Latest news with #Breed
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'We weren't anxious or worried anymore on VE Day'
In a red leather photograph album, 90-year-old Sheila Breed points to a little girl at a VE Day street party on 8 May 1945. ''That's me," she said. "We'd not seen food like that for ages." Victory in Europe Day, which marked the end of the Second World War in Europe, is one Sheila will never forget. "Everybody was so happy, they were singing and smiling," she added. "You didn't feel worried or anxious anymore, you'd not got to think of going in the air raid shelter, it was relief that it was not going to happen again." Mrs Breed arrived in Leicestershire as a four-year-old evacuee from Sheffield on 1 September 1939, as the war began. She was taken in by a family in Cossington after a nerve-wracking selection process in a nearby village hall. She said: "I can remember holding my sister's hand very tightly and all these people came in. "We were chosen and I had a wonderful childhood in Cossington and the people were so kind. "We were very fortunate." Mrs Breed was among hundreds of thousands of children taken out of UK cities and into the countryside, away from the risk of German bombs. But even in a rural Leicestershire village, she experienced air raids. Mrs Breed said: "There was a bomb that dropped not far away and blew all the dining room windows out. "At night, when the siren went, we slept underneath the stairs. It was dark and it was scary." Wartime also brought food shortages and rationing. "I couldn't bake or learn to cook because we only got one egg each week and a certain amount of ingredients," she added. "I can't remember ever feeling hungry but I wasn't that thrilled with the food." After the war ended, she remained in Leicestershire with her older sisters, who found love and settled in the county. She now lives in Sileby with her husband of 71 years, Terry, who she met at school. The couple have four children, seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Mr Breed, 92, said: "It was one good thing that came out of the evil of the war – had there not been a war, we would not have known each other and got married." Sheila and Terry met at school after she came to Leicestershire [BBC] Mrs Breed has been invited to light a beacon in Queen's Park, Loughborough, to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day on 8 May. She was chosen for the role in a competition organised by Charnwood Borough Council. She said: "I was honoured and when I light the beacon my thoughts, my prayers and my thanks will go to all those who gave their lives so we could enjoy all these years of peace." The mayor of Charnwood Julie Bradshaw added: "I am looking forward to joining Sheila when the beacon is lit in Queen's Park to mark this anniversary. "Charnwood is proud of its military history and Armed Forces community, and it is set to be a poignant night." The beacon will be one of thousands across the country lit to mark 80 years since the end of the Second World War in Europe. Follow BBC Leicester on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@ or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210. More on this story Related Internet Links
Axios
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Mayor Lurie's first 100 days follow a familiar playbook
Friday marks Mayor Daniel Lurie's 100th day in office. The Levi Strauss heir, who was elected after attacking established politicians as corrupt, vowed to deliver a safer, cleaner San Francisco — but so far, his policy slate hasn't looked too different from his predecessor's. Why it matters: Lurie inherited the mantle after a tumultuous few years when former Mayor London Breed struggled to bring San Francisco out of a pandemic-era slump. What they're saying: It's hard to say whether San Franciscans' increased "appetite for change" is specific to Lurie, but it does work in his favor, according to Sujata Srivastava, chief policy officer at urban policy think tank SPUR. His administration has responded by showing "a willingness to try new things," such as restructuring City Hall, Srivastava told Axios. 43% of residents say the city is "headed in the right direction," compared to 22% last year, per a February poll from the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce. State of play: Lurie said in a speech Thursday that while he's proud of what he's been able to achieve, the work continues. "San Franciscans want to live in a city they feel proud to call home," he said. "And we are going to deliver." Yes, but: While Lurie has made progress on a number of issues, many of his policy actions have been an extension of Breed's. Downtown recovery Lurie benefited from several major events that infused cash into the city shortly after his inauguration, including the NBA All-Star Game. He's built on Breed's successes by moving to create five more entertainment zones and extending a program that makes it easier for entrepreneurs to open small businesses. Where Lurie has stood out is in partnering with state legislators to bring back a last-call extension that would allow patrons to drink until 4am. Public safety Lurie has touted the decline in crime, which is at its lowest in 23 years citywide, but it was already falling before he took office. The same goes for encampments, which Breed cracked down on last summer. The launch of automated speed cameras last month was similarly greenlit at Breed's urging. Yes, but: Lurie launched a " hospitality zone task force" to focus on preventative policing in high-traffic areas and plans to open a behavioral health center in the Tenderloin. His fentanyl emergency order, which some critics called performative, helped expedite funding and staffing for tackling the epidemic. Housing Lurie recently introduced a rezoning plan that would concentrate taller homes in neighborhoods that haven't seen major construction in decades. Other initiatives include overhauling the city's homelessness response, deploying emergency vouchers for interim housing and adding 1,500 shelter beds. Between the lines: Lurie's push to reorganize departments is a start, but policy analysts say San Francisco's government — which Srivastava likened to a maze that gets a new section every time something goes wrong — still needs more reform. "It makes it really hard for people to understand, 'Who's responsible? How do I get these services? Who do I talk to when something goes wrong?'" Srivastava told Axios.
