“Department heads in particular, if they’ve served over a certain number of years — maybe five years — they need to go,” said San Francisco mayoral candidate and District 11 supervisor Ahsha Safaí. “because what happens is, they start to get too comfortable in their position.”
Then who is he going to fire on day one as mayor? “Police department would be one; public health would be one; SFMTA, absolutely, would be one,” Safaí said. As he spoke, sporadic applause rang out in the packed Manny’s cafe.
On Friday night, Mission Local managing editor Joe Eskenazi sat down with Safaí, who is working to distinguish himself from the rest of the contenders in San Francisco’s mayoral race. Currently, all of the serious candidates hail from San Francisco’s moderate camp, including Safaí, incumbent mayor London Breed, philanthropist Daniel Lurie and, purportedly any day now, former mayor Mark Farrell.
One means of differentiating himself is his opposition to Proposition E.
It is “shocking” that Mayor Breed would put her name on Prop. E, a ballot measure that aims to ease restrictions on police chases and surveillance, said Safaí, who was slated to attend a rally opposing Prop. E on Sunday (it was later postponed due to stormy weather). “I truly believe this is one of the most anti-Black, anti-brown, anti-communities of color, immigrant communities [laws]. This is a racist piece of legislation.”
Just a couple years ago, the country grappled with the Black Lives Matter movement and “the national reckoning that took place with George Floyd,” he said, and now “we are literally putting out a ballot measure that is going to decrease police oversight.”
“That’s going to, literally, be a massive step backward” for San Francisco, Safaí said.
Prop. E is by far the highest-funded ballot measure on the March ballot. An initiative from Mayor Breed, Prop. E has been funded by tech executives, including Twitch founder Emmett Shear and Ripple founder Chris Larsen. In January, Breed’s competitor, Lurie, also launched his own, independent expenditure campaign supporting Prop. E, in a novel attempt to appropriate Breed’s ballot measure.
Lurie’s committee supporting the proposition has now outraised Breed’s, and Lurie himself is pulling in major donations, including $1 million from his own mother.
But “money is not going to decide this race,” said Safaí. In contrast to Lurie’s mother, Safaí’s made a more modest donation: $150.
“The truth is, his mother probably could give him $1 million a month for the entire campaign, and it wouldn’t make a dent in their savings,” said Safaí. He spoke to his mother, who surprised the candidate by showing up and sitting in the third row, saying she was “on fixed income,” but would “do everything she can to get to the $500 [donation limit].”
“I’m sure she’ll get there,” he said.
Safaí mocked the mayor’s moon-shot proposal to build a soccer stadium in reeling downtown San Francisco, where vacant office space has hit a record high of 30 million square feet.
His own proposal? Universities, Hollywood, and a clean and safe downtown, Safaí said.
Safaí wants to convert some of the city’s empty office space into university, housing or research space. One thing world-class cities — he cited Boston, Massachusetts; Chicago, Illinois; New York, New York; Amsterdam, the Netherlands; London, England; Paris, France — have in common is “a university presence in the downtown,” he said.
That, he said, could bring foot traffic to downtown small businesses. “What do students like to do other than study? They like to spend their parents’ money.”
Safaí said he’s been on the phone with multiple university presidents who would “trip over themselves” to land a beachhead in San Francisco, and would “work really hard” to pass legislation facilitating their move.
Another proposal: making San Francisco a Hollywood backdrop. “We used to film commercials, programs and movies, and the place was San Francisco downtown and all the different neighborhoods,” said Safaí, who feels it would be a great advertisement for San Francisco, and attract more people to the area.
“I can recall San Francisco being destroyed in every movie,” Eskenazi said, as the entire audience burst out laughing.
On solutions to the record numbers of overdose deaths, Safaí expressed support for clean and sober living homes, as well as overdose prevention sites. “If you really want to intervene and stop this crisis, you have to have the opportunity to have an overdose prevention center,” said Safaí. “Otherwise, you won’t stop these deaths, because it takes less than my pinkie for someone to overdose on fentanyl.”
But San Francisco’s overdose-prevention sites should be modeled after those in Harlem, where outreach workers, public health workers and the police department work in collaboration to get people into a safe place, he said. “It’s not like it’s some opium den, where everyone’s just lying around. That’s what happened in the Civic Center.”
Asked about his relationship with Siavash “Sia” Tahbazof, a San Francisco construction executive who pleaded guilty in November to federal bribery charges, Safaí replied that it was “absolutely shocking, and I had absolutely no idea.” Safaí bought and sold properties with Tahbazof and his associates.
“I don’t know how I could do anything differently other than to say, ‘if I know what I know now, then I might make different decisions, for sure,’” he added.
All in all, how would Safaí describe San Francisco to someone who has never been here?
It’s an embracing, diverse city with cutthroat politics and a staggering gap between rich and poor, he said. “It’s such a small city, but it really has the influence of a big city punching far above its weight.”
“It’s tough, it’s a tough city,” he concluded. “It’s certainly not for the weak.”
You can read the full transcript of the interview here.
Thanks to Mission Local for keeping us in touch with the candidates. And thanks to the candidates for letting us know your intentions. We don’t need platitudes. We honest answers.
Agreed although why do I have this strange feeling that ML will feature every candidate except for Breed?
Because Breed will probably not agree to an interview?
Nice socks Joe! 🙂
Enough already. Please stop using right-wing political framing. You might be sick of my complaining about Mission Local’s misuse of the word “moderate” as an adjective to describe one’s political orientation, but the word “moderate” is meaningless at best, and pernicious at worst, when used in a political context.
