SAN FRANCISCO (AP) 鈥 When London Breed was elected as San Francisco's first Black woman mayor, it was a pinch-me moment for a poor girl from public housing whose ascension showed that no dream was impossible in the progressive, compassionate and equitable city.
But the honeymoon was short-lived as a COVID-19 and tech workers retreated to home offices. Tent encampments surged and so did public drug use.
Breed now finds herself in a pricey campaign as she battles for a second term.
The moderate Democrat faces four main challengers on the Nov. 5 ballot, all fellow Democrats, who say Breed has squandered her six years in office. They say she allowed San Francisco to and blamed others for her inability to rein in homelessness and erratic , all while burglarized businesses pleaded for help.
Her closest competitors appear to be Mark Farrell, a and venture capitalist who is the most conservative of the group, and Daniel Lurie, an anti-poverty nonprofit founder and an heir to the Levi Strauss fortune who has pumped at least $6 million of his own money into his first bid for mayor.
The other two are Aaron Peskin, president of the Board of Supervisors, the most liberal of the candidates, and Ahsha Safa铆, a city supervisor and former labor organizer.
Streets have become cleaner and homeless , but the of 49ers rookie Ricky Pearsall in a popular central shopping district reignited the public safety issue.
鈥淓ven though San Francisco is seen as this kind of West Coast liberal icon, the city has experienced a series of episodes that challenge that, and that puts voters into kind of a testy mood,鈥 said David McCuan, a political science professor at Sonoma State University.
McCuan added that he thinks Breed still has the advantage, but 鈥渟he's just got difficulties around her.鈥
The Nov. 5 vote in a presidential election year is happening amid a national debate on public safety and a statewide vote on a that would, if approved, reclassify some misdemeanor theft and drug crimes as felonies.
Voters concerned over crime ousted progressive San Francisco prosecutor in a rare recall in 2022, and across the bay this year, the Oakland mayor is facing a recall election due in part to crime concerns.
In an interview, Breed, 50, said San Francisco is turning a corner 鈥 thanks to her hard work 鈥 and voters she meets are upbeat.
She championed a pair of successful in the March primary to expand police powers and compel some people into drug treatment. She ordered a encampments following a decision that said bans on outdoor sleeping are allowed. Reported .
鈥淲e laid the groundwork, and now people are reaping the benefits of our infrastructure projects, the capacity we built and the technology we鈥檙e using to combat crime,鈥 Breed said, adding that voters 鈥渒now that someone鈥檚 in charge and making it happen.鈥
Farrell challenged that notion at a meeting with voters at a boisterous gastropub on a recent evening, saying Breed failed to maintain the streets he cleared of tents when he was interim mayor in 2018. Farrell, 50, was a city supervisor in the role for six months following the death of Mayor Ed Lee.
He envisions a San Francisco where police feel respected and older residents don't have to hire private security when the city has a $15 billion annual budget.
鈥淪an Franciscans, given the state of our city right now, want not only a change of leadership, but a sense of direction for the city,鈥 Farrell said in an interview this week.
Lurie, 47, says voters deserve a true public servant and that as a political outsider, he has the experience to overhaul corrupt government bureaucracy.
Voters are 鈥渄esperate, desperate for someone that is going to come in there and bring accountability,鈥 Lurie said.
As founder of the nonprofit Tipping Point Community, he says, he built tiny cabin shelters and permanent subsidized housing at a fraction of the cost and time that it would take City Hall.
Breed, Farrell and Lurie all have strong ties to wealthy business donors.
Lurie leads with more than $13 million, including $1 million from his mother, businesswoman Miriam Haas, to an outside committee supporting his candidacy. Breed has collected more than $4.6 million, including $1.2 million from former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, while Farrell has raised $3.5 million.
All three candidates also carry baggage.
Breed is embroiled in an over financial mismanagement in the Dream Keeper Initiative, her marquee racial equity program for Black communities. The mayor says the program does good work.
Farrell has been accused by opponents of by pooling staff and office costs with a campaign he established in support of a ballot measure, which can accept unlimited donations. Farrell says he is following the law.
And critics of Lurie say the his nonprofit built cannot be replicated citywide because it used a construction method opposed by local labor unions and required massive private investment. Lurie says naysayers will naysay.
San Francisco elects its mayor using a that could yield a winner who did does get the most first-place votes. It also can encourage unusual alliances between rival candidates and, indeed, this week Farrell and Safa铆 agreed to ask their supporters to make the other their No. 2 pick.
Breed won election as to serve out the remainder of Lee's term and was to a full term that has lasted five years instead of the typical four after voters changed the election calendar to line up with presidential contests.
