A San Francisco congressional candidate has a not-so-secret weapon: Being Chinese

Daniel Lurie was the public safety mayor. Now he’s trying to be the affordability guy

Life after Pelosi: SF House candidates square off for 1st time

<div class="content-grid article-content"><div class="Metadata_container__fxAzw"><div class="flex flex-row gap-x-md"></div><div class="Metadata_metadata__W_0LF"><span>By <a class="" href="https://sfstandard.com/author/joe-fitzgerald-rodriguez/">Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez</a></span><time datetime="2026-01-08T18:11:10.470Z">Updated Jan. 08, 2026 • 10:11am</time><time datetime="2026-01-08T16:37:50.449Z">Published Jan. 08, 2026 • 8:37am</time></div></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">For the first time since Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi <u><a data-post-id="62e03207-8cd3-4bb6-8dbe-bce95f0c98da" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/11/06/nancy-pelosi-retirement-wont-seek-reelection/">announced her retirement</a></u>, the candidates running to succeed her in Congress made their case to voters before a live audience Wednesday evening.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">During a roughly two-hour program at a UC Law auditorium, state Sen. Scott Wiener, Supervisor Connie Chan, and former congressional staffer Saikat Chakrabarti — all Democrats — touted their bona fides but also laid bare their political weaknesses as the 2026 election cycle gears up.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The crowd of roughly 400 booed Wiener’s stance on Gaza. Chan sometimes struggled to point to specific policies she’d enact. Newcomer Chakrabarti played catch-up to a crowd largely familiar with his opponents, who have served San Francisco in government for more than a decade. </p></div><div class="!p-0 !m-0"></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">More than a thousand viewers streamed the event online. There was so much participation that the online chat briefly crashed.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The forum, hosted by the <u><a href="https://workingfamilies.org/state/california/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">California Working Families Party<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></u><a href="https://workingfamilies.org/state/california/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">,<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a> the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club, and the Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club, was moderated by <u><a href="https://missionlocal.org/joe-eskenazi/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mission Local columnist Joe Eskenazi<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></u> and Cynthia Laird of the Bay Area Reporter. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Here are five takeaways from a night.</p></div><h2 class="heading-block article-body text-left">Hot-button issue: Israel</h2><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Wiener drew the night’s heaviest jeers when he declined to answer a yes-or-no lightning-round question that asked if Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. His opponents both held aloft signs reading “Yes,” while Wiener rested his sign in his lap. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Audience members shouted “Shame on you,” “Sellout,” and “Free Palestine.”  </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">In an interview with reporters afterward, Wiener lamented that there wasn’t time during the forum to describe his position on a complex international conflict.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“Hamas should not be running Gaza,” Wiener added, but the Israeli government’s killing of tens of thousands of Palestinians, including children, “is an absolute moral stain and horrifying to me.” </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">When asked why he declined to label it genocide, Wiener said, “People can label it whatever noun or adjective they want to put on it.”</p></div><h2 class="heading-block article-body text-left">Punching bags: AI, Trump, billionaires, PG&amp;E</h2><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">When they weren’t subtly sniping at one another, the trio denounced a variety of forces they say are hurting San Franciscans. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Chan’s line of attack was clear: Income inequality is the source of many of the city’s ills. She touted her history as <u><a data-post-id="737af15a-6b54-4860-8cf9-4ec7f5b5eb35" href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/11/11/san-francisco-election-2024-connie-chan-wins/">the only candidate to electorally</a></u> “beat back billionaires, twice.”</p></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“We cannot take back Congress by cozying up to billionaires,” Chan said.  </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Wiener was the only candidate to decline to take a position on the so-called Billionaire Tax, a state ballot measure proposed by the SEIU union to tax billionaires’ assets. He said he prefers to see if it garners enough signatures to qualify for the ballot. Chan and Chakrabarti said they support it.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Chakrabarti saved his cannons for the AI industry, calling for stronger government regulations to preserve living wages amid the technological shift.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“This is about control,” he said. “We have a few CEOs right now — Sam Altman, Elon Musk, Peter Thiel — who are deciding the entire future of our society. We cannot let them have that power.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Wiener called President Donald Trump a “walking impeachable offense” who captured Venezuela president Nicolás Maduro not for the sake of his oppressed citizens but for oil and power. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Following the spate of electrical power outages in the city, all three candidates agreed there should be <u><a data-post-id="f4aeedae-5e12-42cd-85a8-bcdfebf17e9b" href="https://sfstandard.com/2026/01/06/san-francisco-pge-public-utility-eminent-domain/">some form of public takeover</a></u> of PG&amp;E.