As Lurie weighs Sunset appointment, history offers guidance: Pick a woman

<div class="content-grid article-content"><div class="Metadata_container__fxAzw"><div class="Metadata_metadata__W_0LF"><span>By <a class="" href="https://sfstandard.com/author/han-li/">Han Li</a></span><time datetime="2025-10-10T13:00:00.000Z">Published Oct. 10, 2025 • 6:00am</time></div></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">If you believe in gender curses — or superpowers — Sunset politics offers a neat case study.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">As Mayor Daniel Lurie considers whom to appoint as District 4 supervisor, history suggests that there’s a clear divide in how successful women have been in the role (and in the years after leaving City Hall) compared with men.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Since San Francisco returned to district supervisor elections in 2000, seven people have represented the Sunset (currently part of District 4). Of the women, all three — Fiona Ma, Carmen Chu, and Katy Tang — have gone onto higher office or become department heads in the current administration. Of the men, two (Leland Yee and Ed Jew) have done jail time, one (Gordon Mar) was booted after a single term, and one (Joel Engardio) didn’t even make it that far, being recalled in a landslide election last month.  </p></div><div class="!p-0 !m-0"></div><div class="floats"><div class="block-aside align-right align-right-overflow"><aside class="py-lg px-md md:px-xl bg-warm-gray-100 text-text-primary"><h2 class="pb-md mb-md font-bold border-b border-b-warm-gray-300 text-heading-xl">The Sunset gender divide: Women thrive…</h2><div class=""><ul class="list-block ListBlock_List__NF3JL article-body"><li>Fiona Ma, supervisor from 2002 to 2006, was elected to the state Legislature and Board of Equalization. She now serves as state treasurer and is running for lieutenant governor.<br/></li><li>Carmen Chu, appointed supervisor in 2007, later became the city’s assessor-recorder and is now city administrator — SF’s highest-ranking non-elected official. <br/></li><li>Katy Tang, appointed in 2013, now heads the city’s Office of Small Business.</li></ul></div></aside></div><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“I don’t think it’s a coincidence,” said Caryl Ito, a former president of the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women. “There is clearly a gender disparity in who succeeds and who doesn’t. It appears the men have failed.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Ito doesn’t necessarily think Lurie’s appointment to the supervisor role should be gender-motivated. But she noted that women frequently enter office with stronger credentials and a focus on community connection.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Alondra Esquivel Garcia, copresident of the San Francisco Women’s Political Committee, said women “have to work twice as hard to be taken seriously.” Female supervisors, she added, “have proved to be qualified leaders who can unify the district.”</p></div><figure class="ImageBlock_ImageFigure__ZnquR grid-wide inset-image mobile-grid-full mobile-grid-full" data-align="wide"><div class="relative"><div><img alt="" class="block lazyloaded" data-nimg="1" decoding="async" height="1707" loading="lazy" sizes="(min-width: 1001px) 800px, (min-width: 768px) 100vw, 100vw" src="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_28fpefa8m17jrcdkh37vpgjv5b/-S3840x2561-FPNG" srcset="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_28fpefa8m17jrcdkh37vpgjv5b/-S640x427-FPNG 640w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_28fpefa8m17jrcdkh37vpgjv5b/-S750x500-FPNG 750w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_28fpefa8m17jrcdkh37vpgjv5b/-S768x512-FPNG 768w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_28fpefa8m17jrcdkh37vpgjv5b/-S828x552-FPNG 828w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_28fpefa8m17jrcdkh37vpgjv5b/-S1024x683-FPNG 1024w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_28fpefa8m17jrcdkh37vpgjv5b/-S1080x720-FPNG 1080w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_28fpefa8m17jrcdkh37vpgjv5b/-S1200x800-FPNG 1200w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_28fpefa8m17jrcdkh37vpgjv5b/-S1920x1280-FPNG 1920w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_28fpefa8m17jrcdkh37vpgjv5b/-S2048x1366-FPNG 2048w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_28fpefa8m17jrcdkh37vpgjv5b/-S3840x2561-FPNG 3840w" style="color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 2560 1707'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=='/%3E%3C/svg%3E&quot;)" width="2560"/></div></div><figcaption class="basis-full mt-[10px] text-xs text-gray-550 font-inter leading-[18px]">Joel Engardio and Gordon Mar at a debate in 2022.<span class="image-caption-divider"> | </span><span class="image-credit"><span class="sr-only">Source: </span>Paul Kuroda for The Standard</span></figcaption></figure><div class="!p-0 !m-0"></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Ma — who served as supervisor from 2002 to 2006, currently acts as California’s state treasurer, and is running for lieutenant governor in 2026 —  said it often takes women “a lot longer to decide to run for office,” and they are usually inspired to do so “because of some main issue or cause near and dear to our hearts.” </p><div class="block-aside align-right align-right-overflow"><aside class="py-lg px-md md:px-xl bg-warm-gray-100 text-text-primary"><h2 class="pb-md mb-md font-bold border-b border-b-warm-gray-300 text-heading-xl">…while men stumble</h2><div class=""><ul class="list-block ListBlock_List__NF3JL article-body"><li>Leland Yee, who was elected as the first D4 Supervisor in 2000, was convicted of corruption charges and <u><a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/pr/former-state-senator-leland-yee-sentenced-five-years-imprisonment-racketeering" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sentenced to five years in prison in 2016<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></u>.<br/></li><li>Ed Jew, supervisor from 2006 to 2007, served jail time on extortion and bribery convictions.<br/></li><li>Gordon Mar, elected in 2018, <u><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2022/10/20/sf-district-chinese-american-supervisors/">lost reelection four years later</a></u>, becoming the first elected incumbent to be ousted since 2000. Mar now serves on the San Francisco Democratic Party County Central Committee.<br/></li><li>Joel Engardio, who bested Mar in the 2022 election, was <u><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/10/07/joel-engardio-exit-interview-recall-sunset-dunes/">recalled</a></u> last month in a landslide election spurred by his support for closing the Great Highway.</li></ul></div></aside></div><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“So when we finally do run, we want to do a good job, and not because of fame or fortune,” she added. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Lurie has faced pressure to appoint a woman to the D4 post after Engardio leaves office Oct. 17. The San Francisco Women’s Political Committee in September <u><a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26175257-sfwpc-letter-d4-supervisor/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sent a letter<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></u> to Lurie urging him to appoint a female supervisor, citing past supervisors Ma, Chu (now city administrator), and Tang (now head of the Office of Small Business) as examples of successful leadership.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“With the rich history of successful District 4 women supervisors,” the letter read, “we firmly believe that a woman is essential not only for representation, but for restoring stability, accountability, and community trust.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Garcia said the group isn’t backing a specific candidate but wants the mayor’s office to elevate women’s voices in the appointment process</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Lurie’s office has been interviewing potential D4 candidates in recent weeks but has not set a time frame for an announcement. At a recent town hall in the Sunset, the mayor confirmed that several people have expressed interest in the role and that the process is moving quickly.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Among the contenders is small business owner Albert Chow, who was a key figure in the campaign to recall Engardio. Chow said women are great leaders, but he’s ready to break the gender curse against male D4 supervisors. He compared his background to that of women who’ve held the role.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“I feel like I’m more like Katy and Carmen — they didn’t expect the role and got appointed,” Chow said. “I want to bring a small-business and true-resident approach. I don’t think there’s anyone quite like me in the mix.”</p></div></div>

Exclusive: Top official suspended after Standard investigation into alleged bid-rigging

