Mayor’s Race

The View compiled responses to a series of questions for the most competitive candidates for Mayor. See page 4 for additional coverage.

Public Safety and Crime

By most accounts the San Francisco Police Department has too few officers and not enough ancillary support from mental health and social workers. A 2023 SFPD analysis found that a fully staffed police force should consist of 2,074 sworn officers, nearly 500 short of the present 1,589.  A chunk of today’s personnel challenges can be traced to Mayor London Breed’s Dream Keeper Initiative, launched amidst nationwide protests over George Floyd’s murder, which redirected tens of millions of dollars from law enforcement to nonprofits serving the Black community. Some of these funds were wasted, unaccounted for, or spent outside San Francisco. The effort distracted from directly addressing the causes of displeasure with the police, diverted time, money, and political capital elsewhere, and likely served to muffle recruitment and retention of cops. Now, the City is playing catchup.

London Breed’s public safety policies focus on enhanced police recruitment and retention efforts, including raising starting salaries and expanding non-law enforcement roles to free up police officers. Breed would continue the Organized Retail Crime Initiative, expand bait cars to disrupt automobile break-ins and allow SFPD to access public surveillance cameras and drones to monitor and pursue drug dealing and theft, while increasing police and ambassador foot patrols in high traffic locations.

Mark Farrell touts a zero-tolerance approach to crime that includes addressing the police staffing shortage first. He’d restore and improve the Deferred Retirement Option Program, commit to securing funding for five police academies a year, outsource officer background checks to trusted third parties, and revise the hours at public parks with evident public safety issues at night. Farrell would expand citywide bands on illegal vending, targeting Unted Nations Plaza, Civic Center, Tenderloin, and Market Street. 

Daniel Lurie’s public safety priorities include fully staffing the SFPD, Sheriff’s department, and 911 dispatch. He wants to build workforce housing for first responders, as well as offer rent and childcare subsidies to officers in their patrol communities. Lurie supports alternatives to policing such as adding mental health professionals so that enforcement resources can focus on patrol and foot beats. 

Aaron Peskin prioritizes recruiting police officers and 911 dispatchers to address staffing shortages. Peskin wants to establish a community policing approach across San Francisco and ensure that officers and resources are well funded. He’d crackdown on hate crimes. 

Ahsha Safaí wants a fully funded and staffed police department, and community-based policing with foot and bike patrols. He’d fund recruitment and retention programs, with a five-year Voluntary Deferred Retirement Option. Safaí would implement community safety liaisons at each police station. Public safety measures would include establishing satellite offices near crime hotspots, funding positions in the District Attorney’s office and SFPD focused on retail theft and increasing license plate readers. Safaí would fully staff 911 dispatch and improve the responsiveness of the 311-call center.

Drug Policy

San Francisco intermittently grapples with the illicit drug du jour: Chinatown opium dens, Summer of Love acid trips; poppers at gay bars as the HIV/AIDs crises escalated; crack cocaine ripping through Potrero Annex-Terrace and other housing complexes. Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease, such as massive incarceration of the Black population as part of the federal War on Drugs. Today’s problem centers on fentanyl, deadly and cheap, which creates a zombie-like effect amongst its users, who often cluster South-of-Market and in the Tenderloin. San Francisco has recorded a roughly 20 percent drop in drug overdose fatalities so far this year, according to preliminary Office of the Chief Medical Examiner data. The death decline may be tied to reported reductions in fentanyl potency, as dealers attempt to avoid potential murder charges. The drug trade is also becoming more costly, with greater shrinkage due to spirited enforcement efforts by the Drug Market Agency Coordination Center (DMACC), which seized more than 109 kilograms (kg) of fentanyl and 53 kg of methamphetamine, while arresting nearly 1,150 dealers and 1,500 users since 2023. 

Breed would continue the DMACC, prioritize illegal drug seizures, issue citations for illegal activity, and conduct arrests on the supply side. On the demand side, Breed supports requiring individuals with a substance use disorders to receive treatment to obtain cash assistance and has expanded conservatorship programs to include those gravely disabled by substance abuse. Breed backed a pilot program to match San Francisco Department of Public Health doctors with fentanyl users through telehealth to provide immediate prescriptions for medication. Breed no longer supports safe consumption sites, which she championed last year. 

Farrell would prioritize recovery-first options and declare a fentanyl State of Emergency, including deploying more armed National Guardsmen. He wants a centralized 24/7 intake center offering shelter and stabilization beds, jail treatment and detox programs, and an audit of health and welfare expenditures. Farrell would mandate treatment detention for those revived by Narcan. Farrell supported safe injection sites while mayor, but no longer does. 

Lurie would also declare a fentanyl State of Emergency. He’d crack down on first time dealers, and wants the Sherriff’s Department to deploy geolocation technology to monitor individuals with stay-away-orders, arresting them if they break court-imposed conditions. Lurie hopes to implement a co-responder model, adding mental health professionals to police patrols alongside 24/7 crisis centers. Abusers would face the choice of immediate treatment or arrest. Lurie doesn’t support safe injection sites. 