</p></div><h2 class="heading-block article-body text-left">Political idol: Pelosi</h2><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">With Pelosi’s retirement, San Francisco is losing a representative who’s been in office since 1987 and has been arguably the most powerful woman in U.S. political history. But each candidate audaciously argued that they too could blossom into national leaders.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“This is a woman who moved mountains,” Wiener said while also patting himself on the back for passing some of the “biggest, toughest, impactful laws California has seen in recent memory,” a record he said he would continue in Congress.  </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Chan repped her time as Board of Supervisors budget chairperson, working alongside Lurie to sock away $400 million to defend San Francisco against federal cuts to Medicaid and Medicare by the Trump administration.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">But during one question asking for specific policies, laws, or funding the candidates would propose to protect  LGBTQ people, Chan struggled to say what she would enact. She did say Trump’s dismantling of the Department of Education should be rolled back, and that schools, in general, should be safe spaces for trans youth.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Showing his connection to another nationally prominent Democrat, Chakrabarti repeatedly referred to his time working in D.C. as chief of staff for New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Chakrabarti accused his opponents of legislating through “backroom deals” in cozy political environments where Democrats rule the roost, such as San Francisco and Sacramento. That’s not possible in Washington, he said, where Democrats have to out-organize Republicans. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“When you’re in the middle of an authoritarian coup, civil society is the bulwark against fascism,” Chakrabarti said. “If you organize in collective blocs, you can push back against this administration.”</p></div><h2 class="heading-block article-body text-left">Claim to fame: MAGA stamp of disapproval</h2><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Wiener’s legislative history is filled with support for LGBTQ+ rights, including protecting the privacy of gender transitions, barring discrimination against queer seniors in long-term care facilities, and establishing California as a refuge for transgender youth. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">This has earned him the ire of high-profile Republicans at the national level, something he was eager to mention.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“As your state senator, there’s a reason why [former Fox News host] Megyn Kelly <u><a href="https://x.com/megynkelly/status/1988329729917939866?s=20" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tweeted <span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></u>after I got into this race, saying, ‘You cannot let Scott Wiener go to Congress,’ and why [former Rep.] <u><a href="https://x.com/RepMTG/status/1595113301176111104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1595113301176111104%7Ctwgr%5E7811b3326c24f8f90d2c63d1b67cf6d0745506c2%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fabc7news.com%2Fpost%2Fanti-lgbtq-rhetoric-marjorie-taylor-greene-tweet-scott-weiner-communist-groomer%2F12487928%2F" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Marjorie Taylor Greene<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></u> attacks me so much,” he said. “Because I’ve gone to the mat sticking up particularly for LGBTQ kids, and particularly for trans kids.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Touting his webpage as “<u><a href="https://www.scottwiener.com/scotts-maga-fan-club" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Scott’s MAGA Fan Club<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></u>” earned Wiener some of the first applause of the evening.</p></div><h2 class="heading-block article-body text-left">Secret power: San Francisco IQ</h2><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">From supporting housing development in the Bayview and on Geary Boulevard, to her time spent translating in Cantonese for attorneys serving the Chinese community, Chan touted herself in remarks peppered with everyday San Franciscan perspectives. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“San Francisco’s rent is too high, and the cost of living is too high, and that’s the most pressing thought on many of us living in San Francisco,” she said.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Wiener’s remarks carried similar shades, as he touched on the need to bolster Muni funding, help homeless youth who are disproportionately from the LGBTQ+ community, and protect HIV-positive seniors from discrimination.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">By contrast, many of Chakrabarti’s talking points felt like they could’ve been directed at progressive Democrats anywhere. This particularly stood out when he told the crowd that inequality is something “we don’t talk about enough.” </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Maybe that’s true in the Capitol, where Chakrabarti worked, but in San Francisco, it’s a constant topic of conversation. Here, tech workers have been decried as gentrifiers, progressive candidates for office call out market-rate housing <a href="https://48hills.org/2025/09/the-engardio-recall-yimby-urbanist-elitism-and-the-next-step-in-sf-politics/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">for being out of reach of workers<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a>, and <u><a href="https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/activists-block-tech-bus-commute-say-e-scooters-treated-better-than-homeless/article_347441e9-6eaa-59b7-b256-668873ae31c6.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">protesters have planted smoke bombs<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></u> in front of Google buses to decry evictions.</p></div></div>