If you mean “centrist,” then please say centrist. Even “centrism” isn’t really accurate, but it’s better than “moderate.” As it is, you’re using right-wing framing, and I don’t think that that is the intention of Mission Local’s otherwise fine writers.
two beers,
With the World on the edge of doom only an English teacher or drunk would care.
Go pick up a bag of trash and walk it off.
Don’t worry, Harold, I’m not after your crown of Mayor of the Comment Section here, but I’m with you on the niners.
Cool man,
I don’t waste all of my time online.
My dog and I picked up 7 bags of wet leaves from drains while it was raining (actually he shivered and went back inside after 2 bags – French rabbit hound can’t take it but American beagle loves it.
What you think of my pledge to hire back Ronen’s entire team if I win ?
I’ll be surprised if District 9 votes in an 80 year old and if they do I’ll have to cancel some appointments for at least 8 years.
First, the one with Death.
(I love the Mission where we keep it close)
It took us 6 weeks to heal from the Ravens.
KC beat them.
Let me put it thisaway.
No one’s gonna run away on our Defense and it has yet to have the kind of game they’re capable of tho individually, Bosa’s two sacks were what I’m talking about for everyone.
However, our Offense could run away on anyone’s Defense.
What’s the Spread ?
One point ?
OK, I’ll go out on a limb here and say Niners cover the Spread.
Whew !
This Vegas energy is intense.
lol
h.
San Francisco. Not a city for wussies.
I want the bumper sticker.
I wish there were more candidates for mayor, but out of all of them, Safai has my vote. Of course, that can change.
The sporadic applause from the audience came from a woman who was sitting next to his mother and they were both wearing masks.
Safaía’s plans to revitalize downtown are laughable; the only scenes that a location scout would use Downtown for around City Hall is a destitute city.
Does Ahsha not know that the Academy of Art is in Downtown San Francisco with lots of satellite locations.
If his own mother is on fixed income and is donating $150 to his campaign where would all this “parent money” come from? Perhaps from his pal Siavash “Sia” Tahbazof?
BTW you mentioned Daniel Webster Elementary.
Check out the website link.
I was part of the group of Potrero Hill parents with pre-school kids + a neighborhood attorney who saved the school from closure along with Art Agnos, the former mayor of San Francisco.
I was the only Dad in the group (aside from Mayor Agnos).
By the way I’ll be submitting paperwork to run for Mayor.
Consider me the Dark Horse candidate (~Katy Perry reference)
Mike,
Congrats on your campaign.
Best way I know to get your ideas out there.
Next to staying involved in these chats.
Know what a “Primordial Sub-Strate” is ?
Me either but David Shapiro suggests it might be God.
Safaí bought and sold properties with Tahbazof and his associates…”..if I know[sic] what I know now, then I might make different decisions for sure,”
OK. So who else has Safai involved himself with in businesses and investments? Maybe what he doesn’t know now is important.
Point is, what kind of due diligence has Safai done before entering into financial relationships? My concern is how much is he motivated by need and greed? Once he’s mayor, he’ll have a lot more means and opportunity to engage in or tolerate corruption.
Joe, did you ask him which university presidents he spoke to? Sounds like b-s to me that he got through to “multiple university presidents.”
If Safaí fires any department head with experience, then the city will be run by children. Arbitrary statements may make compact sound bites, but that’s not a policy we should build on.
Wally,
We need a Police Chief he can’t fire cause Voters picked her.
Or, him.
One who doesn’t have to bend knee to Mayor or SFPOA.
Joe,
Great show again.
I’m addicted to them.
This one bored Skippy cause there weren’t any other dogs.
Maybe he isn’t allowed ?
lol
We all have memories that define a person and mine of Asha is him coming into a Board committee of which he wasn’t a member to lobby against one part of a large project he wasn’t familiar with in a district that wasn’t his.
It was the Welcome Center to be staffed with volunteers who have worked at that spot since the 60’s on ground floor of apartment building where McDonald’s was at entry to Golden Gate Park.
He tried to kill it at the last moment at behest of Mayor’s people who hate Hippies.
Who’s your next guest ?
How about Rebecca Solnit if she’ll do it ?
Go Niners !!
Prop E is anti street criminal terrorizing the public. It’s a prop the public needs for their safety. It’s not anti black , brown, POC. Is Prop E anti Asian ???? Nope. It’s anti criminal pro civility.
Johnny,
Last real cop on SFPD was Joe Garrity who sometimes walked a beat alone when he was a Commander and is walking one this day as a Retired Extra.
Cops today want more tools to keep further away from the Public.
An Elected Police Chief could force these bums to walk the streets with us.
Hell, give em a broom to keep their Kobans and area around em clean.
Firefighters work hard between calls.
No reason these cops can’t do the same.
You think nothing of watching a fire crew flush a plug or drag around a 3 inch Portable Main but you’d doo doo your pants if you saw a cop picking up trash ?
They want drones and robots now to do their work.
Next they’re gonna wanna work from home and if the robots work out we might say ‘yes’.
so is this coming from a POC or just an anti-crime person who has never been profiled by police?
This guy sounds Trumpy.
Or, for people with long memories, it sounds like when Rick Perry ran for US President. He said in a debate he would eliminate five US government agencies, but then couldn’t name them.
Firing people because you don’t like their department is not what I look for in a leader.
Wally,
We need a Police Chief he can’t fire cause Voters picked her.
Or, him.
One who doesn’t have to bend knee to Mayor or SFPOA.