<div class="content-grid article-content"><div class="Metadata_container__fxAzw"><div class="Metadata_metadata__W_0LF"><span>By <a class="" href="https://sfstandard.com/author/josh-koehn/">Josh Koehn</a></span><time datetime="2025-09-25T22:38:29.902Z">Published Sep. 25, 2025 • 3:38pm</time></div></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">A lucrative contract to help manage San Francisco’s $2.6 billion in business taxes has imploded and a top city manager has been suspended after The Standard launched an investigation into whistleblower allegations of conflicts of interest and bid-rigging at the tax collection agency.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Officials for the city attorney and controller’s offices confirmed they are initiating an independent review after San Francisco’s chief assistant treasurer, Tajel Shah, was placed on paid leave Thursday. The suspension came one day after Mechanical Orchard, a self-described “AI-native technology company,” walked away from a nearly $10 million contract to replace the business tax system used by the office of the treasurer and tax collector.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The fallout comes after The Standard requested interviews with Mechanical Orchard executives regarding whistleblower allegations about Shah’s personal relationships with company officials, as well as decisions she made in favor of Mechanical Orchard during two and a half years of discussions over contracts.</p></div><div class="!p-0 !m-0"></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Treasurer José Cisneros, who had said Shah would not be suspended before city officials reversed course, acknowledged to The Standard in an interview Wednesday that the cancellation of the contract “is a setback for our office’s work to modernize our business tax system.” There is urgency in finding a new contractor, as the technology the city uses to process taxes for roughly 90,000 businesses could be inoperable in several years.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Regarding the potentially rigged bidding process, Cisneros said, “I intend to investigate and make sure we get to the bottom of how everything was done.”</p></div><figure class="ImageBlock_ImageFigure__ZnquR grid-wide inset-image mobile-grid-full mobile-grid-full" data-align="wide"><div class="relative"><div><img alt="A person in a suit waving from a convertible, with trees and high-rise buildings in the background." class="block lazyloaded" data-nimg="1" decoding="async" height="1707" loading="lazy" sizes="(min-width: 1001px) 800px, (min-width: 768px) 100vw, 100vw" src="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_0a4o93ldll5pt3mj6tmhgffp18/-S3840x2561-FPNG" srcset="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_0a4o93ldll5pt3mj6tmhgffp18/-S640x427-FPNG 640w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_0a4o93ldll5pt3mj6tmhgffp18/-S750x500-FPNG 750w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_0a4o93ldll5pt3mj6tmhgffp18/-S768x512-FPNG 768w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_0a4o93ldll5pt3mj6tmhgffp18/-S828x552-FPNG 828w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_0a4o93ldll5pt3mj6tmhgffp18/-S1024x683-FPNG 1024w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_0a4o93ldll5pt3mj6tmhgffp18/-S1080x720-FPNG 1080w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_0a4o93ldll5pt3mj6tmhgffp18/-S1200x800-FPNG 1200w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_0a4o93ldll5pt3mj6tmhgffp18/-S1920x1280-FPNG 1920w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_0a4o93ldll5pt3mj6tmhgffp18/-S2048x1366-FPNG 2048w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_0a4o93ldll5pt3mj6tmhgffp18/-S3840x2561-FPNG 3840w" style="color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 2560 1707'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=='/%3E%3C/svg%3E&quot;)" width="2560"/></div></div><figcaption class="basis-full mt-[10px] text-xs text-gray-550 font-inter leading-[18px]">A whistleblower says Treasurer José Cisneros may have been asleep at the wheel on a contract to manage business taxes. | Eloise Kelsey</figcaption></figure><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Late last year, The Standard received a copy of a whistleblower complaint sent to the city’s Ethics Commission alleging that Shah failed to disclose her close friendship with Roque Versace, who at the time was Mechanical Orchard’s chief revenue officer. The complaint also alleged that Mechanical Orchard’s sister company, Ratio PBC, hired Shah’s niece just weeks before the city began accepting bids to replace its business tax system. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The Standard subsequently filed a public records request for all communications involving the city and Mechanical Orchard, resulting in the production of more than 1,100 emails and internal documents. A review of these documents and additional internal records appears to show that Shah, who oversees contracts and negotiations for the treasurer’s office, took steps that helped Mechanical Orchard win the bid to replace the business tax system. </p></div><div class="!p-0 !m-0"></div><div class="article-body grid-wide"><figure class="pullquote-block"><blockquote><p>“Equally concerning is Treasurer Jose Cisneros’s role in this matter. If he was unaware of Ms. Shah’s actions, it reflects a serious failure of oversight. If he was aware, it suggests complicity.”</p><cite>Whistleblower complaint</cite></blockquote></figure></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">More than a year of discussions between Mechanical Orchard officials and the treasurer’s office culminated in an open bidding process in the spring of 2024, in which companies submitted proposals and were ranked based on experience and pricing. Only the top three scorers were supposed to move on to the final round. One company finished in first place, three tied for second, and Mechanical Orchard finished third — or technically fifth, as a rival bidder, Vynyl, noted in a November 2024 letter to the city protesting Mechanical Orchard winning the contract. (Vynyl came in second overall in the final bidding process.)</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">According to the whistleblower allegations, Shah’s efforts helped Mechanical Orchard advance out of the first round of the competition, and she also instructed staff to revise the bidding process in order to reduce the scores of all finalists except Mechanical Orchard. An internal cost-assessment report obtained by The Standard shows that last-minute changes to the price of cloud infrastructure and IT support added roughly $1.7 million to proposals from all finalists — except Mechanical Orchard.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">In an interview Tuesday, Shah said she was not aware that Ratio PBC had hired her niece, and only vaguely recalled that Ratio PBC was involved in the process that led to Mechanical Orchard’s winning bid. Shah said Versace was a friend but compared him to any employee for a company that has had longtime dealings with the city. However, a Facebook post from 2017 shows that Shah commented on a photo of Versace’s family, “My favorite peeps!” </p></div><figure class="ImageBlock_ImageFigure__ZnquR grid-wide inset-image mobile-grid-full mobile-grid-full" data-align="wide"><div class="relative"><div><img alt="Recommendation for Anjali Mehta from Eric Guroff praising her data strategy skills and project leadership on a health data engineering engagement." class="block lazyloaded" data-nimg="1" decoding="async" height="3000" loading="lazy" sizes="(min-width: 1001px) 800px, (min-width: 768px) 100vw, 100vw" src="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_cev7q0j4tl7fp7icsmjmasfo3i/-S3840x2560-FPNG" srcset="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_cev7q0j4tl7fp7icsmjmasfo3i/-S640x427-FPNG 640w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_cev7q0j4tl7fp7icsmjmasfo3i/-S750x500-FPNG 750w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_cev7q0j4tl7fp7icsmjmasfo3i/-S768x512-FPNG 768w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_cev7q0j4tl7fp7icsmjmasfo3i/-S828x552-FPNG 828w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_cev7q0j4tl7fp7icsmjmasfo3i/-S1024x683-FPNG 1024w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_cev7q0j4tl7fp7icsmjmasfo3i/-S1080x720-FPNG 1080w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_cev7q0j4tl7fp7icsmjmasfo3i/-S1200x800-FPNG 1200w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_cev7q0j4tl7fp7icsmjmasfo3i/-S1920x1280-FPNG 1920w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_cev7q0j4tl7fp7icsmjmasfo3i/-S2048x1365-FPNG 2048w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_cev7q0j4tl7fp7icsmjmasfo3i/-S3840x2560-FPNG 3840w" style="color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 4500 3000'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=='/%3E%3C/svg%3E&quot;)" width="4500"/></div></div><figcaption class="basis-full mt-[10px] text-xs text-gray-550 font-inter leading-[18px]">The CEO of Ratio PBC gave the niece of a top San Francisco official a glowing endorsement on LinkedIn within two weeks of its sister company winning a bid on a major city contract. 
</figcaption></figure><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Joan Harrington, a former director and current fellow at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University, called Shah’s alleged dealings and lack of transparency throughout the contracting process “extraordinary.” </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“At the very least, she violated her duty as an employee by not being transparent in the process, and it obviously had an impact,” Harrington said.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Mechanical Orchard was supposed to begin the work of replacing the city’s business tax system in January. However, this process has been mired in protracted contract negotiations that appear to be a mystery even to Cisneros.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“I’m not aware of a single reason [for the delay],” the treasurer said. “I didn’t inquire about a particular thing, because I don’t suspect there’s a failure here.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The whistleblower complaint alleged that Cisneros’ leadership is “concerning.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“If he was unaware of Ms. Shah’s actions, it reflects a serious failure of oversight,” the complaint states. “If he was aware, it suggests complicity.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">An email from Feb. 16, 2023, shows that Shah initially tried to help Versace and Mechanical Orchard get a contract to help manage the city’s property tax system by emailing Simone Jacques, who handles contracts in the assessor-recorder’s office.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“My friend and I were chatting about the company that he just joined,” Shah wrote to Jacques. “As we geeked out on old mainframe and new cloud issues, he told me about what his company does in that space. … I think it might be worth discussing your efforts with them.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Shah then forwarded the email to Versace and wrote: “FYI.”</p></div><div class="article-body grid-wide"><figure class="pullquote-block"><blockquote><p>“At the very least, she violated her duty as an employee by not being transparent in the process, and it obviously had an impact.”</p><cite>Joan Harrington, ethics expert</cite></blockquote></figure></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The assessor-recorder’s office did not contract with Mechanical Orchard, but Shah quickly pivoted to discussions with Versace about subcontracting with a vendor in her shop and replacing San Francisco’s business tax system. Shah and staff in the treasurer’s office shared numerous meetings and emails in 2023 with Versace and Ratio PBC CEO Eric Guroff.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Guroff would give Shah’s niece, Anjali Mehta, a glowing LinkedIn endorsement just 12 days after the June 2024 deadline for companies to submit proposals to replace the city’s business tax system.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Attempts to reach Roque Versace, who no longer works for Mechanical Orchard, were unsuccessful. Guroff did not respond to requests for comment.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">In an email to staff this month, Shah wrote that she had been enlisted by Mayor Daniel Lurie to help handle <u><a data-post-id="6bc57da4-49ac-47c1-a28a-e2e352d5f52a" href="https://sfstandard.com/opinion/2025/08/25/daniel-lurie-permitsf-opengov/">contracting with OpenGov</a></u>, a software company that was recently given a sole-source contract to overhaul San Francisco’s labyrinthian permit system.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The mayor’s office did not respond to a request for comment on Shah’s suspension or her role in the OpenGov contracting.</p></div></div>

Lurie’s budget cuts immigrant services in ‘time of crisis’


