Latest news with #NeighborsforaBetterSanFrancisco
San Francisco Chronicle
4 days ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Can San Francisco avoid Trump's ire after National Guard deployments in D.C. and L.A.?
Once again, President Donald Trump has brought his campaign of retribution against liberal jurisdictions to the streets of a major American city, ordering hundreds of National Guard troops to deploy to another Democratic stronghold. And once again, the city in question is not San Francisco, a past Trump target that has so far avoided the kind of direct clash with his administration that previously played out in Los Angeles and is now unfolding in Washington. Trump announced Monday that he was temporarily placing the D.C. police department under federal control and sending 800 National Guard troops to the nation's capital. Those extraordinary steps were necessary because of 'violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals' that have overrun the city, Trump said, even though official statistics show violent crime in Washington is down. The president put other cities on notice, warning that New York, Chicago, Baltimore and Oakland could also see National Guard deployments over crime concerns. He did not mention San Francisco, a famously liberal sanctuary city that was panned by Trump last year as 'not even livable.' It's not as if San Francisco is flying under Trump's radar entirely. He has promoted the unlikely idea of reopening Alcatraz as a federal prison, and immigration agents have detained people in the city as they've sought to carry out Trump's mass deportation plans. San Francisco has also repeatedly fought Trump administration policies in court. But when it comes to Trump sending military forces to what he views as lawless cities led astray by Democratic politicians, San Francisco and its mayor, Daniel Lurie, do not appear to be top of mind for the president — at least not for now. Some political observers say that's a testament to how well Lurie and other moderate Democrats are running the city, while others warn that Trump could easily turn his ire on the city at a moment's notice. Jay Cheng, executive director of the moderate political group Neighbors for a Better San Francisco, sees political vindication in the fact that Trump didn't invoke San Francisco when he previously sent National Guard troops to Los Angeles or when he announced the actions in Washington on Monday. Cheng said San Francisco voters have shown in electing Lurie, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins and a moderate Board of Supervisors majority that they're focused on improving police staffing, reducing crime, shutting down drug markets and making the city function more efficiently. 'In San Francisco, we're showing that Democratic leaders can successfully govern a city,' Cheng said. 'He's not mentioning us because we're not a good example for his narrative, because we have Democrats that are doing a great job around public safety.' State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, had a more blunt assessment of Trump's treatment of New York, Chicago, Baltimore, Oakland and Washington. All of those cities have Black mayors and large Black populations, Wiener noted, calling it 'straight up Donald Trump's alley and straight out of his racist playbook.' Wiener doubted that Trump was taking note of any specific political changes in San Francisco when thinking about where he wanted to send the National Guard. 'Donald Trump has taken many swings at San Francisco over the years — just ask Nancy Pelosi,' Wiener said. 'The other thing is, when it comes to Trump, the eye of Sauron is going to look wherever it's going to look,' Wiener said. 'If he's going after Oakland, Baltimore, Chicago, New York and L.A. today, he's going to go after other cities tomorrow.' Since he became San Francisco mayor in January, Lurie has carefully avoided even uttering Trump's name in public in an attempt to avoid drawing too much attention from a vengeful president with a reputation for being unpredictable. He's seen little evidence that his approach is unpopular: In fact, 50% of respondents in a recent Chronicle poll said the mayor was right to prioritize local issues. Lurie's office had no comment Monday. Former Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said Monday that she has 'great compassion for the mayors who are struggling with the right thing to do in Trump's second term,' pointing to the decisive conservative control of the U.S. Supreme Court and the Republican majorities in both chambers of Congress. Schaff had a widely-publicized clash with Trump during his first term in 2018, when she as Oakland mayor issued a public warning about an imminent immigration sweep. Trump called her action a 'disgrace' and urged his attorney general to consider prosecuting Schaaf. In direct response to Schaaf, a Republican Congressman introduced unsuccessful legislation that would have imposed criminal penalties — and possible jailtime — against local officials who made similar disclosures. Schaaf said she thinks it's 'wise' for mayors to focus on what they were elected to do, unless they find themselves directly in the crosshairs of the White House, which is the situation that she thinks she faced in Oakland seven years ago. 'I really did not want to be sucked into a national debate when I was elected to run the city, to keep people safe,' Schaaf said. 'It doesn't surprise me that Mayor Lurie is focused on what he was elected to do and not allowing himself to be distracted, because Trump hasn't called out San Francisco in this way.' Barbara Lee, Oakland's current mayor, responded Monday to Trump's comments about her city by calling them inaccurate and 'an attempt to score cheap political points by tearing down communities he doesn't understand.' Schaaf told the Chronicle that she has 'a lot of respect and faith' that Lee will 'do what is right for her values and the values of Oakland.' And while Trump isn't talking much about San Francisco now, that could change under the wrong circumstances, said Jeff Cretan, who was a spokesperson for former Mayor London Breed. A high-profile violent incident during an immigration action or protest in San Francisco could quickly result in Trump setting his sights on the city, Cretan said. 'I don't want to see something horrible happen, but that could change things,' he said. 'Sometimes those moments are what galvanize people … Those bigger, symbolic things that resonate with people more often are what draw a lot of the attention.' Lurie has clearly indicated his desire to avoid such a scenario. In June, after Trump first sent National Guard troops to Los Angeles, a reporter asked Lurie if he anticipated something similar happening in San Francisco, where protests had already erupted. Lurie said he was focused on 'keeping San Franciscans safe.' 'We have this under control,' he said.
