cawacko
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For those who wonder what it might be like to live in a one party area, here's an example (from a progressive perspective). By any national account, London Breed is a progressive. But since basically everyone in San Francisco is on the left people have to find a way to differentiate themselves and she gets labeled a moderate. Reading this you can close your eyes and hear the same rhetoric used between Republicans and Democrats, except in this case it's between the different factions of Democrats (people tired of the status quo for instance, struggles to find candidates and 'conservative' Asians even though they are still Democrats).
Here’s why no progressives have stepped up to challenge San Francisco Mayor London Breed — yet
San Francisco progressives have a lot of problems with moderate Mayor London Breed, so why haven’t any of them stepped up to run for mayor?
It may seem weird that San Francisco — the progressive capital of America — doesn’t yet have a progressive running for mayor. San Francisco isn’t just progressive by reputation, it’s by results. According to a Chronicle analysis of November’s state propositions, San Francisco posted the most “progressive” results among the state’s 58 counties.
But this is also the town that recalled Chesa Boudin, its progressive district attorney, and three members of its school board last year. Jane Kim, a progressive former supervisor and school board member who ran for mayor in 2018, said, “Given what occurred in the last year, there’s probably some hesitancy to what the viability looks like for a progressive candidate for mayor.”
It’s not impossible for a progressive to win in a big city. Look at Chicago, where last week union-backed progressive Brandon Johnson — who started the race polling at 3% — defeated tough-on-crime former school executive Paul Vallas.
There are plenty of differences between the two cities, but San Francisco progressives are looking for someone to step up. A letter has been circulating among progressive Democratic clubs in the city seeking to draft Assembly Member Phil Ting to run. It comes from “progressive organizers, leaders, activists and advocates deeply concerned about the direction of our City and our movement.”
“The Mayor’s race in 2024 is the single most important contest for deciding the future of our City. We cannot afford four more years of our broken status quo,” the letter reads. “We need you.”
The first big challenge with the fledgling Draft Ting movement letter: Ting hasn’t seen it. At least, not until I told him about it.
Perhaps the bigger challenge: Ting, who is termed out of the Assembly in 2024, is not thinking about running for mayor. He’s actually opened up a fundraising account to run for state treasurer in 2026, though that could simply be a place to park money until he figures out his next move, as many pols do.
“I don’t rule anything in my life out,” Ting told me. “But at this point, it’s not something I’m looking at.”
Alas, the hunt goes on.
At its leadership retreat in February, the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club listed four people they’d like to see challenge Breed: Ting, Boudin, San Francisco Supervisor Shamann Walton and Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin.
Well, scratch Peskin off that list.
“The thought has occurred to me, but it seems like a pretty miserable job,” Peskin told me. “It’s not on my list of things to do.”
Plus, “if it was on my things to do I’d have to be busting moves right now. And I can tell you as we speak, I’m on my way to a swearing-in ceremony and not busting any moves,” he said.
Walton did not return a request for comment. Neither did Boudin. Then again, the first and only time Boudin was elected to office, voters insisted that he leave before his term was done, so he’s probably not a good option.
What about Supervisor Dean Preston? The Democratic socialist and former tenant rights attorney is one of Breed’s most vocal critics. He led the drive behind last year’s voter-approved Proposition H, which placed elections for major offices like mayor, district attorney, city attorney, treasurer and sheriff to even years.
Breed opposed Prop. H, even though it gave her another year in office. She thought it was a power play by Democratic socialists — even though six supervisors not named Dean Preston supported putting it on the ballot.
The real reason that Breed didn’t like Prop. H: Next year’s presidential year electorate will probably bring out more renters, young voters and people of color — the kind of electorate that might be friendlier to a progressive candidate. Ross estimated that 45% of the electoral pie could be progressive.
So surely Preston would be game, given those numbers, right?
“I am not planning to run for mayor,” Preston said.
Is it the job? At $353,801 a year, being mayor of San Francisco pays almost as well as being president ($400,000).
Plus, it is more powerful than most mayoral gigs, because San Francisco is both a city and a county. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass may rule a big city, but she also has little sway over what goes on in the massive Los Angeles County surrounding her.
San Francisco City Hall can be a stepping stone to higher office. Former San Francisco mayors become governor (Gavin Newsom) or senator (Dianne Feinstein.)
So what’s the hang-up?
For one, it’s money, said Jim Ross, who ran both Newsom’s first campaign for mayor in 2003 and the anti-recall campaign for the progressive Boudin. Given the larger, presidential year electorate, he expects Breed to raise at least $10 million for her re-election campaign. A challenger could be outspent 10-1.
“Progressives are cognizant of fundraising and cognizant of the money that will need to be spent to counter London Breed. And I think that explains a lot of the hesitancy,” said Jeffrey Kwong, president of the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club.
Organized labor is still on the fence, Ross said. That presents a chicken-and-egg problem: Some potential candidates are hesitant to run unless they can count on full-throated backing from labor.