Gulf Today
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Today
San Francisco's mayor is starting to unite fractured city
Democrats nationally may be in turmoil, but liberals in San Francisco are hopeful the new mayor's collaborative approach will help solve entrenched problems in a city recently known for its bitter infighting and chaotic streets. Daniel Lurie, an heir to the the Levi Strauss fortune and anti-poverty nonprofit founder with no elected experience, beat out incumbent London Breed in November after spending nearly $10 million of his own money. Voters embraced his promise to make government work again after years of San Francisco attracting national attention for its empty downtown, open-air drug use and sprawling tent encampments. Earnest and affable, Lurie is often outside City Hall, talking to merchants and residents, both housed and unhoused. He's reached out to supervisors, including those who feuded with Breed, asking questions and inviting input on thorny topics. In an interview marking 100 days in office, Lurie said San Francisco is cleaning up its act with safer streets. He brushed off concerns over the involvement of corporate executives in his administration and declined to talk about Republican President Donald Trump's potential impact on San Francisco. 'I was elected to turn this city around,' Lurie said. 'And I want everybody in San Francisco to know that their mayor is focused on getting results for San Franciscans.' Some elected officials feel hopeful about working together again after years of gridlock. Connie Chan, a progressive supervisor, says she's already had more discussions with Lurie than she ever had with Breed. 'We feel cautiously optimistic despite a lot of attacks that we've seen from the federal government on San Francisco as a city and, of course, California as a state,' Chan said. Frustrations over car break-ins and retail theft have simmered for years, with voters ousting progressive District Attorney Chesa Boudin in June 2022, and approving measures last year to expand police powers. Lurie has inherited a city where reported crime and the number of visible tents are down, thanks in part to inroads made under Breed for more housing. Lurie's policy goals are similar to his predecessor — more police and more shelter and treatment options. But he also has the advantage of being a new face with no stated aspirations for higher office, someone who can recruit business executives and fellow philanthropists for their time and money. His board-approved fentanyl legislation expedites hiring and contracting for new behavioral health initiatives and expanded shelter capacity. He wants to add 1,500 new shelter beds and has streamlined outreach programs. And he's proposed rezoning to build more housing. Lurie has taken to stopping the car to jump out and talk to people who appear to be in distress. He asks if they want help — even though it's not always available. And he wants to drive home the message that San Francisco will no longer let people do what they want in public at the expense of others. 'That behaviour just can't be tolerated any longer because families are scared,' Lurie said. Some leaders on the left have given him the benefit of the doubt, granting him powers they likely would not have given his predecessor. Chan, for instance, endorsed legislation ceding board oversight to Lurie to battle the fentanyl crisis, after seeing how committed he was to listening to and compromising with her office on the proposed legislation. Lurie has announced new rules around distributing free drug use paraphernalia, going against the city's decades-old practice of promoting harm reduction. City-funded nonprofits will have to offer treatment options before giving out supplies; they will no longer be allowed to distribute smoking supplies, like tin foil and pipes, in parks and sidewalks. The changes will make it more difficult to engage drug users for whom abstinence is not an immediate option, advocates said. Tyler TerMeer of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, which provides assistance to people dealing with substance abuse, said he's disappointed in the policy shift but hopeful that Lurie will listen to experts who've been doing this work for decades. While overdose deaths were down last year from 2023, there were still roughly 630 that were recorded in the city. Lurie founded the nonprofit Tipping Point Community in 2005, which has raised more than $400 million to house, employ and educate people living in poverty. Its work has won Lurie fans among advocates working to keep people off the city's streets. At the same time, he comes from a family that is deeply embedded in San Francisco's history and identity: He is an heir to the Levi Strauss & Co. fortune through his mother, Mimi Haas. He's turned to that circle for two new boards stacked with Silicon Valley leaders and other business executives to address downtown's battered image and bring back tourists and tech workers. The boards include executives from Google and Gap as well as philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs, crypto billionaire Chris Larsen and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Lurie's recruiting of rich CEOs has raised concerns among some who say the wealthy already have plenty of influence. 