It’s Tuesday night and the Gen Z interns for Lurie are partying — with a purpose.
The assignment? Grab the attention of young voters. At Cafe Du Nord, a live music venue and bar at 2174 Market St. in the Castro, 27-year-old Tashrima Hossain and other interns have pulled in highschoolers, college students, parents, and even a baby held in its caretaker’s arms. Oh, there’s also an 80-something woman present.
Okay, it’s not the breakout event of the year, but it’s lively and vibrant — different from the usually quiet and small crowds at the house parties. Attendees are greeted with raffle tickets for a bottle of red wine gifted by Blush! wine bar or a bag of Lurie campaign materials.
Guests trickle in and spread out in the dimly lit venue — grabbing drinks at the bar, posing for Polaroid photos, and huddling around Lurie, anxious to introduce themselves.
DJ Moody Jones, wearing sunglasses and headphones, blasts upbeat hip-hop remixes so loud you have to yell to be heard. Lurie, wearing his staple Levi’s jeans, white button-up shirt and white sneakers, leans over to make small talk as he makes his way through the room.
This is not the first time Lurie’s youthful staffers are dipping their toes into campaigning. His Instagram and TikTok accounts are small — some 2,500 Instagram followers and about 150 on TikTok — but often mixing in trends of the day. One shows a montage of “passing the phone;” in another — more traditional — the candidate speaks directly into the camera about where he is standing and what he has heard while canvassing on the streets.
Cal Kinoshita, a 19-year-old on break from school in London, is one of the brains behind the Instagram Reels and TikTok videos. Kinoshita says Lurie and his staff have been receptive to Gen Z’s creative ideas.
“We previously did one using a Brat song for a video, even ahead of the Kamala campaign,” says Kinoshita, referencing the album from British singer Charli XCX’s trending song 360. It has become the Kamala Harris campaign’s go-to meme.
“Kamala IS brat,” wrote Charli XCX in July, prompting the campaign to switch its X banner to match the neon green of the Brat album cover.
But Kinoshita picked up on Brat earlier, posting Lurie’s own Brat clip on July 2.
“We also did a ‘demure’ one today,” Kinoshita adds, referring to the latest trend coined by TikToker Jools Lebron, who says “Very demure, very mindful” while filming herself applying perfume in the car.
But, there’s no perfume on Lurie’s reels. It’s all campaigning. In one of Konishita’s Instagram Reels, the interns and young staffers take turns underscoring Lurie’s track record on building affordable housing at Bryant Street, chairing the Super Bowl 50 Committee, and prioritizing public safety, homelessness, and invigorating downtown. And of course, calling the candidate’s policies “very demure, very mindful, very considerate.”
An hour into the event, the interns take the stage alongside Lurie’s 13-year-old daughter Taya.
Each of them asks the crowd a series of multiple choice questions about San Francisco: What is the oldest building in the city? (Mission Dolores.) How many years did it take to build the Golden Gate Bridge? (Four.) The crowd shouts out the answers and cheers when someone answers correctly. The biggest cheer goes to Taya when she asks what bird is on the city’s flag. The answer? A phoenix.
When Lurie is about to take the stage to make his pitch to the young voters, he greets his wife Becca Prowda, who works as protocol director for Gov. Gavin Newsom. Prowda has skipped the Chicago Democratic National Convention to be here — with the city’s young voters.
Unlike his opponent Mark Farrell, who often campaigns alongside his wife and three kids, Lurie’s family (he has a wife and two children) has yet kept a lower profile, so their presence tonight is special and Lurie is beaming.
Almost a year ago, Prowda walked with Lurie hand-in-hand to the Department of Elections to file for his mayoral candidacy.
“It has been a total thrill,” Prowda says. In her eyes, his candidacy is a bigger step than Lurie establishing his nonprofit Tipping Point. “Every couple of days, he’s been at every corner of the city.”
But the two try to have a “politics free-zone” at home, Prowda says. “I’m in Sacramento politics and he’s in San Francisco politics,” she said. “So we tried to spend time with the kids. Not talk about politics at the dinner table.”
Facing a younger crowd, Lurie tries to lighten the mood. “I feel like I’m doing standup comedy,” he says, holding a microphone in his hand. And, sometimes campaigning is kind of like that.
Purple and blue spotlights shine on Lurie. The crowd laughs and then he dives into public safety, homelessness, housing, and city red tape. His audience has other questions.
“I’m struggling with Levi’s jeans,” DJ Jones says to the scion of the Levi Strauss denim empire. “Is 501 the right one?”
Tough question, Lurie says, but he has an answer. “I’m going with 511, just for the record,” he says. “I mean, 501, you can’t go wrong with it, but I’m wearing 511 right now.”
Jones then pivots to student housing and downtown revitalization. Lurie points to the supply and demand problem: A 135-unit teacher housing in the Sunset which is ready for tenants this fall recently saw 900 applications. Fixes? Converting downtown commercial spaces to residential buildings, demolishing some older buildings in poor condition, and building more.
