In ‘liberal’ San Francisco, progressive mayoral candidates are the underdogs

San Francisco –

After 17 years of power and influence on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, Aaron Peskin faces a rather existential moment:

Has this famously liberal city gone too far for a mayor to accept an old-school progressive like him?

Peskin, a diminutive 60-year-old with a beard and glasses, has spent his political career fighting for liberalism. The tome Large corporationsTake away enough money from them to strengthen community services. He is a strong advocate of rent control and Preservation of the neighborhoodAs a recovering alcoholic, he believes the city’s homeless problems should be addressed through a combination of compassion, affordable housing and services, rather than a punitive approach using encampment raids and criminal citations.

Despite his experience, Peskin entered the mayoral race as an underdog against incumbent Mayor London Breed and three other Democrats: venture capitalist and former Mayor Pro Tem Mark Farrell, Levi Strauss heir and nonprofit executive Daniel Lurie and fellow Supervisor Ahsha Safai.

Peskin joined the race in April, months after Breed and three other contenders began campaigning. That puts him at a financial disadvantage in the mayoral election. but more expensive In History of San Francisco.

But most significantly, Peskin entered the race as the only candidate with a progressive agenda, putting him at odds with a growing chorus of voters and Titans of technology Those who want to see a tougher approach to the growing tent encampments and drumbeat of retail and property crime that have eroded their sense of a safe and functioning city.

In recent decades, it has not been unusual for San Francisco to elect centrist Democratic mayors alongside a more progressive Board of Supervisors. But the flood of tech money, combined with frustration over the city’s slow recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, has many voters questioning the wisdom of progressive policies and a city governed by a bleeding heart.

Many parents were angry that city schools had been closed for more than a year during COVID, longer than most of the country. Distance learning continued even as school boards engaged in a divisive effort Changing a third name Among the city’s public schools whose existing names, critics say, honor historical figures associated with slavery or the oppression of women or “which otherwise significantly diminish the opportunities among us to enjoy the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

Outrage over the progressive agenda led to the recall of three school board members in February 2022. Four months later, voters also recalled then-District Trustee Atti. Chesa Boudin, a prominent reform advocate whose progressive policies on sentencing and incarceration were derided by his opponents as a threat to public safety.

Last March, San Francisco made national headlines when voters approved a pair of ballot measures advocating for expanded police surveillance powers of the Breeds and imposing drug treatment mandates for certain welfare recipients. That night A list of moderate candidates He takes control of the governing body of the local Democratic Party.

Although all five major mayoral candidates are Democrats, all but Peskin now fall into that moderate camp. Breed, in particular, has been right on issues like homelessness and crime over the past year.

Peskin welcomed the distinction, saying he ran to keep San Francisco a “beacon” for the artists, creatives, immigrants and LGBTQ+ pioneers who have shaped the city’s culture for decades, and that he fought to ensure working-class people could live in the city.

“Don’t get me wrong, I think one of the most important jobs any government has is to keep people safe,” Peskin said. “But, you know, other candidates are talking about this. They’re not even talking about making it safe and welcoming.”

Supervisor Aaron Peskin said he ran for mayor to keep San Francisco a “beacon” for artists, creatives, immigrants and LGBTQ+ pioneers who have shaped the city’s culture.

(Jeff Chew/Associated Press)

There is Peskin Specific varieties Since the beginning of his campaign, his leadership has been inconsistent and he dismissed his recent crackdown on homeless people as an ugly political ploy.

“In fact, he embraced the Fox News narrative about San Francisco, rather than standing up and protecting this city and embracing and strengthening our principles of compassion and getting things done,” he told the Times.

Breed responded that compassion has limits and that the city must take a hard line with homeless people who have refused shelter or do not seek treatment for drug addiction.

A time of July The mayoral debate Organized by the local firefighters union, Breed said his decision to get tough on the homeless crisis may not be popular, but it was necessary to move San Francisco forward.

“We have had to move from a city of compassion to a city of responsibility,” he said.

Peskin said he is focused on getting San Francisco out of the “doom loop” narrative that has dogged the city nationally for the past four years and into its recovery era.

If elected mayor, he has promised to prioritize low-income housing and expand rent control. about the homelessHe wants to open more treatment facilities and expand shelter capacity, rather than continuing the camp raids BREED has conducted for the past two months.

