A nonprofit keeps 95% of clients out of jail and in court. SF courts want to kill it

Tierra Simms has walked the two blocks from her SoMa workplace to the 7th Street jail countless times. After each visit, the 37-year-old returns with one or a handful of people just released from jail. Many lug their belongings in transparent plastic bags as they follow her back to her office. Her job — and the bulk of the work at the San Francisco Pretrial Diversion Project — is ensuring that those released from jail during their legal proceedings return for court hearings and stay out of trouble in the meantime. By most accounts, the nationally recognized nonprofit has been living up to its responsibilities. A recent report found that an average of 95% of the organization’s clients returned to court as scheduled in 2025. An even higher number — 97% — were not rearrested or charged while awaiting trial. But a year-old squabble with the San Francisco Superior Court may lead to the dissolution of the nearly 50-year-old nonprofit. For decades, SF Pretrial, and then Santa Clara County, were the only counties with such programs. Since its founding, the nonprofit has expanded to more than 100 employees who at any time serve roughly 1,800 clients. The organization has an annual budget of roughly $16 million, funded by city contracts, grants, and donations. In addition to making sure clients return to court, SF Pretrial helps them find housing and treatment for drug and mental health issues, among other services. There is even a hotel near the office, with which the group contracts for clients with no place to go. In 2018, when California passed a law reforming the money bail system, it authorized county probation departments to operate pretrial services. That led to most counties adopting a pretrial system run by law enforcement agencies. But the law had a carve-out for SF Pretrial due to its success and long-standing relationship with the courts. San Francisco Superior Court said it has asked the city’s Adult Probation Department to take over pretrial services to centralize its control over released defendants. The court cited financial issues and a lack of transparency by the nonprofit as the reasons. ‘This decision is not based on sound public policy or what’s best for San Francisco and public safety.’ If Mayor Daniel Lurie’s budget, to be worked out by the end of June, allocates the necessary funds to the Probation Department for a new pretrial services program, the move will be final. SF Pretrial leaders — who include a former San Francisco Police Department chief — say they don’t understand why an organization that has had success for decades is being dismantled. They warn that a law enforcement agency tasked with tracking people who have not yet been convicted of a crime is problematic and that a ham-fisted transition could create chaos for courts already plagued by backlogs and lawyer shortages. They contend that the court’s mismanagement claims have been rectified and that the transparency allegations are unfounded, while stating that the Probation Department has its own troubled history. “This decision is not based on sound public policy or what’s best for San Francisco and public safety,” said SF Pretrial CEO David Mauroff. “The goal is to consolidate power and control between the superior court and adult probation, which is under the court’s authority.” The population of those awaiting trial outside of county jail has been a central focus of debates around public safety. The group is likely to grow following a state Supreme Court ruling on bail reform, clarifying that only people who pose a danger to the public can be held without bail — everyone else must be charged bail they can afford. ‘When I call them by their names, they are always surprised.’ A years-long battle Efforts to move pretrial services under the Probation Department go back years. In 2019, the department tried to take over SF Pretrial’s work by applying for a state pretrial pilot program. It failed to be selected. But in March 2025, SF Pretrial got into hot water over mismanagement of its retirement fund . This led to an investigation by the district attorney and a city review into the nonprofit’s compliance with contracting rules. The upheaval prompted the court to begin its own inquiry into the organization. On June 18, 2025, SF Superior Court CEO Brandon Riley notified Mauroff that the court had filed a Public Records Act request seeking documents about SF Pretrial’s contracts and internal finances. As Mauroff conferred with the nonprofit’s board, he was rebuffed from participating in the court’s investigation. “Hello, Mr. Mauroff. The Court is currently investigating more serious issues regarding San Francisco Pretrial and exploring potential solutions. We respectfully decline your offer to participate,” Riley wrote in an email. ‘Most of the time they are people of color. It feels like they have fallen through the gaps.’ Weeks later, Mauroff sent a follow-up notifying the court that the city no longer viewed SF Pretrial as a seriously problematic nonprofit and that the DA’s investigation had been closed. When the nonprofit refused to hand over the documents, citing the limits of public records laws over nongovernment entities, Riley responded that the court would begin the search for a replacement: “Great! I figured it would come to this.” In October, Riley wrote to the state’s judicial council about his plan to move pretrial work to the Probation Department. Still, the nonprofit continued to inform the court about its improved oversight program for defendants and updates on how it was living up to requirements for city-contracted nonprofits. As the months ticked by, SF Pretrial remained unsure of its future. The nonprofit responded to a Request for Proposals from the SF Sheriff’s Office for the same services it has provided the court, and was awarded the contract. In March, the Probation Department requested $12.8 million from the mayor to stand up its own pretrial unit, saying it was prepared to begin operations July 1, 2026, and would hire nearly 30 new staffers. The issue bubbled to the surface at a hearing last week of the Board of Supervisors’ Budget and Finance Committee, at which members of the Sheriff’s Office, the ACLU, and dozens of other public commenters spoke in support of SF Pretrial as the panel weighed approval of the sheriff’s contract. ‘I was in the Probation Department. This is not what we did. Here, it’s “How can we help you not go back into custody?”’ “It is a challenging process, and one that we feel would take, at minimum, a year,” Sheriff Paul Miyamoto said. “We just had our first meeting with the Probation Department in terms of talking about what their plan is.” Anya Worley-Ziegmann, a coordinator with citizen watchdog group the People’s Budget Coalition, decried the switch to the Probation Department. “No other agency is hiring new positions,” Worley-Ziegmann said. “They are ramming this through and steering us toward a collapse of our pretrial system.” Supervisor Connie Chan said she had questions about the decision, but no representative of the court was present to answer them. The three-member body ultimately forwarded SF Pretrial’s$22.5 million, three-year contract with the Sheriff’s Office to the full board for approval. The court justified its actions, claiming the Probation Department will be more accountable and transparent and will improve public safety. “SF Pretrial refused to provide the records requested by the court, leading to the court’s decision to discontinue its partnership,” a statement said. “The fiscal implications, along with reporting inaccuracies and limited information to judges, demonstrated the urgency of the court’s decision to move forward. The court claimed the nonprofit’s work was shoddy and unaccountable but did not provide data to support its claims. ‘I’ve been homeless before. I can relate to them. When I tell my clients that, they are able to open up.’ No one from the court agreed to an interview to explain its course of action. SF Pretrial responded by pointing out that it handles nearly 40,000 client check-ins each quarter, and occasional discrepancies are addressed in real time. The Adult Probation Department has been planning a takeover since the court reached out last year — yet none of the pretrial services positions have been filled, and no launch is expected until 2027. ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ Numerous former judges and lawyers, and the San Francisco Bar Association, oppose the court’s decision to cut ties with the nonprofit. Defense attorney David Rizk called the move “ridiculous” and “foolhardy,” contending that the court, which falls under the state’s judicial branch, has no legal authority to tell the city how to spend its funds. A retired Superior Court judge, who asked to remain anonymous, said she doesn’t understand why the court is playing hardball. “My experience with Pretrial has been, they go the extra mile,” she said. “They go and find the people, look in encampments. They do the kinds of things adult probation’s not going to do. It’s just not in their DNA.” ‘We are not here to put you in jail.’ Elston Mallory, an SF Pretrial case manager and former Marin County probation officer, said the Probation Department’s message will be “Show up or go back to jail,” while the nonprofit’s message is “How can we help you not go back into custody?” SF Pretrial board member Toney Chaplin has been on both sides. A retired Hayward police chief who served in SFPD’s ranks for nearly 30 years, Chaplin said this work has gone under the radar for years. But as a cop, he saw the way that the nonprofit’s employees built trust and relationships in a way that law enforcement simply can’t. “Those people come to court because we make sure they do,” he said of the nonprofit. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Additionally, transitioning pretrial services to probation could negatively impact public safety, said retired appeals court Judge Anthony Kline, noting that it could lead to fewer people showing up to court. “It’s a huge mistake,” Kline said. “The public safety of San Francisco, which is pretty high right now, is heavily attributable to this pretrial project.”

