From our perspective, one San Francisco mayoral candidate stands above the rest: incumbent London Breed. Since being elected in 2018, and reelected in 2019, Breed has consistently been an ally to the LGBTQ community — in actions as well as words. Whether it be hiring out department heads, appointing out public officials, nominating out commissioners, backfilling federal HIV/AIDS cuts, the city buying property for affordable housing aimed at LGBTQ seniors, or purchasing a new site for a freestanding LGBTQ history museum — which she announced last week — the mayor has had our backs. Another commitment Breed honored was naming the city's — and the world's — first drag laureate, D'Arcy Drollinger. Breed is maintaining her pledge to end trans homelessness by 2027 and kept the Office of Transgender Initiatives, which was started by the late mayor Ed Lee. She has stood with the LGBTQ community as right-wing homophobes and transphobes have bashed the city, and she stands firm for San Francisco values — where people can live as their true selves, and where the city has myriad services available for marginalized groups as well as small business owners, students, and others.
For these reasons and more, we endorse Breed for reelection.
To be sure, San Francisco has its challenges — homelessness, drug overdose deaths, the lack of enough mental health beds for all who need them. There is crime, though the mayor and District Attorney Brooke Jenkins say it is trending downward, particularly property crime. Major businesses have left town, prolonging the economic recovery San Francisco so desperately needs. And there is the affordability crisis — many people are priced out of the city they love, even as the Financial District is sitting full of empty office space because workers are slow to return in person.
In fact, Breed and her administration did an excellent job when the COVID pandemic hit in 2020, and voters shouldn't forget that. San Francisco had one of the lowest rates of infection and death thanks to the leadership of Breed and Dr. Grant Colfax, a gay man she appointed health director. The Department of Public Health's coordinated work with local hospitals saved lives and reduced health disparities, as a July article in NEJM Catalyst noted.
But as COVID becomes a part of everyday life — new variants are regularly being discovered and a kind of pandemic fatigue has set in among many people in San Francisco and everywhere else — the city's chief executive must work to restore some semblance of normalcy. We believe Breed has largely done that even as much work remains.
Homelessness, overdoses
No San Francisco mayor has been able to "solve" the homelessness crisis, and we doubt any of the current crop of candidates will be able to do so. But there are steps that can be taken to alleviate the situation, and Breed is doing that. She stated in her endorsement questionnaire to us that under her watch, the city has increased shelter capacity by over 60% since 2018 up to 4,000 shelter beds. Housing slots for the formerly homeless have increased by over 50% since 2018, she noted. But it's the tent encampments that provide the biggest challenge, and while the city has been given authority by a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision to clear encampments, that has proven intractable. Oftentimes, people just regroup somewhere else, to the consternation of many residents. "San Francisco will continue to offer services to people on the streets, including shelter and treatment," the mayor stated. "Outreach crews to encampments and to individuals will continue every day and will include recently launched nighttime outreach services ... ."
But there will be enforcement consisting of progressive penalties such as warnings and citations, she added, even the possibility of arrest. "The goal is not punishment," she stated, "it is compliance."
The reality is that almost nothing can make a person accept a shelter bed or treatment if they don't want to. San Francisco needs to ramp up its Mental Health SF program, which includes crisis response teams and other programs. The San Francisco Standard reported in August that the number of homeless people suffering from mental illness shot up this year, according to the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. () And the city has allocated $50 million over the next two years to expand shelter and housing for homeless families, the outlet reported.
Then there's the drug overdose crisis. Last year, the city saw 806 people die of overdose deaths in San Francisco. The situation looks to be better this year. A San Francisco Chronicle analysis shows 462 people have died of overdose deaths so far this year, putting the city on pace for a total of 693 by the end of the year. "Fortunately, we're seeing a decline in the number of overdose deaths," Breed told us during a Zoom interview. "Tragically, San Francisco is known as a bit of a destination." She added that solutions aren't "one size fits all," which is true. The city has abstinence-based treatment programs that have led to treatment and housing, like Her House, the mayor said. She's looking for more support from the state and federal government, like California's Proposition 1 bond measure that passed in March and aims to help those with mental health and substance use issues by building more places for mental health care and substance use treatment.
Breed told us that she is making progress. "I could have never predicted a global pandemic," she said. "There are so many pieces of the puzzle: public safety, encampments. We've seen 15,000 people exit homelessness. We're finally starting to make an impact. I want to help take San Francisco to the next level — we're starting to invest in fun."
Reimagining downtown
Her downtown revitalization plans seem to be working. Downtown spaces are being activated with concerts and block parties. Breed's administration has launched initiatives such as Vacant to Vibrant and First Year Free that aim to open pop-ups in vacant storefronts and help business owners with waiving some fees, respectively.
Above all, Breed remains committed to the LGBTQ community.
"It's becoming a destination," she said of the Castro when she mentioned that a site for a freestanding LGBTQ history museum was imminent. "It's going to be, I think, a game-changer."
We want to see Breed continue to lead the city because we believe she is the best person to do so.
Second choice: Aaron Peskin
The mayoral election likely will be decided by ranked choice voting, and so we are recommending Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin as second choice. Peskin, who is serving his fifth non-consecutive term on the board, knows the ins and outs of local government better than almost anyone. Running as the progressive candidate in the race, he has nonetheless worked with Breed on many initiatives over the years.
Peskin has always been a strong ally to the LGBTQ community. He raised serious questions about Another Planet Entertainment's takeover of the majestic Castro Theatre and has fought to prevent evictions of queer nonprofits and preserve legacy businesses.
When Breed's initial funding for the infrastructure bond on November's ballot didn't include money for the relocation of City Clinic, long a medical resource for community members, Peskin stated that he "fought to get money for City Clinic" into the bond. To her credit, Breed quickly pivoted and included $27 million for the relocation of City Clinic into the $360 million Proposition B bond. (The bond has always included $25 million for the renovation of Harvey Milk Plaza.)
Peskin impressed us in his Zoom call. Noting that he's polling below some of the other major candidates, Peskin sees a path forward with renters, lower-income residents, and LGBTQs. He has been a steadfast ally to the community over the years, including voting to backfill federal HIV/AIDS funding cuts and appointing numerous LGBTQ commissioners during his time on the board.
On mental health and substance use treatment, Peskin favors a crisis to care plan that would be a regional approach, working with neighboring counties. This makes a lot of sense — we know some unhoused people move back and forth across the Bay Area.
Our one quibble with Peskin is his stance on housing. He has said he's never voted against an affordable housing project but that's not accurate. He did vote to uphold the appeal of the project at 469 Stevenson Street (the Nordstrom parking lot), which would have included 73 affordable units. But Peskin told us he has a long history of listening to vulnerable communities about their concerns over gentrification and he has long worked to preserve neighborhoods.
In many ways, Peskin is a different person since he acknowledged his own problem with alcohol and sought treatment. When we had our Zoom call, he said that he's been sober three years and three months. Over that time he said he's taken other people to 12-step meetings when they've requested his help. People "are not in this alone," he said.
We think that Peskin would make a good mayor, and San Francisco voters should consider ranking him as their second choice.
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