'I'm not one to trust billionaires all that much with the direction that they'll take our city, or our country as we're seeing right now,' said Anand Singh, president of Unite Here Local 2, which represents hotel workers. But, he added, 'the mayor has demonstrated that he does want to listen to working people.' Lurie said criticism over the influence of tech and money in city politics 'divided San Francisco in the past' and that this is a new San Francisco. 'I want business to be here. I want those jobs here. I want that tax revenue here,' he said. 'And I want them to be part of rebuilding San Francisco.' Lurie's political honeymoon may soon end — he must figure out how to solve what is at least an $800 million gap in the city's budget over the next two years. He didn't say what might be cut but said he is ready to make tough decisions. Supervisor Jackie Fielder, a progressive Democrat, said she appreciates Lurie's candidness and has been impressed with how he engages with constituents and supervisors. But Fielder introduced a proposal this week that could test the collaborative spirit. Her measure would grant children the right to shelter, which would upend Lurie's current policy of limiting homeless families to 90 days at a shelter. She hopes Lurie remembers that tech companies may come and go but neighborhood businesses and communities will remain. 'He has done a good job of shaking as many hands as possible but when it comes to policy decisions, we will see in his budget what are his actual priorities,' she said. Associated Press
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
San Francisco's new mayor is starting to unite the fractured city
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Democrats nationally may be in turmoil, but liberals in San Francisco are hopeful the new mayor's collaborative approach will help solve entrenched problems in a city recently known for its bitter infighting and chaotic streets. Daniel Lurie, an heir to the the Levi Strauss fortune and anti-poverty nonprofit founder with no elected experience, beat out incumbent London Breed in November after spending nearly $10 million of his own money. Voters embraced his promise to make government work again after years of San Francisco attracting national attention for its empty downtown, open-air drug use and sprawling tent encampments. Earnest and affable, Lurie is often outside City Hall, talking to merchants and residents, both housed and unhoused. He's reached out to supervisors, including those who feuded with Breed, asking questions and inviting input on thorny topics. In an interview marking 100 days in office, Lurie said San Francisco is cleaning up its act with safer streets. He brushed off concerns over the involvement of corporate executives in his administration and declined to talk about Republican President Donald Trump's potential impact on San Francisco. 'I was elected to turn this city around,' Lurie said. 'And I want everybody in San Francisco to know that their mayor is focused on getting results for San Franciscans.' Some elected officials feel hopeful about working together again after years of gridlock. Connie Chan, a progressive supervisor, says she's already had more discussions with Lurie than she ever had with Breed. 