Live Coverage: San Francisco Mayor Lurie Takes Office, Pledges Unity Amid Challenges

Updated 1:12 p.m. Wednesday

San Francisco Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie’s inauguration on Wednesday marks the start of the nonprofit founder and Levi Strauss heir’s leadership of the city.

Lurie unseated former Mayor London Breed in November. Campaign contributions soared past $62 million, topped by Lurie, who raised roughly $16 million — about half of which was self-funded — making his run the most expensive in the city’s history.

His campaign against so-called City Hall “insiders” caught on with voters from different neighborhoods looking for cleaner streets, more affordable housing and more effective government, particularly in the wake of the pandemic.

Now, he faces the realities of governing a major city and keeping ambitious promises — like speeding up permanent housing and temporary shelter production — while confronting a $900 million deficit.

Faith leaders bless new mayor

On the eve of his inauguration, leaders across San Francisco’s religious communities gave a blessing for the city and welcomed the new mayor at Congregation Emanu-El, including an emotional blessing from Lurie’s father, Rabbi Brian Lurie.

Lurie steered clear of any detailed policy plans when speaking to the congregation on Tuesday night, instead focusing on the tough realities ahead and the urgency of cooperation.

“We must transform a political discourse that has us vilifying each other on every issue,” Lurie said. “This is a scary time for many … but we must not let fear drown out hope and courage.”

Connecting over breakfast

Lurie began Inauguration Day serving breakfast at St. Anthony Foundation in the Tenderloin, where Sedrick Vanisi learned he shares a birthday with the new mayor.

“I feel kind of familiar with him now,” Vanisi told KQED. “I never dreamed of shaking his hand and having a meal at St. Anthony’s, one of my favorite places to come and have breakfast.”

Vanisi said he was optimistic about Lurie’s plan to crack down on fentanyl and homelessness in the neighborhood so long as he holds to his promise to support people struggling on the streets.

“The clear intent in the process is to make them better,” he said. “It’s not like sweeping off to throw them away or something, but it is a process of removing them in the process to get housing and that’s very good.”

After breakfast, Lurie walked through the Tenderloin with San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott.

“People in the Tenderloin are frustrated,” Lurie told KQED. “People in Bernal Heights are frustrated, so I’m going to commit myself every single day to be tireless in getting people the help that they need, whether it’s into a mental health bed or a drug treatment bed or into a shelter bed.”

It wasn’t Lurie’s first time walking through the Tenderloin, according to Kate Robinson, director of the Tenderloin Community Benefit District. She said he joined her team on multiple morning shifts to ensure kids got to school safely.

“Incoming Mayor Lurie was the very first to request to come back and then come back again,” Robinson said. “That set him apart just for me, personally, seeing the level of care and seeing how genuinely interested he was in talking to the residents, talking to our safety stewards.

“I’m optimistic.”

Scott said the new administration has a lot of ideas and energy, but San Francisco residents will expect the city to move forward.

“When all the ceremony and all that goes away, we still have a job to do, so it’s really important that we stay focused on getting that job done, and that’s where my focus is,” Scott said. “Of course, I’m gonna do the things that the mayor has asked for us to do and do that to the best of my ability.”

Darrell Luckett, who’s lived in the Tenderloin for 40 years, stopped Lurie and urged him to follow through on his promises to clean up encampments and drug use.

“He said he’s gonna do it. All we can do is kick back, and you see what he do,” Luckett said after shaking hands with the mayor.

“A lot of people always say they’re gonna do this stuff,” Deonte Dial added.

Plans shared on a cable car

After the walk, Lurie and his family took a ride on a cable car, which he’s assured San Franciscans would be safe from budget cuts despite the Muni’s dire financial situation.

Riding down Powell Street to Ghirardelli Square in search of hot chocolate, Lurie rang the iconic cable car bell and fielded questions about his plans to thwart the fentanyl crisis and restructure City Hall.

“We’ve made some progress through the [Drug Market Agency Coordination Center], and I commend SFPD and all the agencies that have started to work together and build on that,” he said. “With the four new [policy chiefs], they’re going to help better coordinate all of these departments.”

‘A new day in San Francisco’

Hundreds attended Lurie’s inauguration ceremony at Civic Center. The event kicked off with a DJ set, a performance by the San Francisco Symphony and remarks by Nadine Burke Harris, California’s first surgeon general who served from 2019–22.

“It’s a new day in San Francisco,” Burke said.

In addition to the members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, other guests included Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis; California’s first partner, Jennifer Sibel Newsom; Steve Kerr, the coach of the Golden State Warriors; state Sen. Scott Wiener; and California Senate Leader Mike McGuire.

Hundreds of spectators lined the edges of the barricaded ceremony to catch a glimpse of their new mayor.

Mission resident Marlon Bishop, who works at a homeless shelter, said he stopped to hear what Lurie had to say. He wished him success.

“Well, homelessness is one of my concerns that’s near and dear to my heart because, at one time, I struggled with homelessness in San Francisco, and the support and the help that I received from the community was what allowed me to stand up and rebuild my life,” Bishop said. “I’m just hoping that he is able to translate his ideas into a working plan that assists the unhoused population.”

With his two children and wife at his side, Lurie took the stage just before noon to take the oath of office.

“You voted for accountability and change, a clear mandate that my administration will work to fulfill every single day,” Lurie said at the beginning of his address. “Lasting change doesn’t happen overnight — it takes time,” Lurie said. “But if we are consistent, if we have vision, if we aren’t afraid to make tough decisions, San Francisco will rise to new heights.”

Lurie made several announcements during the speech, including that he does not plan to cut police funding despite the city’s major budget deficit. He said he’d utilize emergency powers to quickly stand up emergency shelters in the city, using a combination of public and private funding. The Board of Supervisors must next approve his emergency order requests.

“This will allow us to further surge resources and bypass the bureaucratic hurdles standing in the way of tackling this crisis,” Lurie said. “This authorization will fast-track a public-private partnership to stand up temporary emergency shelter and address the homelessness crisis on our streets.”

Lurie seemed to hint at rising concerns facing immigrants, LGBTQ residents and other San Franciscans fearing threats from the incoming Trump administration.

“I also know that many feel a great sense of fear and loss about the state of our country right now. I share those concerns,” Lurie said. “San Francisco must be a city where every individual feels safe, valued and empowered. That means standing firm against discrimination and fighting for the dignity of all communities, no matter what comes our way.”

Lurie left the stage for a surprise performance by Oaklnd-born songwriter Micahel Franti singing “The Sound of Sunshine.”

“It’s time to move past the politics of demonizing each other on every single issue,” Lurie said before heading into City Hall for an open house reception. “It’s time to redefine how politics work in San Francisco.”