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Politics & Policy

Breed concedes mayor’s race as frustrated voters seek change

A woman in a blue outfit stands at a podium with multiple microphones. She appears to be speaking or addressing an audience in a formal setting.
Mayor London Breed has conceded the mayoral race to Daniel Lurie. | Source: Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/The Standard

Mayor London Breed is done. 

Daniel Lurie, nonprofit founder and heir to the Levi Strauss fortune, has won the San Francisco mayor’s race, unseating the six-year incumbent. Thursday’s results showed little hope for Breed’s reelection, despite thousands of ballots remaining to be counted.

“At the end of the day, this job is bigger than any one person and what matters is that we keep moving this City forward,” Breed said in a statement. “Today, I called Daniel Lurie and congratulated him on his victory in this election.”

“Over the coming weeks, my staff and I will work to ensure a smooth transition as he takes on the honor of serving as Mayor of San Francisco,” Breed continued. “I know we are both committed to improving this City we love.”

A woman in a blue outfit speaks at a podium with multiple microphones. Behind her are U.S., California, and city flags.
Breed has offered her full support to Lurie for a smooth transition. | Source: Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/The Standard

A large group of reporters gathered in Room 200 at City Hall, the Mayor’s Office, as Breed gave her concession speech.

“Of course it’s disappointing, but nevertheless, the decision has been made,” she said. “What I have always respected is the decision of the voters.”

She maintained a positive tone with a big smile and declined to comment further on Lurie’s wealth and lack of experience.

“The campaign has to be behind us, and we need to move forward as a city,” Breed said. “Ultimately, no matter who the mayor is in San Francisco, we all have to come together and make sure they are successful.”

San Francisco’s first Black woman mayor is famous for her inspiring rise to leadership: Breed’s family was touched by drug addiction, crime, and death. Even in the face of violence, Breed’s grandmother — a stern disciplinarian known to give Breed a “whoopin” — raised her with an ethos of deep personal fortitude. Those life lessons propelled Breed to the University of California Davis, then as head of the African American Art & Culture Complex, to the fire commission, Board of Supervisors, and ultimately the mayorship.

This is Breed’s first electoral loss since her first race for San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 2012. Her political rise and fall are intertwined in city history. 

Breed, who was then president of the Board of Supervisors, briefly assumed the city’s highest office after the sudden death of Mayor Ed Lee in December 2017. She was later ousted from the mayorship by her board colleagues in a “Game of Thrones”-like political maneuver that earned national headlines. In a few short months, she won office on the strength of her personal story. 

Breed easily won reelection for a full term in 2019, and her name would splash across national headlines again in early 2020, when she became one of the earliest mayors to call for residents to stay indoors amid the pandemic. Democrats celebrated her quick action, which was replicated across the nation.

But voters are fickle. One year they hailed Breed for her life-saving lockdown. Yet when they finally flung open their apartment doors, they were aghast at what they saw: boarded-up storefronts, auto burglaries, encampments, and an exploding opioid crisis. 

San Franciscans turned against Breed. Those political headwinds proved insurmountable. 

Voters dismayed by homelessness, rampant property crime, and seeming dysfunction at City Hall have taken their frustrations out on incumbents, recalling District Attorney Chesa Boudin and giving Breed low marks on her performance as mayor. 

The state of the city was fertile ground for challengers. Her chief opponent found a considerable amount of change in the pockets of his family-made jeans. 

“I’m deeply grateful to my incredible family, campaign team and every San Franciscan who voted for accountability, service, and change,” Lurie said in a statement.

Lurie unloaded more than $8 million of his personal wealth to unseat Breed. Lurie’s winning message — that City Hall insiders fueled the crises of the day — also resonated with voters. The lingering sour mood was captured in poll after poll. 

A man and woman in a suit hold hands while walking into a building.
Daniel Lurie and his wife Becca Prowda arrive at City Hall to cast their ballot on Tuesday. | Source: Manuel Orbegozo for The Standard

That’s partly because the electorate’s top issues remained ones they could see with their eyes. Breed’s optimistic message became a hard sell. 

The city is on the rise, she said. Our collective future is bright, she said. 

Voters didn’t believe her.

The constant drum of scandals also took their toll on the mayor. Her signature program, the Dream Keeper Initiative, saw its executive director Sheryl Davis resign after The Standard revealed she had signed off on $1.5 million in contracts to her romantic partner, and The Chronicle revealed that Davis had also mishandled other contract funds. 

It’s easy to say Breed’s implosion was self-inflicted. But it would be remiss to forget that voters across the country broadly sounded the need for change. 

One insider put it like this to The Standard: The national mood is “throw the bums out.” 

Elections near and far reflected this, from the apparent recalls of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price to Vice President Kamala Harris’ sweeping electoral drubbing. 

While Breed no doubt suffered from those same ineffable but undeniable vibes, San Francisco’s future will continue to be shaped by her decisions in office.

The room features wood-paneled walls, a desk with computers, a large portrait, an American flag, and glass doors leading to a balcony with city views.
During her campaign, Breed said San Francisco was on the rise. Voters didn't believe her. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard

Breed’s signature ballot measure in this year’s primary, Proposition E, empowers police to engage in vehicle pursuits, surveil crime through public cameras, and weaken the citizen-led police commission to empower a law-and-order ethos. Her signature ballot measure this November, Proposition M, is on track to succeed. After its passage, the city will reform how it taxes businesses, which officials hope will prompt the phoenix-like rebirth of downtown.

The mayor also gave the police raises this year, which may help with recruitment but also saddles San Francisco with an ever-ballooning budget. Many of the toughest decisions on how to cut services across city departments — from police to sanitation, pruning parks, and keeping the lights on — were pushed to next year. 

This ensures the city’s next mayor will inherit an $800 million budget deficit. Layoffs and service reductions loom amid a brawl over federal dollars with President-elect Donald Trump. 

The alchemic mix of those decisions — sweeping tax reforms, police empowerment, budget deficits, and all — will be part of Breed’s legacy.

Three people walk through a wood-paneled office with a desk and chairs, adorned with framed portraits on the walls and a red carpet on the floor.
Breed returns to her office after giving a concession speech in Room 200. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard

During her 10-minute media briefing Thursday, Breed avoided questions about her future plans, saying her current focus is on the transition. Asked about her advice to the incoming mayor, she said, “Put San Franciscans first and do everything you can to make sure that you’re addressing a lot of the complex problems.”

She emphasized she’s feeling very hopeful and optimistic about the city “because I laid the groundwork for this work to continue.”

For now, she’ll experience the results of her tenure like any other San Franciscan: as a taxpayer and resident, waiting in the dark to see what comes next. 

Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez can be reached at joefitz@sfstandard.com
Han Li can be reached at han@sfstandard.com