Her brother was shot dead by police. She says Xavier Becerra let them down

Six years after her brother Sean Monterrosa was fatally shot by a Vallejo police officer, Michelle Monterrosa says she has little trust in politicians charged with delivering justice — including one who is seeking California’s highest office. There are others to blame: the cop who pulled the trigger on June 2, 2020, and officials in the police department Monterrosa holds responsible for the loss of critical evidence. But Xavier Becerra, the former state attorney general and secretary of health and human services in the Biden administration, is near the top of her list. Now, as Becerra has earned front-runner status in his bid for California governor, her remarks to The Standard draw fresh scrutiny on his decision to launch a broad departmental review of the Vallejo Police Department rather than open an independent investigation into the shooting. Monterrosa said she will not be voting for him. “How can we trust someone who continues to put his own advancement before actually standing with the people?” she said. “There are so many career politicians who say their talking points to sound like they’re doing something, when in reality it’s a slap in the face to working-class people.” It was a case that cost the city of Vallejo $8.5 million to settle last month. Sean Monterrosa, 22, who lived in San Francisco, was shot in the back of the head by Det. Jarrett Tonn after Vallejo officers responded to a call regarding looting at a Walgreens. The 2020 shooting occurred amid nationwide protests following the killing of George Floyd. Tonn fired from the back seat of an unmarked truck and through its windshield; he later claimed he believed Monterrosa was reaching for a gun. The object in Monterrosa’s sweatshirt pocket turned out to be a hammer. Three days after the shooting, Becerra, the state attorney general at the time, announced an agreement to help the Vallejo Police Department reform its policies and practices — but stopped short of opening an independent investigation into Monterrosa’s killing. After Solano County District Attorney Krishna Abrams recused herself from the case, the Monterrosa family called on Becerra and Gov. Gavin Newsom to appoint a special prosecutor. Becerra and the California Department of Justice declined to investigate the shooting. Soon after, the public learned that the windshield through which Tonn had fired — a critical piece of physical evidence — had been destroyed. A civilian drone that captured video of the killing in its entirety was seized by Vallejo police the night of the shooting, and the video file had been overwritten by the time the device reached investigators, according to a forensics expert with the U.S. Secret Service. Becerra subsequently launched a criminal investigation, narrowly scoped to the destruction of evidence rather than the shooting itself. But Michelle Monterrosa, who is a master’s degree student in ethnic studies at San Francisco State University, said the probe lacked meaningful follow-through. “It had no teeth,” she said. “And then he reaches out to people organizing with us to say he’ll try to have a meeting with them — the day before he knew he was going to get appointed to the Biden-Harris Cabinet.” She added, “You only get a reach-out when it’s beneficial to their agenda.” Although Monterrosa is critical of Becerra’s handling of her brother’s killing, she has words for all the gubernatorial candidates. “The candidates that are running — they have not, from what I’ve known, reached out to any impacted families who have been harmed by this state through law enforcement agencies,” she said. “I think that’s one of the things that often happens: We have a political moment where people care, and then six years, five years, post-George Floyd can pass by, and people kind of forget that this is still happening.” Becerra’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment. Becerra departed for Washington for his role as secretary of health and human services in early 2021, before either inquiry was resolved. Becerra’s reform agreement lapsed in June 2023, far short of its goals, leading his successor as attorney general, Rob Bonta, to escalate to a full pattern-and-practice lawsuit. Tonn was never criminally charged, and an arbitrator reinstated him with back pay. Vallejo in March agreed to pay the Monterrosa family $8.5 million — its largest civil rights settlement in at least 20 years — to resolve a federal lawsuit. Monterrosa’s withering assessment comes amid increasing scrutiny of Becerra. Recent polls have placed him among the front-runners in the state’s crowded June primary for governor. His rise, following the withdrawal of former Rep. Eric Swalwell amid allegations of sexual misconduct, has drawn fire from fellow candidates Tom Steyer, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, and former Rep. Katie Porter, who have challenged him on healthcare, fiscal accountability, and his record in office. For criminal justice advocates, the criticisms run deeper and predate the campaign. During his tenure as attorney general, Becerra received more than $75,000 from law enforcement unions and was repeatedly at odds with efforts to increase police transparency — a notable exception to the progressive image he publicly cultivated. After state lawmakers passed Senate Bill 1421, opening police misconduct records to public inspection, Becerra’s office attempted to claw back records that had already been provided to journalists, threatening UC Berkeley reporters with prosecution for possessing documents his own agency had sent them. The ACLU of Northern California accused him of refusing to follow the law he was sworn to uphold, saying families had waited years for access to investigations into the killings of loved ones. Following the settlement with the city of Vallejo, the Monterrosa family issued a statement. “The loss of Sean will forever be with our family, and no settlement can ease our pain. We have always viewed this process as a vehicle for change in the Vallejo community, and we are encouraged by the immediate changes that have been put into place within the Vallejo Police Department. These reforms were sorely needed, and the fact that there have not been any police shootings by Vallejo PD since Sean’s death shows that they are working.” Michelle Monterrosa cofounded the Sean Monterrosa Project alongside her sister Ashley, who serves on the board of the California Endowment, overseeing $4 billion in healthcare investment statewide. The Sean Monterrosa Project maintains a mural at 24th and Valencia streets in the Mission and secured a street renaming in the neighborhood where Sean grew up — the city’s first such recognition for someone killed by law enforcement. “Uplifting our brother’s life and legacy is no small feat,” she said. “But we know there’s still a lot left to do.”