SF court smacks down lawsuit against Prop. K — big win for Sunset Dunes

<div class="content-grid article-content"><div class="Metadata_container__fxAzw"><div class="flex flex-row gap-x-md"></div><div class="Metadata_metadata__W_0LF"><span>By <a class="" href="https://sfstandard.com/author/han-li/">Han Li</a></span><time datetime="2026-01-06T01:25:49.599Z">Published Jan. 05, 2026 • 5:25pm</time></div></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">A San Francisco judge has ruled that Proposition K is valid under state law, rejecting a legal challenge to the 2024 ballot measure that closed part of the Great Highway to vehicle traffic.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Judge Jeffrey Ross issued his initial ruling in the case last week, detailing his reasoning for why Prop. K likely complies with state law. But he invited attorneys from both sides to present arguments at a hearing Monday. At the end of the hearing, he made the decision to deny the lawsuit.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">About 50 people packed the courthouse Monday. City Attorney David Chiu’s office defended Prop. K’s legality in court.</p></div><div class="!p-0 !m-0"></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Chiu’s spokesperson Jen Kwart said that the office is glad the court affirmed the will of the voters in passing Prop. K and closing the Upper Great Highway to private vehicles.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Lucas Lux, president of the group Friends of Sunset Dunes, applauded the ruling.</p></div><div class="w-full bg-warm-gray-50 border border-warm-gray-300 rounded-xl flex flex-col gap-md px-lg py-[20px]"><div class="flex flex-row text-medium leading-[1.1] text-black font-inter gap-xs"><span class="italic font-normal">More about</span><a href="https://sfstandard.com/tag/great-highway/"><span class="font-bold underline decoration-highlight decoration-[3.2px]">Great Highway</span></a></div><ul class="flex flex-col gap-md"><li class="flex flex-row gap-sm pb-md border-b border-warm-gray-300"><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/12/31/san-francisco-war-on-cars-political-shift/" tabindex="-1"><div class="flex-none w-[90px] h-[60px] overflow-hidden"><img alt="A busy city street with multiple lanes of cars, some stopped at a red light and others moving forward, with buildings and street signs on both sides." class="object-cover w-full h-full lazyloaded" data-nimg="1" decoding="async" height="666.6666666666666" loading="lazy" src="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_d4h06i37nd7mvcgek3br71j53a/-C100.00%25x99.96%25%2C0.00%25%2C0.04%25-S2048x1365-FPNG" srcset="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_d4h06i37nd7mvcgek3br71j53a/-C100.00%25x99.96%25%2C0.00%25%2C0.04%25-S1024x683-FPNG 1x, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_d4h06i37nd7mvcgek3br71j53a/-C100.00%25x99.96%25%2C0.00%25%2C0.04%25-S2048x1365-FPNG 2x" style="color:transparent;aspect-ratio:1.5;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 1000 666.6666666666666'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=='/%3E%3C/svg%3E&quot;)" width="1000"/></div></a><a class="h-fit" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/12/31/san-francisco-war-on-cars-political-shift/"><h3 class="text-medium sm:text-lg leading-[1.3] font-medium text-warm-gray-900 font-ivar-headline">In San Francisco’s transit war, cars are clawing back</h3></a></li><li class="flex flex-row gap-sm pb-md border-b border-warm-gray-300"><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/12/28/waymo-great-highway-tech-raves-2025/" tabindex="-1"><div class="flex-none w-[90px] h-[60px] overflow-hidden"><img alt="A highway with cars, aerial view of white Uber cars lined up, a woman in neon gear posing with sunglasses, and a store closing sale sign at Adidas." class="object-cover w-full h-full lazyloaded" data-nimg="1" decoding="async" height="666.6666666666666" loading="lazy" src="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_jph9alcicl2951iditg5tg2t0t/-C84.38%25x100.00%25%2C5.81%25%2C0.00%25-S2048x1365-FPNG" srcset="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_jph9alcicl2951iditg5tg2t0t/-C84.38%25x100.00%25%2C5.81%25%2C0.00%25-S1024x683-FPNG 1x, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_jph9alcicl2951iditg5tg2t0t/-C84.38%25x100.00%25%2C5.81%25%2C0.00%25-S2048x1365-FPNG 2x" style="color:transparent;aspect-ratio:1.5;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 1000 666.6666666666666'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=='/%3E%3C/svg%3E&quot;)" width="1000"/></div></a><a class="h-fit" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/12/28/waymo-great-highway-tech-raves-2025/"><h3 class="text-medium sm:text-lg leading-[1.3] font-medium text-warm-gray-900 font-ivar-headline">Four stories we’re tired of covering</h3></a></li><li class="flex flex-row gap-sm"><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/12/26/san-francisco-politics-2025/" tabindex="-1"><div class="flex-none w-[90px] h-[60px] overflow-hidden"><img alt="Four people with varied