<p>Mayor Daniel Lurie has <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/06/09/san-francisco-immigration-ice-los-angeles-donald-trump-daniel-lurie/">vowed to keep all San Franciscans safe</a> as federal immigration arrests surge in the city, but his proposed budget puts services for some of the most threatened communities on the chopping block.</p>



<p>As city officials negotiate over the next few weeks on how to close a $782 million deficit, nonprofit leaders, immigrant advocates, and at least one supervisor are sounding the alarm on what they say is a stall or rollback in funding during a time of profound fear in immigrant communities. And this could be just the beginning.&nbsp;</p>



<p>In one notable example, Lurie’s proposed budget would slash $250,000 from the Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs in 2026-27. The cut would amount to almost 7% of the office’s current $3.7 million budget.</p>



<p>The mayor’s office also intends to significantly <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/06/05/daniel-lurie-budget-cuts-san-francisco-nonprofit-grants/">scale back contracts for nonprofits</a>, some of which assist immigrant families with legal support, food and housing, and other efforts.</p>



<p>“I’m disappointed these cuts are on the table,” Supervisor Jackie Fielder told The Standard. “I’m going to work with my colleagues this year and next to restore as many of them as we can.”</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="1667" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/9039634452_sfpdovertime_002.jpg?w=2500" alt="A woman sits at a table with a laptop, a coffee carafe, and hand sanitizer, speaking into a microphone. She gestures with one hand, looking engaged." class="wp-image-394495" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/9039634452_sfpdovertime_002.jpg 3000w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/9039634452_sfpdovertime_002.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/9039634452_sfpdovertime_002.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/9039634452_sfpdovertime_002.jpg?resize=2500,1667 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/9039634452_sfpdovertime_002.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/9039634452_sfpdovertime_002.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Supervisor Jackie Fielder has raised issues with the mayor&#8217;s budget and its funding for immigrant services.</figcaption></figure>



<p>Pinning down all the city departments that provide services to immigrant communities is a challenge due to the complexity of <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/30/san-francisco-budget-daniel-lurie-deficit-proposal/">San Francisco’s $15.9 billion budget</a>. Some agencies and divisions, such as the Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs, play a direct role. Others, like the public defender’s office, have special allocations to represent immigrant clients.</p>



<p>The mayor’s office defended Lurie’s budget in an email Thursday, noting that funding for the Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs dropped from $5.2 million to $3.7 million under former Mayor London Breed. Officials added that Lurie’s budget maintains steady funding for immigrant legal programs amid the fiscal crisis, while other city-funded programs faced cuts due to the budget crunch.</p>



<p>“We protect our people by building trust, not fear,” Lurie told a crowd at an immigration rally Thursday on the steps of City Hall. “I’m going to continue protecting legal services for our immigrant communities.”&nbsp;</p>



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<p><a href="https://media.api.sf.gov/documents/Public_Defender_Budget_Submission_FY26_and_FY27.pdf">Budget documents show</a> the public defender asked Lurie to increase funding to its Immigration Defense Unit but the office was rebuffed. Its seven attorneys and six-member support staff handle 1,200 cases annually, according to Francisco Ugarte, the unit’s manager.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“Currently, as immigration enforcement increases, the community needs our help,” Ugarte said in a statement. “We are proud of the work we do and believe that the city’s investment in our unit will significantly pay off in defending due process and helping people and their families reestablish legal status in our communities.&#8221;</p>



<p>Lurie’s budget also cuts funding to nonprofits with larger missions that include providing food, shelter, and legal assistance to immigrant families.</p>



<p>At a hearing Wednesday, Alejandra Cuestas-Jaimes, a director at La Raza Centro Legal, said thousands of immigrant workers depend on her nonprofit’s services, but its funding is expected to diminish over the next two years.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="1667" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/9334360850_icemissionprotest_035.jpg?w=2500" alt="A diverse group of protesters marches, holding signs with messages against ICE. Some people are wrapped in flags, including an American flag, amidst urban surroundings." class="wp-image-408630" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/9334360850_icemissionprotest_035.jpg 8192w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/9334360850_icemissionprotest_035.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/9334360850_icemissionprotest_035.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/9334360850_icemissionprotest_035.jpg?resize=2500,1667 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/9334360850_icemissionprotest_035.jpg?resize=1536,1025 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/9334360850_icemissionprotest_035.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Hundreds attend a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids Monday in San Francisco.</figcaption></figure>



<p>Lurie’s budget slashed $85,000 from Centro Legal — which represents immigrant workers, many of whom are victims of wage theft — in the coming year, accounting for roughly half of this program’s funding. All of the funding will be eliminated the following year.</p>



<p>“If you cut that budget, the work of 20 years of our collaborative will be destroyed, and all the immigrant workers will be without a voice to represent them in front of state, local, and federal authorities,” Cuestas-Jaimes told the Board of Supervisors.</p>



<p>Laura Valdéz, executive director of Mission Action, had a call with Lurie last week in which she asked him to reconsider adding resources for the San Francisco Immigrant Legal &amp; Education Network and the San Francisco Immigrant Legal Defense Collaborative, which partner on the city’s <a href="https://sfilen.org/resources/sf-rapid-response-network/">Rapid Response Network.</a></p>



<p>“We are completely under-resourced to respond effectively,” Valdéz told The Standard.</p>



<p>Gabriel Medina, executive director of La Raza Community Resource Center, was one of several nonprofit leaders who told The Standard that, unlike other Bay Area counties, San Francisco has not increased funding for immigrant services in years. The static funding caused difficulties during Joe Biden’s presidency, Medina noted, but the dramatic escalation of raids and arrests under Donald Trump has created a dire emergency.</p>



<p>“In a time of crisis, we’re really concerned on how they&#8217;re expecting us to respond without city funding,” Medina said. “The mayor will say they’re trying to leverage foundations, but the city’s budget looks like it’s fallen flat.”</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="1667" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20242805-visionzeropresser-191.jpg?w=2500" alt="A man in a checkered suit speaks at a podium with people and a seal behind him." class="wp-image-263493" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20242805-visionzeropresser-191.jpg 3000w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20242805-visionzeropresser-191.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20242805-visionzeropresser-191.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20242805-visionzeropresser-191.jpg?resize=2500,1667 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20242805-visionzeropresser-191.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20242805-visionzeropresser-191.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">City Attorney David Chiu has filed six lawsuits against the Trump administration, including a challenge to stop the president’s effort to overturn birthright citizenship.</figcaption></figure>



<p>In February, the Board of Supervisors passed legislation that created an exception for certain elected officials and top staff in the mayor’s office to solicit donations from private sources to deal with expected threats from the Trump administration. These funds could be used for “legal services related to the creation and enforcement of immigration laws,” as well as protecting the environment and defending reproductive rights and the LGBTQ+ community.</p>



<p>In one example, City Attorney David Chiu, who is leading the <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/01/21/california-attorney-general-rob-bonta-donald-trump-lawsuit-birthright-citizenship/">birthright citizenship lawsuit</a> against the Trump administration, <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25974371-form-803-52925/">solicited $400,000 for the Public Rights Project</a> to fund civil rights litigation. Chiu has filed six lawsuits in total, and the city has won preliminary injunctions or temporary restraining orders at the district court level in all of the cases, according to the city attorney’s office. But these efforts are focused on large-scale fights with the Trump administration, rather than helping immigrant communities with day-to-day survival.</p>



<p>Joaquín Torres, San Francisco’s assessor-recorder, said the Trump administration’s approach to immigration enforcement is “seemingly indiscriminate,” as <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/06/05/san-francisco-ice-arrests-mothers-children/">women and children are being “disappeared”</a> in arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. He added that he is waiting for the budget to be finalized, but some funding will be backfilled as he and other city officials seek out behested payments.</p>



<p>“Once we see where the need exists, we can move as a many-tiered body to reach out to philanthropic organizations to help fill any gaps or augment services where it&#8217;s needed,” Torres said. “I think it’s a little too early to make a final determination until we move through questions being answered in this budget process.”</p>



<p>City Administrator Carmen Chu, who oversees the budget for the Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs, said at Wednesday’s hearing that as a daughter of immigrants, it is hard to stomach reports of ICE agents going after families in San Francisco.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“I look at my girls every day, and I cannot imagine the pain it would cause to be away from them,” Chu said. She proposed pushing back some cuts by a year so the city can work to identify money for the future. “When it’s Year 2, we have another shot at the budget, right?”</p>


Say less: Lurie’s office tightens grip on talking to press


<p>For years, <a href="https://sfstandard.com/tag/daniel-lurie/">Daniel Lurie</a> mostly avoided public criticism by staying out of the city’s ruthless political scene. That all changed in 2023, when he announced his run for mayor and started trading barbs with other candidates.</p>



<p>But since Lurie took office last month, the mayor’s office has resorted to extreme measures to buffer criticism and control the narrative.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Lurie’s press relations team has instituted rules that require all San Francisco departments to receive the blessing of the mayor’s staff before making statements to the media, The Standard has learned. The new approach by the mayor&#8217;s office was described by half a dozen City Hall sources as aggressive rather than collegial, coming off as micromanaging and overly sensitive to potential criticism. </p>



