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The leftist mayor of San Francisco who presided over a shocking rise in crime and homeless over the past six years will soon leave office, having lost her re-election bid to a businessman with no political experience.
London Breed, 50, became mayor of San Francisco after winning a special election in the wake of the passing of Mayor Ed Lee in late 2017. Since then, she has implemented a radical agenda.
'Over the coming weeks, I plan to reflect on all the progress we’ve made.'
She was among the first mayors of a major city to strip law enforcement of funding in keeping with the BLM cry to "defund the police" following the death of George Floyd. In 2020, Breed announced that she would cut a whopping $120 million from the budgets of both San Francisco’s police and sheriff’s departments, the New York Post reported in December 2021.
Within a year, she had reversed course about funding law enforcement, but by then, homelessness and crime, particularly property-related crime, had soared. In March, residents from the Tenderloin district even sued the city for failing to address these problems.
"Every day, at all hours, people are dealing drugs and using drugs in front of [the plaintiffs'] apartment building. There are encampments. People are lighting bonfires. Their sidewalks are filthy with all kinds of problems from used syringes to human waste," said Matthew Davis, one of the plaintiffs' attorneys.
Facing a tough re-election battle this year amid a slate of eager challengers and ranked-choice voting, Breed then tacked toward the center. At a debate in front of a crowd of unionized firefighters in July, Breed announced that she would crack down on homeless encampments following the Supreme Court ruling Grants Pass v. Johnson.
"We have had to move from a compassionate city to a city of accountability, and I have been leading the efforts to ensure that we are addressing this issue differently than we have before," Breed said at the time.
"We will continue to lead with services, but we also can't continue to allow people to do what they want on the streets of San Francisco, especially when we have a place for them to go."
Such gestures were too little, too late, apparently.
On Tuesday, voters decided to go with Daniel Lurie, the 47-year-old heir to the Levi Strauss fortune and the current CEO of the anti-poverty nonprofit Tipping Point, KTVU reported.
Because of his wealth and quick rise from relative obscurity, critics accused him of trying to buy his way into office. Lurie dismissed those allegations.
"You can't buy an election in San Francisco. You've got to go out and earn every vote," he said.
Though voters often ranked both Breed and Lurie on their ballot, as of Thursday, Breed trailed Lurie considerably, 43.8% to 56.2%. Breed then called Lurie to concede.
She also posted a concession message to X, claiming to have done her best and made significant "progress" during her time in office.
"I answered the call and always gave San Francisco and its people my heart and soul."
Breed also expressed optimism about the future.
"I am the Mayor – but you all are doing the hard work every day and the City is on the rise. Over the coming weeks, I plan to reflect on all the progress we’ve made. But today, I am proud that we have truly accomplished so much and my heart is filled with gratitude," she wrote.
Lurie, a political neophyte, has already pledged to secure 1,500 more housing units for the homeless within six months of taking office. He also wants to hire 450 new police officers within three years, according to KTVU.
However, he also cautioned that the city will not turn the corner "overnight."
"I'm deeply grateful to my incredible family, campaign team and every San Franciscan who voted for accountability, service and change. No matter who you supported in this election, we stand united in the fight for San Francisco's future and a safer and more affordable city for all," he said in a statement.
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Fed up business owners sue California city over homeless encampments — used syringes, human waste, rats
A group of California small-business owners filed a lawsuit against the City of Berkeley this week for allegedly allowing the streets around their businesses to become overrun with homeless encampments littered with used syringes, human waste, and rats.
The lawsuit was filed in Alameda County by eight businesses, which include a brewing company, a winery, a theater set production company, an automotive repair shop, a bagel shop, and a mobility equipment supplier.
'She left only to return two minutes later with a 10-foot metal pole swinging it at customers and employees.'
The county has become a hotspot for homelessness and criminal activity in recent years, largely due to soft-on-crime progressive politicians.
The owners claim that the Berkeley leaders have failed to comply with the city's nuisance laws, claiming it has "invited, permitted, and/or maintained a sprawling public encampment of tents and RVs on Harrison Street between Fifth and Ninth streets, as well as off of Harrison Street along Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Streets."
The complaint noted that encampments have been allowed to take over parts of Harrison Street and the Lower Dwight Neighborhood "because of its erroneous interpretation" of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit's ruling in two cases, which stated criminal charges cannot be filed against individuals camping in public when no shelter space is available.
However, the lawsuit argued that the rulings did not permit the city to violate public nuisance laws. Furthermore, the business owners argued that shelter space has been available.
Additionally, earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court overruled the lower court's decision, stating that municipalities are allowed to dismantle public encampments regardless of available shelter space. Despite that, the makeshift tent cities in Berkeley remain.
The complaint included images taken after the city engaged in a so-called "clean up" effort, showing that the encampments were not dismantled. Instead, tents remained lined up against the side of the street, often obstructing sidewalk access.
Emily Winston, a Berkeley resident and the owner and operator of a local bagel shop told KTVU, "It's tough. It's filthy. There's trash everywhere."
"It's not safe for our customers or our staff," Winston stated. She noted that she was "not eager" to file the lawsuit.
"This was certainly not my idea of a good time. I wish the city would just have cleaned it up anyway," Winston added.
The business owners are concerned about the health and safety issues posed by the sprawling encampments. They fear that the unsightly and unsanitary conditions are driving away customers.
Barry Braden, a brewery owner, told KTVU that a woman recently entered his establishment asking for food.
"When the manager on duty offered help, she left only to return two minutes later with a 10-foot metal pole swinging it at customers and employees; she was chased out of the building by customers and ultimately arrested by police," Braden explained.
In 2018, the same year Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) took office, there were an estimated 131,000 homeless individuals residing in California. Since then, that number has reportedly reached a projected 172,000.
The city attorney did not respond to KTVU’s request for comment.
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