Scott Wiener explains why he’s not supporting the billionaire tax

This article is from Power Play, a twice-weekly newsletter rounding up the latest City Hall and local politics gossip. To sign up, visit The Standard’s newsletter page . Well, the day has arrived — with the state billionaire tax becoming a reality for the ballot , California’s tallest fence-sitter has finally laid out his position. “I don’t support it.” That’s the official stance state Sen. Scott Wiener told Power Play in a wide-ranging interview Friday. While on the campaign trail, Wiener has voiced his concerns. CalMatters noted that Wiener “ sidestepped ” questions about supporting the billionaire tax, and Politico noted he would stake his claim once the measure qualified for the ballot. While it isn’t quite there yet, the 1.5 million signatures gathered guarantee a path. The lightning-rod measure would levy a one-time 5% tax on the net worth of California billionaires to shore up federal healthcare cuts. Those well-heeled Californians include Google cofounder Sergey Brin , who came out against it , and Uber cofounder Travis Kalanick , who left the state over it. SEIU-UHW, the healthcare union backing the measure, argue that taxing the state’s roughly 200 billionaires will stave off the closure of hospitals, nursing homes, and community health centers. Wiener said he has backed progressive tax measures before (among them U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren ’s ultramillionaire tax plan ) but doesn’t think a one-time tax with a quick sunset is the “best approach.” “California already has an unstable boom-bust tax system because of the devaluation of property taxes and reliance increasingly on income taxes on wealthy residents,” Wiener said. “I completely respect why they’re pursuing this. I don’t know that this is the best approach.” Wiener’s rivals, former AOC chief of staff Saikat Chakrabarti and Supervisor Connie Chan, voiced support for the billionaire tax as far back as their first congressional forum, in January. “We cannot take back Congress by cozying up to billionaires,” Chan said at the time. Wiener said he is concerned that outsize spending by opponents to take down the billionaire tax will imperil bond measures to fund transit and other tax measures on the ballot. “I really worry that this billionaire tax has drawn so much national money to attack government that it could drag everything down,” he said. — Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez Got tips? Send to us at powerplay@sfstandard.com . TALK NEXT TIME : The relationship between Pacific Gas & Electric and Wiener has long been chilly, to say the least. The state senator recently authored a “breakup bill” that sought to hand over management of the investor-owned utility to cities. PG&E leadership, unsurprisingly, hated the idea. In a suddenly postponed Monday event , PG&E CEO Patti Poppe and Wiener were supposed to be seated together to talk about “affordability, outages and the ‘Breakup Bill.’” The organizers at the Commonwealth Club cited a last-minute scheduling conflict and are looking for a new date. The utility got heat for the city’s December blackouts, which left 130,000 residents without power during a holiday weekend. City officials have pressed the California Public Utilities Commission to investigate the outage, claiming the state regulator is dragging its feet on an inquiry. The December blackout led Wiener to introduce SB 875, which Power Play wrote about this month after it failed to pass the state Senate committee on energy, utilities, and communications. The legislation would have made it easier for cities to break away from PG&E but faced major opposition from the state’s utility companies. The utility union, IBEW Local 1245, also fought hard against the bill. The labor group’s chief advocate, Hunter Stern , has used fighting words against Wiener: “He has repeatedly attacked the utility. He doesn’t know anything about electricity.” Floating in the background are the gubernatorial race and affordability issues. Billionaire investor Tom Steyer , who has jumped in the polls since former Rep. Eric Swalwell ’s campaign implosion, has promised to treat the utility companies with a heavy hand , vowing to reduce electricity rates by 25% as Californians struggle to pay their increasingly expensive bills. PG&E has responded in kind with a $10 million anti-Steyer PAC . — Gabe Greschler MAKING FRIENDS: A right-leaning D.C. think tank is trying to build relationships in deep-blue San Francisco. The American Enterprise Institute — a mainstream conservative group, though not aligned with MAGA Trumpism — is partnering with Neighbors for a Better San Francisco ( currently in crisis mode ) to host a policy solutions summit Wednesday in downtown San Francisco. The event will feature prominent local officials — all Democrats, natch — including Mayor Daniel Lurie ’s policy chief, Ned Segal , supervisors Rafael Mandelman and Matt Dorsey , school district Superintendent Maria Su , and District Attorney Brooke Jenkins . “I’ve known and loved San Francisco all my life,” AEI president Robert Doar said. “San Francisco has had its ups and downs, but I think it’s on the rise now.” Doar emphasized the critical role of local governance, as he previously served as commissioner of the New York City Human Resources Administration under former Mayor Michael Bloomberg . A rightward drift among local Asian American voters has particularly caught AEI’s attention. In 2024, the city’s Asian voters showed increased support for the GOP and President Donald Trump . AEI has hired a Chinese-speaking outreach coordinator to promote the summit. “Think tanks like AEI may not have worked hard enough to reach communities like the Asian American community,” Doar said. “Let’s do a better job connecting our ideas and our scholars with that community.” But local Democrats may dismiss those efforts, given how unlikely a Republican wave is to emerge in this liberal city. The last time San Francisco elected a Republican mayor was in 1959 . — Han Li NOT IN-KLEINED TO AGREE: You may have felt a great disturbance in the YIMBY Force on Thursday, as if a million voices suddenly cried out “supply and demand!” in terror and were silenced . At least, that’s how this Power Play reporter imagines the cheerleaders of the “build, build, build” movement reacted when its star, New York Times columnist Ezra Klein , said on his podcast, “There has been a decade of housing bills being passed in California. Dozens and dozens of bills, including many that were framed to me as transformative, just weren’t.” Much of the podcast episode derided the outcomes of their own movement, titled after their book, “ Abundance ,” as having failed to materialize. And to top it off, the episode invokes Wiener by name, twice. So in our interview Friday with California’s YIMBY-in-chief, we asked his reaction to Klein’s gloomy assessment. Not unexpectedly, he pushed back. “He’s looking at broad numbers,” Wiener argued. Instead, he is proud that the housing laws he passed led to the creation of tens of thousands of affordable homes statewide. The state has failed to produce housing for years, he said. “It took us 50 years to dig into this. And it’s not the case that all of these laws were in the books ten years ago.” That got us thinking. It was actually more than 10 years ago when Wiener began arguing for more housing supply from his seat on the Board of Supervisors. That includes this full-throated Medium post against the Mission Moratorium , where he said “market-produced housing is essential to getting the job done” to stabilize rental prices. So, we asked: When will the myriad laws he’s passed in those intervening years push down the city’s housing prices? And when can voters begin holding you accountable for your promises that the blindingly obvious economic law of supply and demand will fix the crisis? “I am incredibly flattered and grateful that you attribute power to the one out of 120 legislators to just change the world overnight,” he said. “In terms of how I and my colleagues and the governor should be held [accountable], I don’t know what the exact timetable is, but I think we should be making steady progress.” Well, that clears that up. — J.F.R.