Hilton holds slender lead over Becerra in governor race

Republican Steve Hilton sits atop the field in California’s gubernatorial primary, ahead of two prominent Democrats vying for the second spot in the race to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom. With all 19,788 precincts partially reporting as of 4:44 a.m. Wednesday, Hilton — a former Fox News host and tech entrepreneur from England — was leading the field with 1,386,966 votes, or 27.8% of the ballots counted, according to unofficial results released by the California Secretary of State. Former Health and Human Services Secretary and state Attorney General Xavier Becerra held second place with 1,267,070 votes, or 25.4%, while billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer trailed in third at 979,007 votes, representing 19.6% of the total. “We started off [as] a scrappy little start-up, just a handful of rebels, believing this state could be better than it is today,” Hilton said on election night. “We’re already the best place in the world. No question about that. There’s nowhere better than California. But we all know that this state has gone off track and we need to get it back on track,” On Tuesday night, Becerra sought to draw a sharp contrast with the national political climate, framing a potential general election campaign as a defense of California’s identity against what he called chaos and corruption in Washington. “When the pendulum swings back against the chaos, the cruelty, and the corruption — when all that remains of MAGA are broken promises, unpaid debts, and empty ballrooms — the world will look once again for American renewal and for the state of California to lead the way,” Becerra told cheering supporters. He closed his remarks with a direct appeal to voters heading into November. “We will not be bought. We will not be bullied. And we are never backing down,” he said. “California — November, here we come.” Steyer, speaking to supporters, cast the race in stark economic terms, assailing what he described as a system rigged in favor of the wealthy at the expense of working Californians. “California is the richest state in the richest country in the history of the world,” Steyer said. “It’s unacceptable that right now, so many Californians struggle to make ends meet.” He singled out corporate pricing practices and the concentration of wealth as central grievances of his campaign. “For every bill that’s too high, there’s a special interest profiting off keeping it there,” he said. “We don’t have to accept this.” All figures in the race remained subject to change as mail-in, provisional and other outstanding ballots continue to be counted in the weeks ahead. Final results must be certified by July 10. Under California’s top-two primary system, the two candidates with the most votes regardless of their party affiliation advance to the November general election. Though Hilton currently has the lead, California voters have not elected a Republican as governor since granting Arnold Schwarzenegger a second term in 2006. Republican Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco was in fourth place with 566,679 votes, or 11.3%. Among other notable Democrats, Rep. Katie Porter of Irvine received 231,488 votes (4.6%) and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan collected 205,563 votes (4.1%). In California, 44% of voters are registered as Democrats while 25% are Republicans. The lack of a clear Democratic frontrunner in the results speaks to the unusual dynamics in the governor’s race. Hilton, 46, is a British-born conservative commentator who moved to the United States and became an American citizen. He has positioned himself as a populist outsider in the race. Becerra, a cabinet member in the Biden administration, is seen as an establishment figure whose candidacy gained momentum only after the downfall of Rep. Eric Swalwell who withdrew from the race amid allegation of sexual misconduct. Steyer, a billionaire and progressive, has never held public office, but spent vast sums of his personal wealth on his campaign.

The ‘WTF’ primary for California governor is (finally) coming to a close

The roller coaster California gubernatorial primary comes to a close Tuesday, ending the “IDK” election. Or, more accurately, the “WTF” election. It’s been an unusually turbulent contest, starting in July when former Vice President Kamala Harris declined to run and continuing through April, when sexual assault allegations against former East Bay Rep. Eric Swalwell, the then-front-runner, tanked his campaign , scrambling the race in its final two months. The end result: Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra has surged to the top of the pack after initially trailing in most polls to become the most likely candidate to advance to the Nov. 3 general election. Duking it out for the second slot are Steve Hilton, a Republican former Fox News host , and billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer, who has dumped more than $210 million of his own fortune into the contest . The turbulence has crystallized into a fundamental question about California’s political future: whether voters want an experienced insider who has spent decades navigating the system, a billionaire outsider promising to upend it, or a Republican who argues only his party can fix what Democrats have broken: the state’s housing shortage, homelessness epidemic, and sky-high cost of living. The unpredictability has spooked Democratic voters, many of whom are waiting for another shoe to drop before casting their ballots. Party leaders haven’t helped their anxieties with dire warnings that the crowded field of Democrats could splinter the vote and lead to a Republican lockout in November because of California’s top-two jungle primary system. That (now very unlikely) possibility has driven many Democratic voters into two camps. They have either flocked to Becerra, a career politician with decades of experience as an assemblyman, congressman, and California’s attorney general, or Steyer, a progressive who has vowed to shake up Sacramento and take on powerful corporations and interest groups. “There are going to be a lot more strategic voters in this race than normal,” said Addisu Demissie, a Democratic strategist who ran termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 2018 gubernatorial campaign. “The head is prevailing over the heart.” That has disadvantaged Democrats like former Orange County Rep. Katie Porter , who at one point was leading the field before videos emerged last year that showed her challenging a journalist and berating a staffer . Moderate San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, once considered a rising star in the Democratic Party, has also floundered despite receiving support from some of the state’s biggest billionaires. “If we were in a heart race, where people were unstrategic about their vote and voting for their true preferences, I think both Porter and Mahan would be higher. But people don’t want to waste their vote,” Demissie said. In fact, he added, by Democrats condensing their choices, there is a “0% chance of a Republican lockout now and an infinity-times greater chance that you have Steyer and Becerra make it.” Recent polls show Becerra and Hilton competing for first place, with Steyer within striking distance. A Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies survey of 5,000 voters released Friday and conducted May 19-24 showed Becerra in the lead with 25% of the likely vote, followed by Hilton at 21% and Steyer at 19%. “I think it’s been the Democrats who’ve had the toughest time coming to a final decision. There really hasn’t been a candidate that has been all that inspiring, that just dominates,” said Mark DiCamillo, director of the IGS poll. All three candidates have spent their final days rallying supporters at event after event in hopes of adding enough voters to their column to carry them across the finish line. During a Sunday rally in Long Beach , Becerra, the son of Mexican working-class immigrants, told supporters that “the California dream is on the ballot” while touting his record in Washington and Sacramento fighting for immigrant rights and expanding health care for millions of Americans. Becerra’s backers include Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister), labor organizations, and health care groups like Planned Parenthood California and the California Medical Association. He said during the rally that he would use his first day in office to declare a state of emergency over California’s housing shortage and continue his battle against President Trump’s agenda that he started with more than 120 lawsuits he led during Trump’s first term when he was attorney general. “I am not learning this job on day one,” Becerra said. “I have done this job.” For Steyer, Becerra’s lengthy political résumé tells the story not of a champion for the people but of a political insider and corporate shill. Steyer has spent much of the race’s final sprint attacking the millions of dollars major companies have dumped into independent committees opposing the billionaire’s bid and pushing a Becerra governorship. A pro-Becerra committee has received massive hauls from companies like McDonalds, which contributed $500,000, and Meta, which gave $950,000. Realtors, the California Medical Association, and tribes have also collectively given millions to support Becerra, while fossil fuel companies like Chevron, which contributed $500,000, have also spent big to propel him into office. “I know this race has seemed complicated. But it’s actually now very, very simple,” Steyer, who is supported by a list of labor unions, environmental groups, and housing advocacy organizations, said during a Saturday rally in San Francisco . “It comes down to this: Do you want a California that works for corporations or a California that works for Californians?” As for Hilton, both Democrats are equally awful choices to solve a problem only a Republican like him could: Democratic dominance in Sacramento. Becerra, Hilton said in a Monday interview, represents “more of the same” policies that have led to the state’s many crises, while Steyer is “not just more of the same, he’s worse.” “The majority of Californians think that the state’s going in the wrong direction,” Hilton said. “I know people look at California and say it’s impossible for a Republican to win. My view is it’s impossible for a Democrat to win when you have a clear majority of people who want change.” Hilton’s optimism belies a near statistical impossibility for a Republican to take control of the governor’s mansion in California, where Democrats outnumber Republicans by a nearly two-to-one margin. Trump has also endorsed Hilton, which might help him in the primary to edge out fellow Republican Chad Bianco, sheriff of Riverside County, but haunt him in the general election when he has to appeal to a broader electorate. Vote counting in California is a notoriously difficult endeavor, and the final tally won’t be expected for days. Only 18% of the state’s more than 23 million voters had cast ballots by Monday, according to Political Data Inc., though polling experts still expect about a 35% turnout rate, on par with previous gubernatorial primaries. Early voters have skewed older, which has benefitted Becerra, while Republicans have voted in higher-than-expected numbers, giving Hilton a boost. DiCamillo said turnout in the final days of the campaign, especially among younger voters, will be critical in determining whether the November election boils down to a classic Democrat-versus-Republican contest or Steyer overtakes Hilton for a Democrat-on-Democrat runoff. After so much upheaval in the race, DiCamillo said he doubts the low turnout so far is because of a lack of voter awareness. “It’s just the enthusiasm factor,” he said.