<p>Sources said that in weekly calls this month with public information officers for city departments, Lurie&#8217;s communications director, Nina Negusse, and Press Secretary Charles Lutvak announced that all statements from city departments will have to be pre-approved by the mayor&#8217;s office. </p>



<p>Additionally, departments must brief the mayor’s office on all media inquiries deemed politically sensitive, any request that mentions the mayor’s office, anything related to policy changes in the city, any criticism of the mayor or city, anything that would attract national media attention, and anything that touches the work of multiple departments. </p>



<p>“Rather than asking how they can help, it was: ‘We want to know everything,’” a source said.</p>



<p>Sources said it has long been the norm that any story or inquiry dealing with the mayor would be flagged and passed along, but the new approach is being described as micromanaging. Sources noted that press officials for many city departments, which have held the weekly calls since the pandemic, have substantially more experience than <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/01/23/daniel-lurie-city-hall-san-francisco-hires-administration/">Negusse and Lutvak</a> in working with the press.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="2500" width="1668" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/8420072128_luriepublicsafety-24.jpg?w=1668" alt="The image shows a man in a gray suit and purple tie, looking to the side with a slight smile. The background is a muted blue, and there's a shadowy hand visible." class="wp-image-364412" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/8420072128_luriepublicsafety-24.jpg 4002w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/8420072128_luriepublicsafety-24.jpg?resize=200,300 200w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/8420072128_luriepublicsafety-24.jpg?resize=768,1151 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/8420072128_luriepublicsafety-24.jpg?resize=1668,2500 1668w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/8420072128_luriepublicsafety-24.jpg?resize=1025,1536 1025w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/8420072128_luriepublicsafety-24.jpg?resize=1366,2048 1366w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1668px) 100vw, 1668px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Lurie&#8217;s team has insisted that press officials for some city departments send weekly memos rather than discuss issues by phone, sources say.</figcaption></figure>



<p>Negusse worked in corporate communications for two years after spending six years as public information officer for the city’s Public Utilities Commission. Lutvak worked on Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign for eight months after spending more than two years in the office of New York Mayor Eric Adams, who in 2022 instituted <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/04/04/eric-adams-press-corps-audio-00022569">a similar approach to dealing with the media</a>.</p>



<p>“After years of politicians letting departments operate in siloes, San Franciscans overwhelmingly voted for change and elected Mayor Lurie to manage city government collaboratively and efficiently,” Lutvak said in a statement when asked about his department’s practices. “Our office is coordinating across departments to ensure we speak with one voice about the important work our city employees are doing to make the city safer, cleaner, and more prosperous.”</p>



<p>“Collaborative” is not the word everyone at City Hall would use for the new approach. In one meeting, sources said, staff members were told they didn’t need to have Negusse’s phone number or call her, as she would be in touch if a conversation is needed.</p>



<p>“I’ve never seen anything like it,” a second source said.</p>



<p>The mayor&#8217;s office disputed details about the breadth of its new media policy but didn’t provide details. Lutvak denied that staffers were told not to call Negusse.</p>



<p>At the end of every Thursday, roughly a dozen departments are required to send memos with updates on pending media inquiries and plans for the following week, a source said, rather than talking by phone.</p>



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<p>Public safety departments like police and fire appear to have been given slightly different directives, sources said, as these agencies are required to communicate with the public during times of emergency.</p>



<p>It’s unclear if Lurie&#8217;s office was trying to extend the order to departments led by elected officials, such as City Attorney David Chiu and Assessor-Recorder Joaquin Torres, neither of whom report to the mayor. </p>



<p>A source with knowledge of how previous mayoral administrations dealt with city departments said the Lurie team seems to have overstepped its bounds. There’s also concern that information will not be relayed to the public in a timely manner if it needs to be reviewed by mayoral staff on almost every occasion.</p>



<p>“If I was [Negusse], I would want people to call me, because you want to have those relationships with departments,” the source said. “You want to know everything that’s going on, that&#8217;s true, but you can’t slow departments down to the point that they can’t function.”</p>


Donald Trump vs. San Francisco: The fight Daniel Lurie doesn’t want


<p><a href="https://sfstandard.com/opinion/2025/01/09/daniel-lurie-speaks-softly-but-carries-a-big-political-mandate/">Daniel Lurie</a> is clearly not itching for a fight.</p>



<p>In the face of a deadly fentanyl epidemic, rampant homelessness, and<a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/11/07/daniel-lurie-wins-san-francisco-mayor/"> a grim budget deficit</a>, San Francisco’s new mayor has repeatedly said he intends to focus on the city’s crises and not let his administration be sidetracked by President Donald Trump. One day into the sequel of<a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/11/05/san-franciscans-prepare-trump-victory/"> Making America Great Again</a>, Lurie stuck to that pledge.&nbsp;</p>



<p>After Trump signed 200-plus executive orders in his first hours in office, including plans to overturn birthright citizenship and<a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-01-21/trump-issues-executive-order-to-recognize-only-two-genders"> eliminate federal recognition of transgender people</a>, the mayor said nary a word about them.</p>



<p>Instead, Lurie tweeted out parts of his MLK Day speech. In another social media post, he offered condolences over the<a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/01/21/charles-phan-dies-the-slanted-door/"> death of famed chef Charles Phan</a>. He then posted a video telling people not to fret over the<a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/01/21/bloomingdales-to-exit-downtown-san-francisco-centre-mall/"> shuttering of Bloomingdale’s</a>, one of the few remaining upscale department stores downtown.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Today’s MLK March was a powerful demonstration of the strength of our community. It reminded us of the progress we&#39;ve made and the work that still lies ahead in achieving justice for all. Let us commit to working together to fulfill Dr. King&#39;s dream here in San Francisco. <a href="https://t.co/ol0aKK3qhv">pic.twitter.com/ol0aKK3qhv</a></p>&mdash; Daniel Lurie 丹尼爾·羅偉 (@DanielLurie) <a href="https://twitter.com/DanielLurie/status/1881513506161516865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2025</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p>The decision to ignore Trump’s actions offered the first glimpse into how Lurie intends to deal with a president hell-bent on targeting immigrants and the LGBTQ+ community, two of San Francisco’s core constituencies.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Sources in and around City Hall were disappointed by the mayor’s silence on the executive orders. Political insiders say this reflects a calculation about Lurie’s own electoral interests, as well as what he&#8217;s learned from watching other politicians engage with, and be distracted by, Trump&#8217;s serial provocations. But it also leaves representatives of some of the city&#8217;s key Democratic constituencies feeling uneasy and let down.</p>



<p>Whether it’s a matter of priorities, believing the fallacy that Trump will respect the autonomy of a better-governed San Francisco, or simply feeling uncomfortable tussling with Trump in public, Lurie chose to cede the floor Tuesday to City Attorney David Chiu, who joined almost two dozen states in<a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/01/21/california-attorney-general-rob-bonta-donald-trump-lawsuit-birthright-citizenship/"> suing the federal government</a> on the birthright citizenship issue.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“As the city attorney, I feel an enormous sense of responsibility to protect our city,” Chiu told The Standard. “There are so many communities that are fearful at this time based on what he has threatened or put in motion. This isn&#8217;t a fight any of us relish, but when Trump comes after our communities, we’ll do whatever we’re able to to defend them.”</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="1667" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20242805-visionzeropresser-191.jpg?w=2500" alt="A man in a checkered suit speaks at a podium with people and a seal behind him." class="wp-image-263493" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20242805-visionzeropresser-191.jpg 3000w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20242805-visionzeropresser-191.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20242805-visionzeropresser-191.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20242805-visionzeropresser-191.jpg?resize=2500,1667 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20242805-visionzeropresser-191.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20242805-visionzeropresser-191.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">City Attorney David Chiu filed a lawsuit Tuesday to combat Trump&#8217;s executive order on birthright citizenship.</figcaption></figure>



<p>Few, if any, cities were more active in leading the resistance to Trump’s first term as president than San Francisco. Elected officials routinely took aim at the Republican demagogue with a slew of resolutions and scathing statements, while the city attorney’s office filed 11 lawsuits, 35 regulatory rulemaking comments, and 37 amicus briefs. Trump’s second stint in the White House could be even more contentious.</p>



<p>In the months leading up to Trump’s inauguration, Chiu’s office began coaching departments on sanctuary city policies with an eye toward the new president challenging birthright citizenship and potentially launching deportation raids. Chiu brought back Mollie Lee — a former deputy city attorney, senior attorney for the ACLU, and senior counsel to Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign — as chief of strategic advocacy to oversee all Trump legal challenges.</p>



<p>Sources said Lurie was briefed on the city’s lawsuit and offered support, his public silence notwithstanding. The mayor’s office declined to comment Tuesday beyond noting that Lurie has expressed concerns about Trump and prefers to focus on city services and the local economy.</p>