'We feel cautiously optimistic despite a lot of attacks that we've seen from the federal government on San Francisco as a city and, of course, California as a state,' Chan said. New style of leadership Frustrations over car break-ins and retail theft have simmered for years, with voters ousting progressive District Attorney Chesa Boudin in June 2022, and approving measures last year to expand police powers. Lurie has inherited a city where reported crime and the number of visible tents are down, thanks in part to inroads made under Breed for more housing. Lurie's policy goals are similar to his predecessor — more police and more shelter and treatment options. But he also has the advantage of being a new face with no stated aspirations for higher office, someone who can recruit business executives and fellow philanthropists for their time and money. His board-approved fentanyl legislation expedites hiring and contracting for new behavioral health initiatives and expanded shelter capacity. He wants to add 1,500 new shelter beds and has streamlined outreach programs. And he's proposed rezoning to build more housing. Lurie has taken to stopping the car to jump out and talk to people who appear to be in distress. He asks if they want help — even though it's not always available. And he wants to drive home the message that San Francisco will no longer let people do what they want in public at the expense of others. 'That behavior just can't be tolerated any longer because families are scared,' Lurie said. Addressing public drug use Some leaders on the left have given him the benefit of the doubt, granting him powers they likely would not have given his predecessor. Chan, for instance, endorsed legislation ceding board oversight to Lurie to battle the fentanyl crisis, after seeing how committed he was to listening to and compromising with her office on the proposed legislation. Lurie has announced new rules around distributing free drug use paraphernalia, going against the city's decades-old practice of promoting harm reduction. City-funded nonprofits will have to offer treatment options before giving out supplies; they will no longer be allowed to distribute smoking supplies, like tin foil and pipes, in parks and sidewalks. The changes will make it more difficult to engage drug users for whom abstinence is not an immediate option, advocates said. Tyler TerMeer of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, which provides assistance to people dealing with substance abuse, said he's disappointed in the policy shift but hopeful that Lurie will listen to experts who've been doing this work for decades. While overdose deaths were down last year from 2023, there were still roughly 630 that were recorded in the city. Nonprofit background and corporate connections Lurie founded the nonprofit Tipping Point Community in 2005, which has raised more than $400 million to house, employ and educate people living in poverty. Its work has won Lurie fans among advocates working to keep people off the city's streets. At the same time, he comes from a family that is deeply embedded in San Francisco's history and identity: He is an heir to the Levi Strauss & Co. fortune through his mother, Mimi Haas. He's turned to that circle for two new boards stacked with Silicon Valley leaders and other business executives to address downtown's battered image and bring back tourists and tech workers. The boards include executives from Google and Gap as well as philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs, crypto billionaire Chris Larsen and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Lurie's recruiting of rich CEOs has raised concerns among some who say the wealthy already have plenty of influence. "I'm not one to trust billionaires all that much with the direction that they'll take our city, or our country as we're seeing right now,' said Anand Singh, president of Unite Here Local 2, which represents hotel workers. But, he added, 'the mayor has demonstrated that he does want to listen to working people.' Lurie said criticism over the influence of tech and money in city politics 'divided San Francisco in the past" and that this is a new San Francisco. "I want business to be here. I want those jobs here. I want that tax revenue here," he said. 'And I want them to be part of rebuilding San Francisco.' Solving the budget crisis Lurie's political honeymoon may soon end — he must figure out how to solve what is at least an $800 million gap in the city's budget over the next two years. He didn't say what might be cut but said he is ready to make tough decisions. Supervisor Jackie Fielder, a progressive Democrat, said she appreciates Lurie's candidness and has been impressed with how he engages with constituents and supervisors. But Fielder introduced a proposal this week that could test the collaborative spirit. Her measure would grant children the right to shelter, which would upend Lurie's current policy of limiting homeless families to 90 days at a shelter. She hopes Lurie remembers that tech companies may come and go but neighborhood businesses and communities will remain. 'He has done a good job of shaking as many hands as possible but when it comes to policy decisions, we will see in his budget what are his actual priorities,' she said.
