The left-wing mayor of San Francisco, who has presided over a shocking increase in crime and homelessness over the past six years, lost his re-election bid to a businessman with no political experience and will soon step down.
London Breed, 50, became the mayor of San Francisco after winning a special election following the death of Mayor Ed Lee at the end of 2017. Since then, she has implemented radical policies.
“Over the coming weeks, we will be reflecting on all the progress we have made.”
She was one of the first big city mayors to defund law enforcement, in line with BLM's rallying cry to “defund the police” after George Floyd's death. In 2020, Breed announced he would cut a whopping $120 million from San Francisco's police and sheriff's department budgets. new york post Reported in December 2021.
Within a year, she reversed course on law enforcement funding, but by then homelessness and crime, especially property-related crimes, were skyrocketing. In March, Tenderloin residents even sued the city for failing to address these issues.
“Every day, every day, people are dealing drugs and using drugs in front of our eyes. [the plaintiffs’] apartment building. There are also encampments. People are lighting bonfires. Their sidewalks are dirty with all sorts of issues from used syringes to human waste,” said Matthew Davis, one of the plaintiffs' attorneys.
This year, Breed faced a tough re-election battle amidst enthusiastic challengers and ranked-choice voting, and he sought a middle ground. At a debate in front of unionized firefighters in July, Breed announced a crackdown on homeless encampments in response to the Supreme Court ruling. Grants Pass vs. Johnson.
“We had to move from a city of compassion to a city of accountability, and I've been leading the charge to tackle this problem differently,” Breed said at the time. he said.
“We're going to continue to lead the way in terms of service, but we also can't continue to allow people to do what they want on the streets of San Francisco, especially when we have a place for them to go. is.”
Apparently, such action was too little, too late.
Voters on Tuesday decided to endorse Daniel Lurie, 47, heir to the Levi Strauss estate and founder and former CEO of the anti-poverty nonprofit Tipping Point. KTVU Reported.
Because of his wealth and rapid rise from relative obscurity, critics accused him of trying to cash in on power. Lurie dismissed those allegations.
“You can't buy elections in San Francisco. You have to go out and get every vote,” he said.
Voters often rank both Breed and Lurie on their ballots, but as of Thursday, Breed trailed Lurie by a wide margin, 43.8% to 56.2%. Breed then called Lurie to concede.
she also concession message He claimed to X that he had done his best during his tenure and had made significant “progress.”
“I answered that call and always gave my heart and soul to San Francisco and its people.”
Breed also expressed optimism about the future.
“I'm Mayor, and you're all working hard every day, and our city is growing. In the coming weeks, I'll be looking back at all the progress we've made. But today, I want to share with you what we've accomplished. “I am so proud of you. You have accomplished so much and my heart is filled with gratitude,” she wrote.
Mr. Lurie, a political novice, has already promised to secure 1,500 more housing units for the homeless within his first six months in office. He wants to hire 450 new police officers within three years, according to KTVU.
But he also warned The city won't turn the corner “overnight.”
“I am deeply grateful to my wonderful family, my campaign team, and all the San Franciscans who voted for accountability, service, and change. No matter who you supported in this election, we We are united in the fight for the future of San Francisco and a safer, more secure society for “a city that is affordable for all,'' he said in a statement.
Editor's note: This article has been updated to reflect that Daniel Lurie is the founder and former CEO of Tipping Point. The original version showed he was still the CEO.
Do you like Blaze News? Avoid censorship and sign up for our newsletter to get articles like this delivered straight to your inbox. Please register here!