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<p>Many in the city’s LGBTQ+ community went into red-alert mode Tuesday as elected officials like state Sen. Scott Wiener issued statements<a href="https://x.com/Scott_Wiener/status/1881726983467589688"> challenging the Trump administration</a>’s rejection of transgender rights. “It’s hard to overstate how radical this is: A government dictate[s] that a class of people simply doesn’t exist,” Wiener wrote.</p>



<p>Honey Mahogany, director of the city’s Office of Transgender Initiatives, said she has contacted every local transgender organization and received a message of support Tuesday from Kunal Modi,<a href="https://sfstandard.com/opinion/2025/01/07/the-fresh-faces-in-luries-cabinet-will-have-vast-power-but-will-they-know-how-to-wield-it/"> a policy chief in Lurie’s office</a>. While she expects to soon meet with Lurie, Mahogany said the transgender community is waiting for answers on how a federal order might affect residents.</p>



<p>“Folks are scared and unsure how all of this is going to affect them,” Mahogany said. “We’ve been really lucky to be making consistent progress over the last couple of decades, and this, obviously, seems like it’s going to be a large step back.”</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2500" height="1668" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/8196858920_002.jpg?w=2500" alt="A man in a suit gestures while speaking at a podium with microphones, set against a clear blue sky." class="wp-image-352675" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/8196858920_002.jpg 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/8196858920_002.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/8196858920_002.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/8196858920_002.jpg?resize=1536,1025 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/8196858920_002.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Lurie has been hesitant to directly engage with Trump, saying his focus needs to be on San Francisco.</figcaption></figure>



<p>On the campaign trail, Lurie repeatedly said he would stand up for the rights of all residents, but the enormity of Trump’s executive orders invites the question: What would compel the mayor to directly challenge the president?&nbsp;</p>



<p>Jeff Cretan, who was communications director for London Breed, said dealing with Trump was a challenge during the former mayor’s first years in office. The president feeds off attention, he said — whether it&#8217;s positive or negative.</p>



<p>“Breed’s concern with Trump was taking on the issues but not giving him air time for every wild one-off comment he made,” Cretan said.</p>



<p>In his first opportunity to reassure anxious residents about how the city will deal with a second Trump administration, Lurie deferred to Chiu, Assessor-Recorder Joaquín Torres, and officials in the sheriff’s office — all of whom spent time Tuesday reiterating the legality of San Francisco’s role as a sanctuary city while<a href="https://x.com/SheriffSF/status/1881843040685568111"> directing people to the Rapid Response Network</a> for immigrant communities.</p>



<p>“This administration at the federal level is seeking to divide us and instill fear in us where it can, and that’s bait that we’re not going to take,” Torres said. “We want our communities going to work and going to school and knowing their rights.”</p>



<p>Many political insiders say they want Lurie to succeed and are giving him the benefit of the doubt in his early days, as he has shown an earnest approach to meeting with allies and opposing camps. Francisco Ugarte, manager of the immigration unit of the public defender&#8217;s office, said he is optimistic about Lurie, adding that challenging Trump out of the gate has the potential to backfire.</p>



<p>“Many of us in these circles are adopting the approach of power, not panic,” Ugarte said. “Our zest to respond to every little thing, ironically, ended up doing damage by repeating Trump&#8217;s talking points.”</p>



<p>Mike Tyson famously said that everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face. Monday’s executive orders would be more like the opening bell. But whether he wants it or not, the fight is coming for Lurie.</p>



<p><em>Editor&#8217;s note: After publication, Lurie issued the following statement regarding San Francisco&#8217;s sanctuary city policy: “I stand with local law enforcement in upholding our policies. Their purpose is not to interfere with lawful federal immigration enforcement. San Francisco is in full compliance with federal law and residents should feel safe interacting with local law enforcement and other city agencies.”</em></p>


The original K-Hive: Kamala Harris’ SF advisors recall the campaign that changed history


<p>CHICAGO — When a friend approached Kamala Harris with a suggestion that would help launch her political career, she responded with a gesture that would become her trademark.</p>



<p>David Chiu, San Francisco’s city attorney, was among those who nudged Harris to run for district attorney in 2003. “I called Kamala, and I said, &#8216;I think at some point someone&#8217;s probably going to have to run for the seat. And I think if it&#8217;s anyone in this office, it&#8217;s got to be you,&#8217;” Chiu said. “And she laughed.<em>”&nbsp;</em></p>



<p>As Harris prepared to accept the Democratic nomination for president Thursday in Chicago, her giddy supporters spilled out from a California delegation breakfast at the Hyatt Regency to the hotel bar. The whole country was about to witness what some of them had known for decades — that Harris was bound for big things.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Squeezed into a booth, some of Harris’ earliest supporters in her first-ever campaign — for San Francisco district attorney — recalled the gifted young prosecutor who challenged a powerful incumbent and an underdog campaign involving ironing boards, Xerox machines, a fender-bender, and an undeniable spark that propelled her to victory against long odds.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="8640" height="5760" src="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/20280823-harrisdncspeech-02.jpg?w=2500" alt="A woman in a dark suit waves and smiles, standing in front of a large, cheering crowd with American flags and blue banners in the background." class="wp-image-304202" srcset="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/20280823-harrisdncspeech-02.jpg 8640w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/20280823-harrisdncspeech-02.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/20280823-harrisdncspeech-02.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/20280823-harrisdncspeech-02.jpg?resize=2500,1667 2500w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/20280823-harrisdncspeech-02.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/20280823-harrisdncspeech-02.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 8640px) 100vw, 8640px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Harris accepted the Democratic nomination for president before a jubilant crowd in Chicago that included longtime friends.</figcaption></figure>



<p>Few could have foreseen that Harris, who went on to become California attorney general and a senator, might be president someday. But the group, which included Harris’ former campaign manager Rebecca Prozan, spokesperson Debbie Mesloh, and early supporters Heidi Sieck and Chiu, described defining moments from a 2003 DA campaign that would launch the political career of — if Democrats are so lucky — the first woman president.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“A friend of mine was like, hey, there&#8217;s this woman running for district attorney, and I laughed, because she’s running against this powerful incumbent,” recalled Sieck, a field organizer for Harris’ 2003 campaign and former chair of the San Francisco Women’s Political Committee, which endorsed her.</p>



<p>Before she ran for office, Harris’ courtroom skills had earned her a reputation among fellow attorneys. She specialized in sex abuse cases and was known for her gripping closing arguments, recalled Chiu. “I just watched her mesmerize the jury and mesmerize the rest of us. She was brilliant. She was tenacious.”</p>



<figure class="wp-block-pullquote"><blockquote><p>“[Harris] didn&#8217;t come from a wealthy family. She didn&#8217;t come from … a political dynasty. A lot of it was, ‘Who do you think you are?&#8217;” </p><cite>— Debbie Mesloh, former Kamala Harris spokesperson</cite></blockquote></figure>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"></blockquote>



<p>Then-District Attorney Terence Hallinan was political royalty — the son of famed progressive attorney Vincent Hallinan and a onetime member of the Board of Supervisors. His office was under fire for low felony conviction rates, high turnover, and <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Sexual-incident-in-DA-s-office-disputed-3144493.php">allegations of sexual harassment</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p>In time, a group met with a prominent local political donor, Mark Buell, and Harris decided to run — despite polling that showed her barely registering among voters.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="4032" height="3024" src="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/asians-for-kamala.jpg?w=2500" alt="A smiling man opens his jacket to reveal a red shirt reading &quot;Asians for Kamala&quot; with a lotus logo. Beside him, a woman with glasses focuses on her phone." class="wp-image-304248" srcset="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/asians-for-kamala.jpg 4032w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/asians-for-kamala.jpg?resize=300,225 300w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/asians-for-kamala.jpg?resize=768,576 768w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/asians-for-kamala.jpg?resize=2500,1875 2500w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/asians-for-kamala.jpg?resize=1536,1152 1536w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/asians-for-kamala.jpg?resize=2048,1536 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 4032px) 100vw, 4032px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">David Chiu shows off an &#8220;Asians for Kamala&#8221; shirt he saved from her first campaign.</figcaption></figure>



<p>Harris was one of two attorneys who challenged Hallinan, ranking second in the primary election and beating him by a hefty margin of 56% to 44% in a runoff. At first, her candidacy — all other candidates were men — seemed like an outlier. She went on to distinguish herself as a tough but forward-thinking prosecutor who advanced a “smart on crime” credo that was novel at the time. In an appeal to progressives, her campaign highlighted her identity as a Black woman in a profession dominated by men at the highest levels.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Sieck and a friend stopped by an early Harris campaign event in a creaky Glen Park apartment with about eight people attending, she said.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“In comes this young woman, just fiery. Pantsuit, black pearls, and gets up on a crate or something,” Sieck said. “She gives this speech … I&#8217;ve never heard anything like it. She was talking about the root cause of carceral culture, how to prevent recidivism. I’d never heard anything like it. And I was all in at that moment,” she said. As a volunteer, Sieck was so determined to help Harris that when she crashed her car while campaigning, she abandoned it to walk precincts on foot.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1999" height="1341" src="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/20240823-kamalaharrisda-04.jpg?w=1999" alt="A woman in a grey suit and pearl necklace walks through a doorway, her hand brushing her hair back, followed by a man in a suit and tie." class="wp-image-304245" srcset="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/20240823-kamalaharrisda-04.jpg 1999w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/20240823-kamalaharrisda-04.jpg?resize=300,201 300w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/20240823-kamalaharrisda-04.jpg?resize=768,515 768w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/20240823-kamalaharrisda-04.jpg?resize=1536,1030 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Kamala Harris as newly elected district attorney in December 2003. She went on to become California attorney general, a senator, and the Democratic presidential nominee.</figcaption></figure>



