Where does Shamann Walton live?

According to public records, the Board of Supervisors president resides in Vallejo

Mission Local has discovered that Louie also co-owns a home in District 11. A clause in her lending agreement, finalized in April 2021, stipulates that the District 11 home shall be “Borrower’s principal residence within 60 days” of the ratification of the lending agreement, and that she “shall continue to occupy the property as Borrower’s principal residence for at least one year.”  — Joe Eskenazi in a Mission Local column about District 4 candidate Leanna Louie’s residency, Aug. 16, 2022

In 2008, former District 4 supervisor Ed Jew pleaded guilty in state court to felony perjury for lying about living in the district he represented. The plea was part of a deal with the San Francisco district attorney's office (led by now Vice President Kamala Harris) after Jew pleaded guilty to federal charges of mail fraud, bribery, and extortion in connection with a scheme to shake down Chinese immigrant owners of tapioca drink shops in the Sunset District for $84,000 in bribes (no, City Hall corruption didn’t start with Mohammed Nuru). 

Then-City Attorney Dennis Herrera’s office sent two letters in 2007 demanding Jew supply evidence to prove he resided at the 28th Ave. home owned by his father, where he claimed to live since filing to run for District 4 supervisor in Aug. 2006. After Jew was unable to prove his residency, in Sept. 2007 Mayor (now Governor) Gavin Newsom suspended him and he later resigned. Jew was sentenced to 64 months in federal prison for extortion, and a year in county jail for perjury.

Currently, a candidate for Jew’s former seat, Leanna Louie, is facing criticism after an article in Mission Local questioned whether she met the Department of Elections’ residency requirement necessary to run for the job. Joe Eskenazi reported that Louie changed her registration three times in three months, bouncing back and forth between her longtime District 10 address and District 4. Eskenazi quoted the “Candidate Eligibility” section of the Department of Elections’ Candidate Guide which states, “A candidate for the Board of Supervisors must reside and be registered to vote in their district for at least 30 days immediately preceding the date he or she files the Declaration of Candidacy.” 

After Eskenazi’s report and Louie’s own admission that she voted in District 10 while being registered in District 4, the Department of Elections referred Louie to the District Attorney to investigate possible voter fraud. City Attorney David Chiu also demanded a meeting with Louie in which “she will be mandated to provide voluminous evidence — bills, statements, documents, tax forms — proving her residency in District 4.”

While Louie is in a tight spot, it’s not as tight as the spot Jew was in. As a sitting supervisor, he was required to live full time in the district he represented. You would think after the Ed Jew fiasco city officials would have put some additional steps in place for supervisors to prove residency in their districts — or even in San Francisco — but that’s clearly not the case. Take current Board of Supervisors president Shamann Walton. Earlier this month, I received multiple tips from Twitter followers stating that he lives in Vallejo.

Walton claims to have lived at a home on Hollister Ave. in the Bayview District since 2015, but records show he and his wife live in a home they own together on Del Sur St. in Vallejo. Like Louie’s, the agreement the Waltons signed on June 26, 2019, has the same clause stipulating the home be “the Borrower’s principal residence within 60 days of the ratification of the lending agreement” and they “shall continue to occupy the property as Borrower’s principal residence for at least one year.” In Walton’s case, the timeframe coincides with his term as District 10 supervisor, which began in Jan. 2019. That means Walton was on the Board with a residency requirement for San Francisco at the time he applied for and took out the loan.

Public records show the Hollister Ave. home has been in the Lal Phul Mati Revocable Living Trust since 2013. Mati also owns another home on the same street. A record of tenants at the Hollister address lists Walton and his wife as “former residents” now residing in Vallejo. Other residents include Damani M. Hamilton, age 22, who is the son of Walton’s wife, Talmesha Hamilton (she and Walton married in 2017). Anthony Villanueva, 22, and Jose Villanueva, 24, are also listed as occupants.

According to San Francisco voting records, Walton resides at the Hollister address. I have no doubt he maintains a presence there, and a couple of sources said they see him at the house. That still doesn’t answer the question about his mortgage in Vallejo.

So, has the president of San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors lived in the district he represents for the entirety of his term as is required by law? Since the lending agreement required Walton and his wife to make the Vallejo home their principal residence within 60 days of ratification, and to continue occupying the property as their principal residence for at least one year, Walton either lied about living in San Francisco or he committed bank fraud. 

Either way, City Attorney David Chiu should “demand a meeting” with Supervisor Walton as he did with District 4 candidate Louie, where Walton will be “mandated to provide voluminous evidence — bills, statements, documents, tax forms” — proving his residency in District 10.

Perhaps my research into Walton’s residency status and the fact he listed his Vallejo home for sale on Aug. 11, 2022, is just a coincidence. At any rate, the listing was temporarily withdrawn on the same day. The property itself has a tortured history, with three foreclosures since 1998. The owner prior to Walton nearly lost possession for an HOA arrearage. Walton borrowed $422,000 on the $430,000 purchase price, so he was heavily leveraged at the time. The current sale price was set at $621,000, which would mean a $191,000 profit for the Waltons — not a bad return.