Let's get two things out of the way upfront: mental health struggles are real, they are serious, and anyone dealing with them deserves compassion and proper care. Full stop.

Now here's the other thing that's also true: San Francisco's District 9 residents deserve a functioning representative on the Board of Supervisors.

These two statements aren't in conflict. In fact, they point to the same conclusion — one that a growing number of San Franciscans are reaching on their own.

The extended mental health leave taken by the District 9 supervisor has left constituents in a frustrating limbo. Board votes happen without their district's voice. Policy gets shaped without their input. The city doesn't pause because one seat is empty, and the people who live in that district are effectively unrepresented during a period when San Francisco faces no shortage of urgent issues — from public safety to housing to budget decisions that affect every neighborhood.

As one SF resident put it bluntly: "If I were in her district I'd be pissed. People deserve representation. She needs to step down and allow a replacement to represent District 9 residents in city government."

Another local was more concise: "That is a really, really long leave of absence."

Here's our take: elected office is a public trust, not a personal asset. Supervisorial terms are already short. Every month a seat sits vacant is a month constituents go without the representation they voted for. Stepping down isn't an admission of failure — it's an act of responsibility. It allows the city to appoint someone who can actually show up, vote, and advocate for the district while the current supervisor focuses on recovery without the pressure of a job she isn't performing.

We genuinely wish her well. Depression and anxiety aren't things you just push through, and nobody should have to white-knuckle their way through a mental health crisis for the sake of appearances. But compassion for an individual doesn't require an entire district to go without governance.

The responsible move — for herself and for District 9 — is to resign and let someone else step in. That's not cruelty. That's accountability.