<p>“[Harris] didn&#8217;t come from a wealthy family. She didn&#8217;t come from … a political dynasty. A lot of it was, ‘Who do you think you are?&#8217;” Mesloh said. “And she transcended all that.”</p>



<p>Part of Harris’ appeal was her unusual ability to empathize with victims of violence, Prozan remembered. Many who knew Harris from her early years in San Francisco echoed those sentiments.&nbsp;</p>



<p>In an interview, San Francisco Mayor London Breed described Harris as a “compassionate, diplomatic leader” who innately understands the concerns of everyday people. Joaquín Torres, San Francisco’s assessor-recorder, recalled with emotion that Harris, while she was attorney general, showed up to his grandmother’s funeral.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“The first meeting I staffed for her — I want to say it was day one or day two — we met with Maddie Scott and a bunch of Black mothers who had lost their sons to gun violence,” Prozan said. “I listened to her talking to the victims, and I was like, she&#8217;s good.”</p>



<p>They left knowing that if she was elected, she was going to have their back,” Prozan said.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="4032" height="3024" src="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/prozan.jpg?w=2500" alt="Two people are seated at a table; one is animatedly talking in a blue floral shirt, while the other, in black, is looking down at a phone." class="wp-image-304256" srcset="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/prozan.jpg 4032w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/prozan.jpg?resize=300,225 300w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/prozan.jpg?resize=768,576 768w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/prozan.jpg?resize=2500,1875 2500w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/pr...

San Francisco political leaders just got a pay raise. Here’s what they’re making


<p>Amid a <a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/2024/05/31/san-francisco-budget-deficit-breed-plan/">tough budget season</a>, San Francisco&#8217;s top elected officials will receive a cost-of-living pay raise soon, based on rising inflation.</p>



<p>The Civil Service Commission, a City Hall governing body that oversees political leaders&#8217; salaries, voted on June 3 to increase wages for seven citywide elected officials by 2.6%. The raises will go to the mayor, city attorney, district attorney, public defender, assessor-recorder, treasurer and sheriff.</p>



<p>Mayor London Breed, who currently makes $374,036 a year, will get a $9,725 raise to $383,760 for the fiscal year starting July 1, according to the <a href="https://www.sf.gov/sites/default/files/2024-05/6-3-24%20Item%20%2311%20Annual%20Salary%20Adjustment%203rd%20year%20of%205%20year%20Cycle%20of%20Salary_5.pdf">commission’s report</a>.</p>



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<p>While the commissioners were able to agree on a raise for the seven citywide officials, they failed to reach consensus on a package for the Board of Supervisors. After spending hours discussing the intricacies of a possible five-year plan for supervisors' pay increases, they punted the question to the commission's next meeting. </p>



<p>Supervisors now earn $163,878 a year. The commission staff's <a href="https://www.sf.gov/sites/default/files/2024-05/6-3-24%20Item%20%2310%20Salary%20Setting%20for%20the%20City%20and%20County%20of%20San%20Francisco%20for%20a%205%20year%20Cycle%20_5.pdf">report</a> offered three options for a one-year increase: no change, the same 2.6% increase approved for the seven citywide leaders, or a roughly 1.5% increase that mirrors negotiations with the city employees' labor union.</p>



<p>The Clerk of the Board of Supervisors, Angela Calvillo, appeared before the Civil Service Commissioners to advocate for an increase.</p>



<p>"Board members do not ask me to come and advocate for their salary, I just want the public to know that," Calvillo said. "However, we believe there is some fairness in the equity as you began the next five-year salary setting for the board members."</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1618" height="2031" src="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/tenderloinpublicsafetymeeting-78.jpg?w=1618" alt="Several people sit at a table during a panel discussion. Two people are visible; one in a police uniform and another wearing a red outfit. A large backdrop displays the word &quot;RENEWAL.&quot;" class="wp-image-282226" srcset="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/tenderloinpublicsafetymeeting-78.jpg 1618w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/tenderloinpublicsafetymeeting-78.jpg?resize=239,300 239w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/tenderloinpublicsafetymeeting-78.jpg?resize=768,964 768w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/tenderloinpublicsafetymeeting-78.jpg?resize=1224,1536 1224w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1618px) 100vw, 1618px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The Civil Service Commission agreed on a raise for seven citywide officials including District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, left, and Sheriff Paul Miyamoto.</figcaption></figure>



<p>Calvillo cited the supervisors’ workload with the sprawling city budget and their relatively low salary compared to the other elected officials. The commission's staff report data showed that the San Francisco supervisors are making slightly more than the average pay of the county supervisors of the Bay Area's nine counties.</p>



<p>Jacqueline Minor, the president of the Civil Service Commission, described the process as "really tough work" and expressed appreciation for the staff’s reporting of historical salary data as valuable context for the discussion.</p>



<p>Controversy previously erupted at the commission’s 2019 salary review meeting, where the supervisors' expiring five-year salary increase plan was approved. One commissioner <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/SF-commissioner-who-voted-against-supervisors-13895461.php">voted no</a> on the 12% increase (which was carried in a 3-1 vote), alleging conflicts of interest. Douglas Chan, the commissioner, argued that the commission staff who had recommended the raise served “at the pleasure of the board.” Chan left the board in July 2023.</p>



<p>The commission will meet again on June 17 to further discuss the supervisors' pay plan, and the city’s Controller’s Office will also discuss their study of the impact of the raises on the city’s budget.</p>



<p><em>Jonah Owen Lamb contributed to this story. </em></p>


Mayor Breed kicks off reelection campaign, drop-kicks foes


<p>Everyone seeking elected office leans into a narrative to differentiate themselves from the rest of the pack, but <a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/2023/06/20/london-breed-mayor-san-francisco-drugs-homelessness-crime-economy-election/">Mayor London Breed</a>’s reelection campaign message could be especially difficult: convincing people San Francisco is on the upswing.</p>



<p>Inside a packed auditorium at <a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/2023/04/05/inside-black-san-franciscos-struggle-over-the-soul-of-the-fillmore-district/">The Fillmore</a> on Saturday—campaign officials reported approximately 750 people in attendance—Breed strutted onto the stage to “Survivor” by Destiny’s Child in a wedding day-white embroidered jumper. She argued that the city’s challenges may be daunting, but San Francisco has already shown what it can achieve in recent months.</p>



<p>“People want you to think that things aren’t turning around,” Breed said. “People want you to think that all of a sudden we cleaned up the city for <a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/2023/11/17/mayor-london-breed-defends-san-francisco-apec-cleanup/">APEC</a>, or we cleaned up the city for an election. You don’t just snap your fingers and black magic happens.”</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="4416" height="2944" src="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/breedcampaign-39.jpg?w=2500" alt="A crowd of joyful people, many wearing yellow hats, holds up signs supporting Mayor London Breed, in a well-lit indoor setting." class="wp-image-276685" srcset="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/breedcampaign-39.jpg 4416w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/breedcampaign-39.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/breedcampaign-39.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/breedcampaign-39.jpg?resize=2500,1667 2500w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/breedcampaign-39.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/breedcampaign-39.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 4416px) 100vw, 4416px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">More than a hundred Asian seniors attended Mayor London Breed’s official reelection campaign kickoff, waving signs and giving standing ovations at times.</figcaption></figure>



<p>The history books—or, more likely, the Wikipedias of the future—will note that Breed also led San Francisco through the global pandemic, locking the city down before any other place in the country to curtail the deadly spread of Covid.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“Those guys that are running against me, they want you to believe that this city is messed up. … Their whole message is predicated on what’s bad and making us feel bad about ourselves, and saying that this city has lost its way,” Breed said. “That whole message is to speak down on San Francisco. And while they’re speaking down on San Francisco, I’m lifting San Francisco up!”</p>



<p>The twists and turns that led Breed to the Mayor’s Office required a unique coalition that bridged gaps in race and political priorities, and Saturday’s crowd reflected that eclectic support on top of a diverse cast of speakers that preceded Breed on stage as former San Francisco Giants announcer <a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/2021/11/05/renel-brooks-moon-remarkable-voice-oracle-park-the-san-francisco-giants/">Renel Brooks-Moon</a> emceed.</p>



