Lose the moderates, lose your job: Why London Breed is no longer SF's mayor
Joe Rodriguez at the inestimable SF Standard says that London Breed got booted from the SF Mayor job because she didn't—or wouldn't—hold together the city's "moderate coalition."
Entities who backed Breed in her inaugural mayoral run, in 2018, either changed allegiances or were conspicuously absent this election: key unions like SF Fire Fighters Local 798, the building trades, and the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association; campaign experts; influential Chinese community groups; wealthy and grassroots donors; and major endorsers.
This is the backbone of the moderate coalition, a loose collection of power players in public safety, housing construction, and transportation improvement. Throughout this election season, insiders talked of a moderate Democrat “divorce” as they split allegiance among Breed, Farrell, and Lurie.
The mayor is the de facto leader of this coalition, and much of its cohesion — the glue — is found in the relationships cultivated by leadership. The coalition’s fracture may spell trouble for Lurie, too, as these allies have the ability to help San Francisco defend itself against dual threats: President-elect Donald Trump and the city’s anticipated $800 million budget deficit.
Insiders told The Standard that Breed had accepted their donations years ago, then froze them out and opened up lines of communication again this year only to solicit donations for her reelection. By contrast, some local politicians host policy summits for financial backers to weigh in on key issues, from fentanyl to downtown’s economic recovery — so the donor “feels like they aren’t just a blank checkbook,” one insider said.
“That’s fucking smart politics,” the source added. “They become your army. She didn’t have an army.”
Maintaining relationships can be far simpler. Mayors will have lunch with key supporters or text them on special occasions. When advised to do more “little things” to keep allies happy, Breed would often say she was too busy.
Political consultant Dave Ho, who said he enjoys a positive relationship with Breed, recalled the late Mayor Ed Lee frequently touching base with members of his coalition.
“If you do something for the mayor, anything for the city as a civic responsibility, Ed Lee would have breakfast, lunch, and dinner with you, and you’d never get a call from London Breed,” Ho said. “It’s a governing style, right?”
Daniel Lurie, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and two other men in suits share a lighthearted moment on stage for Super Bowl 50 preparations.
The stories from insiders are numerous.
One longtime union ally who was instrumental in Breed’s 2018 election told The Standard he was stunned to rarely hear from her after she won office.
Breed failed to nurture the relationships necessary to keep the moderate coalition stitched together. And, she said, as groups like TogetherSF, Neighbors, GrowSF, and YIMBY Action diverged in their views and approaches to San Francisco’s myriad challenges, their leaders took harder stances that drove wedges between them.
“It’s going to take people time to process that and get over that,” Natoli said.
Time is not on their side. The budget crisis is looming, and Trump poses an existential challenge to San Francisco’s values.
Read the whole thing here.
Follow Opportunity Now on Twitter @svopportunity
Go Deeper:
Opp Now enthusiastically welcomes smart, thoughtful, fair-minded, well-written comments from our readers. But be advised: we have zero interest in posting rants, ad hominems, poorly-argued screeds, transparently partisan yack, or the hateful name-calling often seen on other local websites. So if you've got a great idea that will add to the conversation, please send it in. If you're trolling or shilling for a candidate or initiative, forget it.