Who is funding the 2026 California Primary? We dig into the money on PST

Behind the scenes of how Connie Chan got Nancy Pelosi’s endorsement

Happy Memorial Day weekend, Power Players. Today’s newsletter marks the transition of our newsletter to subscriber-only content. From now on, you will continue receiving a portion of the newsletter in your email, with the full version available to subscribers on our website. Please consider subscribing to continue receiving Power Play’s must-read exclusives, analyses, and fun tidbits from the team, as well as the rest of our reporting at The Standard. On Saturday, May 17, Rep. Nancy Pelosi called Supervisor Connie Chan and told her to show up at a Mission District video studio on Monday. She didn’t say why. Chan arrived, sat down next to the speaker emerita, and watched her begin reading from a teleprompter. “I have been watching this race closely with all of you — and I believe one candidate stands above the rest.” To those who’ve known Chan for years, including this reporter, the video itself tells the tale: the surprise and delight on Chan’s face is genuine. Pelosi’s endorsement wasn’t on the books for weeks or months, nor a plan hatched at Chan’s campaign launch. Instead, Chan learned of the influential, potentially campaign-shifting endorsement just one day before it was announced. While the timing took the candidate and the political establishment by surprise, it is not a surprise that Chan was Pelosi’s pick. The speaker emerita’s disdain for the other candidates, state Sen. Scott Wiener and congressional staffer Saikat Chakrabarti, is not exactly a secret. That doesn’t mean Pelosi’s endorsement was a foregone conclusion. Chan announced her run in November, and months flew by with nary a peep from Pelosi. In April, Chan’s allies in Washington D.C. hosted a fundraiser for the congressional candidate, which Pelosi attended. All Chan got out of it, at the time, was a photo with her. It was a disappointment to Chan’s supporters — even congressional interns get that much. But behind the scenes, Pelosi was quietly assessing Chan’s campaign. Insiders tell Power Play that the speaker emerita spoke to key allies in labor and among San Francisco politicos, feeling out the strategic moment to strike. “A lot of people were lobbying for it,” said Kim Tavaglione , executive director of the San Francisco Labor Council. “People were saying, ‘just make the endorsement already.’” Insiders speculate the most convincing argument was Chan’s momentum . While an early April poll painted her as lagging in third, successive polls later in the month showed Chan neck-and-neck with Chakrabarti. She was bouncing back, and the time was ripe for a nudge. The day Pelosi and Chan shot the endorsement video, a flurry of calls followed, rallying Chan’s supporters to quickly meet at In Chan Kaajal Park to shoot the commercial’s B-roll. The next day, the ad hit the stream. If Chan succeeds in clinching the primary, it’ll be remembered as the moment her win over Chakrabarti crystallized. And no one saw it coming, not even Chan herself. — Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez Got tips? Send to us at powerplay@sfstandard.com . DON’T TALK : Prosecutors in Yolo County pursuing murder charges against a San Francisco-based fireworks company are seeking a gag order in response to comments made by the defendants’ attorneys to The Standard in a story this month. In April, five people linked to an illegal fireworks warehouse were indicted by a grand jury on murder and felony conspiracy charges after a 2025 explosion that killed seven employees. Yolo County Supervising Deputy District Attorney Deanna Hays filed a motion Tuesday that bolsters a previous request for a pretrial publicity protective order by Judge Daniel P. Maguire . “[O]n May 15, 2026, an article published in the online news publication The San Francisco Standard included examples of such extrajudicial public statements by counsel for two defendants in this matter,” wrote Hays. “Counsel’s quoted comments appear to mischaracterize the prosecution and the law, inaccurately characterizing the charges as based on a felony murder theory. I believe such statements risk prejudicing the adjudicative proceeding by sowing misunderstanding and publicizing mischaracterizations of the prosecution and relevant law.” The article Hays references raises questions about the prosecution’s charges in light of a May 4 ruling from the California Supreme Court, which tightens the rules around who can be found responsible for murder. Lawyers for the defendants in the case are arguing that the ruling changes how their clients can be charged, since the owners of the fireworks company, Devastating Pyrotechnics, were not on-site when the July 1, 2025, explosion south of Yolo County’s town of Esparto. “Morris is an earth-shattering case,” said Robert Gorman , who is representing one defendant, in the May 15 Standard story. “The only way our guys can be convicted of murder, in my analysis of [the court’s decision in] Morris, is if my client is in that yard helping put together fireworks when the explosion occurred, and my guy survived.” Douglas Horngrad, another defense attorney in the case, told The Standard, “This ruling supports the defense’s position … that there is an insufficient showing to support a felony murder charge.” The Yolo County District Attorney declined to comment, and Gorman and Horngrad did not respond to a request for comment. A hearing on the gag order is set for June 4. — Gabriel Greschler FUN ATTACK: An outside spending group supporting Chan in the congressional race is adding some fun to its political attacks. The union-funded Working Families for San Francisco, a super PAC, has launched a new website called “ Truth About Saikat ,” targeting Chakrabarti. On the site, it has unveiled a memory game built around 20 controversial issues tied to Chakrabarti. To play: 40 folders are laid face-down on the board. Flip two at a time — if they match, the pair is eliminated; if they don’t, they flip back face-down. The catch is you have to remember what you’ve seen. All the cards reference controversies surrounding the candidate, including his lack of local ties and endorsements, his Maryland property, self-funding his campaign, and his touting of connections with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders , neither of whom has endorsed him. Chakrabarti’s campaign described the attack as a desperate waste of money by the PAC. On Friday, Chakrabarti also announced he had secured two endorsements from progressive “Squad” members in Congress — Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar . — Han Li HAWAII FIVE-0 : Bay Area tech barons have been snapping up prime real estate in Hawaii — and now they may have helped install a friendly face to run its biggest police force, insiders told Power Play. David Lazar , recently retired from SFPD, was named May 20 to lead the Honolulu Police Department, despite coming in dead last in a poll of HPD officers with just 2% support. Lazar , who left the department in May 2025 after losing his bid to become chief, had most recently sought to lead the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office. He also had ambitions to become SF’s chief, but instead was named on May 20 to lead Hawaii’s largest urban police force in Honolulu. But he’s already unpopular among the rank and file of his new department. A poll of department officers backed the insider, former HPD Major Mike Lambert , by 90%. The next competitor, former lieutenant colonel from the New Jersey State Police Department, Scott Ebner , got 3%. Lazar came in last with only 2% of officers backing his candidacy. MONEY TALKS : California billionaires are mobilizing against a proposed one-time 5% tax on their wealth. The Pelosi vacancy is drawing large sums into a San Francisco race. And the governor’s race has attracted significant sums from monied interests across the state; from labor to tech, and from billionaires to small donations. We’re getting into all of it on May 27 at Manny’s, where “Pacific Standard Time” podcast host Emily Dreyfuss sits down with The Standard’s wealth and power reporter Emily Shugerman and senior politics reporter Hannah Wiley to unpack the mega-donors, nebulously-named PACs, and power brokers quietly shaping what and who ends up on your ballot — and even how you might vote. And Keally McBride , a University of San Francisco politics professor, will explain the broader patterns here and what academic research tells us about how money and big spending actually shape election outcomes. With the primary just one week away, there’s no better time to understand the wealth, power, and influence behind the names and campaigns on your ballot. Buy tickets here .