Plus, Ross said, if you’re looking to climb the ladder, there are other offices to run for. If Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi doesn’t run again, that opens up a House seat. State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, said he would run for Pelosi’s seat if she retired, opening up his job. Ting’s Assembly gig will be available.
“If you’re an ambitious politician, you don’t have to take on a mayor who has a lot of moderate support,” Ross said.
Historically, the odds are against progressives who want to be mayor. The last progressive to win a mayor’s race was Art Agnos in 1987. The last sitting supervisor other than Newsom to win was George Christopher. And that was so long ago — 1955 — that Christopher won while being a Republican in San Francisco. Mayors Willie Brown and George Moscone came to City Hall from the Legislature and Feinstein and Breed were appointed to the position after the death of the mayor before being elected on their own.
And being mayor of San Francisco isn’t the crown jewel it once was. The city is headed toward, as my colleagues put it, an economic “doom loop,” facing a huge budget shortfall, a perpetual homeless challenge, a fentanyl crisis, a shortage of affordable housing and a deserted downtown. For starters.
Plus, the next mayor would have to be up for diving deeper into the shark pit of San Francisco politics.
Even Peskin, no stranger to that pool after a quarter-century in city politics, is leery.
“I don’t think anybody is interested in running for anything these days,” Peskin said. “Being an elected official isn’t as fun as it used to be. These are tough times. You’ve got to be a glutton for punishment.”
Ting, who has served in elective office for two decades, said the politics in San Francisco are “hyper personal,” regardless of whether you’re moderate or progressive. “I think this is probably the hardest time I’ve seen to be an elected official. People are very angry. You see that from our political divide. Politics are less about consensus and more about division,” said Ting. He is trying to decide “whether I want to continue to serve in elective office or whether I can make a better contribution” elsewhere.
Keep your eye on Ting, though. He is an appealing candidate to some Breed opponents, because he has name recognition, could unite progressives and peel off some more conservative Asian American voters who would otherwise back Breed.
There’s still time for a progressive to jump into the race, but the clock is running. Moderate San Francisco Supervisor Ahsha Safaí has said that he is considering a run. Daniel Lurie, founder of the anti-poverty organization Tipping Point Community and someone long thought to be a potential candidate, is making cryptic comments about a possible run.
Progressives aren’t waiting for a candidate to emerge, said Joy Zhan, co-president of San Francisco Young Democrats. Zhan told me that community organizations and Democratic clubs “are starting to build a coalition to make sure that we can pump out all the money that is going to be needed to put into the race.”
All they need now is someone to direct that money to.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/joegarofoli/article/san-francisco-mayor-2024-17883006.php
Here’s why no progressives have stepped up to challenge San Francisco Mayor London Breed — yet
San Francisco progressives have a lot of problems with moderate Mayor London Breed, so why haven’t any of them stepped up to run for mayor?
It may seem weird that San Francisco — the progressive capital of America — doesn’t yet have a progressive running for mayor. San Francisco isn’t just progressive by reputation, it’s by results. According to a Chronicle analysis of November’s state propositions, San Francisco posted the most “progressive” results among the state’s 58 counties.
But this is also the town that recalled Chesa Boudin, its progressive district attorney, and three members of its school board last year. Jane Kim, a progressive former supervisor and school board member who ran for mayor in 2018, said, “Given what occurred in the last year, there’s probably some hesitancy to what the viability looks like for a progressive candidate for mayor.”
It’s not impossible for a progressive to win in a big city. Look at Chicago, where last week union-backed progressive Brandon Johnson — who started the race polling at 3% — defeated tough-on-crime former school executive Paul Vallas.
There are plenty of differences between the two cities, but San Francisco progressives are looking for someone to step up. A letter has been circulating among progressive Democratic clubs in the city seeking to draft Assembly Member Phil Ting to run. It comes from “progressive organizers, leaders, activists and advocates deeply concerned about the direction of our City and our movement.”
“The Mayor’s race in 2024 is the single most important contest for deciding the future of our City. We cannot afford four more years of our broken status quo,” the letter reads. “We need you.”
The first big challenge with the fledgling Draft Ting movement letter: Ting hasn’t seen it. At least, not until I told him about it.
Perhaps the bigger challenge: Ting, who is termed out of the Assembly in 2024, is not thinking about running for mayor. He’s actually opened up a fundraising account to run for state treasurer in 2026, though that could simply be a place to park money until he figures out his next move, as many pols do.
“I don’t rule anything in my life out,” Ting told me. “But at this point, it’s not something I’m looking at.”
Alas, the hunt goes on.
At its leadership retreat in February, the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club listed four people they’d like to see challenge Breed: Ting, Boudin, San Francisco Supervisor Shamann Walton and Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin.
Well, scratch Peskin off that list.
“The thought has occurred to me, but it seems like a pretty miserable job,” Peskin told me. “It’s not on my list of things to do.”