Another young voter asks about the school district’s crisis, adding that she knows the mayor doesn’t run the school district.
“The mayor has the microphone and the City Hall steps,” he says, noting that the city pays for $200 million of the $1.3 billion yearly San Francisco Unified School District budget. “There’s going to be strings attached.” Other than that, he also promises fiscal oversight over SFUSD, resources from departments such as the Department of Children, Youth and their Families, more frequent Muni buses and ambassadors riding alongside students.
To a question about the general safety of sending kids to school, Lurie underscores public safety — trained clinicians on the streets for the mental health and drug crisis, police patrols and walking the beat, and a fully staffed police department.
Closing the speech, he asks for votes. “I’m not here for my next political job. And I’ve made this pledge to a rabbi and a priest, and I’m going to do it to other faith leaders shortly.” Lurie promises “I want to do two terms as your mayor.”
“This is a ranked-choice voting election. It’s confusing. It gets weird,” Lurie says in closing. “The only thing you need to really know is: Put Daniel Lurie No. 1.”
About the author
‘Like a teddy bear’: Bob Lee’s friends testify to drug use, character
Two former colleagues and friends of Cash App founder Bob Lee testified today that while the homicide victim used drugs, Lee was not aggressive or erratic. The testimony countered a narrative from his alleged killer that Lee first drew the knife that killed him. Nima Momeni, the man on trial for Lee’s murder, has testified that Lee attacked him with a kitchen knife over a “bad joke,” about spending more time with his family rather than going to a strip club and that Momeni redirected the weapon toward Lee. Momeni’s defense team rested its case earlier this week. Prosecutors today called three rebuttal witnesses to testify to Lee’s character, as well as a San Francisco police captain intended to discredit a former sergeant who on Tuesday testified in support of the plausibility of Momeni’s self-defense claim. Kristina Champion, who worked with Lee when […]
Over 900 mobile home owners in Sweetwater, Florida handed move-out notices amid plans to transform park
Over 900 mobile home owners in Sweetwater, Florida handed move-out notices amid plans to transform park Residents of Li'l Abner Mobile Home Park in Sweetwater, Florida, were recently notified that they'll need to find somewhere else to live and quickly. The community of more than 900 mobile homes, together housing roughly 2,000 to 3,000 people per the mayor's estimate, will close in May 2025 to make way for new affordable and workforce housing. Mobile home owners usually own the home but rent the land it stands on. The land owner in this case, CREI Holdings, says it will provide a financial incentive of $14,000 to residents who leave by January 31, 2025. Those who leave by March 31 or April 30, will receive $7,000 and $3,000, respectively, though many tenants say it's not enough time or money, according to a […]
Judge denies motion to ease house arrest of Jon Jacobo
A San Francisco judge on Thursday denied a motion to loosen the home detention conditions forJon Jacobo, a once-rising star in San Francisco’s politics who was arrested on Aug. 5 for alleged sexual assault. “The motion is denied to the extent that it asks for relief from home detention and [ankle] monitoring,” said San Francisco Superior Court judge Kenneth Wine this morning. “It’s the seriousness of the charges that’s really driving my decision. There are a number of victims with very serious charges.”Jacobo, a longtime Mission District community leader, was first publicly accused of rape in 2021. This April, he resigned from his executive position at affordable-housing developer TODCO, soon after three women accused him of rape and abuse in a San Francisco Standard story. He was arrested on Aug. 5, 2024. Jacobo today showed up in the courtroom in casual clothes […]
Pam Bondi named as new AG pick after Gaetz drops out
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for attorney general, said Thursday he is withdrawing his name for the role -- just a day after Gaetz spoke with Republican senators on Capitol Hill about the nomination process.Trump has named Pam Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida, as his new pick for the role.Another controversial Cabinet pick, Pete Hegseth, is on the Hill on Thursday with Vice President-elect JD Vance to make his case for the secretary of the Department of Defense job.Meanwhile, Trump continues to announce his picks for top jobs inside his administration.Latest DevelopmentsNov 21, 6:56 PMTrump nominates Pam Bondi as new AG pickTrump has nominated Pam Bondi as his new pick for attorney general, after Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration earlier Thursday.Bondi is the former attorney general of Florida, serving from 2011 to 2019 and marking […]
Mission Local bags two Society of Professional Journalists awards
This here publication last week took home two more awards from the Northern California branch of the Society of Professional Journalists for in-depth coverage and analysis of the sort you expect — and demand — of us. Senior editor Joe Rivano Barros and former data reporter Will Jarrett were honored in the “Explanatory Journalism” category for the mammoth effort of tracing and documenting the Russian dolls-like series of interconnected organizations funneling billionaires’ dollars into San Francisco politics. Joe Rivano Barros, who with Will Jarrett won for the Big Money SF work. Photo by Abigail Van NeelyThe series, titled “BigMoneySF,” included Rivano Barros’ profile of Neighbors for a Better San Francisco, the largest donor over the last several election cycles, and Jarrett’s interactive chart, a stunning accomplishment requiring months of work unearthing reams of financial data structured in a manner so as to render it […]