Fire chief’s top aide accused of mishandling union cash

The San Francisco firefighters union is accusing a top Fire Department official, Adrienne Sims, of mishandling funds and plans to report the activity to the authorities, The Standard has learned. Sims, 54, who serves as chief of staff to SFFD Chief Dean Crispen, has been with the department since 2001. She was a board member of SF Firefighters Local 798 for eight years from 2014 to 2022, serving as treasurer for the last two. How Sims allegedly misused money from Local 798, one of the city’s most powerful labor groups, or how much was involved, is not known. It appears the allegations involve expenses Sims charged to the union in 2023. Local 798 President Sam Gebler said the union “recently identified potential irregularities involving union finances.” “This matter involves union funds — not taxpayer dollars,” he said in a statement. “As Local 798 is a private entity, this is being addressed through appropriate internal processes and, where necessary, outside authorities. Local 798 is committed to accountability and safeguarding the finances and integrity of our union. While we are limited in what we can discuss during an active review, we are taking this matter seriously and will ensure it is handled properly.” Sims, in a call with The Standard, denied any wrongdoing. Crispen and the district attorney’s office did not respond to a request for comment. The Standard obtained a video of a Zoom meeting, recorded Friday, in which Sims addresses the accusations with union officials. In the roughly four-and-a-half-minute clip, Sims denies the allegations, saying that in certain cases, there are no records of charges she made to the union. She says she intends to pay back some of her expenses. “The BFA gala that happened three years ago, I paid for because it was going to sell out,” she says in the clip, likely referring to the Black Firefighters Association. “It’s in the minutes, and it is reimbursable. I don’t have a receipt for that BFA gala, so I am having to pay the $2,500 back. There is also a golf tournament that never made it into the minutes. I was not the [union’s] treasurer at the time, and it didn’t make it into the minutes, so that’s $3,500.” In the video, Sims says she had refused to sign a letter Gebler drafted stating that she “participated in misconduct.” “I have hired my own legal counsel to represent me, because dragging my reputation through the mud is unnecessary,” she says. Sims told The Standard she has not yet hired a lawyer and did not know how much money she was accused of mishandling. Gebler declined to comment on the video. When asked if Sims has been put on leave by the SFFD, a spokesperson declined to comment. In the Zoom video and in the call with The Standard, Sims said she has been taking time off since April 1 because of “anxiety and PTSD.” She said her absence was unrelated to the allegations. “As a previous treasurer of Local 798, I do understand the responsibility of President Gebler to be transparent to the members,” Sims said. “It is really not as salacious as people would like it to be.” An SFFD spokesperson said the agency “has not been notified of any criminal or civil charges toward any employee by San Francisco Firefighters Local 798. As information becomes available, the SFFD will work with the city attorney’s office.” Local 798 represents 1,600 firefighters, paramedics, and EMTs. It’s considered one of the most influential labor groups in the city, along with the police union, and politicians eagerly seek out its endorsement. Sims is a native of San Francisco, according to an online biography from the California Firefighter Joint Apprenticeship Committee . In a March 2025 interview with KRON4, she said she was recruited to the department via a female firefighter from Station 18 in the Sunset. Sims said she had faced challenges being a female firefighter in a field dominated by men. “I’m a woman. I’m a Black woman,” she said in the interview. “There’s not a lot of us. Sometimes you do feel, and maybe it’s more self-pressure that you put on yourself, to give 110%, 120%, 200% on this job. It’s not a job that’s necessarily catered toward women.” In 2022, Mayor London Breed posted an online tribute to Sims, whom she described as a “San Francisco native and a woman of many firsts.” “Sims helps recruit the next generation of first responders through her work with the San Francisco Black Firefighters and by teaching classes nationwide as a certified firefighting instructor. She continues to be a leader and inspiration for so many of our young people,” Breed wrote.