expressions stand against a red and blue abstract background, each wearing business attire, two men and two women." class="object-cover w-full h-full lazyloaded" data-nimg="1" decoding="async" height="2000" loading="lazy" src="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_on663emmc524r8afdor1r6jo2f/-S3840x2560-FPNG" srcset="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_on663emmc524r8afdor1r6jo2f/-S3840x2560-FPNG 1x" style="color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 3000 2000'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=='/%3E%3C/svg%3E&quot;)" width="3000"/></div></a><a class="h-fit" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/12/26/san-francisco-politics-2025/"><h3 class="text-medium sm:text-lg leading-[1.3] font-medium text-warm-gray-900 font-ivar-headline">The 5 stories that defined San Francisco’s crazy politics in 2025</h3></a></li></ul></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“While our volunteers are giving their time to bring a coastal park to life, the anti-park zealots continue to waste more public resources in their attempt to overturn the will of the people and close a coastal park,” Lux said. “Now that they’ve lost two lawsuits and two elections, we invite them to accept the will of San Franciscans and work with us to make the most of our collective coastal park.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Prop. K passed with 55% of the vote after being placed on the ballot by five supervisors. About 64% of Sunset residents voted against the measure. Sunset Supervisor Joel Engardio <u><a data-post-id="28c91d9e-075a-4ff8-939e-72393d900366" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/10/07/joel-engardio-exit-interview-recall-sunset-dunes/">was recalled</a></u> over his support for Prop. K. But on Monday night, Engardio relished what was, for him, a moral victory. “It’s time to consider Sunset Dunes settled,” he said. “Too many people have seen how the park is good for the environment, local businesses, and the physical and mental health of every visitor.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The lawsuit challenging the measure’s legality <u><a data-post-id="63b90e9d-acb5-4fcf-af78-4fdceced16b3" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/03/10/prop-k-lawsuit-great-highway-closure/">was filed in March</a></u>. The plaintiffs include Matthew Boschetto, a leader of the “No on K” campaign and a former supervisor candidate; Lisa Arjes, a Sunset resident and <u><a data-post-id="07b8c34c-ac18-4ac2-9ca2-65c0a25cd23d" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/09/09/unveil-recall-campaign-joel-engardio/">top donor to the recall effort</a></u>; Albert Chow, a candidate for Sunset supervisor; and Livable SF, a new nonprofit led by <u><a data-post-id="74dfa48e-ddfc-46e4-aee5-fa55136b9ba6" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/13/engardio-recall-leader-resign-great-highway/">Vin Budhai</a></u>, another leader of the Engardio recall campaign.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The lawsuit, filed by attorney Jim Sutton, argues that local voters did not have the authority to close the roadway; that the city should not have partially closed a road that remained in active use; that the measure improperly bypassed the California Environmental Quality Act; and that the closure conflicted with the <u><a href="https://generalplan.sfplanning.org/Western_Shoreline.htm#WES_GHW_2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">city’s General Plan<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></u>, which designates the Great Highway for “slow pleasure traffic.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">A contentious issue was whether the five supervisors who placed the measure on the ballot constituted a “public agency.” The city attorney’s office argued that because the supervisors represented a minority of the 11-member board, they did not meet the definition of a public agency, and the action was therefore exempt from the CEQA.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The judge is expected to issue a written ruling within days.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Boschetto said the plaintiffs plan to appeal to a higher court and accused Ross of bowing to political pressure from the city.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“It is clear that Judge Ross is trying to justify the city’s action so that he does not have to make a politically difficult choice,” Boschetto said. “We believe that our arguments held. We think there was, at best, a misunderstanding from Judge Ross, or he disregarded an objective process to do what is politically expedient.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Separately, newly appointed Sunset Supervisor Alan Wong, who attended Monday’s hearing, <u><a data-post-id="dbc53c43-c606-4278-af5e-40db80c78ab0" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/12/19/alan-wong-sunset-dunes-great-highway-reopening/">last month announced</a></u> his support for a ballot measure to undo Prop. K.</p></div></div>

