Eight candidates are running in the general election for mayor of San Francisco, California, on Nov. 5. Four candidates lead in polling and media attention: Incumbent Mayor London Breed, Mark Farrell, Daniel Lurie, and Aaron Peskin. Though San Francisco holds nonpartisan elections, all four of the leading candidates are registered Democrats
ABC7 News conducted interviews with the four leading candidates. According to ABC7 News Monica Madden, “All four candidates – Mayor London Breed, Aaron Peskin, Mark Farrell and Daniel Lurie – were in agreement about the severity of the homelessness problem in San Francisco, but they all differed in approaches to solutions.” Breed says homelessness in San Francisco reached a ten-year low during her mayorship and says the city has the authority to enforce laws that restrict lying and camping in public spaces after the Supreme Court’s decision in City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson. Farrell says he will prioritize sustainable growth and marketing the city to businesses and tourists. Lurie says his experience working for Tipping Point, a nonprofit focused on antipoverty efforts, makes him the most qualified to lead efforts to increase housing. Peskin says he will reform system management practices so various city departments work together to address homelessness, work with neighboring cities to restore underutilized state facilities for mental health treatment centers, and expand conservatorship laws.
San Francisco uses ranked-choice voting, which asks voters to rank candidates by preference on their ballots. The candidate who wins a majority of first-preference votes is declared the winner. If no candidate wins a majority of first-preference votes, the candidate with the fewest first-preference votes is eliminated. Ballots that ranked a failed candidate as their first, or highest choice, depending on the round, are then reevaluated and counted as first-preference ballots for the next-highest-ranked candidate in that round. A new tally is conducted to determine whether any candidate has won a majority of ballots. The process is repeated until a candidate wins an outright majority.
Breed has served as the mayor of San Francisco since 2020. Breed received a bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Davis and a master’s degree from the University of San Francisco. Before serving in public office, Breed worked as the executive director of the African American Art and Culture Complex. Breed served as the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency Commissioner and as a member and president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Breed said housing affordability is her top priority. Breed said, “Our work is removing roadblocks and making it easier to build housing that’s affordable, so that everyone who wants to call San Francisco home can live here.” Breed also listed public safety, reducing drug abuse, improving street conditions, reducing homelessness, and improving public transportation as her priorities.
Farrell served as the interim mayor of San Francisco in 2018. Farrell received a bachelor’s degree from Loyola Marymount University, a master’s degree from University College Dublin, and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. Before serving in public office, Farrell worked as a corporate and securities attorney. Farrell served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from 2011-2018. Farrell said, “As mayor, I’ll fully fund public safety, make a change of leadership at the top of our police department, clear all our tent encampments, create a centralized intake center, and connect people to shelter and services.”
Lurie worked as an associate at Robin Hood, chair of the San Francisco Bay Area Super Bowl 50 Host Committee, and founded and worked as the CEO of Tipping Point Community. On his campaign website, Lurie lists public safety, improving mental health and drug abuse, reducing corruption, and providing more affordable housing as his priorities.“With accountability and rooting out corruption, we can tackle our housing and drug crisis, clear the tent encampments, and bring our businesses back.”
Peskin is a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Peskin received a bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Santa Cruz. He founded the nonprofit Great Basin Land and Water, worked for the land conservation group Trust for Public Land, served as chair of the San Francisco Democratic Party, and was president of the historic preservation and affordable housing group Telegraph Hill Dwellers. On his campaign website, Peskin says he will reduce homelessness by building and supporting more affordable housing developments, force departments to improve their coordination, and identify and restore unused state facilities to use for mental health and drug abuse treatment locations.
San Francisco has term limits in which the incumbent mayor can run in two consecutive four-year terms, and may run again after a four year break following their second consecutive term.
Henry Flynn, Keith Freedman, Dylan Hirsch-Shell, Nelson Mei, and Paul Ybarra Robertson are also running in the election.