a loved one struggling with addiction — a self-directed and healthy life, free from illicit drug use,” Dorsey stated in the announcement on May 23. 

And this week, alongside District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, Dorsey introduced legislation that would halt the use of city funds on “drug-tolerant” permanent supportive housing. 

These moves show that Dorsey is squarely in the law-and-order, less-leniency camp when it comes to the city’s addiction crisis. One of the biggest critics of his rhetoric, ironically, has been McCoy’s organization. HealthRight360 argued in 2023 that Dorsey peddled “false claims and misinformation” about the crisis, and condemned his efforts to divert city money to “jail-based” treatment. 

On one hand, Dorsey backing someone who diverges from some of his agenda seems to be a sign that he is willing to look beyond policy specifics and consider other aspects like character; on the other, people like Sandberg — who was once part of a libel suit from McCoy over an X post — see the endorsement more as hypocrisy. 

“What's the real situation here? What does Matt Dorsey really believe? Does he really believe in making sure that people who are selling drugs face serious consequences?” Sandberg asked. 

McCoy is more gracious — at least to Dorsey. “Gary is grateful to Supervisor Dorsey for his continued support and looks forward to working with him to address the challenges facing our city,” McCoy campaign spokesperson Caitie Stewart said in a statement to Gazetteer. “The small group of social media trolls going after the Supervisor are the same people who, for years, have spewed hateful, racist, and transphobic rhetoric in order to bully and silence people.”

Dorsey did not respond to two requests for comment from Gazetteer.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect the fact that Gary McCoy is the former vice president of policy and public affairs at HealthRight360. He left the role in January and now serves as the campaign manager for Nancy Pelosi’s Save Our Health Care campaign.

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