City Hall enters the octagon: The bare-knuckle fights coming to SF politics in 2026

Moderate political group attacks supervisors who voted against Lurie’s upzoning plan

Fannie Mae to abandon SF office and ‘woke California’ for higher-crime Birmingham

<div class="content-grid article-content"><div class="Metadata_container__fxAzw"><div class="flex flex-row gap-x-md"></div><div class="Metadata_metadata__W_0LF"><span>By <a class="" href="https://sfstandard.com/author/george-kelly/">George Kelly</a></span><time datetime="2025-12-12T21:23:18.690Z">Published Dec. 12, 2025 • 1:23pm</time></div></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The Federal National Mortgage Association will move its San Francisco office to Birmingham, Alabama, Sen. Tommy Tuberville announced Thursday, calling the move “an early Christmas present.” </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Tuberville, a Republican, said in a <a href="https://www.tuberville.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/tuberville-applauds-president-trump-federal-housing-director-pulte-for-relocating-fannie-mae-offices-from-woke-california-to-birmingham-alabama/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">statement<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=650774921359219" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Facebook post<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a> that he worked with President Donald Trump and Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte on the relocation.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“Fannie Mae is immediately leaving woke California for sweet home Alabama,” Tuberville said. “Birmingham used to be the financial capital of the South, and this is an important step to making Birmingham boom again.”</p></div><div class="!p-0 !m-0"></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Fannie Mae, which is headquartered in Washington, D.C., has a branch office on Mission Street in San Francisco’s Financial District.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Pulte, who also serves as Fannie Mae’s chairman, confirmed the move. “Congratulations, Alabama,” he said.</p></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The mortgage finance giant, which ranks No. 25 on <a href="https://fortune.com/ranking/fortune500/2025/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">this year’s Fortune 500 list<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a> and employs more than 8,000 people nationwide, confirmed that the Alabama office is expected to open in early 2026. Fannie Mae said the move would cut costs and improve service to lenders in the Southeast.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Under Trump, the federal government has reduced its workforce in San Francisco. In April, the Health and Human Services Department <a href="https://abc7news.com/post/white-house-close-san-francisco-health-human-services-office-hundreds-impacted-pelosi-federal-building/16115831/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">closed its office<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a> in the Nancy Pelosi Federal Building. </p></div><div class="!p-0 !m-0"></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Although conservative politicians have driven a narrative about lawless California cities, Birmingham’s rate of violent crime is 15.64 per 1,000 residents, more than double San Francisco’s 7.06, according to the FBI. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Tuberville said the move would bring “hundreds” of jobs to Alabama, though Fannie Mae does not disclose employment figures for individual offices. The company said California employees will not be required to relocate and there will be no reductions in staff here.</p></div><div class="w-full bg-warm-gray-50 border border-warm-gray-300 rounded-xl flex flex-col gap-md px-lg py-[20px]"><div class="flex flex-row text-medium leading-[1.1] text-black font-inter gap-xs"><span class="italic font-normal">More about</span><a href="https://sfstandard.com/tag/trump-vs-california/"><span class="font-bold underline decoration-highlight decoration-[3.2px]">Trump vs California</span></a></div><ul class="flex flex-col gap-md"><li class="flex flex-row gap-sm pb-md border-b border-warm-gray-300"><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/12/12/california-bonta-sues-trump-h1b-visa/" tabindex="-1"><div class="flex-none w-[90px] h-[60px] overflow-hidden"><img alt="" class="object-cover w-full h-full lazyloaded" data-nimg="1" decoding="async" height="666.6666666666666" loading="lazy" src="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_plb7b9ujmt1mle8isqvqgm2o0r/-C100.00%25x99.98%25%2C0.00%25%2C0.00%25-S2048x1365-FPNG" srcset="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_plb7b9ujmt1mle8isqvqgm2o0r/-C100.00%25x99.98%25%2C0.00%25%2C0.00%25-S1024x683-FPNG 1x, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_plb7b9ujmt1mle8isqvqgm2o0r/-C100.00%25x99.98%25%2C0.00%25%2C0.00%25-S2048x1365-FPNG 2x" style="color:transparent;aspect-ratio:1.5;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 1000 666.6666666666666'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=='/%3E%3C/svg%3E&quot;)" width="1000"/></div></a><a class="h-fit" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/12/12/california-bonta-sues-trump-h1b-visa/"><h3 class="text-medium sm:text-lg leading-[1.3] font-medium text-warm-gray-900 font-ivar-headline">California sues Trump administration over $100K visa fee for skilled workers</h3></a></li><li class="flex flex-row gap-sm pb-md border-b border-warm-gray-300"><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/12/12/san-francisco-daniel-lurie-budget-donald-trump-layoffs/" tabindex="-1"><div class="flex-none w-[90px] h-[60px] overflow-hidden"><img alt="A man with short dark hair and a serious expression faces right, with two blurred figures in the background." class="object-cover w-full h-full lazyloaded" data-nimg="1" decoding="async" height="666.6666666666666" loading="lazy" src="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_bic0blmc6d2i37opt5nl266g3b/-C100.00%25x100.00%25%2C0.00%25%2C0.00%25-S2048x1365-FPNG" srcset="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_bic0blmc6d2i37opt5nl266g3b/-C100.00%25x100.00%25%2C0.00%25%2C0.00%25-S1024x683-FPNG 1x, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_bic0blmc6d2i37opt5nl266g3b/-C100.00%25x100.00%25%2C0.00%25%2C0.00%25-S2048x1365-FPNG 2x" style="color:transparent;aspect-ratio:1.5;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 1000 666.6666666666666'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=='/%3E%3C/svg%3E&quot;)" width="1000"/></div></a><a class="h-fit" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/12/12/san-francisco-daniel-lurie-budget-donald-trump-layoffs/"><h3 class="text-medium sm:text-lg leading-[1.3] font-medium text-warm-gray-900 font-ivar-headline">Lurie orders $400M in city budget cuts amid worsening deficit</h3></a></li><li class="flex flex-row gap-sm"><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/12/09/san-francisco-budget-daniel-lurie-deficit/" tabindex="-1"><div class="flex-none w-[90px] h-[60px] overflow-hidden"><img alt="A man in a suit speaks into several microphones labeled with news station logos outside a building with steps and a group of people blurred in the background." class="object-cover w-full h-full lazyloaded" data-nimg="1" decoding="async" height="666.6666666666666" loading="lazy" src="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_q33kcigns909lbsa429d4j2i2s/-C100.00%25x100.00%25%2C0.00%25%2C0.00%25-S2048x1365-FPNG" srcset="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_q33kcigns909lbsa429d4j2i2s/-C100.00%25x100.00%25%2C0.00%25%2C0.00%25-S1024x683-FPNG 1x, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_q33kcigns909lbsa429d4j2i2s/-C100.00%25x100.00%25%2C0.00%25%2C0.00%25-S2048x1365-FPNG 2x" style="color:transparent;aspect-ratio:1.5;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 1000 666.6666666666666'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=='/%3E%3C/svg%3E&quot;)" width="1000"/></div></a><a class="h-fit" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/12/09/san-francisco-budget-daniel-lurie-deficit/"><h3 class="text-medium sm:text-lg leading-[1.3] font-medium text-warm-gray-900 font-ivar-headline">Some good news on SF’s otherwise s**t budget </h3></a></li></ul></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“As I have long said, Alabama is not California, and that is a good thing,” Gov. Kay Ivey <a href="https://x.com/GovernorKayIvey/status/1999256947888120192" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">posted to her X account<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a>. “I could not be more excited for Fannie Mae’s move to Birmingham.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Fannie Mae, established during the Great Depression as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, is one of the world’s largest mortgage financiers. </p></div></div>