Punches thrown, no knockout: 5 takeaways from the final gubernatorial debate

Heated exchanges marked the final California gubernatorial debate before the primary, as the seven major candidates seized one last chance to win over voters Thursday night in San Francisco. With ballots already in voters’ hands and a cloud hanging over the front-runner, Thursday’s debate was less a policy forum than a political street fight — and every candidate came ready to throw punches. Though 2% of ballots have already been returned for the June 2 primary, that still leaves most of the electorate up for grabs. The top two candidates will advance to the November general election. According to the latest David Binder Research survey, Republican former Fox News contributor Steve Hilton, leads the crowded pack, with 23% support, while former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra is the highest-polling Democrat, at 22%. Billionaire and climate activist Tom Steyer is at 15%, Republican Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco at 13%, and former Rep. Katie Porter at 12%. Hosted by CBS and the San Francisco Examiner, the event was held at the ornate, historic Julia Morgan Ballroom downtown. Here are five takeaways: Becerra takes the heat With the most impressive political résumé in the field — former congressman, former California attorney general, and Biden Cabinet member — Becerra entered the race near the bottom of the field but emerged as the front-runner after former Rep. Eric Swalwell dropped out of the race following allegations of sexual misconduct. That also made him the night’s biggest target. Candidates hammered Becerra over both his record in the Biden administration and the latest scandal involving one of his top aides, who pleaded guilty to stealing funds from a dormant campaign account. Becerra has not been charged and is considered a victim in the case, but rivals clearly smelled blood, and lost no opportunity to try to link him to potential involvement in the crime. Republican front-runner Hilton led the charge, as he has in previous debates, saying, “I like you personally, Xavier, but you shouldn’t be on this stage. You shouldn’t be in this race. You should be preparing your criminal defense.” Becerra replied, “With friends like that. Who needs enemies, right? “ Known more for his steady, low-drama personality than fiery rhetoric, Becerra mostly brushed off the attacks. “I was not involved in the wrongdoing,” he said on stage. “I had nothing to do with that.” Hilton rocks the front-runner vibe Conservative commentator Hilton, boosted by an endorsement from President Donald Trump and a fractured Democratic field, is increasingly acting like a candidate who believes he can be the top vote-getter in the primary. And on stage, he carried himself that way. When Becerra complained that everyone was attacking him because he was the leading candidate, Hilton quickly interrupted: “I think you’ll find I’m leading in the polls.” Throughout the debate, Hilton repeatedly went after Democrats, interrupted opponents, and lost no opportunity to hammer Democrats for their record in the governor’s office over the last 16 years. “This state is desperate for change. We cannot have another four years of one-party rule... I’m the only choice for change. This state needs new management.’ Climate finally gets a look in Beyond the usual fights over housing and education, the debate devoted significant time to climate change (a change from some of the previous debates) and a welcome development for Steyer, whose campaign has heavily focused on climate issues. At one point, he even interrupted moderators to make sure he got a chance to answer a climate question. The discussion also showed a clear partisan divide: Democrats largely framed aggressive climate action as non-negotiable, while Republicans leaned into a more skeptical, pragmatic tone. Bianco said he believes climate change is real but scoffed at warnings about rising oceans flooding California. “We’ve been threatened since I was a little kid, of being in an ice age, of California being non-existent because oceans were going to rise. It’s not going to happen,” Bianco said. Steyer used the topic to try to burnish his credentials as a climate warrior while also trying to land a hit on Becerra saying, “And let me say this, Xavier has been taking money from these big oil companies. He’s been saying we need them. He’s been voting for drilling more in California. That is the exact wrong thing to do.” Mahan comes out swinging Matt Mahan, backed by big money from Silicon Valley but still stuck below double digits in most polls, looked determined to fight with anything he could in this final debate. He came out hard in his opening remarks, pitching himself as the candidate of change while attacking nearly everyone else on stage: Steyer for “higher taxes and bigger government,” Hilton as a “Fox News talking head,” and Becerra as the embodiment of the status quo. He had some other aggressive lines on the night against his two biggest Democrat opponents. “[Steyer’s] structural change sounds to me more like socialism. His plans literally would double the size of the state government.” And a subtle dig at Becerra, “We don’t need career politicians who’ve never met a crisis that they couldn’t ignore.” Mahan also repeatedly touted his record in San Jose, especially on housing and education. By the end of the night, “San Jose” may have gotten almost as much airtime as the candidates themselves. Did you know he was the Mayor of … San Jose? Porter brings big-sister energy Porter was one of the night’s standout performers, mixing sharp attacks with comic timing. The only woman on stage, Porter repeatedly grabbed attention: pressing Becerra over the corruption scandal, raising her hands and even handwritten notes. She also looked exasperated at times at the squabbling men, and frequently sported a frown as her opponents’ exchanges went on. And on. At one point, as the debate exchanges bypassed her, she leaned on the lectern, waiting for the bickering to stop. It didn’t. Ironically, Porter may have suffered from not being attacked more often. Under debate rules, candidates got extra response time when directly targeted, meaning she missed out on some of the back-and-forth airtime others enjoyed. Still, she drew some of the biggest laughs of the night. “I’m in this race for three reasons, and their names are Luke, Paul, and Betsy,” Porter said in the closing remarks. “They are my three teenagers. God help me.” And when asked which candidate she would support if she didn’t make it out of the primary, she made a pointed remark, “I would vote for any one of the Democratic dudes.”

