Daniel Lurie, philanthropist heir to the Levi Strauss fortune, is poised to become the next mayor of San Francisco, having promised to slash red tape on development.
The challenger to Mayor London Breed had edged her out in early returns early Wednesday in ranked-choice voting, with Lurie leading 56.34 percent to Breed’s 43.66 percent in the last round, the City and County of San Francisco Department of Elections reported.
Lurie, founder of a nonprofit and a political moderate unknown to voters a year ago, had pledged to be aggressive on housing and cut red tape on real estate development and small business.
A shift to remote work has left more than 37 percent of San Francisco’s offices vacant, squeezing foot traffic on the streets below, while hurting Downtown shops and restaurants.
Standing before an electric crowd at The Chapel in the Mission District, Lurie said the initial tallies made him feel optimistic, the San Francisco Standard reported.
“Turning around this city is not going to happen overnight,” said Lurie, who has financed his campaign with more than $8 million of his own money. “We have extremely difficult challenges ahead. We know this.
“But here’s another truth: Our opportunities and advantages are more powerful.”
Lurie, who led the anti-poverty nonprofit Tipping Point for nearly two decades, said it was time to end the politics of “demonizing each other on every issue,” citing a moderate-versus-progressive divide.
“We see ourselves as San Franciscans,” he continued. “And it’s never been more clear to me that so many people love this city. And it’s time for us to start making people feel like the city loves them back.”
Across the Bay, voters in Oakland decided on two major recalls.
The recall of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao was ahead in early returns on Tuesday, with 65.2 percent of voters backing her removal from office, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
If the trend continues, Thao would be the first Oakland mayor ever to be recalled.
At the same time, a recall of progressive Oakland District Attorney Pamela Price, blamed for a spike in crime and a drop-off in public safety, led by 64.8 percent of the votes.
A shift to hybrid work and a slow return to offices in Oakland boosted office vacancy last month to 24.1 percent, according to Colliers. Other estimates peg the overall vacancy at 30 percent.
Observers point to crime and public safety as a top contributor to the “negative narrative” surrounding Oakland. Commercial real estate interests sank millions into recalling Price.
Thao, a political progressive, was elected in 2022 with a margin of fewer than 700 votes. She is the daughter of refugees, formerly homeless and the city’s first Hmong mayor.
Within months, Thao had fired popular police chief LeRonne Armstrong for allegedly mishandling a police probe, leaving the city without a permanent chief for nearly a year as the city struggled to curb a post-pandemic spike in crime.
Read more
Politics
San Francisco
San Francisco Chronicle endorses Levi’s scion Daniel Lurie for SF mayor
Politics
San Francisco
Commercial players spend millions to recall Oakland DA Pamela Price
Two days after the recall petition was certified, the FBI raided her home last June in connection with a corruption investigation. She has not been accused of a crime. If Thao is recalled, City Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas would ultimately be named interim mayor.
Bas is running for the Alameda County Board of Supervisors. If she wins her race, the City Council will select a new council president, who will serve as interim mayor until a special mayoral election is held in April, according to the Chronicle.
— Dana Bartholomew