Peskin said he knows something about recovery.

Not 2021, Peskin He entered into treatment He allegedly attended a government meeting under the influence of alcohol. The episode also revealed broader allegations that Peskin bullied colleagues and lower-level employees for years and feared retaliation if people reported his behavior.

Peskin eventually apologized. And after spending the first few weeks feeling ashamed, he said he’s now grateful to be awake and sober for more than three years.

“I always thought my job was to take care of the community and never realized that people actually cared about my well-being,” she said. “The amount of support, love and encouragement I have received from the most unexpected places and people has been incredibly rewarding.”

But while Peskin talks about his personal and professional career, Local elections Show him the pulling breed, the ferret and show him. lurie In the city’s ranked-choice voting system, all three have taken tough stances on property crime, fentanyl trafficking and homelessness at the center of their campaigns.

While Breed, Farrell and Lurie receive financial support from tech executives and wealthy business owners, Peskin touts his campaign as a grassroots effort driven by working-class people. His endorsements include left-wing LGBTQ+ and tenants’ rights organizations, labor unions and progressive politicians, including former Mayor Art Agons, former Supervisor Jane Kim and former state Sen. Mark Leno.

“Aaron Peskin was built for public service,” Agnes said. “What we have today are tech billionaires. Tech billionaires living like kings and now we see them trying to rule San Francisco like kings.”

“I think San Francisco has always been a leader on social issues,” said Kim, who ran unsuccessfully against Breed in 2018. “Is it the super-rich and the billionaires, or is it our working class and our low-income workers? And this is the fight that Aaron is leading.”

Supervisor Aaron Peskin rightly said he wants to address the homeless issue by expanding treatment facilities and shelter capacity. He opposed aggressive encampment raids launched by Mayor London Breed, Center.

(Eric Risberg/Associated Press)

Along with staunch supporters, Peskin has racked up fierce criticism during his years in office, particularly around housing.

Peskin represents some of the city’s most historic neighborhoods, including North Beach, Chinatown, Fisherman’s Wharf and the downtown financial district. He often distinguishes himself as someone who champions neighborhood identity, which some consider a dog whistle for “NIMBYism,” a colloquial term for opposition to large multifamily housing projects or other unwanted developments. He has resisted efforts to modify certain neighborhoods’ zoning rules to allow for more prevalent housing.

“Peskin would be an incredible step backwards,” said Laura Foote, executive director of the advocacy coalition. YIMBY ActionA race-approved housing agency. “We need to protect these people in our community from the ever-increasing cost of housing, and that means building more.”

San Francisco is one of the longest. Housing Approval Process in the country, and it is miles of The units do not meet the production targets required by the state.

Breed calls for more housing development at all income levels in San Francisco as rental costs skyrocket and median home prices rise. Surpasses one million dollarsFarrell, Safaí, and Lurie also supported dense housing, although to varying degrees and in some cases only in certain neighborhoods.

Peskin dismisses the idea that he is anti-housing as a “developer-funded narrative.” But he also argues that it is possible to build more housing without “turning Ocean Beach into Miami Beach.”

The disagreements over development highlight another layer of San Francisco’s drift toward the political center, with more leaders speaking out in favor of multifamily housing projects despite outrage from progressive groups concerned about gentrification and neighborhood change.

State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), author of some of the state’s toughest housing production laws, criticized Peskin’s devotion to the “existing broken housing structure.”

Wiener, who has backed Breed, praised Peskin as skilled and “incredibly smart.” But he warned that Peskin’s brand of progressivism would set San Francisco back.

“San Franciscans are pretty progressive. But there is a tension between some people — I think it’s a minority, but some people — who equate progressivism with no change at all,” Weiner said. “A city that doesn’t change is a city that’s dying.”

Peskin has, at times, been willing to buck the progressive label. He has supported legislation to retain police personnel, and recently told the Times that he supports a controversial November ballot measure, Proposition 36, that would repeal a 2014 voter-approved law making some nonviolent drug and theft offenses misdemeanors. Critics of the initiative, including Weiner and Gov. Gavin Newsom, say it will return to the era of mass incarceration.

Peskin uses these examples to argue that you can be both practical and empathetic.

“I’ve always thought that progress is about progress,” Peskin says, “and progress is really about getting things done.”