Lurie’s permit project gets grilled after SF Standard investigation

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 . Hours after The Standard’s investigation into Mayor Daniel Lurie ’s permit overhaul was published, Supervisor Connie Chan had sharp questions for department heads at a Wednesday-afternoon Budget and Appropriations Committee meeting. Former employees of OpenGov, the company hired for Lurie’s permitting modernization effort, told The Standard they knew the firm would miss deadlines, and current city staffers said the software lacks important features. Lurie awarded OpenGov in a no-bid contract , claiming it was the only company that could meet its deadlines. But deadlines have been blown through. SF Planning’s director, Sarah Dennis Phillips , and the interim Department of Building Inspection director, David Kane , were in the hot seat as Chan had pointed questions about the permit overhaul in light of The Standard’s reporting. The exchanges became tense at times. The city is seeking to renew the OpenGov contract for six years, at a price of $6.5 million — a decision that must go before the Civil Service Commission before heading to the supervisors for approval. Chan’s suspicions are part of a bubbling skepticism against Lurie’s permit efforts. The Civil Service commissioners have already delayed a hearing to approve OpenGov’s contract renewal after claiming that the city did not provide them with enough information about opposition to the project from a public-sector union. Some commissioners expressed serious concern about the contract during a May 4 meeting before pushing the vote to this Monday. Phillips defended the adoption of the software, stating that the department is “very happy with the results” and that the “system is performing.” She conceded that there had been bumps in the road on timelines: “We are erring on the side of doing permits correctly, rather than in volume. That does take more time, and it means things are moving more slowly than we think.” The current contract was set to deliver 15 permit types by March onto a new OpenGov-powered platform. Today, fewer than half are available. Chan remains wary of the project’s trajectory. She asked the departments to provide evidence that OpenGov is making permitting more efficient and to outline a Plan B if OpenGov is shelved — a nightmare scenario for Lurie. She quoted The Standard’s reporting in which a city employee said San Francisco is essentially subsidizing OpenGov’s product advancements. “I’m not inclined to fund the research and development of OpenGov,” Chan said. “What I’m inclined to fund is the development of a permanent permitting system that actually works for San Franciscans.” — Gabriel Greschler Got tips? Send to us at powerplay@sfstandard.com . In the pipeline THE BIG SAIKAT SPEND: The centimillionaire congressional candidate Saikat Chakrabarti has pledged to spend whatever it takes to win. Now he’s helping local propositions too. On Tuesday, Chakrabarti dropped a cool $100,000 into the campaign for Proposition D, the Overpaid CEO Tax. If approved on the June’s ballot, it would raise taxes for any company with a wide pay gap between the CEO and the median salary of workers worldwide. The measure is backed by a bevy of unions that hope the funds will plug San Francisco’s budget hole: SEIU Local 2015, SEIU Local 1021, IFPTE Local 21, AFSCME 3299, and Teamsters Joint Council 7. That begs the question: Will Chakrabarti’s contribution help him finally make inroads with labor? “Labor bases its support on the shared values candidates have with working families,” a spokesperson for the Prop. D campaign stated succinctly. Chakrabarti is certainly making his case. “These companies just received massive federal tax breaks under Trump, so asking the largest corporations, that are paying CEOs more than 100 times their median employee’s salary, to contribute a little more isn’t going to hurt them,” Chakrabarti said. “But cutting homelessness services, emergency response programs, and public safety resources would hurt thousands of San Franciscans.” For her part, Chan has so many unions supporting her congressional run she could practically start her own labor council. Though Chakrabarti shares labor’s values, unions are loath to endorse wealthy candidates for any office. But if the alternative is state Sen. Scott Wiener, who pissed off SEIU California enough that they un-endorsed him, it’ll be interesting to see if progressive labor collectively holds its nose to back either of them in June. — Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez YOU’RE WELCOME, L.A.: San Franciscans are generally proud to beat L.A. with our superior burritos, walkability, and fog over smog. However, we’ll have to begrudgingly concede that we’re on par in one respect: Both are now the scene of the political shenanigans of Jay Cheng , the consultant who earned Lurie’s ire and recently parted ways with Neighbors for a Better San Francisco under mysterious circumstances. Power Play readers will recall the rumor of an ethics investigation into Neighbors that may have ensnared Cheng. Cheng makes a cameo in an L.A. Times article last weekend detailing a dark money campaign to attack Los Angeles City Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, a Democratic Socialist. Dark money refers to political spending wherein entities fund other entities, which fund other entities, to disguise the true source of attack ads. The piece highlights Cheng’s role as a consultant for a nonprofit working to elect “centrist” and “moderate” candidates to office in the City of Angels. It’s one of the first clients of his new shop, Jay Cheng Strategy. When reached by text, Cheng said he now has clients in multiple cities to “help them move in a moderate direction, like we did in SF.” He declined to name those cities but said he will do so in the coming weeks. When asked about the accusations in the article, Cheng replied, tongue in cheek, “Wherever there is dark money, there is Jay Cheng!” You don’t say! — J. F. R. THAT WAS FAST: Conor Johnston and Eric Kingsbury, who were staffers to Mayor London Breed , came forward Monday to accuse their former boss of appointing Supervisor Stephen Sherrill to his position in the hopes that she’d get a job from Michael Bloomberg. Sherrill issued a statement asserting that the vetting process for the supervisor seat was rigorous, and that she’s proud of Sherrill’s record but, curiously, doesn’t outright deny the chief allegation of a quid pro quo. Either way, we’ll be darned if Sherrill’s chief opponent in the June election, community activist Lori Brooke, didn’t move quick to capitalize on the accusations. Her campaign snapped up www.stephensherrill.com , which redirects to The Standard’s article. Cheeky! And it whipped up attack mailers using the most salacious quotes from Mission Local and The Standard, which will flutter into District 2 voters’ mailboxes this week. “District 2 deserves better than a supervisor who has made their career in backroom political deals,” Brooke told Power Play. We doubt that’s the only hit coming. Considering the avalanche of money from four independent expenditure committees supporting Sherrill, Brooke will need every swing. — J. F. R. TABLOID TIME: San Francisco’s media ecosystem is apparently booming , and we sure welcome some competition — for better or worse. The infamous San Francisco Inquirer, which the Chronicle , Standard , and San José Spotlight debunked three years ago as a political operation backing a Bay Area-based tribe , is active again, publishing sensational headlines about the race to succeed Rep. Nancy Pelosi . Recent stories on the site, with no authors listed, are critical of Wiener and Chan, while offering more favorable treatment to Chakrabarti. “Pelosi declines to endorse Wiener, widely seen as a stunning rebuke,” one headline says . Well, stunning to who? We all know who the speaker emerita’s preferred candidate is. The site’s founder, Matt Ricchiazzi , an East Coast-based consultant accused of running fake news websites , denied any involvement with the campaigns. “I don’t have any client interests in the race. I’m just sharing my opinion about the contenders,” Ricchiazzi told Power Play. Chan’s campaign blasted a story on the site linking the Chinese American immigrant to the Chinese government’s influence. “These are dirty and racist tactics. Whoever is paying for this is a coward and is furthering anti-Asian hate for personal and political gain. It’s despicable,” said Julie Edwards , Chan’s spokesperson. Federal campaign filings do not show payments to Ricchiazzi connected to the race, but Chakrabarti may have a friendly relationship with the tribe that paid Ricchiazzi, according to a 2025 social media post . His campaign denied any relationship with Ricchiazzi. If there’s one good thing to say about the website, it’s packed with ads promoting local businesses — including our favorite Hook Fish Co. and City Lights Bookstore. — Han Li KUMBAYA: Four years ago, Supervisor Shamann Walton was scrutinized for dressing down a sheriff’s cadet who was serving as City Hall security. Walton called the cadet the N-word and later accused staffers of the Sheriff’s Department of targeting him for his scrutiny of the office. Recriminations followed, alongside hurt feelings and a lot of fear . Breed called on Walton to apologize. My, how things have changed. At the Board of Supervisors’ regular meeting Tuesday, Walton led a round of praise for the sheriff’s cadets, who, importantly, are not sheriffs in training; it’s just a classification of an unarmed segment of the sheriff’s staff. It was a wonder to see. Led by Walton, nearly every supervisor heaped kind words upon the cadets — who stood by a podium at the Board of Supervisors chambers, beaming — for their demeanor and professionalism. So, what gives? Are we all friends now? That’s right, Sheriff Paul Miyamoto told us outside the chambers. The relationship has “had its ups and downs,” Miyamoto admitted, but Walton “actually reached out and wanted to recognize the cadets for the work they do. I think it was intentional to make sure they feel appreciated.” “Everything else,” the sheriff said, “is water under the bridge.” — J. F. R.