San Francisco congressional candidate calls out-of-state house his primary home

<div class="content-grid article-content"><div class="Metadata_container__fxAzw"><div class="flex flex-row gap-x-md"></div><div class="Metadata_metadata__W_0LF"><span>By <a class="" href="https://sfstandard.com/author/josh-koehn/">Josh Koehn</a></span><time datetime="2025-11-21T14:00:00.000Z">Published Nov. 21, 2025 • 6:00am</time></div></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Saikat Chakrabarti, a <u><a data-post-id="338955e8-25c7-4441-a88e-66729f621d89" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/02/24/nancy-pelosi-challenger-saikat-chakrabarti-democrats-trump/">progressive tech millionaire</a></u> who is running to succeed Rep. Nancy Pelosi in Congress, has spent years claiming that a home in Maryland is his principal residence while actually living 2,800 miles away in San Francisco, The Standard has learned.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Records show that when Chakrabarti bought a $1.6 million house in Gaithersburg, Maryland, in 2018, he signed a deed promising to make it his principal residence. Over the next seven years, he continued to identify the 4,555-square-foot home — located in <u><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/realestate/2014/10/09/c2718052-2a3e-11e4-86ca-6f03cbd15c1a_story.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Crown, a retail- and transit-oriented development<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></u> roughly 25 miles from Capitol Hill — as his principal residence in property tax filings.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">In a phone interview with The Standard, Chakrabarti, 39, said he never intended to live in the Gaithersburg home and purchased it for his parents, who now reside in New Jersey. He said the deed, mortgage documents, and property tax filings he filed over the last seven years mistakenly identify it as his primary home.</p></div><div class="!p-0 !m-0"></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“I visit my family, so, like, I’ve been there,” Chakrabarti said. “Probably the longest I was ever there was maybe a couple months at some point, but never lived there.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">According to real estate experts, if Chakrabarti knew the filings were false, they could constitute fraud. Listing the home as a principal residence in loan documents and Maryland property filings could have given him special benefits, such as a lower interest rate or tax exemptions. <u><a href="https://law.justia.com/codes/maryland/real-property/title-7/subtitle-4/section-7-401/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Maryland law<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></u> says it is a crime to knowingly make any “deliberate misstatement, misrepresentation, or omission” to influence the lending process, and <u><a href="https://law.justia.com/codes/maryland/real-property/title-7/subtitle-4/section-7-407/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">penalties<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></u> can include a fine up to $5,000 and/or imprisonment up to 10 years.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">A property deed from January 2018 notes that the home would be used as Chakrabarti’s primary residence and required him to sign under penalty of perjury. Chakrabarti said he had trusted his attorneys and real-estate people and had simply signed the forms put in front of him.</p></div><figure class="ImageBlock_ImageFigure__ZnquR inset-image mobile-grid-full mobile-grid-full" data-align="none"><div class="relative"><div><img alt="An exemption affidavit where Saikat Chakrabarti affirms under penalty of perjury to occupy the conveyed property as a principal residence for at least 7 months." class="block lazyloaded" data-nimg="1" decoding="async" height="1328" loading="lazy" sizes="(min-width: 1001px) 600px, (min-width: 768px) 700px, 100vw" src="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_d9r4metma106r6ad6d9t5pi23h/-S3840x6675-FPNG" srcset="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_d9r4metma106r6ad6d9t5pi23h/-S640x1112-FPNG 640w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_d9r4metma106r6ad6d9t5pi23h/-S750x1304-FPNG 750w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_d9r4metma106r6ad6d9t5pi23h/-S768x1335-FPNG 768w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_d9r4metma106r6ad6d9t5pi23h/-S828x1439-FPNG 828w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_d9r4metma106r6ad6d9t5pi23h/-S1024x1780-FPNG 1024w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_d9r4metma106r6ad6d9t5pi23h/-S1080x1877-FPNG 1080w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_d9r4metma106r6ad6d9t5pi23h/-S1200x2086-FPNG 1200w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_d9r4metma106r6ad6d9t5pi23h/-S1920x3337-FPNG 1920w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_d9r4metma106r6ad6d9t5pi23h/-S2048x3560-FPNG 2048w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_d9r4metma106r6ad6d9t5pi23h/-S3840x6675-FPNG 3840w" style="color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 764 1328'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=='/%3E%3C/svg%3E&quot;)" width="764"/></div></div><figcaption class="basis-full mt-[10px] text-xs text-gray-550 font-inter leading-[18px]">Chakrabarti signed a form under penalty of perjury declaring that his home in Gaithersburg, Maryland, would be his principal residence.</figcaption></figure><div class="!p-0 !m-0"></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“I can say it was an honest mistake,” Chakrabarti said. “And if there is any money I owe, I will of course pay it back.”</p></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">In follow-up conversations, Chakrabarti said he was taking steps to correct the filings, and he’s not sure if he received any financial benefit.