Aaron Peskin is not running in D2. He’s the star of its attack ads

This article is from Power Play, a twice-weekly newsletter rounding up the latest City Hall and local politics gossip. To sign up, visit The Standard’s newsletter page . We all knew former Supervisor Aaron Peskin would be name-checked at some point this election. This time, it’s by one of his political archenemies: GrowSF. The Mayor Daniel Lurie -aligned group, the big kahuna in moderate political moneymaking these days, is running ads against D2 candidate Lori Brooke , Power Play has learned. Their line of attack? She’s a Peskin in sheep’s clothing. Brooke is running against Supervisor Stephen Sherrill , a close ally of Lurie’s and a GrowSF favorite who was appointed by former Mayor London Breed in 2024. Brooke and Sherrill will face off in a June contest to fill the remainder of Assemblymember Catherine Stefani ’s term before a November election for a full, four-year term. Brooke and Sherrill are not all that different on topics like public safety or homelessness, but when it comes to housing, hoo boy. Brooke’s detractors like to paint her as the NIMBY Queen of San Francisco. She’s been a fierce critic of Lurie’s state-mandated “Family Zoning Plan,” which aims to increase housing production across the city. Sherrill has been a defender of the proposal, walking a tight line between his wealthy D2 constituents who don’t want their views blocked and the city’s rising and powerful YIMBY faction. Power Play is told the GrowSF ads will cast Brooke as a neo-Peskin, playing off his reputation for blocking housing. It will tie Brooke’s current donors to Peskin-world, including names like land use attorney Richard Drury and progressive communications consultant Dale Carlson , both of whom gave to the former supervisor’s 2024 mayoral campaign. Brooke has also hired staffers for her campaign, Forrest Cameron and Jamie Hughes , who have worked for Peskin’s mayoral bid. “It’s the same agenda, the same team, the same donors, and the same philosophy — and that means the same results: a deeply unaffordable San Francisco stuck in bureaucratic gridlock,” said Steven Bacio , co-founder of GrowSF, in a statement. It’s hard to say how effective the ads will be. Peskin hasn’t been in office for more than a year, and some voters’ resentments toward him may have dampened. But GrowSF also has a huge war chest and can pepper voters with a consistent stream of ads. The latest fundraising figures show the group has scooped up $267,000 for its pro-Sherrill PAC. Sherrill’s June campaign has hoovered up $246,209, while Brooke reports $159,273. And the strategy has been tried before: Former Supervisor Mark Farrell accused his then-opponent Janet Reilly in a 2010 D2 race of being tied to Peskin. Reilly, the favorite, lost to Farrell by a close margin. Meanwhile, Brooke and Peskin had some choice words for GrowSF. “District 2 voters are smart enough to know this is foolish and desperate,” Brooke said in a statement. “You know Stephen is scared when they have over a million dollars and still have to use the Aaron Peskin boogeyman.” Peskin invoked Sherrill’s father, a longtime Republican donor with ties to the firearm manufacturer Remington Arms: “It sounds like a petrified Stephen Sherrill got his right-wing, gunmaker father to fund GrowSF’s absurd hit piece.” — Gabe Greschler Got tips? Send to us at powerplay@sfstandard.com . OUTSIDE MONEY: Two outside spending groups are entering the San Francisco congressional race to boost their preferred candidates to replace retiring Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi . Working Families for San Francisco, which supports Supervisor Connie Chan , has received $200,000 from the hospitality workers union UNITE HERE, affiliated with Local 2 in San Francisco. It has long been rumored that labor groups would launch an independent expenditure committee to support Chan, who has backing from progressive unions, but has been trailing her main rivals, state Sen. Scott Wiener and Saikat Chakrabarti, in fundraising. More money is expected to flow into the effort, according to David Ho , a political consultant running the IE effort. The group has already spent $100,000 on phone banking, canvassing, and digital media production, meaning ads could start appearing soon. A separate IE, Jobs and Democracy, backed by AI company Anthropic, plans to spend $500,000 to support Wiener, according to Politico. The senator has been pushing legislation at the state level to regulate the AI industry. Both campaigns declined to comment, as candidates are prohibited from coordinating with outside spending groups. But all of this IE spending is unlikely to match what Chakrabarti has been pouring into the race — $5 million of his own money. The first major IE in the contest, Abundant Future , is supporting Wiener and has raised about $550,000 so far to attack the former tech worker and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez aide. — Han Li SORRY, SAIKAT: Speaking of Ocasio-Cortez , her cold shoulder to Chakrabarti just went from chilly to arctic tundra. On Friday, AOC endorsed Philadelphia congressional candidate Chris Rabb , a progressive who has pushed for state-level reparations for Black Americans. But didn’t AOC just tell reporters she’s gotta be picky about endorsements, her excuse for withholding an endorsement of her former chief of staff, Chakrabarti? Let’s run back the clock to mid-April, when a reporter asked AOC if she’d back Chakrabarti. She hemmed and hawed, saying she has a lean team and wants to think about “how much of myself I’m pouring into this, and how much of myself I want to pour into the task at hand.” Progressive media pundits at “ The Young Turks ” and “ Breaking Points ” laid into AOC. “What was that? That was a Kamala Harris-like word salad,” said Cenk Uygur , host of “The Young Turks.” One week later, Ocasio-Cortez endorsed Rabb. Tough look for Chakrabarti. — Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez THE D4 DONOR DANCE: The newest campaign filings for the District 4 supervisor candidates show incumbent Supervisor Alan Wong is neck and neck in fundraising with his progressive challenger, legislative aide Natalie Gee, at roughly $120,000 raised each (not counting outside money, which is also roughly equal). But beyond the numbers, the current and former City Hall insiders who are funding them reveals something about the candidates themselves — especially since both had careers under City Hall’s gilded dome. By Power Play’s tally, Gee is getting more insider support, with just over 30 past and present city officials and government workers backing her to the tune of about $6,800. That list includes former Mayor Art Agnos; Supervisors Connie Chan , Myrna Melgar , Jackie Fielder , and Shamann Walton; Superior Court Judge Michael Begert ; and a boatload of fellow legislative aides. Chakrabarti, the congressional candidate, also donated to Gee. Only a dozen officials back Wong, to the tune of $2,250. His City Hall backers mostly stem from the mayor’s office — not a surprise, considering he’s a Lurie appointee. They include mayor’s office Chief of Staff Staci Slaughter , Deputy Chief of Staff Aly Bonde , liaison to the Board of Supervisors Adam Thongsavat , and Director of External Affairs Han Zou. Oh, and of course, Lurie himself. Some of the challengers who have raised less funds nonetheless have some interesting local players among their donors. Sitting with a respectable $111,000 raised, hardware store owner Albert Chow netted donations from former school board member Ann Hsu and former SF Democratic Party board chair Mary Jung . And educator David Lee, who raised $98,000, netted donations from the strangest bedfellows you could imagine in SF politics: progressive firebrand and recalled District Attorney Chesa Boudin and Republican socialite and philanthropist DeDe Wilsey . — J.F.R.