The men running for California governor keep yelling. Katie Porter is not allowed to

As the men around her shout and bicker in debate after debate, Katie Porter finds herself the only one accused of being angry. And she was really, really angry during a recent debate featuring top candidates for California governor, when Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican, implied in a back-and-forth over sanctuary state policies that Porter “might” need lessons in how to be a mother . The progressive Democrat was visibly shocked by his statement, her eyes widening, her forehead creasing, as she took roughly five seconds to weigh how she wanted to respond, versus how she should . “All you have done this evening is shout past me and not given me a chance to respond,” Porter said, exercising restraint. What she didn’t say is more important than what she did. Porter, 52, rose to national prominence by flipping an Orange County congressional seat in 2018. She became a liberal icon, using her famed whiteboard to grill corporate executives on C-SPAN. Now she is running for governor of a state that has never elected a woman to the office — and with three weeks until the June 2 primary, she is running out of time to make history. Polling at roughly 10%, Porter faces a reckoning that has little to do with policy and everything to do with a question that has dogged women in politics for generations: Can you be tough enough to lead without being punished for it? She remains stuck in the polls, which are led by a Republican, Steve Hilton, with 23%. The leading Democrat, Xavier Becerra, is close behind at 22%, and billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer is at 15%, according to the latest David Binder Research poll . In California’s top-two primary, any two candidates, regardless of party, advance to the November election — meaning Porter is battling a crowded field of both Republicans and Democrats for one of the slots. For years she had faced allegations that she is an abusive boss and hard to work with. Viral videos of Porter arguing with a local reporter and yelling at a staffer have amplified those concerns during the campaign. Porter has apologized for her mistakes . But she sees a double standard in how she is punished for behavior that her male competitors routinely display with no consequence. “We see this again and again, being ‘likable.’ Generally, it is hard to be likable when you are, for example, interrupting, shouting,” she said. “How can I really expose that I can’t get into the fray without facing those gendered stereotypes, but I’m also tough enough to get into the fray?” Lorena Gonzalez, president of the California Federation of Labor Unions — which endorsed three candidates: Porter, Steyer, and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa — said Porter, on one hand, has been treated like a serious competitor throughout the race. “On the other hand, there are things that come out about her … temperament,” Gonzalez said. “If you would replace that with a male candidate’s name, would that make sense? And if it doesn’t, why are we even using those descriptors? Why are we talking about it?” A negative perception of Porter’s personality isn’t her only disadvantage. Steyer has poured more than $100 million of his fortune into his campaign ; Sacramento insiders have boosted Becerra, the former Health and Human Services secretary; and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan has benefitted from support from Silicon Valley’s ultra rich . But Porter’s greatest asset may be the one thing men can’t compete with: being a mom. “I’m not like most people who run for governor. I actually get what you’re going through,” Porter, a single mother of three, says in one ad featuring cameos from her kids. “I know what it’s like to push the shopping cart. My minivan has almost 200,000 miles. I have a grown kid who may soon be living on my couch.” Porter’s policy platform reflects her experience. She is the only top candidate who has made free childcare an explicit, standalone proposal, which she argues is both a “women’s issue” and an economic one that will help all California families. Porter has proposed a tuition-free college program and has pledged to ramp up housing production so kids like hers can afford to stay in California. “So few of our electeds are moms. We are missing really critical lived experience,” said Liuba Grechen Shirley, founder and chief executive of Vote Mama, a progressive political action committee that endorsed Porter. Too often, Grechen Shirley added, women candidates are told to forget gender and “focus on the bread-and-butter issues.” “There are no more basic bread-and-butter issues than childcare and paid family leave,” she said. Porter’s balancing act stretches back nearly 15 years, to the foreclosure crisis, when then-Attorney General Kamala Harris tapped her to oversee $18 billion in relief the state secured from the nation’s biggest banks for homeowners. Porter, at the time a UC Irvine law professor, was nursing her daughter and would pump in the Amtrak bathroom on her way to meetings with Harris in Los Angeles. “I was like, I don’t know what else to do but make this work,” she said. “What did I deliver? Twice as much as the banks promised.” During her years in Congress, Porter would prepare a crockpot dinner for her kids several hours before her regular 7 a.m. flight to Washington, where she spent the bulk of her week probing corporate executives or squeezing Trump officials during televised hearings. She still makes it home to cook dinner for the kids during breaks in the campaign — a more challenging task after they recently declared themselves vegetarians. (“I’ve got a freezer full of bacon!” she moaned.) But Porter’s suburban-mom appeal has failed to captivate her own voting bloc. In an Emerson College poll conducted in April, after sexual assault allegations against East Bay Rep. Eric Swalwell tanked his campaign, only 13% of women said they supported Porter. Porter said she understands why some voters have been looking for a sense of status quo from candidates in the political earthquake. “Sometimes we react to that fear by trying to make ourselves feel safe,” she said. “And safety sometimes for people looks like the past. California has never seen a woman governor.” The criticism landed harder coming from Betty Yee, the only other top woman candidate in the race until she dropped out in April and endorsed Steyer. “I had stated early on that I thought temperament was a really big attribute for the next governor. And I didn’t feel like she had the right temperament for that,” Yee said, adding that she is also concerned with Porter’s lack of statewide experience. Yee’s criticism reflects the general idea that Porter’s problem isn’t that she’s a mom — it’s that she doesn’t make you feel the way a mom should. Traits like “temperament” and “likability” are not neutral in politics; they are shaped by expectations that differ for men and women. The same prosecutorial style that made Porter a star in Congress now comes across to many as unattractive for a woman on a stage full of men. “That’s not how a mom is supposed to be,” said Amanda Clayton, a UC Berkeley political science professor who focuses on gender inequality. “I think she hasn’t emerged as the woman’s woman. Which is in itself so gendered — that a woman has to be perfect.” Clayton said Porter faces the impossible task of appearing both assertive, a trait often associated with men, and collaborative, a stereotypically feminine approach. And while voters “like the idea of a mom in politics,” it often contradicts their idea of who an executive leader should be, she added. There are currently only 14 governors who are women , the vast majority of them Democrats. California is in the minority of states that have never had a woman governor. “While we’ve spent hundreds of years voting for imperfect men, I feel like the bar to be the first is kind of impossibly high,” said Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris, a Democrat whose district overlaps with areas Porter represented in Congress. “If it’s not in 2026, what is it going to take for us to eventually break this glass ceiling in California?” It doesn’t help any candidate, let alone a woman, that California is one of the most expensive and geographically challenging states in which to run a campaign, said Jessica Mackler, president of Emily’s List, another political action group that endorsed Porter. Women just have the added challenge of gender to overcome. “Running for governor in California is an extraordinarily difficult task,” Mackler said. “Ninety-nine percent of the people who run for governor and lose are men.”

