Supervisor Jackie Fielder’s legislative plans are many: restoring clean streets in her district by building more public restrooms, launching San Francisco’s first public bank to raise funds for priorities like affordable housing, and fighting to restore budgets for community organizations serving immigrants. 

But before Fielder could rescue anyone else, she had to rescue herself. 

Following a mental health crisis that saw Fielder hospitalized in March, she’s feeling rested, restored, and ready to return to City Hall, she told The Standard in a wide-ranging interview Wednesday. She first announced her return in Mission Local (opens in new tab).

“Stepping away from work is not something that I wanted to do or ever want to do, but when the doctor told me three months is the least I need, it felt like I had to put my pride aside,” Fielder said. “I’m glad I did, because I’m feeling more rested, more clear-eyed, and ready to do this job again.”

Her first order of business will be town hall-style listening sessions in every neighborhood she represents. She’s still working on the details — where, when, and with whom — but she hopes to invite city staff to hear concerns from residents.

Fielder’s district is among the busiest on the board: She represents residents of Bernal Heights, Portola, and the Mission, the latter of which has seen fears of ICE raids spike among its heavily Latino population. Meanwhile, drug use has swelled near BART stations as law enforcement pushed dealers off Sixth Street in South of Market, and an investigation into the leak of a confidential City Hall memo (opens in new tab) regarding a drug rehab center was added to Fielder’s plate in March.

When she first discussed her mental health crisis that month, in both The Standard and Mission Local, Fielder felt “intense pressure” to resign. She needed an exit button. What she didn’t know, initially, she said, was that she could take a medical leave. When her staff presented that option, she took it. 

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Fielder is glad she was honest with her constituents about her struggle.

“There’s been so many people coming to me with their own stories of mental health challenges,” she said. “It’s just been overwhelming, and I feel very grateful and lucky for that.”

Fielder will return in time to vote on the city’s budget, the result of negotiations between the Board of Supervisors and the mayor’s office, which is due July 1. Mayor Daniel Lurie’s proposed budget slashed funding from workforce development programs, case management for Latino immigrants and Native American community members, and a position as a manager in the Portola business corridor, Fielder said.

“This has been a brutal budget season for a lot of the most vulnerable constituencies in San Francisco,” she said. “All of the funding for those services are on the line, and so that’s just top of mind when I get back.”

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The city would’ve been in a stronger fiscal position if Proposition D, the Overpaid CEO Tax, had passed in June, Fielder said. She was hoping for funding for more public bathrooms in the Mission and said she will continue to push for more bathrooms citywide.

Progressives suffered losses on the June ballot, including supervisor races in Districts 4 and 2, which include the Sunset and tony neighborhoods like the Marina and Cow Hollow. Fielder said the local progressive movement needs to look to the future to regain its stature.

“I think we need a new generation of progressive leadership, and in San Francisco, it’s hard to have that bench when it’s hard to afford to live in the city,” she said. “My race stands as an example of what’s possible, and so I continue to have hope that one day we’ll have more progressive leadership and representation on the board.”

Fielder’s neighborhoods, collectively known as District 9, were not without help in her absence. Her legislative staff, including Jennifer Ferrigno, Ana Herrera, Sasha Gaona, and Sheila Chung Hagen, put in extra hours to address residents’ concerns. Ryen Motzek, president of the Mission Merchants Association, said Gaona in particular stepped up for the Mission as neighbors worried about overdoses near BART stations.

“She has been incredibly engaging and incredibly communicative, like some of the best that I’ve seen from any, any department, hands down,” Motzek said. Fielder’s office helped the Mission get unarmed ambassadors to patrol the area, he said, “and they have been an amazing, amazing asset to this community.”

Other supervisors pitched in, too, including Chyanne Chen, who led the effort started by Fielder to initiate a public bank in San Francisco.

Now Fielder is going back into the fray, facing more than a hundred emails a day, plus texts, calls, and social media DMs, amid an “overwhelming” barrage of needs from the city. She’s ready. 

“Getting my sleep together and having a consistent eight hours of sleep for the first time in years — that has done wonders for my mental health,” Fielder said. She hopes others in politics, and in San Francisco in general, openly talk about their mental health needs and get the help they need.

Fielder has already seen some success: Her admission has helped other public officials feel more confident speaking to The Standard about their own mental health struggles.

“I hope I’m a testament to those who are considering asking for help or taking a break or saying no, even if it’s just for a second, just taking a breath,” Fielder said. “The world is hard, and life is hard, and you’ve gotta bring those close to you closer.”

She added, “You never know what someone is going through.”