It was all fire and flames Thursday as the five mayoral candidates jabbed and jeered one another in their scramble to take hold of the Holy Grail of San Francisco political endorsements: Local 798, the firefighters union.
Six years ago, the group gave its nod to Mayor London Breed. But a lot has happened since then, and pretty much everyone agrees that this year, the endorsement is up for grabs.
Why is the firefighters’ endorsement so coveted? Journalist Phil Matier, the moderator of Thursday’s debate, summed it up like this: What do cops and firefighters have in common? They all want to be firefighters.
The endorsement by the union could come with considerable financial support — along with a small army of smiling firefighters armed with campaign literature.
During Breed’s first bid for mayor in 2018, Local 798 directed $1 million to her campaign through an independent expenditure committee. The union also enlisted members to drop door-hangers in the city. Union President Floyd Rollins said a ground game and an independent expenditure committee are being considered for this year.
The candidates standing before Local 798’s members on Thursday were so eager to woo the hottest endorsement in town that we shouldn’t be surprised if one dresses as a firefighter this Halloween.
The union members had a swirl of pressing questions for the contenders. How would they handle homeless encampments, since firefighters usually respond to them during emergency calls? What about the pension reform effort that will likely appear on the ballot this November? Will the firefighters who refused to take the Covid vaccine be rehired to the force?
That’s where Breed and former Supervisor Mark Farrell went on the attack against each other. The most tense moment came when candidates were asked who their second pick would be under ranked-choice voting.
“Mine won’t be Farrell,” said Breed, adding that she’s undecided. (Farrell chose Supervisor Ahsha Safaí; Safai chose Farrell and Board President Aaron Peskin; Peskin chose Safaí and Breed; and Daniel Lurie said he didn’t have a pick yet.)
Breed was on the defensive for much of the debate. She defended her record on homelessness and told the crowd that the city would soon take a “very aggressive” stance toward encampments after the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling that allows for stricter policies.
But she chose not to take a position on the likely ballot measure item that will lower the retirement age for firefighters, a stance that produced grumbles from the crowd. And on the vaccine refusers, Breed said it was up to Chief Jeanine Nicholson whether the employees should be rehired. (“That’s not a good answer,” one firefighter murmured in response.)
And that’s where Farrell swooped in. Having taken the most conservative stance among the five candidates — he has called for armed National Guard troops in the Tenderloin — Farrell pumped up the crowd by asking why Breed hasn’t acted faster to clear encampments since the Supreme Court’s June ruling paved the way for stricter anti-camping rules.
Farrell also offered a full-throated endorsement of the pension ballot initiative, which would lower the retirement age from 58 to 55, and said he would bring all vaccine refusers back to the department. Critics of the ballot initiative say the pension item is fiscally irresponsible.
Farrell’s answers were enough to garner roaring applause from many attendees of Thursday’s debate.
“I’m sick and tired of excuses,” said Farrell after Breed’s answer on the vaccine refusers. “We just need results. One hundred percent will reinstate them right away.”
Will that pledge be enough to earn Farrell an endorsement from Local 798? About half a dozen firefighters on Thursday told The Standard he was their man. Adam Wood, the union’s secretary, thought so too.
“I’m anticipating that Mark Farrell will have a substantial amount of support from these members,” he said. “He’s done a lot of outreach.”
But Clem Howard, a Local 798 employee currently on medical leave, pointed out that it was convenient for the candidates to attack Breed’s record.
“I think [Breed] deserves consideration,” she said. “It’s one thing to be the executive of the city. It’s another thing to be a candidate.”
The other three candidates at the debate — Peskin, Safaí and Lurie — didn’t produce quite as many sparks as Farrell and the incumbent. But one notable moment came when Peskin, in his opening statement, addressed a controversy from 2018, when he berated fire officials during a blaze in North Beach.
“I have taken accountability and responsibility and have worked to make myself, with many of your help, a better person every day,” he told the crowd.
Local 798 members will vote on the endorsement for three days starting Thursday. The decision is expected to be announced at the union’s Aug. 8 meeting.
Correction: A previous version of this story misstated Clem Howard’s title.