<p>Off to the side of the chandeliered ballroom, guests snacked on donuts and coffee while Breed’s campaign gave out buttons and distributed “London Breed” T-shirts in exchange for $25 campaign donations.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="4416" height="2944" src="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/breedcampaign-59.jpg?w=2500" alt="Two people behind a stall handing out yellow stickers and t-shirts with &quot;Mayor London Breed&quot; printed on them to visitors." class="wp-image-276691" srcset="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/breedcampaign-59.jpg 4416w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/breedcampaign-59.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/breedcampaign-59.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/breedcampaign-59.jpg?resize=2500,1667 2500w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/breedcampaign-59.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/breedcampaign-59.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 4416px) 100vw, 4416px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Matt Adams, left, and Cris Azzola hand out merchandise at Mayor London Breed’s official reelection campaign kickoff at The Fillmore.</figcaption></figure>



<p>Rousing speeches included passionate words from actor Danny Glover, local artist and influencer <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jasmincorley/">Jasmin Corley</a>, NorCal carpenters union boss Jay Bradshaw and Valerie Tulier-Laiwa of the Latino Task Force. The list of elected officials in attendance included former Mayor Willie Brown, state Sen. Scott Wiener, San Francisco Assessor-Recorder Joaquin Torres, Sheriff Paul Miyamoto and Supervisors Catherine Stefani, Joel Engardio and Matt Dorsey. </p>



<p>Most of the speakers focused their remarks on Breed’s unique backstory, as well as her administration’s work in the early days of the pandemic.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“We had to close the city,” said Larry Yee, a city police commissioner who also directly spoke to more than 100 Chinese American elders in the crowd in their native tongue. “It was a very tough decision, but it saved lives.”</p>



<p>Winning a special election in 2018, almost seven months after the <a href="https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/911-audio-reveals-moments-after-mayor-ed-lee-s-heart-attack/article_1f1942c0-ce32-575e-9c16-eac40221d984.html">unexpected death of Mayor Ed Lee</a>, Breed has now been in office roughly six years. She officially won a first term in 2019 and then saw a ballot measure kick the mayor’s race from 2023 to this year.</p>



<p>This extended time in office has opened the door for an onslaught of criticism against Breed. Concerns about public safety—from property crime and street-level drug use to dangerous intersections and attacks on Asian seniors—have become top of mind for many voters, while solving the issues of housing and homelessness remain as daunting as ever.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="4416" height="2944" src="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/breedcampaign-23.jpg?w=2500" alt="Mayor London Breed in a white patterned dress jumper into a microphone, passionately raising her fist, with festive gold and blue balloons in the background." class="wp-image-276696" srcset="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/breedcampaign-23.jpg 4416w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/breedcampaign-23.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/breedcampaign-23.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/breedcampaign-23.jpg?resize=2500,1667 2500w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/breedcampaign-23.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/breedcampaign-23.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 4416px) 100vw, 4416px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Mayor London Breed spoke proudly about growing up in public housing in San Francisco and touted her record in office during the Covid pandemic.</figcaption></figure>



<p>The mayor noted that violent crime, retail theft and car break-ins have all come down “significantly” this year, but she took a moment to acknowledge—perhaps with the arguments of <a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/2022/06/08/chesa-boudin-ousted-by-coalition-asians-wealthy-whites/">recalled District Attorney Chesa Boudin</a> in mind—that the data doesn’t matter to victims.</p>



<p>“Hey, look, I understand if it happens to you, numbers don’t matter,” Breed said. “And that’s why we’re going to continue to invest in making sure that we have not only community ambassadors and people helping to keep the streets safe, we’re going to continue to invest to have a fully staffed police department in San Francisco.”</p>



<p>Stormy Henry, a Black woman who grew up in the same public housing as Breed, said she has been inspired by the mayor’s “resilience,” from coming into office after Lee’s unexpected death to managing the pandemic.</p>



<p>“She’s risen to the occasion every time,” Henry said, adding that the pandemic forced the mayor to shelve other policy priorities. “When you have six-year-old problems that were before her time, you cannot blame Breed.”</p>



<p>The mayor’s ability to make progress in the coming months—whether it be real or simply perceived—will be vital to securing a second term. Perhaps chief among the challenges will be showing progress on the downtown recovery, which has moved at the speed of molasses compared to the other major cities as corruption scandals at City Hall continue at a steady drip.</p>



<p>Breed championed her <a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/2024/03/07/san-francisco-london-breed-state-of-the-city-2024/">30&#215;30 plan</a>, which seeks to bring 30,000 new residents and students downtown by 2030 through a combination of new college campuses and converting commercial towers into residential buildings.</p>



<p>“We don’t have time for the foolery,” Breed said. “We don’t have time for folks who have no idea what it means to actually run a city.”</p>
...

The 3 ballot measures that San Francisco’s mayor is pushing for in March 2024


<p>Mayor London Breed gathered alongside a number of city leaders in San Francisco’s Japantown Saturday morning to launch the campaigns for three ballot measures that city voters will decide on in the upcoming March election.</p>



<p>In front of hundreds of supporters, Breed outlined Propositions C, E and F, a slate of measures that hope to revitalize Downtown San Francisco, provide additional resources for law enforcement and require individuals suspected of substance abuse to undergo screening and enroll in some form of treatment to receive public benefits.</p>



<p>“These are the kinds of things we need to do to focus on public safety, to focus on the challenges around drug dealing and to build more housing,” she said.</p>



<p>Breed was joined at the podium by Supervisors Matt Dorsey and Rafael Mandelman as well as state Sen. Scott Wiener, City Assessor-Recorder Joaquin Torres, San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee (DCCC) candidate Cedric Akbar and prosecutor Nancy Tung.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="4032" height="3024" src="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/img_5562.jpg?w=2500" alt="State Sen. Scott Weiner addresses the crowd during the launching of campaigns for Propositions C, E and F on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024." class="wp-image-237689" srcset="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/img_5562.jpg 4032w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/img_5562.jpg?resize=300,225 300w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/img_5562.jpg?resize=768,576 768w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/img_5562.jpg?resize=2500,1875 2500w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/img_5562.jpg?resize=1536,1152 1536w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/img_5562.jpg?resize=2048,1536 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 4032px) 100vw, 4032px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">State Sen. Scott Wiener addresses the crowd during the launching of campaigns for Propositions C, E and F on Saturday.</figcaption></figure>



<p>Proposition C, which would waive the <a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/2023/10/17/mayor-london-breed-pitches-tax-breaks-for-downtown-san-francisco-office-conversions/">tax for transferring properties</a> from office to residential uses, was first mentioned by Breed in October 2023 as a means of enticing developers to repurpose the millions of square feet of currently vacant office space in Downtown San Francisco.</p>



<p>Currently, properties in San Francisco valued at over $10 million incur a transfer tax rate ranging from 5.5% to 6%, a higher rate than other large California cities.</p>



<p><strong>READ MORE: </strong><a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/2024/01/05/car-burglary-break-in-loophole-crime-london-breed-scott-wiener/">State Bill Introduced To Close Unlocked Door Defense ‘Loophole’ in Car Break-Ins</a></p>



<p>“We need to acknowledge the economic realities of these office buildings Downtown,” Wiener said. “We need to make sure that people are able to come in and do what they need to do with those buildings and convert them into housing so that we don’t have our taxes get in the way of those changes we need.”</p>



<p>Proposition E, which Breed sponsored in response to the <a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/2023/10/17/mayor-london-breed-public-safety-police-surveillance/">Police Commission</a>’s perceived mismanagement of the San Francisco Police Department, would permit law enforcement to deploy security cameras and license plate readers, employ drones for monitoring specific crimes and expand officers’ ability to chase suspects.</p>



<p>Additionally, the measure would require the Police Commission to gather community feedback whenever it proposes policies and consider how time-consuming its rules are for officers.</p>



<p>Nancy Tung, who is part of a group of moderate Democrats currently serving on the party’s central committee, said the measure would allow additional tools for an understaffed police department to investigate crimes.</p>



<p>“We have to do more with less, and the way we do that is to take off restrictions for the police department,” Tung said. “It allows them to use technology to do their jobs.”</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="4032" height="3024" src="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/img_5570.jpg?w=2500" alt="Mayor London Breed stands beside city leaders and supporters during the launching of campaigns for Propositions C, E and F on Saturday, January 6, 2024." class="wp-image-237691" srcset="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/img_5570.jpg 4032w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/img_5570.jpg?resize=300,225 300w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/img_5570.jpg?resize=768,576 768w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/img_5570.jpg?resize=2500,1875 2500w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/img_5570.jpg?resize=1536,1152 1536w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/img_5570.jpg?resize=2048,1536 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 4032px) 100vw, 4032px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Mayor London Breed stands beside city leaders and supporters during the launching of campaigns for Propositions C, E and F on Saturday.</figcaption></figure>



<p>Breed pushed back on the idea that Prop. E would roll back criminal justice reforms to the police department.</p>



<p>“It is important that we are getting the tools, but that doesn’t mean we let up on reforms,” Breed said. “That doesn’t mean that we don’t focus on making sure there is clear reporting and transparency. It doesn’t mean we walk away from our values.”</p>



<p>The last measure, Prop. F, will affect individuals enrolled in the city&#8217;s General Assistance program. In order to be eligible for assistance, up to $687 per month to destitute adults, individuals suspected of substance use would first have to go through a drug screening.</p>