The real reason Jay Cheng is leaving Neighbors. Plus: Lurie’s China debut

For more than a decade, San Francisco political operative Jay Cheng has worn many faces: He’s a master of the political dark arts, a schemer , an alleged abuser , a gifted strategist , a leader , a risk-taker. The polarizing figure burst onto the public scene after he was embroiled in ethics snafus during the 2022 recall of District Attorney Chesa Boudin and the 2024 mayoral election . City Hall’s obsession with Cheng continued after he announced this week that he is stepping down as executive director of Neighbors for a Better San Francisco. Speculation abounds around one question: Why? Insiders bent Power Play’s ear with two theories. The first seems likely, because it has timing on its side. Sources say they have caught wind of an Ethics Commission investigation that, at least tangentially, involves Cheng — and Cheng told us there’s no investigation against him, specifically. Nobody we spoke to knows the allegations, but Neighbors had unflattering flirtations with Mark Farrell ’s mayoral campaign, like Cheng trying to hire a campaign manager , a potential violation of coordination between PACs and candidate campaigns. The Ethics Commission doesn’t comment on active investigations but revealed in a report published in March that it had 29 ongoing enforcement cases. The second rumor is that Mayor Daniel Lurie — who froze Cheng out after Neighbors ran afoul of the Ethics Commission — wanted a pound of flesh from the organization to get back in his good graces. And William Obendorf, the Republican billionaire who is a board member of Neighbors and its stalwart financial backer, served up Cheng to repair his relationship with Lurie. Obendorf didn’t respond to a request for comment. It’s less firm than the ethics allegations, but not wholly impossible. There’s not necessarily any timing that lends it credibility, beyond Neighbors trying to position itself to help Lurie in the November election, for which he’s juggling many competing priorities — from electing supervisor allies to his charter reforms — that may require outside help. Cheng has been caught and fined tens of thousands of dollars for ethics violations before, but still stayed on with Neighbors. Max Szabo , Lurie’s political spokesperson, told us the mayor will work with anybody, “irrespective of political affiliation,” to make San Francisco safer and more affordable. Translation: conservatives like Obendorf aren’t off the table if they’ve got the same goals as Lurie. Szabo denied any dealmaking. Of course, both explanations could contain shades of truth. And either story could serve as a convenient excuse for the other. Cheng said simply, “Everything I did was at the behest and direction of the board, and for the best interests of the organization. You live by the sword, you die by the sword.” — Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez & Han Li Got tips? Send to us at powerplay@sfstandard.com . CHINA DEBUT: Lurie wrapped his first full day in Shanghai with a packed schedule: playing soccer , attending a traditional folk music performance , and, in classic tourist fashion, taking a night cruise along the Huangpu River — complete with a skyline photo op. Chinese media coverage has been quieter this time compared with former mayor London Breed ’s 2024 visit, when her bigger group, a stop in Beijing, and panda diplomacy drew more widespread attention. The coverage that has emerged from the current delegation has largely focused on sister-city ties and cultural exchange. Lurie showed up at a United Airlines event to promote tourism, and signed collaboration agreements linking the California Academy of Sciences, SF Conservatory of Music, and SF Opera with their counterparts in Shanghai. One news article headline read, “See what he did with music,” underscoring the trip’s emphasis on soft diplomacy. Lurie has framed the visit around the idea that arts and culture can bridge geopolitical divides. “This partnership is more than education. It reflects the power of music to connect people across borders, even when other forms of dialogue may be more challenging,” Lurie said in Shanghai. The mayor is traveling with several city officials, including Chief of Protocol Penny Coulter and Airport Director Mike Nakornkhet . His wife, Becca Prowda , has appeared alongside him in multiple state media reports. A city disclosure form also shows his mother, Mimi Haas , is part of the delegation. Lurie is expected to stay in China for one more day before heading to South Korea. — H.L. & Gabe Greschler KIM’S TV SPOTS : Moderate-leaning group GrowSF has become one of the most dominant forces in city politics, and a recent TV buyout shows just how much it’s willing to throw down for local races that otherwise aren’t getting much attention. The group shared exclusively with Power Play that it has made ad buys in the six figures from its $300,000 war chest supporting school board candidate Phil Kim . It’s basically unheard of to run TV ads for school board candidates — but not for GrowSF, which has established itself as part of the moneyed Team Lurie and has connections to deep-pocketed techies. Kim was appointed by Breed in 2024. He’s running against two progressives in the June election to serve the remainder of his term, then will run again in November. The ads were bought through the GrowSF Voter Guide, an independent expenditure committee whose top donor is environmentalist and entrepreneur Nicholas Josefowitz . The ads, which are airing now, present Kim as a pragmatic member of the school board who has prioritized algebra, helped balance the budget, and supported a deal during the February teachers strike “without bankrupting our schools.” “Phil Kim helped save SFUSD from bankruptcy and prevented mass school closures,” one of the ads states. “He balanced a billion-dollar budget, protecting every classroom, and made sure teachers kept their jobs.” — G.G.

Controversial leader of powerful SF political group steps down

After years of stirring controversy and wielding influence in San Francisco politics, the leader of a powerful moderate policy group is stepping down. Jay Cheng said Thursday that he is exiting as executive director of Neighbors for a Better San Francisco — or “Neighbors,” as it’s known in political circles. “It has been one of the greatest honors of my life to help build and lead this organization,” Cheng said in a statement. “I remain deeply committed to advancing pragmatic, centrist, and results-oriented politics that can help our cities thrive.” Since its founding in 2020, Neighbors has been one of the best-funded and most influential pressure groups in local politics. Its donors include conservative hedge fund billionaire William Oberndorf and venture capitalist Steven Merrill. Cheng, long seen as one of the city’s most active and aggressive political operatives, joined the organization in 2020 and helped lead some of its highest-profile efforts, including the recalls of three San Francisco school board members and District Attorney Chesa Boudin in 2022. Neighbors spent about $3 million in 2020, $12 million in 2022, and $10 million in 2024 to back moderate candidates and ballot measures. It was also a magnet for controversy. In the 2024 mayoral race, Neighbors endorsed Daniel Lurie, a newcomer to politics, as well as former mayor Mark Farrell , ranking incumbent London Breed third. However, Cheng and his wife, Kanishka Cheng, the head of another moderate political group, Together SF, faced criticism for being too close to Farrell’s campaign , including helping to vet and hire staffers. Neighbors was fined for violations during the Boudin recall, and past allegations of sexual assault against Cheng resurfaced amid the 2024 election. After Farrell’s defeat, Together SF disbanded and folded into Neighbors, which rebranded as Blueprint. Together SF was backed by Michael Moritz, chairman of The Standard. Lurie, following his election as mayor, distanced himself from Cheng . Other moderate groups have emerged since the pandemic, including GrowSF. Former Together SF staffer Rob Aiavao will serve as interim leader of Neighbors, according to Cheng. Blueprint’s operations will also continue. Cheng said he plans to spend more time with his family and two children. He will remain in his day job as a government liaison for the San Francisco Association of Realtors. “I have every confidence that Neighbors will continue to play a major role in shaping the future of San Francisco and advancing the values that brought us together in the first place,” he said.

