Things got heated in San Francisco‘s mayoral debate Thursday night when Mayor London Breed touted that crime was down, and her political opponents responded by demanding she owe “an apology” to residents for letting crime get out of hand and “gaslighting” them into thinking the city was safer.
Public safety and crime are two of the top concerns among likely voters.
Breed, who is running in a tough reelection race, has been slammed by her opponents for not doing enough to address crime, drug abuse, and homelessness, which have been the catalyst for businesses fleeing the downtown San Francisco area. The Democratic mayor, who has slipped in the polls in recent weeks, fought back against stinging attacks from her top four challengers in the crowded race of 13.
She faced off in the televised debate against Mark Farrell, the former interim mayor; Daniel Lurie, nonprofit group founder and heir to Levi Strauss fortune; Aaron Peskin, Board of Supervisors president; and Supervisor Ahsha Safai.
Farrell blamed Breed for the recent shooting of San Francisco 49ers rookie Ricky Pearsall in Union Square. The moderator asked Farrell if it was fair to put all the fault on Breed since homicides and other crimes took place during his time as acting mayor in 2018. Farrell laughed off the question.
“Mayor Breed owes the city of San Francisco an apology,” he said, also blaming her for allowing police staffing to shrink.
After Breed once again brought up the city’s crime drop, Safai jumped in.
“To consistently tell people crime is down is gaslighting,” he said.
Safai referenced businesses in his district that had been broken into repeatedly in recent weeks. He also said Breed’s touting a dip in crime rates was offensive after widely reported incidents like the Pearsall shooting and the death of a Westin St. Francis hotel worker who was pushed in front of a BART train station earlier this year.
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“Crime is happening at a brazen level,” Safai said. “Crime statistically might be down … but people don’t feel it because they’re seeing it on a daily basis.”
Breed was also in the hot seat for claims of mismanagement and other problems involving her signature Dream Keeper Initiative, a $44 million program to help the black community.
Stories by the San Francisco Standard and the San Francisco Chronicle raised serious questions about program spending and management. The stories published last week led to the program’s leader, Sheryl Davis, a city department head, resigning under pressure. Breed said this week she was “appalled” by how the initiative was being run. She also said the city’s top auditor is reviewing and controlling the finances of the department in charge of running the program.
Farrell also took heat for claims that he steered money to a favored nonprofit group from companies looking to influence him during his time as mayor and supervisor.
Breed also accused him of inappropriately asking her office to fast-track building permits for his home remodel. He has pushed back on the claims, which were first reported in the San Francisco Chronicle.
Lurie was slammed by Peskin and Breed for being a political newbie. He was also criticized by Breed for his nonprofit group, Tipping Point Community, giving money to the Coalition on Homelessness during the pandemic. The Coalition on Homelessness has gone after the city over homeless encampment sweeps.
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Lurie, who has had major donors flood his campaign coffers, said his opponents were scared that he wasn’t part of the city’s political elite.
“They are so scared of somebody coming from outside this broken system that has failed to deliver. … At every single level, they have failed,” Lurie said. “And now they’re trying to attack me. I can take it, but can you take four more years of it?”