Mayor London Breed on Why San Francisco Should Give Her Another Term
Sep 25, 2024
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London Breed, a lifelong San Francisco resident and the city's current mayor, shares insights on her campaign for re-election. She reflects on her journey from community activist to mayor, tackling issues like homelessness and public safety. The conversation dives into her efforts to improve housing policies and the complexities of navigating San Francisco's challenges post-pandemic. Breed also discusses her vision for the future, emphasizing the need for experienced leadership and community engagement as the city seeks to recover and thrive.
Mayor London Breed emphasizes her commitment to addressing rising crime rates and homelessness through strategic leadership and community engagement.
Breed advocates for modernizing public housing initiatives by prioritizing mixed-income developments and incorporating supportive social services for residents.
The mayor's '30 by 30' plan aims to revitalize San Francisco's downtown by increasing residential capacity and creating vibrant mixed-use neighborhoods.
Deep dives
Challenges Facing San Francisco
San Francisco faces unprecedented challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to significant changes in the city's internal politics and public perception. Mayor London Breed addresses concerns regarding rising crime rates and homelessness, tied to broader societal issues such as drug overdose deaths. The mayor emphasizes the need for strong leadership to navigate these crises while still maintaining compliance with the city’s needs. Conversations around public safety, community unrest, and political accountability are central to understanding whether San Francisco remains a model city or if the pandemic's impact has shattered its resilience.
London Breed's Community Roots
Mayor London Breed reflects on her early experiences in the Fillmore District, where she was deeply impacted by gun violence and community strife. Her background informs her desire to engage in politics and make decisions that address resource allocation effectively. She attributes her advocacy for change to the leaders in her community who stood up for civil rights and justice. Now, as mayor, she highlights the decrease in gun violence and the city's low violent crime rates as evidence of positive progress in her efforts.
Housing and Homelessness Initiatives
Addressing public housing, Mayor Breed advocates for the construction of more mixed-income housing instead of the often dilapidated public housing models of the past. She recalls her own difficult upbringing in public housing and suggests that present efforts must prioritize improved living conditions and inclusion of supportive services for residents. The mayor shares initiatives to ensure families displaced in the past have the opportunity to return, coupling housing initiatives with investments in related social services. She emphasizes that her administration is actively working to avoid past mistakes in public housing redevelopment.
Efforts to Combat Drug Abuse and Crime
The mayor outlines her administration's concerted efforts to combat drug abuse and the associated crime, particularly in the Tenderloin area, by establishing a coordinated response that involves various law enforcement agencies. Through aggressive strategies, including arrests and outreach programs, her office aims to connect drug users with treatment options while holding dealers accountable. Despite ongoing challenges, she notes that overall crime rates in San Francisco are at their lowest in over a decade, a point she attributes to strategic interventions and community cooperation. Urban Alchemy's ambassador program has also played a crucial role in fostering safety and engagement in affected neighborhoods.
Vision for Downtown Transformation
San Francisco's downtown requires a transformation from a predominantly business-oriented area to a vibrant 24/7 neighborhood that caters to living, working, and entertainment. Mayor Breed discusses her '30 by 30' plan, which aims to bring in 30,000 new residents by 2030 through the conversion of office spaces into housing and encouraging a mixed-use environment. She highlights recent investments from various companies in the downtown area as a positive sign of recovery and engagement from the business sector. Breed insists that proactive measures must also ensure equitable access for diverse small businesses and predictability in the tax structure to cultivate a thriving community.
Mayor London Breed is a lifelong resident of San Francisco, and her tenure as mayor has tracked the boom/bust cycle of the city. When she came to office in 2018, the city was enjoying a robust economy. In 2020, the pandemic emptied out downtown and put San Francisco on shaky footing from which it is still recovering. In her run for re-election, Breed contends that with another term she can lead San Francisco back to firmer ground. In the first of our interviews with the five major candidates in the San Francisco mayor’s race, we talk to Breed about her record, her campaign, and her hopes for the city.
Guests:
London Breed, Mayor, City and County of San Francisco