Eric Swalwell scandal: All the investigations raining down on the ex-congressman

Eric Swalwell announced his resignation from Congress on Monday, but that’s not the end of the madness — he’s under investigation from so many directions, it’s dizzying. Since last week, Swalwell’s status has dive-bombed from gubernatorial front-runner to disgraced ex-congressman following investigations by the San Francisco Chronicle and CNN that revealed at least two incidents of alleged sexual assault and booze-addled sexual encounters with female staffers and subordinates. Swalwell has not been charged with assault or misconduct. Here is a list of the investigations unfolding since the news broke Friday. Investigation: Sexual assault in New York Status: Ongoing One alleged sexual assault took place in New York, giving the Manhattan district attorney’s office grounds to open an investigation, CNN reported Saturday. “We urge survivors and anyone with knowledge of these allegations to contact our Special Victims Division at 212-335-9373,” the office said. CNN’s story alleged that Swalwell forced sex on a former staffer when she was too intoxicated to consent. Her vagina bled the next day, and she had cuts and bruises, she claimed. Swalwell messaged her the next day on Snapchat, calling the night great. Democratic insiders told The Standard that the former congressman’s Snapchat habits were common knowledge. The violent nature of the alleged assaults, however, shocked some of his closest colleagues. Investigation: Sexual misconduct in Alameda County Status: District attorney’s office is “evaluating ” As a resident of Alameda County, at least on paper , Swalwell’s alleged misdeeds potentially fall under the purview of Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson . Over the weekend, Jones Dickson’s office issued a statement saying the team found the allegations “deeply concerning and disturbing.” The DA’s office is evaluating whether any criminal conduct took place within Alameda County. Investigation: Illegal payments to family nanny Status: Ongoing In a matter seemingly unrelated to the sexual misconduct claims, Swalwell is under federal scrutiny for two separate allegations related to his children’s Brazilian nanny, Amanda Barbosa. As first revealed in the NY Post, a complaint made to the Department of Labor alleges that Swalwell and his wife lied to the federal government to renew Barbosa’s immigration work authorization. The second complaint, made to the Department of Homeland Security, alleges that Swalwell illegally paid Barbosa using campaign funds when she was without work authorization. A U.S. Citizenship and Immigrations Services spokesperson told The Standard, “Federal law prohibits employers from knowingly hiring aliens who are not authorized to work in the United States. No employer, including a member of Congress, is above the law.” The statement added that the Department of Homeland Security would “aggressively enforce statutes to uphold the rule of law and protect American workers.” The misconduct was reportedly alleged by Joel Gilbert , a conservative conspiracy theorist. Investigation: Beverly Hills rape allegations Status: Just beginning Another woman has come forward to allege Swalwell raped her — Lonna Drewes, who was working as a model, and once considered running for Beverly Hills City Council. At a Tuesday press conference, flanked by attorneys, Drewes said she believed Swalwell drugged her before raping her in a hotel room in 2018. Drewes had reached out to Swalwell about Democratic politics and believed they were going to attend a political event that evening. They had drinks together, during which Drewes tried to deflect his romantic advances, the Los Angeles Times reported . Drewes’ attorney, Lisa Bloom, said they would file a police report immediately after the press conference and would provide text messages, photos, and journal entries from the time of the alleged rape. Investigation: Federal mortgage fraud Status: Accusations piling up Another federal investigation is centered around a question that had been dogging Swalwell’s gubernatorial campaign: Where the hell does he live, anyway? Late last year, Swalwell joined three other Democratic officials in facing mortgage and tax fraud allegations from the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, William Pulte. Swalwell sued Pulte, alleging retaliation for Swalwell’s critiques of President Donald Trump, including his role as House impeachment manager during Trump’s second impeachment. Just last month, Swalwell dropped that suit. Pulte referred Swalwell to the Department of Justice, claiming his multimillion-dollar loan documents contained false or misleading statements that designated his Washington home as his primary residence. The DOJ hasn’t returned a request to verify the investigation is ongoing, but the accusations are mounting; last month, the New York Post reported that Swalwell rents a single room in another family’s home in the Bay Area in order to claim eligibility to run for California governor. Investigation: Mistreatment of congressional staffers Status: Likely stalled due to resignation Swalwell left Congress before the axe could fall : The chairman and ranking member of the bipartisan House Committee on Ethics released a statement Monday confirming an investigation into whether Swalwell “violated the Code of Official Conduct or any law, rule, regulation, or other applicable standard of conduct” by sexually assaulting an employee under his supervision. If brought to the House, a majority of members could have voted to expel Swalwell from office. That was looking likely: A bipartisan deal was gaining steam to bounce not only Swalwell but three other lawmakers, including Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales, whose alleged affair with a staffer ended with her death from setting herself on fire. To garner a vote, Swalwell’s misdeeds would’ve been paraded before a national audience — a clear reason to leave. Investigation: Relationship with a “honey pot” Chinese spy Status: Messy Two weeks ago, Trump’s administration ordered the FBI to once again look into the decade-old investigation into Swalwell’s reported relationship with a Chinese spy, according to The New York Times, which cited confidential sources. In 2015, news emerged that the FBI warned Swalwell he was targeted by a suspected Chinese intelligence operative named Christine Fang, also known as Fang Fang. She worked on Swalwell’s campaign and directed an intern in his office. In 2023, the House Ethics Committee concluded an investigation into Swalwell’s ties to Fang, saying it would take no further action into allegations he violated House rules, laws, or standards of conduct. Law enforcement officials told The New York Times last week they were worried the Trump administration would dredge up the FBI’s findings into Swalwell and Fang to smear him on the gubernatorial campaign trail. This page will be updated as investigations emerge and progress.

Swalwell resigns from Congress. What happens next?