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Zillow estimates that the home has appreciated by 55% since its purchase. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The reporting of false information in mortgage and property records has become a hot-button political issue, with President Donald Trump’s administration backing Justice Department investigations and referrals targeting Democratic figures like Sen. Adam Schiff, Rep. Eric Swalwell, and New York Attorney General Letitia James. All three have accused Trump of weaponizing the justice system against his political opponents.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Chakrabarti acknowledged that he’s had a circuitous path to becoming a political candidate, and he understands that his business dealings and personal holdings deserve scrutiny.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“I get it,” he said. “I wasn’t planning to run for office my entire life.”</p></div><figure class="ImageBlock_ImageFigure__ZnquR inset-image mobile-grid-full mobile-grid-full" data-align="none"><div class="relative"><div><img alt="A woman in a black dress walks down a hallway, looking focused, surrounded by people. One man holds a camera, and framed pictures hang on the wall." class="block lazyloaded" data-nimg="1" decoding="async" height="3091" loading="lazy" sizes="(min-width: 1001px) 600px, (min-width: 768px) 700px, 100vw" src="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_l63aqkoe213tf0vfpg5q48t02h/-S3840x3842-FPNG" srcset="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_l63aqkoe213tf0vfpg5q48t02h/-S640x640-FPNG 640w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_l63aqkoe213tf0vfpg5q48t02h/-S750x750-FPNG 750w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_l63aqkoe213tf0vfpg5q48t02h/-S768x768-FPNG 768w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_l63aqkoe213tf0vfpg5q48t02h/-S828x829-FPNG 828w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_l63aqkoe213tf0vfpg5q48t02h/-S1024x1025-FPNG 1024w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_l63aqkoe213tf0vfpg5q48t02h/-S1080x1081-FPNG 1080w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_l63aqkoe213tf0vfpg5q48t02h/-S1200x1201-FPNG 1200w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_l63aqkoe213tf0vfpg5q48t02h/-S1920x1921-FPNG 1920w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_l63aqkoe213tf0vfpg5q48t02h/-S2048x2049-FPNG 2048w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_l63aqkoe213tf0vfpg5q48t02h/-S3840x3842-FPNG 3840w" style="color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 3089 3091'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=='/%3E%3C/svg%3E&quot;)" width="3089"/></div></div><figcaption class="basis-full mt-[10px] text-xs text-gray-550 font-inter leading-[18px]">Chakrabarti served as a campaign manager and then chief of staff to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) before returning to San Francisco.<span class="image-caption-divider"> | </span><span class="image-credit"><span class="sr-only">Source: </span>Tom Williams/CQ Roll/Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><h2 class="heading-block article-body text-left">The road back to San Francisco</h2><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Chakrabarti announced his candidacy in February, leaving many San Franciscans scratching their heads about a candidate who has left little mark since arriving in the city in 2009: <i>Saikat who?</i> </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">During the early 2010s, Chakrabarti was focused on hitting the tech lottery with his web design startup Mockingbird, while also working as one of the first engineers at digital payment company Stripe. He didn’t turn his focus to politics until 2015, when he began working on the presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders. He went on to embed himself in the national progressive scene by cofounding the political action committees Brand New Congress and Justice Democrats.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Just weeks before taking over Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign in February 2018 (and then becoming her chief of staff), he purchased the Gaithersburg home. Since that time — and even after declaring plans to challenge Pelosi, who announced this month that <a data-post-id="62e03207-8cd3-4bb6-8dbe-bce95f0c98da" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/11/06/nancy-pelosi-retirement-wont-seek-reelection/">she will retire at the end of her term</a> — Chakrabarti has called the home his principal residence in filings with the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">A spokesperson for the department confirmed that a person must live in a home at least seven months out of the year to call it a principal residence.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“That would be for the whole country,” officials wrote in an email. “Unless they are active duty military.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Chakrabarti, who has never served in the military, said he did not apply for tax exemptions on the property. Beyond tax records, Charkabarti’s mortgage filings for the property could be more problematic.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">In March 2018, he and his wife, attorney Kamilka Malwatte, signed an $800,000 loan agreement claiming the home would be used as a primary residence “for at least one year.” A second rider on the home changed the terms of this agreement for use as a second home. The language still required it to be for the “Borrower’s exclusive use,” but it’s unclear how that would apply to his parents as occupants.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Jonathan Layne, a real estate agent in Gaithersburg, noted that purchasing a principal residence has advantages when it comes to lenders.