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Neighbors for a Better San Francisco Launches "Blueprint for a Better San Francisco" to Mobilize Residents to Build on the City's Progress
Blueprint, an evolution of TogetherSF, focuses on educating and mobilizing residents to advance pragmatic solutions to challenges like public safety, homelessness, the fentanyl crisis, and downtown and economic recovery SAN FRANCISCO, June 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Neighbors for a Better San Francisco launched Blueprint for a Better San Francisco (Blueprint), a bold new civic initiative designed to educate and organize San Franciscans to build a safe, well-run, and vibrant city by supporting pragmatic policy initiatives and competent local candidates. Blueprint is hosting a launch event this evening with more than 700 attendees and will feature attendance from District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, City Attorney David Chiu, Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman, Supervisors Steven Sherrill, Danny Sauter, Joel Engardio, Bilal Mahmood, and Matt Dorsey, and several members of the local Democratic Party. Blueprint is the evolution of TogetherSF, following its merger with Neighbors for a Better San Francisco. Launching with a $2 million annual budget, Blueprint will prioritize their first efforts on mobilizing residents to advocate for the passage of a responsible budget proposed by Mayor Lurie to ensure City Hall keeps laser focused on continuing the City's recovery, and not bowing to special interests or one-off requests. While crime is down and the City is beginning to show stronger signs of recovery, San Francisco still faces major challenges. Homelessness, the fentanyl crisis, and a fragile economic and downtown recovery continue to test the city's progress and resilience. With a looming nearly billion dollar budget deficit, passing Mayor Lurie's recovery budget as proposed is critical and Blueprint is committed to mobilizing public support to make it happen. "San Francisco is heading in the right direction, but we can't afford to take our foot off the gas," said executive director of Neighbors for a Better San Francisco, Jay Cheng. "We are excited to launch Blueprint as a more public-facing arm to educate, organize, and mobilize people in every neighborhood across the city. Our goal is to empower San Franciscans to stay informed, get involved, and ensure we continue on our road to recovery." "We want to help everyday San Franciscans become that friend who knows what's going on in local politics and feel like they can make a difference," said Director of Blueprint for a Better San Francisco, Scotty Jacobs. "That's how we build civic power – through education, engagement, and a belief that good government actually works for the people and delivers results on our most pressing issues." In addition to content and advocacy, Blueprint will be opening an event space just blocks from City Hall, in the heart of Hayes Valley later this summer. This physical presence will serve as a gathering point for Blueprint membership and to host regular in-person programming, including Politics 101 civic education sessions, fireside chats with elected leaders, and a revamped version of TogetherSF Action's Community Leaders program. Blueprint will grow their membership and reactivate a base of nearly a hundred thousand engaged San Franciscans from TogetherSF to amplify its impact citywide. Looking ahead, Blueprint will prioritize voter education around the critical 2026 elections. That includes raising awareness about the school board race amid SFUSD's fiscal deficit, key even-numbered Supervisor districts to ensure the Board retains a majority focused on common sense, not ideology, and local judicial races with an emphasis on candidate's previous rulings and their impact on public safety. Blueprint will help voters understand not just who's on the ballot, but what's at stake with their vote, and launch a recommended voter guide to help inform voters citywide. Blueprint is launching with a focus on three key pillars: Road to Recovery, Good Government, and A Vision of Vibrancy. Blueprint's Road to Recovery will focus on making a full recovery from the Pandemic. This recovery includes investing in clean, safe street conditions, addressing the mental health and addiction crises, and standing alongside our public safety agencies. Blueprint will support: Fully staffed public safety agencies, including first responders and the District Attorney. A criminal justice system that holds criminals accountable. This includes a District Attorney who appropriately charges crimes and judiciary that sentences commensurate to the crimes committed. A recovery-first approach to the addiction crises, including resourcing anchored in measurable results and outcomes that save lives. Court-mandated drug treatment programs and wobbler felony charges Drug-free permanent supportive housing Blueprint will also support Good Government, focused on a government that is highly responsive to the needs of the people it serves, one grounded in fiscal responsibility, public accountability, and results-oriented efficacy. This looks like: A balanced budget and well-managed city departments Ending the non-profit industrial complex in City Hall by implementing performance measurement of city vendors and contractors Accountable department heads that effectively manage their bureaucracies Tighter controls around city employees' conflicts of interest to prevent corruption Limiting the influence and scope of commissions, including greater accountability and checks around conflicts of interest for commissions Strengthening the role of the Mayor Lastly, Blueprint will focus on A Vision of Vibrancy, supporting flourishing neighborhoods, a lively downtown, and the infrastructure that makes living in San Francisco a joyful experience. This looks like: A world-class pedestrian experience, including safe, clean sidewalks A best-in-class public education system that delivers empirically measurable learning outcomes Investing in a nightlife economy as an economic growth engine Eliminating red tape and bureaucratic overreach, especially around permitting, that impedes entrepreneurship Create tax incentives to incentivize economic development To learn more about Blueprint and to get involved, visit: You can RSVP to tonight's launch event here. Blueprint for a Better San FranciscoBlueprint for a Better San Francisco is a grassroots community of San Franciscans who believe that pragmatism and competence should always come before ideology. We advocate for a safe, well-run, vibrant San Francisco where residents, families and businesses can thrive. We believe that knowledge empowers, and we aim to be a trusted resource in helping everyday San Franciscans become "that friend who knows what's going on in local politics. Blueprint is a project of Neighbors for a Better San Francisco, and the evolution of TogetherSF. View original content: SOURCE Blueprint for a Better San Francisco Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