Rep. Eric Swalwell resigned from Congress on Monday, three days after explosive accounts of sexual misconduct eroded much of his political support. Swalwell, who had been a front-runner in the California governor’s race, bowed out of that contest Sunday after his endorsements and donations started to collapse over the weekend. His fellow members of Congress had also raised the prospect of removing Swalwell from office. In a statement Monday, Swalwell, who had held his seat since 2013, denied that the accusations levied against him were legitimate but said they were distracting him from his job. “I am aware of efforts to bring an immediate expulsion vote against me and other members. Expelling anyone in Congress without due process, within days of an allegation being made, is wrong. But it’s also wrong for my constituents to have me distracted from my duties. Therefore, I plan to resign my seat in Congress,” he posted on X . “I will work with my staff in the coming days to ensure they are able, in my absence, to serve the needs of the good people of the 14th congressional district.” A vacancy of Swalwell’s congressional seat — which covers Alameda County’s cities of Livermore, Union City, Castro Valley, Hayward, and parts of Dublin and Fremont — allows Gov. Gavin Newsom to call for a special election within 14 days. Newsom may hold off on that. Swalwell had not filed for reelection to Congress, and the winner of the Nov. 3 election will be the new representative for the district in January 2027. Chris Micheli, a Sacramento-based attorney and lobbyist, said he doubted the governor would call for a special election, given that the person elected would serve for such a short time. “I don’t see it likely happening,” he said. Newsom’s office said it would make an official announcement once the seat is officially vacant. The candidates seeking Swalwell’s seat include Democrats Aisha Wahab, a state senator from the East Bay, and Victor Aguilar, Jr., a councilmember from San Leandro. The top two candidates in the June 2 primary will proceed to the Nov. 3 general election. Although a handful of Republicans are running, the district is considered a Democratic stronghold. Swalwell’s career neared its end Friday after The San Francisco Chronicle and CNN published allegations of sexual misconduct involving former staffers. The response from supporters was swift: Powerful unions that had pledged millions to his campaign quickly removed their endorsements, and major Democratic figures like Sen. Adam Schiff and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi urged him to back out of the governor’s race. On Monday, more bad news came for Swalwell as the House Ethics Committee announced it was investigating his conduct. It was not immediately clear how Swalwell’s resignation would affect the probe. Over the weekend, the Manhattan district attorney’s office announced that it would also launch an investigation; the Alameda County DA’s office told The Standard it too is looking into the allegations.

Steyer may surge in governor’s race, courting Swalwell base. Plus: Alameda DA weighs in

This article is from Power Play, a twice-weekly newsletter rounding up the latest City Hall and local politics gossip. To sign up, visit The Standard’s newsletter page . Update 5:36 p.m. : Rep. Eric Swalwell announced on social media that he was suspending his campaign for governor, but did not mention if he would resign his congressional seat. If you’re like us, you’ve been watching with bated breath this weekend over what is going to happen to Rep. Eric Swalwell , who now faces an avalanche of both Democrats and Republicans demanding he drop out of the governor’s race — or resign from Congress. The April surprise of sexual assault allegations against Swalwell has put a flame under what had been an underwhelming and largely unpredictable governor’s race. But that has all changed now with what looks to be an almost certain exit from the contest by the East Bay Congressman — and the rise of Tom Steyer , as data and polling expert Lakshya Jain tells Power Play. “The question is, what can people attack him on in the last 50 days until the primary? It would have to be that he's a billionaire,” said Jain, head of political data at The Argument . “It would have to be through an us versus them campaign, saying he's one of them. He's not one of us. But I don't expect that to work. People liken him to Mike Bloomberg , but Steyer is nowhere near as controversial with Democrats as Bloomberg is.” We caught up with Jain on Sunday morning to talk about where things go from here now that Swalwell’s candidacy appears dead in the water. The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. Power Play: People were worried about a Democratic lockout. How does that play into the Swalwell news? Lakshya Jain: If Steve Hilton takes 20 to 25%, the other Republican is getting 10 to 15% at most. So what that means for Democrats is, the already slim fear of a lockout has essentially gone to zero, and that candidate who's going to advance on the Democratic side in the top two primary is going to be in all likelihood Steyer, because with Swalwell as a front runner now out, the person next up is going to be who has the highest name recognition. That’s Steyer. PP: What about Katie Porter or Matt Mahan ? LJ: Porter doesn't have enough time on the airwaves, and she's not high profile enough to really break through. Mahan is a candidate who I think exists on Twitter alone. Mahan is the classic candidate that sounds great to postgraduate voters, but doesn't really register with the majority of people, because they don't pay 24/7 attention to politics. PP: Lots of unions are dropping their support of Swalwell. What’s going to happen with those endorsements and does it even matter? LJ: A labor union's endorsement’s impact is two things. One, it is a powerful weapon in a place where the population is overwhelmingly working class clustered within a bunch of small areas and turnout is low. California doesn't really check those boxes. Number two, a labor union’s endorsement is a signal to people saying, go ahead and back this person. That used to be a lot more powerful. This is not the same America in a labor sense, as it was in 1975. A labor union’s endorsement is not a bad thing to have, but it is not going to compensate for [Steyer’s] $100 million on the airwaves. PP: What should people be watching for in the coming weeks? LJ: Look to see where that Swalwell support really goes. This race has become much more high profile now. People have started paying attention all of a sudden. The “don't know” share of Democrats is very, very high. And so I would expect to see that that ceiling of 12 to 15% that all these Democrats have been stuck with starts to break, and someone breaks the 20% mark, and the first person to break that is very, very likely to win the actual primary. — Gabe Greschler SECOND CHOICE MATTERS: With Swalwell under mounting pressure, rival campaigns are moving fast to capture his political base. Billionaire climate activist Steyer, a San Francisco resident and leading contender, sees an opportunity. Friday afternoon, Steyer initially issued a statement supporting Swalwell's victims, then followed up with a strong reaction saying Swalwell “should be nowhere near any position of power” and calling on him to drop out and resign. According to a source inside the campaign, Steyer’s team is actively courting Swalwell’s supporters and endorsers. A notable shift is that Rep. Jared Huffman , the North Bay congressman who had remained undecided before the Swalwell fallout, is now officially backing Steyer. “Tom Steyer has spent his career advancing bold climate action and standing up to Big Oil and special interests that threaten our environment and our future. We need a leader who will take on fossil fuel companies, protect our natural resources, and build a more affordable California,” Huffman said in a statement. Internal polling shared by the Steyer campaign suggests that 31% of Swalwell supporters list Porter as their second choice, and 25% are choosing Steyer. — Han Li Got tips? Send to us at powerplay@sfstandard.com . DEMS IN THE DARK: While it’s not a surprise Democrats pulled their support of Swalwell following the damning allegations, the swiftness did shock even the most jaded of political watchers. One reason behind his meteorically quick collapse: Swalwell gave his personal guarantee to endorsers and state party leaders days before the Chronicle and CNN’s story dropped, when the news was bubbling in vague ways on X and other social media platforms. The New York Times today reported his discussions with endorsers, but Power Play is told he also gave his assurances to top California Democrats, who decidedly were split at their convention in February, and hadn’t endorsed any gubernatorial candidate. Swalwell’s message? Everything’s fine. The news that would come would not be pretty, but everything that would emerge would show he had consensual relationships. As one top Dem insider told Power Play, Swalwell made it clear he had “not actively harmed anyone.” When the news dropped, Democrats weren’t just alarmed at the severity of the allegations — it was clear Swalwell had downplayed just how bad things would be. He broke their trust. Friday at the Democratic National Committee meeting in New Orleans, the executive committee was convening at a tribute to Jesse Jackson when the Chronicle and CNN’s news broke over their phones. Their phones lit up with the news alerts. The crisis immediately started a conversation on the floor to assemble a joint letter calling on him to end his campaign for governor. One of those signatories was Christine Pelosi , who is on the CA DEM executive committee and the DNC executive committee, and a candidate for the state senate. “I was shocked. I had my ’keep hope alive sign,’ I was there to honor Jesse Jackson. And instead, that’s what we were doing,” Pelosi said. “We Californians are going through something right now. To those survivors we think you should be heard and supported. We keep saying this but it continues to be true. We can’t have people abuse power. No one is above accountability. We need to believe women.” “People are burning up the phones saying, ‘who’s next?’” Pelosi said. The remaining gubernatorial candidates need to think hard about what they do next, she added. “If anyone else has anything else, now is the time to let us know.” — Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez ALAMEDA DA WEIGHS IN: The allegations against Swalwell are now drawing scrutiny on both coasts. Chronicle and CNN’s stories indicated a 2024 sexual assault allegation took place at a hotel in New York, prompting an investigation from Manhattan’s prosecutors. Meanwhile, a separate 2019 allegation — following a gathering at a Pleasanton restaurant — may have occurred at a nearby hotel in Alameda County. The Alameda County District Attorney's Office confirmed it is now reviewing the matter. “[We] became aware of recent media reports concerning allegations of sexual misconduct involving Congressman Eric Swalwell,” the office said in a statement. “At this time, our office is in the process of evaluating whether any alleged criminal conduct occurred within Alameda County. We will review and assess all available information to determine what further action can be taken.” — H.L. & Cyrus Farivar CHINESE SPY CASE BACK? This is not the first time Swalwell has been involved in a major scandal. A 2020 report by Axios revealed that suspected Chinese operative Christine Fang, also known as Fang Fang, spent years cultivating ties with rising U.S. politicians, including Swalwell. Fang was also said to have had sexual relationships with two mayors of Midwestern cities. Swalwell cut off contact with her in 2015 after an FBI defensive briefing. Fang later left the U.S. and has not returned. There was no evidence that Fang obtained classified information, nor any indication that Swalwell engaged in wrongdoing or knowingly participated in espionage. Now, with reports that the FBI may revisit or release materials tied to the case, Swalwell has responded with a cease-and-desist letter . It’s unclear what the FBI will do now, given the swift collapse of Swalwell’s campaign, but that decade-old counterintelligence episode may be back in the spotlight. — H.L. OUT OF THE HOUSE: Eight members of Congress said they’d vote to expel Swalwell so far, though that number may change in the coming days, or even hours. They include four Republicans: Reps. Anna Paulina Luna, Byron Donalds, Nancy Mace and Mike Lawler ; and four Democrats, Reps. Huffman , Pramilla Jayapal, Teresa Leger Fernández, and Eugene Vindman. Eight down, 282 to go. A two-thirds majority of members present and voting is required to expel a member of Congress. And the hunt is expanding to other members. In a Fox News interview , Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) said Swalwell should resign and called for House Ethics and criminal investigations. When asked if Swalwell should be expelled, he said yes, but also expanded that remit to Republicans who are similarly accused. — J.F.R.

