San Francisco’s first Black female mayor, London Breed, conceded the race for mayor to Levi Strauss heir Daniel Lurie on Thursday, pledging a smooth transition as he takes over the job. The source has not yet declared a winner because tens of thousands of ballots have not yet been counted and added to the ranked choice voting calculations.
Breed, who was raised by her grandmother in public housing, could not overcome deep voter discontent and was trailing Lurie, a philanthropist and anti-poverty nonprofit founder. Despite her efforts, Breed acknowledged the importance of the city's progress over individual ambitions, stating, '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.' She also reached out to Lurie to congratulate him, emphasizing their shared commitment to improving the city they both love.
During Breed's tenure, San Francisco saw improvements in cleanliness on the streets and a reduction in visible homeless tents. However, her administration faced criticism from Democratic challengers for being slow to address issues such as homeless tent encampments, open-air drug use, and retail theft that plagued the city over the past six years. Breed's opponents, including two San Francisco supervisors and a former interim mayor, highlighted these shortcomings on the campaign trail.
Despite the competition, voters favored Lurie, a 47-year-old city native from a prominent family background. Lurie, known for his philanthropic work and as the founder of Tipping Point Community, which has invested over $400 million since 2005 in programs supporting housing, education, and early childhood development, promised to bring accountability and a focus on public service back to City Hall.
