The Foghorn’s Guide to the Mayoral Candidates

This year is politically unique for San Francisco, as it’s the first time in six years that there has been a contested mayoral race. Topics at the forefront of the race include drug overdose epidemics, a homelessness and housing crises and revitalizing downtown. 

The election takes place on Nov. 5, but ballots will begin to be mailed out on Oct. 7. All five candidates are running as Democrats, and most of them describe themselves as moderate. The Foghorn created a guide to the five candidates, their policies and endorsements.

London Breed – Breed has been the mayor of San Francisco since July 2018. After earning her master’s degree in public administration from USF, she served as president of the board of supervisors and the District 5 supervisor before stepping into her current position. Breed’s campaign focuses on homelessness and drug addiction. As outlined on her website, she plans to address this crisis with a fully staffed police department limiting drug selling and trafficking, building 82,000 homes over eight years, helping 15,000 people move off the streets, bringing 30,000 people downtown by 2030, and decreasing fentanyl’s presence on the streets. Breed, in a mayoral debate hosted by Local 798, also vowed to be assertive in sweeping large encampments, potentially introducing criminal charges if individuals do not move. Some of Breed’s top endorsements include the San Francisco Democratic Party, Housing Action Coalition, and Congresswoman Barbara Lee, who represents California District 12. 

Ahsha Safaí – The only mayoral candidate not born in the U.S, Safaí aims to tackle the challenges of bringing affordability back to San Francisco. He has been the incumbent District 11 supervisor since 2017. Using his dual bachelor’s degree in African American studies and political science from Northeastern University, and a master’s degree in city planning from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, his agenda focus is to work with the San Francisco locals. Some methods he offers are encouraging community policing, focusing on the “missing middle” class, building more affordable homes and sobriety based housing sites, providing more treatment for those with drug addictions on parole or alternative sentencing methods. He also focuses on preventing violence by introducing a number of programs for youth and those on parole or alternative sentencing options. 

According to an interview with KQED, his experience of being an Iranian immigrant post-Iranian Revolution inspires him to represent the 30% of San Francisco’s population that are immigrants. Some of Safaí’s campaign endorsements include the SEIU Local 87 Janitors’ Union, United Educators of San Francisco, and the Deputy Sheriffs Association. 

Daniel Lurie – Despite being a city-hall outsider, Lurie says he will bring accountability to San Francisco. He earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Duke University and a master’s in public policy at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a former CEO of the nonprofit Tipping Point Community, which aims to end poverty in the Bay Area, and is an heir to the Levi Strauss clothing fortune. Lurie openly speaks on his lack of experience in city government, using it to advertise himself as an adversary for inaction and corruption. Some of his detailed policy proposals include putting trained clinicians on the streets to help individuals experiencing addiction or mental health crises, encouraging corporations to adopt city blocks most in need of renewal, bringing accountability to City Hall, the Department of Building and the permitting process to derail corruption. Lurie’s endorsements include Former Mayor and Police Chief of San Francisco Frank Jordan, NFL Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott and New York Congressman Dan Goldman, who served as lead counsel in the first impeachment of former President Donald Trump. 

Mark Farrell – Former District 2 supervisor and former interim mayor of San Francisco, Farrell says he is dedicated to promoting public safety. Since earning his bachelor’s degree from Loyola Marymount University, a master’s from University College Dublin, and a Juris Doctor Degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, he was mayor of San Francisco from Jan. to July 2018, co-founded Thayer Ventures, an investment firm focused on the travel and mobility sectors and served as District 2 Supervisor. Some of his visions for San Francisco include clearing the sidewalks of large encampments and drugs through sidewalk sweeps, growing collaboration between City Hall and businesses by offering a city tax credit for businesses established in a designated downtown zone and introducing innovative technologies to government services to foster collaboration between city departments and innovators. According to Farrell’s website, he believes in a “shelter first” approach as opposed to a “housing first” approach to combat the homelessness crisis. Some of Farrell’s endorsements are retired San Francisco Police Department Deputy Chief Garret Tom, the Chinese American Democratic Club, and District 2 Supervisor Catherine Stefani. 

Aaron Peskin – Considered a progressive Democrat in the race, Peskin has been the incumbent District 3 Supervisor since 2015, with a previous term from 2001 to 2009, and president of the board of supervisors since 2023, with a previous term as well from 2005 to 2009. Using his bachelor’s degree in modern society and social thought, from the University of California, Santa Cruz, Peskin’s main agenda focuses on limiting the influence the wealthy have on San Francisco politics and policy by introducing Proposition C, a ballot measure that would instate an inspector general with the authority to investigate the San Francisco government and city contractor for fraud, waste, abuse or misconduct. He also aims to bring in affordable living for the middle class, encourages community policing and is in favor of expanding rent control and rent subsidies for low income families. One of his plans is to regulate short-term home rentals and require those living in the city to register and be permanent residents. According to an interview with CBS News, Peskin feels his personal struggle with addiction makes him a viable candidate to help a city struggling with the same problem. Some endorsements of Peskin include former Mayor of San Francisco Art Agnos, former California State Senator Mark Leno, and the California Nurses Association. 

Editor-in-Chief: Jordan Premmer, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia McCrackin, Managing Editor: Jordan DelFiugo, News Editor: Phebe Bridges, Sports Editor: John Lindroos