Inside Ezra Klein’s abundance-pilled CA governor’s debate

Most people would not consider ADUs, bonding capacity, and prevailing wage policy to be juicy conversation topics for a fun Friday night out. We somehow ended up in a room full of exceptions to that rule. Housing affordability is the defining issue of the next Governor’s race and on a beautiful spring evening less than a month before the primary, just across the street from Oakland’s Lake Merritt, hundreds of people packed into the Henry J. Kaiser Center to watch the five top Democratic candidates duke it out over who had the best solutions to the state’s most unsolvable problem. The line snaked around the recently renovated venue. Call it Bonnaroo for those building “backyard casitas,” or Coachella for takes on modular housing. The crowd was predominantly think-tank employees, academics, lobbyists, and other young-ish professionals in horn-rimmed glasses. Two lovebirds (an architect and a fundraiser for an environmental nonprofit) were even there on a date. It was not a debate, moderator and neoliberal heartthrob Ezra Klein insisted, but a forum for substantive policy discussion. The housing crisis is at emergency levels, with the state facing soaring homelessness, scores of residents fleeing over high costs, and residential construction stubbornly stuck despite more than 100 laws meant to cut red tape and build faster. Buffy Wicks, an East Bay state Assemblymember and perhaps the most stridently “pro-housing” California lawmaker besides Sen. Scott Wiener kicked off the festivities with a fiery speech. “Hello housers!” she said, greeting the audience before explaining how we got here: “Our housing hell was paved with very good intentions.” The event featured the top-polling Democrats still in the race: Tom Steyer, Xavier Becerra, Katie Porter, Matt Mahan, and Antonio Villaraigosa. “One of these candidates is going to be our next governor,” Wicks said. “They are not going to be perfect, they’re going to make mistakes, but will they be willing to break some glass to advance a pro-housing agenda?” The audience roared. Although the event was billed as nonpartisan, notably absent were the two leading Republican candidates: former Fox News host Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco. Organizers said both declined to come. If you’ve read this far, you’ve clearly read (or listened to a podcast about) “Abundance,” so here’s a rundown of the highlights. Katie Porter stands up to labor In a rizz-deficient lineup, many observers pointed to the former Southern California congresswoman as perhaps the most charismatic candidate on the issue. Porter was the only candidate onstage to say union labor had become an obstruction to housing construction. “I do not think today is the time to do prevailing wage on residential housing,” Porter said. “I am not scared of anybody because I have three teenagers and I don’t want them to be living on my couch.” Translation: California should not require developers to pay workers the prevailing wage to build housing. Porter’s argument is that cutting labor costs will have to play a pivotal role in bringing down the cost of construction even if it’s politically toxic to do so . Becerra insisted that carpenters should be able to afford the houses they build. Pressed on what else could bring construction costs down, the former Biden official blamed the Trump tariffs and the war in Iran before landing on cutting red tape and reducing local fees. Housing experts observed after the event that while Becerra has a ways to go before joining their ranks, his lack of expertise does not disqualify him from the governorship — the important thing, they said, is that the governor listens to the right people. A carrot or stick measuring contest Much of the debate — excuse us, forum — centered on how the state should hold municipal governments accountable for when they don’t produce enough new homes. Becerra came in tough, flexing his bona fides as a former state attorney general unafraid to sue city governments into compliance. He name-checked Huntington Beach and San Mateo as examples. Others thought litigation wasn’t the best tool to get more projects off the ground. Mahan, the mayor of San Jose, said the threat of the builder’s remedy was an important accountability tool against bad actors, but should only be used as a last resort. “I think the next governor cannot bring a lawyer mindset to this problem,” Mahan said. Steyer, who wore a suit and white Nike sneakers, favored the carrot over the stick, saying he would generate $20 billion each year for housing (along with healthcare, education, and infrastructure) by closing a “corporate tax loophole.” He would use the money to reward cities that built enough housing instead of suing noncompliant ones into submission. “Lawsuits don’t get things done, money will,” Steyer said. “If you can build housing now, you get money. If you can’t, you don’t.” Looking backward for solutions Abraham Lincoln purportedly lived in boarding houses throughout his young adulthood. The government built large-scale housing after World War II and the G.I. Bill helped mint a generation of first-time home owners. All night, the candidates waxed nostalgic about past eras when interim housing was widely embraced in America and the federal government played an active role in investing in public welfare. They all agreed that money should flow to those most in need — namely, the poor and developers. Porter said that the most effective way to keep people from falling into homelessness would be to just give them cash. Oftentimes, she said, households need only a “handful of money” to bridge the gap between paying rent and buying food. Mahan bragged that San Jose’s temporary housing sites and no encampment zones, while controversial , are helping to reduce homelessness in the city. He also said the state should be buying and preserving older affordable housing stock. Antonio Villaraigosa’s book club The last time former Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa held elected office was in 2013. Since then, an entire Golden State Warriors dynasty has risen and fallen. But at least he’s staying up-to-date on his reading. Villaraigosa referenced Klein and Derek Thompson’s book “Abundance” on stage three separate times. It got to the point where Klein had to tell him to calm down, eliciting chuckles from the crowd. The candidate’s resume has been on the shelf so long it’s started to yellow, and there’s only so much hay you make out of Obama-era political achievements. (Villaraigosa claimed to have personally told Obama that the federal government should give cities low-cost loans to build housing near transit.) Where he did stand out was in being able to openly criticize the Democratic establishment. He said that while liberals blame Ronald Reagan for shutting down the state’s mental hospitals, the Blue supermajority has done nothing to bring them back. Villaraigosa also stumbled on the proverbial third rail of California politics, Prop. 13, which, in a scattered answer, he said he’s long opposed, still supports, but wants to reform on the margins. Well played, old-timer.

