The daughter of “Grandpa Vicha” – the 84-year-old Thai immigrant whose killing stunned San Francisco – is launching a political career after after her father’s attacker effectively walked free.
Monthanus Ratanapakdee, a victims’ rights advocate, announced Wednesday she will run as an independent for the District 2 supervisor seat in the June 2 election, vowing to bring “common-sense leadership” and safer streets to the crime-plagued city.
Her campaign centers on what she described as “common-sense leadership” and a push for “safer communities” and “real results.”
“My father’s case is personal to me. But this campaign is about our city,” Ratanapakdee wrote on X. “Safer streets. Accountability. Real results — people over politics.”
In a phone call with the Post on Wednesday afternoon, Ratanapakdee said she has grown tired of the status quo on public safety and seeing few take action.
She is hoping to shake up the dynamics of a race that will play out over two elections this year after the incumbent, Supervisor Stephen Sherrill, was appointed in late 2024.
“I never feel safe and I was frustrated about the criminal justice system in San Francisco,” Ratanapakdee said. “I want to bring common sense to our community.”
Ratanapakdee’s father, Vicha Ratanapakdee, 84, died in 2021 after being violently shoved to the ground in San Francisco’s Anza Vista neighborhood.
The attack by Antoine Watson, now 25, was captured on surveillance video and became a flashpoint in national conversations about anti-Asian violence and stronger protections for elderly residents.
Last month, Judge Linda Colfax sentenced Watson to eight years, but suspended the remainder of the term. She said further incarceration would have a “poor impact” on Watson and credited him with five years already served in county jail.
Critics of the judge called attention to other cases in which she gave out lenient sentences.
A jury found Watson guilty of involuntary manslaughter and assault but acquitted him of murder. Prosecutors argued Watson should have known that tackling an elderly man at full speed was dangerous, while defense attorneys described the attack as an impulsive act without intent to kill.
Watson apologized in court, saying he thinks about his actions daily and wishes he could undo them, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Ratanapakdee has emerged as an advocate for victims’ rights and public safety reforms while frequently criticizing city leadership over crime, but her candidacy is a longshot.
Sherrill has locked up key endorsements to continue representing District 2, which includes neighborhoods such as the Marina, Pacific Heights and Cow Hollow — areas that have increasingly become focal points in San Francisco’s debate over crime, homelessness and housing.
Sherrill was appointed by former Mayor London Breed and is up for special election in June, and the race also includes organizer Lori Brooke, who co-founded Neighborhoods United SF.
City Hall insiders told The Post that Sherrill’s appointment was a quid pro quo to help Breed get a job with the Aspen Institute, an organization linked to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has served as a mentor to Sherrill.
Breed and Sherrill both denied any wrongdoing.
Ratanapakdee slammed the local Democratic Party and told The Post she intends to build momentum off of her write-in campaign ahead of another election for the D2 supervisor seat in November.
“You know my dad died in our neighborhood, and I feel bad not being able to protect him,” Ratanapakdee said. “I just want to be a voice of change.”