‘Where there’s smoke, there’s fire’: In Swalwell’s backyard, support is running out

When Eric Swalwell posted a defiant video to social media late Friday night — vowing to stay in the California governor’s race despite mounting sexual misconduct allegations — he was, in effect, speaking directly over the heads of an increasingly skeptical Democratic establishment and toward voters like the ones he has represented for years in the Tri-Valley. And indeed beyond the East Bay, as he hopes to convince California voters that he still has a purchase on the gubernatorial race. Whether those voters are still listening is another question. In Pleasanton, the suburban East Bay city at the heart of Swalwell’s congressional district, a dozen residents interviewed by The Standard reflected a community wrestling with competing instincts. Many have loyalty to a local figure they know, skepticism toward anonymous accusations, and a nagging sense that the threshold for stepping aside may already have been crossed. For some, the calculus was simple. “Where there is smoke, there is fire,” said Tony V., 78, a retired Tracy resident. Jim Ahern, 66, a retired Dublin resident, pointed to the Manhattan district attorney’s inquiry as the detail that tipped his assessment. “He’s going to have to drop out, isn’t he?” Ahern said. “You have to believe women nowadays.” Jason C., 53, a Pleasanton construction worker, framed it in terms of the office itself: “People in public life should be moral examples.” But loyalty, especially local loyalty, proved stickier than the headlines might suggest. Bill G., 91, a Dublin resident who has attended Swalwell events over the years, said flatly that he would not withdraw his support unless Swalwell himself admitted wrongdoing. “Until he says he did it, he stays in,” Bill said. “We all have secrets, you know? I know him. He’s good.” Christine Sevier, 44, who works in senior living and has had professional dealings with Swalwell’s office, said the evidence presented so far — text messages, an STD test — fell short of convincing her. “Politics is dirty,” she said. “Maybe she is being pressured.” Others were less interested in guilt or innocence than in the practical damage the controversy was doing to Democratic prospects in November. “If the noise is loud enough, it becomes the focus of the campaign,” said Mario Briones, 33, an Oakland resident who had come to Pleasanton to shop. “That doesn’t help people.” Joe Cutcliffe, 83, who recently moved to the area, put it more dryly: “Somebody needs to drop out. It sounds like he might have a good excuse.” What was striking, talking to residents in the district Swalwell has called home his entire life, was how few were willing to say, simply, that the allegations didn’t matter. Even those who defended him did so carefully, conditionally, with an eye on the exit. Rekisha Davis, 50, a human resources specialist who said she had tuned out the news since Trump returned to office, learned of the allegations mid-conversation. She was measured but clear. “There are people who are good at what they do,” she said. “But that doesn’t negate what they did.”

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