Mark Farrell, standing in a batting cage at the San Francisco Baseball Academy surrounded by some 100 supporters, had his first official campaign event on Tuesday, digging in and taking a big swing against Mayor London Breed.
“Our city has never been immune from challenging street conditions, but there is no mayor in history that has overseen a steeper decline,” said Farrell. Again and again, the challenger tied the city’s myriad woes to “failed leadership in City Hall.”
During a 17-minute speech, Farrell made it clear that he wants out with the current leadership and in with new policies — or, at least, different policies — to address San Francisco’s most pressing issues: public safety, the homelessness and drug crises, rebooting the local economy, housing affordability and “restoring our sense of civic pride once again.”
“We can’t afford another four years under Mayor Breed,” he said. And, in an unsubtle swipe at contender Daniel Lurie, he said, “we do not have the luxury to allow someone to learn on the job.”
Farrell is a venture capitalist who was formerly District 2 supervisor, representing the affluent Marina and Pacific Heights neighborhoods. In 2018, he was appointed interim mayor after Mayor Ed Lee’s death, supplanting Breed — an emotionally charged gambit by the Board of Supervisors to prevent Breed from benefiting from incumbency to win the subsequent mayoral election (she won anyway).
Farrell joins Lurie, a nonprofit founder and the heir to the Levi-Strauss fortune, and District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safaí as serious mayoral contenders.
Farrell’s bid to retake City Hall Room 200 was no surprise, and on Tuesday morning he mounted a full-court press in the city’s media outlets, giving interviews to any and all comers outlining his policy proposals. His number one commitment? Public safety, which, in his mind, means ousting Police Chief Bill Scott, increasing police staffing and growing the department’s budget.
On homelessness, Farrell said he would pursue a “shelter-first” — rather than “housing-first” — approach, rapidly increasing access to emergency shelter by directing unspent and unallocated funds for permanent housing.
“We are, literally, now being compared to Detroit and Oakland. That is not the conversation where San Francisco belongs,” he said.
To restore San Francisco as a “vibrant local economy,” Farrell said he would institute a sales tax to generate revenue downtown (and keep it there), a business tax exemption for small businesses making less than $5 million a year and incentives for businesses to hire workers and incentivize them to the financial core.
Plus, he said, “we will open Market Street back up again to cars,” to bring traffic and commerce downtown. The crowd gave a round of applause.
The 44th mayor of San Francisco — and potentially the 46th — stood alongside his wife, Liz Farrell, his father, Joe Farrell, and his in-laws.
Jess Montejano, the campaign’s spokesperson, said Farrell chose the San Francisco Baseball Academy as his launch venue because it is housed in the former Bridge Theater, which Farrell, as supervisor, helped convert into a sports facility.
Standing around the baseball batting cage, many of Farrell’s friends, who largely know him from outside the political arena, had positive words to describe the candidate: Honest, practical, capable.
“I know him to be a super-smart, authentic guy,” said Sterling Mace, whose children went to school with Farrell’s. Farrell was always involved in the school, she said, even coaching the baseball team.
When asked what qualities she admired about him most, she said “his honesty.”
“He’s practical,” her husband, David Mace, added. “He’s been there, he knows how things work. He can say, ‘Here’s how we can trim the fat and get back on track.’”
Bill Hudson, whose children also went to school with Farrell’s, said the candidate is also willing to have tough conversations with neighborhoods on opening them up to more housing development. “They’re hard messages for us, too,” he said. “We’ve got to be open to that.”
Farrell, near the end of the event, repeated that his candidacy is a sweeping rejection of Breed’s tenure and the last six years of city politics.
“I’m not here as a vanity project. I’m not here simply because I wanted a different career. I am only doing this to make change in San Francisco,” he said. “We will challenge the status quo on every single level.”
Wow, finally a candidate who speaks openly and clearly about the actual problems facing the city. Finally!
He could be exactly what San Francisco needs.
ABB! (Anyone But Breed).
I think I’ve just made up my mind which candidate will get my vote.
He will close encampments in six months, fill the police academy with new recruits, and detain any druggie who overdoses on the streets who is revived with Narcan? You’ll have druggies fearing being revived with Narcan, coos upset at having to detain disgruntled addicts, police academies still lacking in talented recruits, and encampments, stretching into the years, no matter who is seated in the Mayor’s office. Which is to say, Farrel is the typical lying politician. Once in office, he would fob off all of his campaign promises onto newly organized committees and advisory boards, like a seasoned pro. In other words, he’d distance himself from his campaign promises. You know, see all of the above.
I wonder if Farrell would audit and/or cut off Mission Housing, MEDA, PODER, Dolores Street Services and/or CJJC?
One of the least deserving individuals in the race. Out of touch and fuled by the exact wrong demographic. Went to the same school as the “smart VC scion”. I think we should look at how successful of a leader he was in his short dark mirror appointment. He couldn’t bring the significant political forces together and demonstrated that he was a canard appointee. Let’s see how this fares but imho not what SF needs.
“fuled (sic) by the exact wrong demographic.”
So white males are “the exact wrong demographic”?
I realise we have not had a white male mayor since Newsom. But are you seriously suggesting that we should never have one? Because . . ?
MTN,
From her comment en totale (and, so well written with lilt of upper class am I right ?) she was talking about the Tech Sector and not his Race.
Take a Nuance pill and you’ll find there are other things included under the heading, ‘Demographic’.
Color of your hair, for instance.
Wait, I don’t have any.
Go Giants !
h.
Campers,
My Motto has always been …
Often wrong but never Silent !
So, don’t bet on this but here’s how I see this ending up …
Lurie get’s X amount of First Place Votes
Breed get’s X amount of First Place Votes
Breed’s Second Place Votes go majority to Lurie
Safai get’s X amount of First Place Votes
Safai’s Second Place Votes go majority to Lurie
Farrell get’s X amount of First Place Votes
Farrell’s Second Place Votes go Overwhelming to Lurie
Daniel Lurie is your next Mayor
Unless Matt Gonzalez enters.
Or, Aaron Peskin
Or, Tom Ammiano
Or, Art Agnos
Or, Chesa Boudin
Now, there’s a thought.
Think Giants
Think Pre-season !
h.
That’s exactly why voters should choose ONE name and IGNORE the second and third options. Ranked choice serves only to split the vote.
Barbara,
It’s a Green Party thing.
I’ve always appreciated it because especially in National Elections like this year I’m hating holding my nose and voting for the Lesser of 2 Evils.
Now, I vote for my Favorite candidate First.
Then, I hold my nose and vote for the Lesser of 2 Evils 2nd.
I think Breed won on about the hundredth ballot.
You disagree but do you agree with my math on Lurie ?
h.
Go ahead, throw your votes away!