The City by the Bay will soon have a new leader, as Democrat Daniel Lurie was elected the next mayor of San Francisco on Nov. 7. A political newcomer, Lurie beat a fellow Democrat, incumbent Mayor London Breed, to earn the city's top job.
While Breed, the first Black woman mayor of San Francisco, was seen as among the most progressive leaders in the city's history, Lurie took a more centrist approach throughout his campaign. His win "marks the latest in a push" across California toward "more moderate candidates and tough-on-crime policies," said USA Today. Lurie takes office on Jan. 6.
Who is Lurie? Lurie was born in San Francisco in 1977. Through his mother, Mimi Haas, and stepfather, Peter Haas, Lurie is an heir to one of the most recognizable clothing brands in American history: Levi Strauss & Co. Both the "Levi's name and Haas family philanthropic foundations are deeply embedded in San Francisco's history and identity," said CBS News.
What will he do as mayor? Though he's new to politics, Lurie "delivered a clear message" that would "broadly resonate with dissatisfied residents craving change and eventually help win him the election," said the San Francisco Chronicle. Under Breed's tenure, problems continued to plague San Francisco, with "open-air drug dealing, brazen retail thefts and empty downtown offices tarnishing the city’s reputation."
Lurie's mandate is to "show how government must deliver on its promises: clean and safe streets for all, tackling our drug and behavioral health crisis, shaking up the corrupt and ineffective bureaucracy," the mayor-elect said in his victory speech. One of Lurie's main plans is to "declare a state of emergency on fentanyl on his first day in office," said The New York Times. He also pledged to build more affordable housing and revitalize the city's businesses.
Lurie will be the city's first mayor in more than 100 years to not have prior government experience. However, his "decades-long ties to the city's political, philanthropic and social elite through his anti-poverty nonprofit, Tipping Point, don't exactly make him an outsider either," said The San Francisco Standard. |