Manny Yekutiel drops out of San Francisco supervisor race amid sexual assault allegations
As allegations of sexual assault swirl, a candidate in the race for San Francisco's District 8 supervisor has ended his campaign.
Local business owner Manny Yekutiel made the announcement Thursday afternoon as a new sexual assault allegation surfaced.
News quickly spread in the Castro District that Yekutiel dropped out of the race.
"I was surprised because he's very arrogant, and initially he didn't back down," voter Russell Deason said.
Three people have now come forward, all with similar stories, alleging Yekutiel groped them at public parties. Deason knows one of the accusers, who first brought these allegations to light.
"He's a friend," Deason said. "I believed him. So, when the second allegation came out, I was like, well, I'm not surprised."
While Yekutiel dropped out of the race, the owner of Manny's Cafe hasn't admitted to any wrongdoing.
"I am not admitting to having assaulted anyone and some of the things that are being said about me are fundamentally untrue. But I am deeply sorry for any boundaries that I crossed," Yekutiel said in a statement.
Ryan Durrett liked some of Yekutiel's ideas to improve the district and considered voting for him. But he's glad the allegations surfaced now.
"I want someone who I can trust with my moral compass," Durrett said. "Manny was tricky because I don't think our moral compasses completely aligned in a universal way."
No formal charges have been brought forward in any of the cases. Deason feels it's time to reflect on this behavior he feels is prevalent in the LGBTQ+ community.
"A lot of men feel entitled to make those sort of advances," he said. "And they're not. We live in a different age now, and just because you're at a party or in a bar or whatever the setting."