Peskin would arrest drug dealers but doesn’t support apprehending drug users. Instead, he’d encourage them to seek treatment, and backs conservatorship laws. He wants to increase the number of mental health providers and drug treatment specialists, as well as sober living options. Peskin is a longtime proponent of safe injection sites. 

Safaíwould open up to four Overdose Prevention Centers by the end of his first year as mayor. He’d fund Mental Health SF, with fully staffed, 24/7, central and satellite treatment locations. He’d like to partner with the University of California, San Francisco and the Salvation Army to increase treatment beds that provide rehabilitation and recovery programs. He wants to increase the number of sobriety-living sites, where former addicts would oversee recovery of presently addicted people. Safaí wants to loosen restrictions on disbursing methadone and supports safe injection sites.

Public Education

The San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) faces a $400 million budget deficit over the next three years, with impending school closures and chronic staff shortages. Last month Breed announced that the City will field a team to help steer the district through proposed school closures and a worsening financial outlook, with $8.4 million in unallocated Student Success Funds available for “emergency needs and emergent strategies to support the school community.” 

Breed would continue the 2022 Children and Family Recovery Plan, which supports childcare, mental health and unfinished learning programs for young people. She’d maintain the Department of Early Childhood, founded under her administration, which focuses on using kindergarten readiness as a foundational indicator for future success. Breed wants to hold Community College of San Francisco accountable, withholding funds because of financial mismanagement.

Farrell seeks to make third-grade literacy the top priority for the City’s partnership with SFUSD. He supports increasing financial assistance for preschool and would create a dashboard to track kindergarten readiness. Farrell wants to make Free Muni for All Youth a permanent program, while coordinating San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and SFUSD bus schedules to make getting to school easier. In areas around schools, Farrell would establish a zero-tolerance policy for harmful street behavior and conditions. 

Lurie’s public education priorities are increasing teacher salaries and access to housing and improving rapid Muni service to schools. He’d like to co-locate municipal services at schools, and enhance the Free City College program by securing state and federal grants, partnering with businesses and philanthropy to create scholarships and career pathways for students.

Peskin would seek to ensure that public schools are safe, well-funded, and well-staffed.

Safaí would prioritize expanding funding and support for public education. He’s “adamantly” opposed to closing schools in areas of high need as a solution to SFUSD’s budget shortfalls. Safaí believes the district must better address equity issues and improve student outcomes, especially for demographics it’s failed. He’d seek to reinvest in educators to increase retention, boost student achievement and improve the educational environment. 

Government Transparency and Accountability

Breed has asked the Controller and City Attorney to conduct a public integrity review and has reduced spending on ineffective nonprofits.

Farrell wants to increase accessibility and transparency of City services through deployment of easy-to-use technology. Within two years of office, he’d make public services digital by default. 

Lurie would prioritize centralizing contract management, create a Contractor Scorecard tracking projects costing more than $1 million, and reform the Department of Building Inspection. 

Peskin would implement an Inspector General under the Controller to fight corruption, with subpoena powers. 

Safaí would require frequent auditing of the City’s homelessness and housing funding. He’d strengthen oversight over how organizations receive and spend taxpayer dollars.

Favorite Thing about San Francisco

Breed: “My favorite things about San Francisco are our parks and neighborhoods. People can visit any district in San Francisco and have an amazing time visiting the unique small businesses and restaurants in each neighborhood and enjoy a beautiful park. No other city can match that.” 

Farrell: “I love San Francisco for the natural beauty, people, culture, and values that make us one of the most iconic cities in the world.”

Lurie: “Going to a Giants game (and the Giants winning!)”

Peskin: “I’ve always loved our beautiful neighborhoods. The Victorian houses, neighborhood architecture, coffee shops, arts venues, and restaurants, create one of the most beautiful cities in the country to live and raise a family.”

Safaí: “My favorite thing about San Francisco is that everyone has the freedom to be themselves.”

Favorite thing to do in San Francisco

Breed: “Since I’m a foodie, my favorite thing to do is enjoy all the amazing cuisine San Francisco has to offer. Specifically, I love the fried rice and burritos available all across the city. Those are my two favorite foods that I could eat every day.”

Farrell: “My favorite things to do are catch a Giants game with my family, throw ball at West Sunset Playground, and enjoy all the local restaurants and entertainment our City has to offer.”

Lurie: “Sunday brunch on Potrero Hill is a family favorite (so many great brunch spots!)”

Peskin: “I love catching salsa and Cuban jazz shows at SF Jazz, and independent films at the Roxie Theater…my favorite thing to do is greet the sunrise with a swim in Aquatic Park and then get my morning coffee at Caffe Trieste, where I can check in with my neighbors.”

Safaí: “My favorite San Francisco activity is riding the cable cars.”

Favorite Book or Movie

Breed: “My favorite movie is The Rock; a San Francisco classic! I love Nicholas Cage. My favorite books are fiction audiobooks that I can listen to on the go.”

Farrell: “Tough choice, but I have to pick The Rock.”

Lurie: “Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell.”

Peskin: “Movie: The Graduate and Book: Cadillac Desert.”

Safaí: “Autobiography of Malcolm X and Empire Strikes Back.”