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“When you are applying for a loan, that interest rate is likely going to be higher for a second home or an investment property than if it’s your principal residence,” Layne said.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Erik Mebust, a spokesperson for state Sen. Scott Wiener, who is also running for the District 11 congressional seat, said Chakrabarti’s property records raise questions about how long he has lived in San Francisco after having “no involvement in the community” before becoming a candidate. So far, Chakrabarti has spent $720,000 of his own money on the campaign.</p></div><figure class="ImageBlock_ImageFigure__ZnquR inset-image mobile-grid-full mobile-grid-full" data-align="none"><div class="relative"><div><img alt="A person with glasses is intensely focused on something, likely a computer screen, which is reflected in the glasses. The background is dark and blurred." class="block lazyloaded" data-nimg="1" decoding="async" height="2541" loading="lazy" sizes="(min-width: 1001px) 600px, (min-width: 768px) 700px, 100vw" src="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_2rob76e1ud0vh3vnebc5aliu4j/-S3840x2710-FPNG" srcset="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_2rob76e1ud0vh3vnebc5aliu4j/-S640x452-FPNG 640w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_2rob76e1ud0vh3vnebc5aliu4j/-S750x529-FPNG 750w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_2rob76e1ud0vh3vnebc5aliu4j/-S768x542-FPNG 768w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_2rob76e1ud0vh3vnebc5aliu4j/-S828x584-FPNG 828w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_2rob76e1ud0vh3vnebc5aliu4j/-S1024x723-FPNG 1024w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_2rob76e1ud0vh3vnebc5aliu4j/-S1080x762-FPNG 1080w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_2rob76e1ud0vh3vnebc5aliu4j/-S1200x847-FPNG 1200w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_2rob76e1ud0vh3vnebc5aliu4j/-S1920x1355-FPNG 1920w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_2rob76e1ud0vh3vnebc5aliu4j/-S2048x1446-FPNG 2048w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_2rob76e1ud0vh3vnebc5aliu4j/-S3840x2710-FPNG 3840w" style="color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 3600 2541'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=='/%3E%3C/svg%3E&quot;)" width="3600"/></div></div><figcaption class="basis-full mt-[10px] text-xs text-gray-550 font-inter leading-[18px]">Chakrabarti made millions working in San Francisco tech before turning to politics.<span class="image-caption-divider"> | </span><span class="image-credit"><span class="sr-only">Source: </span>Mary F. Calvert/The Washington Post/Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“Lots of people try to buy their way into elected office, but this is particularly brazen,” Mebust said in a statement. “San Franciscans deserve a representative in Congress who cares deeply about our city and shows it by going to the mat for our community.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Chakrabarti, who lives in a two-bedroom apartment on Duboce Avenue that he owns, defended his time in the city, saying he has put down roots and frequently returned during his time working on campaigns elsewhere. (He also owns a one-bedroom apartment on Oak Street and an ADU.) Chakrabarti said he returned to San Francisco for good in 2019 to work full time at think tank New Consensus.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“I started a company when I first moved out here, I bought a home when I came out here, and I started a family out here,” Chakrabarti said. “I’ve lived the vast majority of my adult life here, so this is the city I call home. And it’s a city I would be proud to represent.”</p></div></div>

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The Abatement Appeals Board provides a final review process for City permitting decisions. It ensures fair and efficient adjudication of permit-related disputes before an impartial panel. The board holds authority to make binding decisions on appeals concerning notices of abatement.

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Adult Day Health Care Planning Council

Adult Probation Department supervises individuals on probation and facilitates their reintegration into the community. It provides reentry and rehabilitative services, including victim restitution and financial assistance for crime victims. The department values public safety, offender rehabilitation, and community partnerships.

Cristel Tullock

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Advisory Committee of Street Artists and Crafts Examiners

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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.

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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.

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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

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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

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Richard Lee

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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.

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Claire Ervin Lee

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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.

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Marc Dickow

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

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Joaquín Torres

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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.

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The Board of Appeals provides final review for a wide range of City permitting decisions. It ensures an efficient and fair permit issuance process through an impartial panel. The Board exercises authority to make binding decisions on appeals.