Daniel Lurie’s long-anticipated entry into the San Francisco mayor’s race took another step forward Thursday as RSVPs were sent out for a special announcement at the end of this month.
The founder of the anti-poverty nonprofit Tipping Point, who is also an heir to the Levi Strauss fortune, has been holding private gatherings since the spring. Multiple sources told The Standard that these events were designed to rally support for a challenge to Mayor London Breed in the November 2024 election.
An email sent Thursday to close friends, family and supporters—telling them to save the date for a special announcement on Sept. 26—is the most explicit indication yet that Lurie will run for mayor.
“As we move forward, I’m excited to share a new journey I’m embracing that aligns with our shared passion and commitment to San Francisco,” Lurie wrote. “While I can’t reveal all the details just yet, I would be grateful if you, your family and friends can join me at this special announcement.”
Lurie, 46, comes from a prominent San Francisco family that has ties to some of the city’s most powerful figures. His father, Rabbi Brian Lurie, was the executive director of the Jewish Community Federation, and his mother, Mimi Haas, inherited much of the Levi’s fortune after marrying the late philanthropist Peter Haas—the great-grandnephew of Levi Strauss—following her divorce from Brian Lurie.
Polling suggests Breed could be vulnerable to a challenge in next year’s election, as more than three-quarters of residents feel San Francisco is going down the wrong track. Supervisor Ahsha Safaí has already filed papers to run and reported raising $149,000 in two months.
Assuming he doesn’t get cold feet between now and the end of this month, Daniel Lurie’s campaign is expected to emphasize his nonprofit work as evidence that he can tackle some of the city’s most pressing problems, particularly when dealing with poverty and homelessness.
During an event last week at the Clarendon Heights home of art dealer Jessica Silverman and writer Sarah Thornton, Lurie cited his work with Tipping Point and the Robin Hood Foundation in New York, along with his experience as chair of the Super Bowl L host committee, as examples of why he can “get shit done.”
He and his wife, Becca Prowda, who serves as the director of protocol in the office of Gov. Gavin Newsom, have two young children and live in Potrero Hill. Lurie graduated from University High School in San Francisco before attending Duke University as an undergrad and receiving a master’s degree in public policy from the University of California Berkeley.
His most notable work in San Francisco has been done through Tipping Point, the nonprofit he founded and stepped away from as CEO in 2019. Tipping Point receives private donations and has contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to combat homelessness and build housing.
“I believe that a positive future for San Francisco is within reach,” Lurie wrote to supporters Thursday. “I’m enthusiastic about the mission ahead, and I hope you’ll consider being an early part of what we’re building.”