The September 19, 2024, issue of the San Francisco Bay Times looks at this year’s San Francisco mayoral race with an LGBTQ+ lens. Doing so would have been unthinkable at the time of the city’s first mayor, John White Geary, who was in office from May 1850 to May 1851. The initialism LGBT was not even in use until around 1988. Geary and other early politicians, however, made a lasting mark on San Francisco. In addition to Geary, members of the first city council included those with the surnames Green, Harrison, Townsend, Davis, and Brannan—all key streets in the city to this day.
The first San Francisco mayors were in office for a year or less. That began to change in 1856, with Ephriam Willard Burr, who served from November 1856 to October 1859. Mayor Breed, in contrast, became acting mayor in December 2017, and assumed her present position as the 45th Mayor of San Francisco on July 11, 2018. She is far from being the longest serving mayor, though. That distinction goes to James Rolph, who served for over 18 years before being elected as the 27th governor of California (1931 until his death during the height of the Great Depression on June 2, 1934).
Polls about the current race have been all over the charts. A month ago, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that Mayor Breed was surging ahead while one of her opponents, President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors Aaron Peskin, was struggling to gain support. Peskin signs on homes now blanket the Castro, showing his strong base in the district. Last week, a KRON4 poll found that former mayor and supervisor Mark Farrell had edged ahead of Breed. Days later, attorneys for three opposing mayoral campaigns hold that Farrell’s ads violate campaign law.
All of the candidates are emphasizing their views on crime and safety, homelessness, the impacts of drug addiction on the city, and other issues that affect nearly every resident, not to mention those who work in San Francisco or who visit the city. The LGBTQ+ community has particular concerns, however, such as supportive housing for queer youth, and on the other side of the age spectrum, serving LGBTQ+ seniors in culturally sensitive ways with dignity and compassion. The mayor must also make critical decisions about funding, helping to make or break LGBTQ+ focused programs and more.
Which mayor then, out of this race’s candidates, would be the best for San Francisco’s LGBTQ+ community, a community that often has global influence and impact? Consider that as you read the statements provided by Mayor Breed, Supervisor Peskin, Daniel Lurie (the founder and former CEO of Tipping Point Community), and small business owner Keith Freedman.
There are a total of 13 candidates, with the top five being Mayor Breed, Supervisor Peskin, Supervisor Ahsha Safaí, Lurie, and Farrell. Supervisor Safaí’s team and campaign did not respond to San Francisco Bay Times queries. Farrell’s campaign said that he could not respond in time for this issue due to capacity. To see the list of all mayoral candidates and the information they provided when filing their declaration for candidacy, go to: https://bit.ly/4d979qv
Election 2024
Published on September 19, 2024
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