It was a knife fight: 5 takeaways from CNN’s fiery California governor’s debate

The sleepy debates that characterized California’s governor’s race became a distant memory Tuesday night as CNN’s nationally televised showdown turned into an all-out slugfest. The highest-profile debate yet — moderated by CNN news anchors Kaitlan Collins and Elex Michaelson — saw five Democratic and two Republican candidates jabbing constantly, all chasing two spots in a race with no clear front-runner and less than four weeks until the primary. California voters are just now receiving ballots in the mail and will decide June 2 which two candidates move on to the November general election. Tuesday’s debate had candidates sparring over the cost of living, President Donald Trump, healthcare, immigration, artificial intelligence, housing, and the state’s budget. Here are five takeaways from Tuesday’s bruising encounter. The night the knives came out It’s no surprise that the debate saw the stakes raised and the (in)fighting turned up to 11: The national CNN platform offered the seven contenders a major audience to sell themselves. And, with time running out, candidates who are struggling in the polls — like San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco — saw Tuesday’s debate as a make-or-break moment for their campaigns. Each candidate had time in the ring, and few escaped unscathed: Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra dinged billionaire Tom Steyer over his investments, but many of the candidates grilled the former Biden Cabinet member on his healthcare views and supposed ties to a Sacramento corruption scandal. Steyer, leaning on his progressive platform, went after conservative commentator Steve Hilton for his ties to Trump, while former Rep. Katie Porter clapped back at him for supporting the state billionaire’s tax. Bianco went on the defensive over his affiliations with the Oathkeepers, an entity that critics say is a right-wing extremist group but Bianco said is misunderstood. Xavier Becerra took the hardest hits Becerra has seen a big jump in the polls since former Rep. Eric Swalwell exited the race over sexual assault allegations. This made Becerra a prime target for the other six. He got clobbered from all sides after being asked about allegedly flip-flopping on his support for a single-payer healthcare system after meeting with the well-connected California Medical Group — a claim he denies. “I’ve been in enough forums with you where I’ve heard you say you’re for [single-payer], and I’ve heard you say you’re against,” said Villaraigosa. Becerra pushed back: “I’ve never said I’m against it.” But that wasn’t the only point of attack against Becerra: Candidates whacked him over the scandal involving Sean McCluskie, his former chief of staff, who pleaded guilty in November to a criminal case involving campaign funds. “It’s a bit rich for Xavier to talk about following the law when he is mired personally in a corruption scandal,” said Hilton. Becerra had to parry a series of jabs, coming from all sides, pointing out that he was never charged: “If I had been involved, the U.S. attorney would have had me in that indictment. I was not involved,” he said. Bianco served the red meat — and got a lot of airtime Bianco, who is polling second behind Hilton as the other Republican in the race, pushed his conservative talking points hard as his chances of advancing past the June primary remain slim. The Southern California sheriff pushed back on the Democratic candidates on immigration, claiming sanctuary policies have led to the state becoming less safe. “I want Mr. Villaraigosa to tell the mother of the 14-year-old in my county that is dead because of an illegal immigrant that had been deported three times because of DUIs, that sanctuary state policy keeps us safe,” he said. He also defended his seizure of 650,000 ballots in response to allegations of fraud during the 2025 election and claimed that the term “homelessness” should no longer be used: “This is not about homes. This is about mental health treatment, drug and alcohol treatment — most importantly, the combination of both,” Bianco said. Republicans slam Democrats; Democrats slam Trump A pattern quickly emerged: Republicans hammered the state’s failures on decades of one-party Democratic control, while Democrats deflected by pointing the finger squarely at Trump. “Donald Trump is the president in all the other states of America, where the cost of living is way lower than in California. Obviously, it is way past time for change in California, and endlessly going on about Donald Trump doesn’t serve the needs of the struggling families and small businesses,” said Hilton. Asked about California’s affordability issues, Becerra turned toward the president. “Let’s focus on who’s raising the cost of living in California the most, and that’s Donald Trump. The price of gas has gone up one to two dollars because of Donald Trump and his war in Iran. The price of goods, groceries, has gone up in California because of Donald Trump’s illegal tariffs,” he said. Candidates came with prepared zingers The high-stakes moment brought out some memorable lines from each of the candidates. Hilton: “If you think that it can’t get worse in California, I’ve got two words for you: Tom Steyer. Under Tom Steyer, the taxes will be higher, gas prices will be higher. Everything will be higher — with Steyer.” Porter, referring to an October video showing her yelling at a staffer: “I can’t believe that on a stage with 30 minutes of interrupting and bickering and name-calling and shouting and disrespect for everyone up here who’s stepping into public service, that anyone wants to talk about my temperament.” Becerra against Hilton: “Donald Trump’s his daddy.” Mahan, about California high-speed rail: “It shouldn’t cost us more to get to Modesto than it’s cost us to get to the moon.”

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Virginia Donohue

Animal Care and Control Department, Director

The San Francisco Arts Commission oversees the integration of arts into city life and ensures public access to cultural experiences. It makes decisions on public art programs and allocates grants to support local artists and performances. The commission actively shapes policies affecting the arts ecosystem in San Francisco.

Arts Commission Commissioner 1

Arts Commission Commissioner 2

Arts Commission Commissioner 3

Arts Commission Commissioner 4

Debra Walker

Suzanne Ferras

Jessica Rothschild

Seth Brenzel

JD Beltran

Marcus Shelby

J Riccardo Benavides

Nabiel Musleh

Charles (Chuck) Collins

Lydia So

Arts Commission Commissioner 15

San Francisco Arts Commission invests in a vibrant arts community and shapes cultural policy. It enlivens the urban environment through public art programs and supports diverse artistic expressions. The commission facilitates meetings and discussions to engage the community in cultural development.

Ralph Remington

Arts Commission, Director of Cultural Affairs

The Asian Art Commission determines policy and administers the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. It oversees museum operations and collaborates with the Asian Art Museum Foundation on fundraising efforts. Commissioners ensure the museum's strategic direction and financial sustainability.

Asian Art Commission

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 1

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 2

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 3

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 4

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 5

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 6

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 7

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 8

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 9

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 10

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 11

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 12

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 13

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 14

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 15

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 16

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 17

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 18

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 19

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 20

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 21

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 22

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 23

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 24

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 25

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 26

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 27

Asian Art Museum showcases Asian art and culture through exhibitions and educational programs. It offers diverse collections and hosts special events to engage the community. The museum fosters cultural appreciation and understanding by providing access to its extensive art collections.

Dr. Soyoung Lee

Asian Art Museum, Director

The Assessment Appeals Board #1 hears property tax assessment appeals in San Francisco. It evaluates evidence presented by taxpayers and the Assessor to determine property values. The Board has the authority to make final decisions on assessments regardless of property type or value.

Assessment Appeals Board #1

Assessment Appeals Board #1 Commissioner 1

Assessment Appeals Board #1 Commissioner 2

Richard Lee

Stephen Wasserman

Adena Gilbert

Paul Bellar

Quirina Mitchell

Hilary Winslow

The Assessment Appeals Board #2 adjudicates property tax assessment appeals for San Francisco taxpayers. It evaluates evidence presented by taxpayers and the Assessor to determine accurate property values. The Board exercises authority to render final decisions on residential properties and specific real estate assessments.

Assessment Appeals Board #2

Assessment Appeals Board #2 Commissioner 1

Assessment Appeals Board #2 Commissioner 2

Assessment Appeals Board #2 Commissioner 3

Claire Ervin Lee

Louisa Mendoza

Joyce Lewis

Nicholas Goldman

Michelle Domingo

The Assessment Appeals Board #3 provides a platform for San Francisco taxpayers to contest property tax assessments. It conducts hearings where evidence from both taxpayers and the Assessor is evaluated. The Board makes binding decisions on property assessments based on presented evidence.

Assessment Appeals Board #3

Assessment Appeals Board #3 Commissioner 1

Assessment Appeals Board #3 Commissioner 2

Assessment Appeals Board #3 Commissioner 3

Marc Dickow

Assessment Appeals Board #3 Commissioner 5

Assessment Appeals Board #3 Commissioner 6

Assessment Appeals Board #3 Commissioner 7

Assessment Appeals Board #3 Commissioner 8

Assesses property, applies exemptions, collects transfer taxes, and records official documents.

Assessor-Recorder

Joaquín Torres

The Ballot Simplification Committee ensures voter materials are clear and understandable. It reviews and revises ballot language to accurately reflect propositions and measures. The committee advises on simplifying complex legal and technical terms for voter comprehension.

Ballot Simplification Committee

The Bayview Hunters Point Citizens Advisory Committee provides policy advice on planning and land use matters in Zone 2 of Bayview Hunter's Point. It offers expertise in land use policies, zoning issues, and urban development. The committee advises the Board of Supervisors, City Boards, and commissions on relevant projects and initiatives.

Bayview Hunters Point Citizens Advisory Committee