US airline flight crews confident and angry as unions seek richer contracts
By Rajesh Kumar Singh CHICAGO (Reuters) - Alaska Airlines flight attendant Rebecca Owens works 10 hours a day but only gets paid for half that time - a legacy of a common U.S. airline policy to pay cabin crew members only when planes are in motion. Owens, and thousands of cabin crew like her, wants that to change. In August, 68% of Alaska flight attendants in a ratification vote rejected a contract that would have increased average pay by 32% over three years. It was also the first labor agreement that would have legally required airlines to start the clock for paying flight attendants when passengers are boarding, not when the flight starts to taxi down the runway. Delta Air Lines, the only major U.S. airline whose flight attendants are not in a union, instituted boarding pay for its flight […]
Related
‘Like a teddy bear’: Bob Lee’s friends testify to drug use, character
Two former colleagues and friends of Cash App founder Bob Lee testified today that while the homicide victim used drugs, Lee was not aggressive or erratic. The testimony countered a narrative from his alleged killer that Lee first drew the knife that killed him. Nima Momeni, the man on trial for Lee’s murder, has testified that Lee attacked him with a kitchen knife over a “bad joke,” about spending more time with his family rather than going to a strip club and that Momeni redirected the weapon toward Lee. Momeni’s defense team rested its case earlier this week. Prosecutors today called three rebuttal witnesses to testify to Lee’s character, as well as a San Francisco police captain intended to discredit a former sergeant who on Tuesday testified in support of the plausibility of Momeni’s self-defense claim. Kristina Champion, who worked with Lee when […]
Judge denies motion to ease house arrest of Jon Jacobo
A San Francisco judge on Thursday denied a motion to loosen the home detention conditions forJon Jacobo, a once-rising star in San Francisco’s politics who was arrested on Aug. 5 for alleged sexual assault. “The motion is denied to the extent that it asks for relief from home detention and [ankle] monitoring,” said San Francisco Superior Court judge Kenneth Wine this morning. “It’s the seriousness of the charges that’s really driving my decision. There are a number of victims with very serious charges.”Jacobo, a longtime Mission District community leader, was first publicly accused of rape in 2021. This April, he resigned from his executive position at affordable-housing developer TODCO, soon after three women accused him of rape and abuse in a San Francisco Standard story. He was arrested on Aug. 5, 2024. Jacobo today showed up in the courtroom in casual clothes […]
Mission Local bags two Society of Professional Journalists awards
This here publication last week took home two more awards from the Northern California branch of the Society of Professional Journalists for in-depth coverage and analysis of the sort you expect — and demand — of us. Senior editor Joe Rivano Barros and former data reporter Will Jarrett were honored in the “Explanatory Journalism” category for the mammoth effort of tracing and documenting the Russian dolls-like series of interconnected organizations funneling billionaires’ dollars into San Francisco politics. Joe Rivano Barros, who with Will Jarrett won for the Big Money SF work. Photo by Abigail Van NeelyThe series, titled “BigMoneySF,” included Rivano Barros’ profile of Neighbors for a Better San Francisco, the largest donor over the last several election cycles, and Jarrett’s interactive chart, a stunning accomplishment requiring months of work unearthing reams of financial data structured in a manner so as to render it […]
‘Slow Streets, Fast Friends’ mural comes to 20th St. in the Mission
Sign up below to get Mission Local’s free newsletter, a daily digest of news you won’t find elsewhere. Josue Rojas hovers in the air above the ground, gingerly balancing his stomach on a stool while holding his paintbrush in one hand, face towards the asphalt. He says it’s better than being on all fours. “It’s particularly brutal work,” says Rojas. “I’m on my knees six to eight hours a day and, now that I’m in my mid-40s, it’s not that easy to bear.” Rojas has spent the past week working between bursts of rain to create a street mural on 20th and Florida streets for the “Slow Streets, Fast Friends” project of the SF Parks Alliance nonprofit, which commissions murals on slow streets throughout the city.The mural was finished this past weekend, and now adorns the block where Atlas Cafe, the Southern […]
SFMTA board approves new Valencia bikeway—but few are happy
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s board unanimously approved the new curbside Valencia Street bike lane on Tuesday, and admitted that the transit agency should have been more cautious with experiments in merchant corridors.That experiment — a bike lane running up the center of the street — had pitted transit advocates against shopkeepers. Now cyclists and the Valencia Corridor Merchants Association were finally on the same page: Neither were fans of the new design.“The [merchants association] cannot officially support the side-running bike lane,” said Manny Yekutiel, president of the Valencia Corridor Merchants Association, which has fought the old design. Yekutiel was one of dozens who spoke up in the three-hour-long meeting held at City Hall.Yekutiel, echoing long-held concerns from merchants against streetscape changes, said the new design will get rid of a lot of the parking spots on Valencia Street. […]
Banderas flags
Banderas flags Source: missionlocal.org
