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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When wokeness became the only acceptable ideology, the NFL fell in line, but that doesn’t mean all the players did.
On Sunday night, following a victory over the Dallas Cowboys, 49ers defensive lineman Nick Bosa flashed his MAGA hat during the postgame set.
According to Jason Whitlock, Bosa’s stunt was courageous — especially when you consider that he plays for the team that represents the most liberal city in the country.
When a reporter asked Bosa about his hat, his courage only continued.
“It would appear to be a political statement,” a reporter said curtly.
“I’m not gonna talk too much about it, but I think it’s an important time” is all the linebacker had to say back.
“That’s all that needed to be said because the hat says it all,” says Jason, who agrees with Bosa that we’re living in an incredibly important time.
“It's a time where men need to come out of the closet and stand 10 toes down on what they believe and what they stand for, and that's what I think we're seeing in the sports world,” he continues, pointing to Texas Tech kicker Reese Burkhardt pulling up his jersey to reveal a homemade pro-Trump T-shirt after scoring a touchdown.
Jason also points to “Harrison Butker, the Chiefs kicker out campaigning for Josh Hawley and expressing his Catholic faith.”
“Men are coming back and standing on what they believe,” he says.
To find out whom Jason says we should “thank for Nick Bosa’s courage,” watch the clip above.
To enjoy more fearless conversations at the crossroads of culture, faith, sports, and comedy with Jason Whitlock, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.
Colin Kaepernick is a father and a published author, but recent comments suggest that his new phase in life hasn’t stopped him from longing for the good old days back on the NFL’s “plantation.”
The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback turned racial justice activist appeared recently on “CBS Mornings” with his partner, Nessa Diab, to promote their new children’s book, “We Are Free, You and Me.” The couple wrote the book to bring the work they do in their Know Your Rights camp to a younger audience. The book says kids have the right to be free, be healthy, be brilliant, be safe, be loved, be courageous, be alive, be trusted, be educated, and know their rights. The hosts seemed genuinely excited about the project, but the book probably won’t be read as widely as Dr. Seuss or Aesop’s Fables in 30 years.
People should be able to go to a game without overpaid and underinformed athletes lecturing them on whatever topic is trending on X.
Ironically, the most interesting part of the interview had nothing to do with the couple or their new project. At one point, Gayle King noted that Kaepernick is still training every morning, hoping to play pro football again.
It’s normal for an unsigned player to stay in shape in case he gets a call from a team looking to fill a roster spot due to injury. What doesn’t happen every day is watching a former player who compared playing football to slavery beg to be put back on his old “plantation.”
For those who don’t remember, Colin Kaepernickcompared the NFL Scouting Combine to a slave auction, with black players playing the role of slaves and white general managers and coaches functioning like slave owners. Kaepernick also wore a shirt that said “Kunta Kinte” — one of the main characters from the miniseries “Roots” — to an NFL workout.
These comparisons trivialize the brutal reality of slavery, but they also showed how far Kaepernick would go to make a political statement and trash his former employer. He seems to believe the NFL only cares about using black men’s bodies for financial gain but won’t let them speak out against social injustice. That is his right. But I don’t understand why an “emancipated” activist who escaped such oppressive conditions would willingly subject himself to life back on the plantation.
Waking up every morning hoping your old “master” — or one of his friends — would put you back out in the field is a strange use of time for a revolutionary and freedom fighter. What kind of man fights to escape the bondage of a multimillion-dollar contract only to volunteer himself for additional years of servitude? I guess the type of man who wears a “Kunta Kinte” T-shirt.
But then again, Kaepernick is also a man who bashes capitalism one minute and signs a multimillion-dollar deal with Nike the next, earning the company billions along the way. Like the co-founders of Black Lives Matter, Kaepernick realizes that free enterprise is so powerful that even Marxists can find a market for their silly ideas and earn quite a living. It’s clear that BLM ultimately stood for “buying large mansions.” Like many champagne socialists and limousine liberals, professional revolutionaries have enough money to shield themselves from the consequences of their bad ideas.
Ultimately, Kaepernick is far less influential today than he was when he first started protesting police brutality during the national anthem in 2016. Many athletes also started to kneel, not out of deep and principled conviction but because they fell victim to peer pressure. Anyone who doubts my claim probably doesn’t remember that by the time the George Floyd protests took off in 2020, it was controversial for an athlete tostand for the national anthem.
The beauty of sports is that they bring together people from all different walks of life to support a common cause. Injecting partisan politics into the heart of professional athletics is bad for society, especially when players are only allowed to express certain beliefs. The reaction to the pro-family comments from Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker earlier this year is a useful reminder that our cultural tastemakers are only interested in outspoken athletes who share their politics.
Ultimately, people should be able to go to a game without overpaid and underinformed athletes lecturing them on whatever topic is trending on X. Colin Kaepernick is obviously free to continue his fight for “liberation,” whether through his books or his camps. I just find it strange that a self-described abolitionist is so eager to become a “slave” again.
A terrifying video shows a crazy incident in which an ATV driver smashes into a pedestrian at a San Francisco gas station as police officers look on. The incident occurred all the way back in February, and a suspect was just arrested, authorities said.
On the night of Feb. 11 — the same day as Super Bowl LVIII between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers — Ariel Cruz went to the convenience store at a Gulf gas station following the game. However, a group of men driving dirt bikes and an ATV confronted Cruz.
'I just remember my head was split open.'
Both the group and Cruz were taunting each other.
KPIX-TV reported that officers with the Stunt Driving Response Unit were called to the gas station to tow a vehicle in connection with a separate case. After cops arrived, they attempted to quell the situation by yelling at both parties, but things only escalated.
The dirt bike riders and the ATV rider began circling the gas pumps, driving recklessly, and struck one of the officers in the face.
The ATV driver ran over Cruz, who was wearing a red 49ers jersey.
"I just remember my head was split open. I had staples in my head. My knee was really inflamed. I couldn't walk on it," Cruz told KTVU-TV. "My lip was busted on the inside and outside. I had like a slash on my lip."
Cruz told the San Francisco Standard that he suffered a concussion and couldn’t walk for more than a month, which left him unable to do his work as a painter.
The suspect ditched the ATV at the crime scene and fled on a dirt bike with a different male driving it.
On Tuesday, the San Francisco Police Department announced that they arrested a suspect believed to be the ATV rider.
The San Francisco Police Department General Work Detail with the assistance of the Community Violence Reduction Team investigated the incident that led to the arrest of 31-year-old Julian Alberto Ulloagomez on Aug. 29.
Ulloagomez was booked at Ingleside Police Station on charges of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer, and filing a false police report.
Jail records show Ullagomez remains in custody without bond. He's scheduled for an Oct. 15 court appearance.
"While these investigations can take time due to varying factors, investigators continue to work tirelessly to investigate and follow up on these incidents," the San Francisco Police Department said in a statement. "SFPD does not tolerate this dangerous behavior and reckless drivers, of any vehicle, will be held accountable."
Cruz said of the arrest, "I was happy about it, because like that day … next day … [it] could have been someone else's son. Very appreciative that they found him."
The incident is still under investigation.
The San Francisco Police Department is urging anyone with information to contact the SFPD at 415-575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the message with SFPD.
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A new religious spirit is at work, permeating all sides of American politics.
Former President Donald Trump and Joe Rogan mocked Gov. Gavin Newsom for sanitizing San Francisco ahead of an official state visit.
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