Plus, “if it was on my things to do I’d have to be busting moves right now. And I can tell you as we speak, I’m on my way to a swearing-in ceremony and not busting any moves,” he said.
Walton did not return a request for comment. Neither did Boudin. Then again, the first and only time Boudin was elected to office, voters insisted that he leave before his term was done, so he’s probably not a good option.
What about Supervisor Dean Preston? The Democratic socialist and former tenant rights attorney is one of Breed’s most vocal critics. He led the drive behind last year’s voter-approved Proposition H, which placed elections for major offices like mayor, district attorney, city attorney, treasurer and sheriff to even years.
Breed opposed Prop. H, even though it gave her another year in office. She thought it was a power play by Democratic socialists — even though six supervisors not named Dean Preston supported putting it on the ballot.
The real reason that Breed didn’t like Prop. H: Next year’s presidential year electorate will probably bring out more renters, young voters and people of color — the kind of electorate that might be friendlier to a progressive candidate. Ross estimated that 45% of the electoral pie could be progressive.
So surely Preston would be game, given those numbers, right?
“I am not planning to run for mayor,” Preston said.
Is it the job? At $353,801 a year, being mayor of San Francisco pays almost as well as being president ($400,000).
Plus, it is more powerful than most mayoral gigs, because San Francisco is both a city and a county. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass may rule a big city, but she also has little sway over what goes on in the massive Los Angeles County surrounding her.
San Francisco City Hall can be a stepping stone to higher office. Former San Francisco mayors become governor (Gavin Newsom) or senator (Dianne Feinstein.)
So what’s the hang-up?
For one, it’s money, said Jim Ross, who ran both Newsom’s first campaign for mayor in 2003 and the anti-recall campaign for the progressive Boudin. Given the larger, presidential year electorate, he expects Breed to raise at least $10 million for her re-election campaign. A challenger could be outspent 10-1.
“Progressives are cognizant of fundraising and cognizant of the money that will need to be spent to counter London Breed. And I think that explains a lot of the hesitancy,” said Jeffrey Kwong, president of the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club.
Organized labor is still on the fence, Ross said. That presents a chicken-and-egg problem: Some potential candidates are hesitant to run unless they can count on full-throated backing from labor.
Plus, Ross said, if you’re looking to climb the ladder, there are other offices to run for. If Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi doesn’t run again, that opens up a House seat. State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, said he would run for Pelosi’s seat if she retired, opening up his job. Ting’s Assembly gig will be available.
“If you’re an ambitious politician, you don’t have to take on a mayor who has a lot of moderate support,” Ross said.
Historically, the odds are against progressives who want to be mayor. The last progressive to win a mayor’s race was Art Agnos in 1987. The last sitting supervisor other than Newsom to win was George Christopher. And that was so long ago — 1955 — that Christopher won while being a Republican in San Francisco. Mayors Willie Brown and George Moscone came to City Hall from the Legislature and Feinstein and Breed were appointed to the position after the death of the mayor before being elected on their own.
And being mayor of San Francisco isn’t the crown jewel it once was. The city is headed toward, as my colleagues put it, an economic “doom loop,” facing a huge budget shortfall, a perpetual homeless challenge, a fentanyl crisis, a shortage of affordable housing and a deserted downtown. For starters.
Plus, the next mayor would have to be up for diving deeper into the shark pit of San Francisco politics.
Even Peskin, no stranger to that pool after a quarter-century in city politics, is leery.
“I don’t think anybody is interested in running for anything these days,” Peskin said. “Being an elected official isn’t as fun as it used to be. These are tough times. You’ve got to be a glutton for punishment.”
Ting, who has served in elective office for two decades, said the politics in San Francisco are “hyper personal,” regardless of whether you’re moderate or progressive. “I think this is probably the hardest time I’ve seen to be an elected official. People are very angry. You see that from our political divide. Politics are less about consensus and more about division,” said Ting. He is trying to decide “whether I want to continue to serve in elective office or whether I can make a better contribution” elsewhere.
Keep your eye on Ting, though. He is an appealing candidate to some Breed opponents, because he has name recognition, could unite progressives and peel off some more conservative Asian American voters who would otherwise back Breed.
There’s still time for a progressive to jump into the race, but the clock is running. Moderate San Francisco Supervisor Ahsha Safaí has said that he is considering a run. Daniel Lurie, founder of the anti-poverty organization Tipping Point Community and someone long thought to be a potential candidate, is making cryptic comments about a possible run.
Progressives aren’t waiting for a candidate to emerge, said Joy Zhan, co-president of San Francisco Young Democrats. Zhan told me that community organizations and Democratic clubs “are starting to build a coalition to make sure that we can pump out all the money that is going to be needed to put into the race.”
All they need now is someone to direct that money to.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/joegarofoli/article/san-francisco-mayor-2024-17883006.php