Gay OpenAI chief Sam Altman is one of 10 people tapped to lead San Francisco Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie's transition team, it was announced Monday. Others include longtime city government leaders, the chair of the San Francisco Democratic Party, and the former interim chief executive of Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.
"I'm excited to introduce this talented and diverse team who will help guide our transition and lay the groundwork for the change San Franciscans demand," Lurie stated in a news release. "Every one of these incredible leaders brings a track record of shaking up the status quo to deliver results. My transition co-chairs share my commitment to building an accountable, effective government to tackle the many challenges confronting our great city."
Altman stated to the Bay Area Reporter that "I'm excited to help the city I love, and where OpenAI was started, as it begins its next chapter with Mayor-elect Lurie stepping into his new role."
Lurie defeated incumbent Mayor London Breed in the November 5 election, as the B.A.R. previously reported. The Levi Strauss heir and former nonprofit executive has never held elected office, and the transition team announced will be responsible for providing "critical guidance on ways the city can innovate to ensure better service to the people of San Francisco," the release stated.
Part of this will be providing counsel to Lurie and other advisers as they build relationships with city agencies, create 100-day actionable plans with accountability metrics, and help determine who will lead the incoming administration, according to the release.
There are seven co-chairs and three senior advisers. Altman, 39, is the former president of the startup accelerator Y Combinator; in 2019, he became CEO of OpenAI, one of the world's leading artificial intelligence labs.
Altman, who lives in the Russian Hill neighborhood, was controversially ousted by OpenAI's board late last year but was reinstated after pressure from investors and employees.
OpenAI is currently in a legal fight with co-founder Elon Musk, who has accused Altman and other current leaders of "maximizing profits" instead of concentrating on its original mission to "benefit humanity," according to a civil complaint. Just three days ago Musk — whom President-elect Donald Trump announced last week will co-lead a new Department of Government Efficiency to recommend restructuring and trimming down of federal agencies — added Microsoft to his complaint.
Musk is alleging Microsoft and OpenAI created a monopoly to shut out competitors such as Musk's xAI company.
For its part, OpenAI told BBC News that Musk's claims are "baseless" and that in the past Musk had been in favor of a for-profit structure. OpenAI claimed in a blog post that Musk sought "absolute control" of OpenAI and had wanted to merge it with Tesla Inc., which Musk — the world's wealthiest person — also owns.
Another transition co-chair is Nancy Tung, a career prosecutor who has been the chair of the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee since a slate of moderate Democrats took power earlier this year. The committee had given Breed a sole endorsement in the mayor's race.
"I'm honored to be part of Mayor-elect Lurie's transition team and excited to get started," Tung told the B.A.R.
Other transition co-chairs include Joanne Hayes-White, who was the chief of the San Francisco Fire Department from 2004-2019, and had endorsed Lurie in the race; José A. Quiñonez, the founding CEO of the Mission Asset Fund, which provides zero-interest loans to help low income people build credit; Ned Segal, a co-chair of the Lurie campaign who'd served as Twitter's chief financial officer until he was fired during Musk's takeover of the company in 2022; former Stockton mayor and current California Governor Gavin Newsom adviser Michael Tubbs; and retired San Francisco Police Department Commander Paul Yep, a relatively early Lurie endorser.
Three senior advisers were also announced November 18. The transition director will be Sara Fenske Bahat, the former interim chief executive of Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.
Fenske Bahat resigned March 3 after the museum closed following a protest against Israel's war in the Gaza Strip. During a February 15 protest, artists modified their own work. The museum temporarily closed and YBCA employees and others signed an open letter accusing the center of censorship.
Fenske Bahat, who is Jewish, stated on LinkedIn that her resignation was due to "the vitriolic and antisemitic backlash directed at me personally since that night," and refused to sign on to a proposed academic and cultural boycott of Israel, the Jewish News of Northern California reported at the time.
Fenske Bahat's father is Jerry Fenske, a founder of Gay Fathers of Houston in the 1980s. He's a past treasurer of the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club.
The transition counsel will be Ann O'Leary, former Newsom chief of staff and leader of his transition team when he became governor. O'Leary was also a senior policy adviser to Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign and was to be co-director of the Clinton presidential transition had she won the race. O'Leary has served as a San Francisco deputy city attorney.
Ben Rosenfeld, who served as city controller from 2008 until his resignation earlier this year, was also listed in the release as a senior adviser but unlike Fenske Bahat and O'Leary was not given a specific role. The San Francisco Chronicle described Rosenfeld as the "wizard" of the city's $14 billion budget.
Trans office head plans on staying
During her time as mayor, Breed made a number of appointments to city leadership from the LGBTQ community. At least one isn't planning on pulling up stakes any time soon.
Honey Mahogany, who was chair of the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee before Tung, was appointed director of the Office of Transgender Initiatives in May. Mahogany told the B.A.R. November 14 that "I look forward to working with Mayor-elect Lurie to ensure San Francisco lives up to its values and potential."
Mahogany's statement comes at a pivotal time for the trans community, which is bracing itself for Trump's return to the White House. The president-elect has pledged to "sign a new executive order instructing every federal agency to cease all programs that promote the concept of sex and gender transition at any age" and reverse the Biden administration's expansion of the 1972 Title IX civil rights law.
All the other LGBTQ department heads who the B.A.R. reached out to either declined to speak on the record or didn't return the request for comment. These include Mawuli Tugbenyoh, a gay man who became acting director of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission after Breed's friend Sheryl Davis resigned amid an ethics scandal; Dr. Grant Colfax, a gay man who is the city's health director; Jeffrey Tumlin, a gay man who is the city's transportation director; Carol Isen, head of the department of human resources; and Shireen McSpadden, a bi woman who is director of the department of homelessness and supportive housing.
Never miss a story! Keep up to date on the latest news, arts, politics, entertainment, and nightlife.
Sign up for the Bay Area Reporter's free weekday email newsletter. You'll receive our newsletters and special offers from our community partners.
Support California's largest LGBTQ newsroom. Your one-time, monthly, or annual contribution advocates for LGBTQ communities. Amplify a trusted voice providing news, information, and cultural coverage to all members of our community, regardless of their ability to pay -- Donate today!