Associated Press
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
San Francisco's new mayor is starting to unite the fractured city
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Democrats nationally may be in turmoil, but liberals in San Francisco are hopeful the new mayor's collaborative approach will help solve entrenched problems in a city recently known for its bitter infighting and chaotic streets. Daniel Lurie, an heir to the the Levi Strauss fortune and anti-poverty nonprofit founder with no elected experience, beat out incumbent London Breed in November after spending nearly $10 million of his own money. Voters embraced his promise to make government work again after years of San Francisco attracting national attention for its empty downtown, open-air drug use and sprawling tent encampments. Earnest and affable, Lurie is often outside City Hall, talking to merchants and residents, both housed and unhoused. He's reached out to supervisors, including those who feuded with Breed, asking questions and inviting input on thorny topics. In an interview marking 100 days in office, Lurie said San Francisco is cleaning up its act with safer streets. He brushed off concerns over the involvement of corporate executives in his administration and declined to talk about Republican President Donald Trump's potential impact on San Francisco. 'I was elected to turn this city around,' Lurie said. 'And I want everybody in San Francisco to know that their mayor is focused on getting results for San Franciscans.' Some elected officials feel hopeful about working together again after years of gridlock. Connie Chan, a progressive supervisor, says she's already had more discussions with Lurie than she ever had with Breed. 'We feel cautiously optimistic despite a lot of attacks that we've seen from the federal government on San Francisco as a city and, of course, California as a state,' Chan said. New style of leadership Frustrations over car break-ins and retail theft have simmered for years, with voters ousting progressive District Attorney Chesa Boudin in June 2022, and approving measures last year to expand police powers. Lurie has inherited a city where reported crime and the number of visible tents are down, thanks in part to inroads made under Breed for more housing. Lurie's policy goals are similar to his predecessor — more police and more shelter and treatment options. But he also has the advantage of being a new face with no stated aspirations for higher office, someone who can recruit business executives and fellow philanthropists for their time and money. His board-approved fentanyl legislation expedites hiring and contracting for new behavioral health initiatives and expanded shelter capacity. He wants to add 1,500 new shelter beds and has streamlined outreach programs. And he's proposed rezoning to build more housing. Lurie has taken to stopping the car to jump out and talk to people who appear to be in distress. He asks if they want help — even though it's not always available. And he wants to drive home the message that San Francisco will no longer let people do what they want in public at the expense of others. 'That behavior just can't be tolerated any longer because families are scared,' Lurie said. Addressing public drug use Some leaders on the left have given him the benefit of the doubt, granting him powers they likely would not have given his predecessor. Chan, for instance, endorsed legislation ceding board oversight to Lurie to battle the fentanyl crisis, after seeing how committed he was to listening to and compromising with her office on the proposed legislation. Lurie has announced new rules around distributing free drug use paraphernalia, going against the city's decades-old practice of promoting harm reduction. City-funded nonprofits will have to offer treatment options before giving out supplies; they will no longer be allowed to distribute smoking supplies, like tin foil and pipes, in parks and sidewalks. The changes will make it more difficult to engage drug users for whom abstinence is not an immediate option, advocates said. Tyler TerMeer of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, which provides assistance to people dealing with substance abuse, said he's disappointed in the policy shift but hopeful that Lurie will listen to experts who've been doing this work for decades. While overdose deaths were down last year from 2023, there were still roughly 630 that were recorded in the city. Nonprofit background and corporate connections Lurie founded the nonprofit Tipping Point Community in 2005, which has raised more than $400 million to house, employ and educate people living in poverty. Its work has won Lurie fans among advocates working to keep people off the city's streets. At the same time, he comes from a family that is deeply embedded in San Francisco's history and identity: He is an heir to the Levi Strauss & Co. fortune through his mother, Mimi Haas. He's turned to that circle for two new boards stacked with Silicon Valley leaders and other business executives to address downtown's battered image and bring back tourists and tech workers. The boards include executives from Google and Gap as well as philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs, crypto billionaire Chris Larsen and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Lurie's recruiting of rich CEOs has raised concerns among some who say the wealthy already have plenty of influence. 'I'm not one to trust billionaires all that much with the direction that they'll take our city, or our country as we're seeing right now,' said Anand Singh, president of Unite Here Local 2, which represents hotel workers. But, he added, 'the mayor has demonstrated that he does want to listen to working people.' Lurie said criticism over the influence of tech and money in city politics 'divided San Francisco in the past' and that this is a new San Francisco. 'I want business to be here. I want those jobs here. I want that tax revenue here,' he said. 'And I want them to be part of rebuilding San Francisco.' Solving the budget crisis Lurie's political honeymoon may soon end — he must figure out how to solve what is at least an $800 million gap in the city's budget over the next two years. He didn't say what might be cut but said he is ready to make tough decisions. Supervisor Jackie Fielder, a progressive Democrat, said she appreciates Lurie's candidness and has been impressed with how he engages with constituents and supervisors. But Fielder introduced a proposal this week that could test the collaborative spirit. Her measure would grant children the right to shelter, which would upend Lurie's current policy of limiting homeless families to 90 days at a shelter. She hopes Lurie remembers that tech companies may come and go but neighborhood businesses and communities will remain. 'He has done a good job of shaking as many hands as possible but when it comes to policy decisions, we will see in his budget what are his actual priorities,' she said.
