SF ‘Progressives’ Protect Accused Sex Assaulter — Then Attack Scott Wiener for Saying No

The Latinx Democratic Club is furious about Scott Wiener’s boycott of the SF Latinx Democratic Club — but their own actions tell the real story.

Notice how the club decided to handle Wiener’s boycott, noting “Declined” as if this were him ducking a fight instead of standing up for victims of sexual assault. The hard leftists in SF love putting up a long gauntlet of struggle sessions for anyone who is even a little bit to the center of their extreme ideology of The Oppression Olympics. Wiener is skipping and I’m all for that.

Wiener Takes a Stand

Senator Wiener declined the forum invitation and is calling on other candidates to do the same. His campaign’s logic is airtight: “An organization that cannot be trusted to seriously investigate accusations of sexual assault cannot be trusted to seriously investigate who should next represent San Francisco in Congress.”

Archived tweet

I welcome a candidate forum with SF’s Latino community, but not one spearheaded by an org that refused to hold its leader accountable when he was credibly accused of sexual assault. I look forward to a forum put on by other orgs. I call on my opponents to take this stand as well. https://t.co/KpfXhzUznX

Senator Scott Wiener @Scott_Wiener February 02, 2026

Wiener has worked hard to represent SF’s Latino community—delivering $1 million to the Mission during the pandemic, partnering on legislation to protect street vendors from violence, and championing legislation to unmask ICE and allow ICE to be sued. But he refuses to legitimize an organization that failed survivors.

The club’s response? Labeling him as “declined” on their forum flyer and inviting DSA darling Saikat Chakrabarti and Supervisor Connie Chan to pile on. Classic.

The Kevin Ortiz Timeline

Multiple women accused Kevin Ortiz of sexual assault, including Zahra Hajee—a former aide to Wiener himself—who filed a police report. According to the SF Chronicle, Hajee told police that Ortiz sexually assaulted her during encounters at her apartment in March and April 2021.

Ortiz was a former Pelosi staffer; both women reported to Pelosi’s office in 2022. The club’s “internal investigation” cleared Ortiz—but Hajee refused to participate citing bias, and the second accuser says she was never even contacted.

“I had no way of knowing there was an investigation and no avenue through which to participate in one,” the anonymous accuser told KQED. “This is really absurd. Of course, they believed him—he’s the only person they heard from.”

Ortiz ran unopposed for 2025 club president after reinstatement. Hajee’s statement cuts deep: “From the local level to the incoming White House, all I see is a unified effort to keep abusers in power.”

The Convenient Exit

In March 2025, the Latinx Democratic Club suddenly withdrew from the SF Democratic Party. Their stated reason? The party failed to protect Latino communities from Trump.

But the suspicious timing tells a different story: new sexual harassment training requirements were set to take effect in May 2025. As KQED reports, leaders of local chapters would have to complete sexual harassment training and incorporate the new policies into their chapters’ bylaws if they wished to remain chartered.

Nancy Tung, the SF Democratic Party chair, called the departure “sudden” after the club had been “very eager about rechartering.” As GrowSF put it bluntly: “a move that looks less like a stand for community and more like an attempt to avoid scrutiny.”

The “Oppression Olympics” Playbook

The club frames its departure as protecting Latino communities, while actually protecting an accused abuser. They accuse critics of being racist while shielding their own leader from accountability. It’s textbook identity politics as a deflection shield.

This is not an isolated case. Jon Jacobo, another progressive Latino political leader and former part of SF political powerhouse TODCO, is headed to trial on multiple felony sexual assault charges. According to GrowSF, despite detailed accusations, Jacobo continued to hold leadership roles within Latino groups in the Mission for years.

The pattern is clear: progressive organizations using identity politics as a shield against legitimate criticism. When you shield accused abusers and flee accountability structures, you’re not standing up for anyone but yourselves.

Leadership requires accountability—period. Wiener made the right call. Other candidates should follow.

Follow @garrytan for more.