<p>A number of San Francisco supervisors, such as Supervisors Hillary Ronen and Connie Chan, denounced Prop. F in September, <a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/2023/09/26/san-francisco-mayors-sober-dole-plan-splits-lawmakers/">when the measure was initially floated</a>.</p>



<p><strong>READ MORE: </strong><a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/2023/12/14/san-francisco-march-2024-election-primary-ballot/">Here’s What San Francisco Voters Will Consider in the March 2024 Election</a></p>



<p>Akbar, a recovery advocate and SF DCCC candidate, said he supported the proposition because it would address the medical aspect of the city’s drug crisis.</p>



<p>Prop. F., Akbar said, “is not necessarily taking away anyone’s GA or funding. It is giving them opportunity [for] therapy, methadone, suboxone, outpatient treatment—whatever the need is.”</p>



<p>The three ballot measures are among seven that will be decided on during the March 5 presidential primary election. Breed is up for reelection in November.</p>


San Francisco mystery property: How a $13.5 million dirt lot explains the city’s housing crisis


<p>San Francisco’s most expensive mound of dirt has been sitting on the market for more than 500 days, but an argument could be made that the mysterious property near the heart of Nob Hill has been left to languish for more than a century.</p>



<p>The lot at <a href="https://www.redfin.com/CA/San-Francisco/941-Powell-St-94108/home/179713907">941 Pow</a><a href="https://www.redfin.com/CA/San-Francisco/941-Powell-St-94108/home/179713907" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">e</a><a href="https://www.redfin.com/CA/San-Francisco/941-Powell-St-94108/home/179713907">ll St.</a>—a fenced-off plot of weeds currently priced at $13.5 million—sits just around the corner from the iconic Fairmont Hotel, Huntington Park and Grace Cathedral. Walk a few steps in the other direction, and Chinatown’s bustling markets, salons and restaurants come into view. </p>



<p>But here, between these two very different worlds, is a small cottage and 9,500 square feet of nothing.</p>



<p><strong>READ MORE: </strong><a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/2023/10/25/san-francisco-housing-crisis-audit-lose-local-control/">Clock Ticking on San Francisco To Take Housing Action or Lose Control</a></p>



<p>How could such a well-situated property in one of the most densely populated cities in the country remain untouched for decades? The answer is as tortured and full of promise as San Francisco itself. </p>



<p>The story of 941 Powell is about a man achieving the American dream and his son inheriting a nightmare. It’s a tale of risk and opportunity, and a stark reminder that <a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/search/?query=housing">San Francisco’s current housing crisis</a>, in many ways, is a monster of its own making.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="640" height="480" src="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/inlined01-mysterproperty10272023.jpg?w=640" alt="" class="wp-image-217453" srcset="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/inlined01-mysterproperty10272023.jpg 640w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/inlined01-mysterproperty10272023.jpg?resize=300,225 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">George Mardikian, center, poses for a photo with former U.S. presidents Richard Nixon and Herbert Hoover. Shortly after World War II, Mardikian purchased 941 Powell St. in San Francisco.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-from-tragedy-to-triumph">From Tragedy to Triumph</h2>



<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Mardikian#" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">George Mardikian</a> was a household name in San Francisco by the time he purchased his first plot of land on Powell Street in 1947. </p>



<p>His restaurant, <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/America-s-best-known-and-best-loved-chef-ran-16347392.php" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Omar Khayyam’s</a>, located just down the street on the corner of Powell and O’Farrell, had been profiled by the legendary San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen, and recipes for some of Mardikian’s dishes, such as chicken tchakhokbelli, had been published in Sunset Magazine. He went on to host a radio show and write two books.</p>



<p>The adulation for the Armenian immigrant’s cuisine, his charming smile and an omnipresent white chef’s hat made Mardikian the kind of cooking celebrity we might now associate with Guy Fieri, <a href="https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/movies-tv/a-sincere-defense-of-guy-fieri-disparaged-mayor-of-flavortown">a frosted-tip mensch</a> and the undisputed king of Flavortown.</p>



<p><strong>READ MORE: </strong><a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/2023/10/16/yimby-winning-san-francisco-housing-war/">Are YIMBYs on the Verge of Winning San Francisco’s Housing War?</a></p>



<p>In 1945, Mardikian took on the monumental task of catering tens of thousands of meals for the United Nations meetings in San Francisco. The event remains the largest international gathering of world leaders in the city’s history ahead of this month’s <a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/search/?query=apec">Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit</a>. </p>



<p>In 1951, President Harry Truman awarded Mardikian the Medal of Freedom for his work as a consultant to the U.S. Army’s quartermaster general, who oversaw all supplies for the military branch, including chow.</p>



<p>Over the course of four decades, famous guests flocked to Omar Khayyam’s, including First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and former President Herbert Hoover, the latter of whom became a close personal friend of Mardikian’s. The restaurateur’s son, Haig, recalled them once coming back from a trip to the exclusive Bohemian Grove men’s retreat in the 1950s, and Hoover realized he’d never signed the chef’s guest book. The former president asked for permission to leave an entry.</p>



<p>“Whenever I lose faith in America,” Hoover wrote, “I just remember it made you.”</p>



<p>Mardikian’s path to success was far from certain. </p>



<p>Born in 1903, he was raised in what is now Istanbul. In 1915, his father was arrested in what would later be known as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deportation_of_Armenian_intellectuals_on_24_April_1915" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Red Sunday</a>, and Mardikian would see other loved ones beaten and killed in the Armenian genocide, which claimed the lives of 1.5 million people.</p>



<p>Mardikian twice went to war as a teenager—first joining his uncle’s volunteer regiment in World War I, and then again in a war among Armenia, Turkey and Russia. He was quickly captured in the second conflict and was forced into hard labor by Turkish guards, spending his days chopping ice. Of all things, Mardikian’s ties to the Boy Scouts of America would be his saving grace.&nbsp;</p>



<p>In the summer of 1920, before leaving home to go to war a second time, Mardikian helped form the Armenian Boy Scouts under the direction of two Americans. By chance, a man in charge of the Near East Relief organization, an American outreach effort to help Middle East refugees, saw Mardikian while he was a prisoner and convinced a Turkish soldier that Mardikian was an American.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The lie worked, and Mardikian was granted release. He would soon be placed on a boat set for Ellis Island and arrived on July 24, 1922—a date he would designate as his new birthday.</p>



<p>“As I dried myself with the thick, heavy towel, and saw my clean skin and felt my blood tingle, it was as though I had been reborn,” Mardikian <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Song-America-George-Magar-Mardikian/dp/B00005WWK4/ref=sr_1_1?" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">wrote</a> after washing himself after the long voyage, “as though I were a completely new human being, a taller, a stronger, prouder man—an American.”</p>



<p><strong>READ MORE: </strong><a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/2023/09/15/san-francisco-singled-out-in-state-housing-bill-that-speeds-up-development/">San Francisco Housing Crisis: New State Bill May Force City To Build Faster</a></p>



<p>He came to San Francisco and got a job as a dishwasher, attending vaudeville shows to improve his English. He would later travel the world, working as a cook on a cruise ship, before coming back to California and settling in Fresno, where he met his wife, Naz. The two opened a lunch counter called Omar Khayyam’s and brought the concept to San Francisco.</p>



<p>Mardikian first purchased land on Powell Street in 1947. The property was undeveloped, but it was a desirable location with the cable car running right in front. In the years to come, Mardikian would scoop up adjoining properties, adding two lots in 1959 and four more in 1961, according to records with the city’s Assessor-Recorder’s Office.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="3000" height="2001" src="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/inlined02-mysterproperty10272023.jpg?w=2500" alt="" class="wp-image-217455" srcset="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/inlined02-mysterproperty10272023.jpg 3000w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/inlined02-mysterproperty10272023.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/inlined02-mysterproperty10272023.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/inlined02-mysterproperty10272023.jpg?resize=2500,1668 2500w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/inlined02-mysterproperty10272023.jpg?resize=1536,1025 1536w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/inlined02-mysterproperty10272023.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 3000px) 100vw, 3000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">An empty lot at 941 Powell St. has been on the market for more than 500 days.</figcaption></figure>



<p>“I’m going to guess he thought maybe there was an opportunity to build something there with a restaurant and an avenue location for his restaurant,” Haig Mardikian said.</p>



<p>Whatever plans the elder Mardikian might have had for the property never came to pass. In 1977, he died of a heart attack at the age of 73. The property went to his wife, who died a few months later, before being passed down to their two children. The brother and sister split up the assets, and Haig Mardikian inherited 941 Powell.</p>



<p>“I figured, &#8216;OK, we can build something here,&#8217;” he said.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-city-where-housing-goes-to-die">A City Where Housing Goes To Die</h2>



<p>Real estate records in San Francisco are well documented, going back more than 100 years, but there is little record of anyone living at 941 Powell for much of the 20th century. </p>



<p>Jay Costello, a Compass real estate broker who is selling the property, told The Standard that there had once been structures on the land, but they burned down as a result ...

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