In the two weeks since Mission Local last published a campaign finance dispatch, a total of $2.7 million was put toward the San Francisco general election on Nov. 5, bringing the latest total to an eye-watering $45.6 million.
Since then, the Ethics Commission has also published more detailed data on campaign committees’ finances: On Thursday, every campaign was required to file their totals for money raised and spent from July 1 to Sept. 21. This included individual candidate committees, like those controlled directly by mayoral candidates and others, and third-party political action committees.
The mayor’s race is, by far, the priciest contest: A total of $23 million has been fundraised among the candidates running, the bulk of it from the Levi Strauss heir and nonprofit founder Daniel Lurie. Then, the 15 propositions have fundraised $12.8 million, though most of that, $8.7 million, is from a single measure: TogetherSF’s charter reform, Proposition D, which could cap city commissions and expand mayoral power.
The supervisors and other candidates make up the remainder, $8.6 million.
Here’s what we can glean from these latest filings.
Aaron Peskin outraises his opponents in direct contributions
Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin was the last major candidate to join the mayor’s race, and he has lagged behind some of his opponents in direct fundraising since — but during the last reporting period, he received more donor contributions than every other candidate.
- Peskin raised a total of $253,993 from contributions of $500 or less. During the same period, Mark Farrell raised $177,360, Mayor London Breed raised $140,169, Lurie raised $65,918 (excluding his own donations) and District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safaí raised $26,830.
Lurie, thanks to his own money, is still vastly ahead in terms of fundraising. While contributions to candidate committees are capped at $500, candidates are allowed to bypass this limit to their own campaigns and Lurie has given nearly $6.3 million to himself.
Peskin also gathered smaller contributions than his opponents. Candidate committees are not required to disclose donors who gave a total of less than $100. Instead, these donations are aggregated into a total donation amount.
- Peskin received the most from these unitemized, sub-$100 contributions: $15,501. That was followed by Breed with $8,503, Lurie with $5,088, Farrell with $2,456 and Safaí with $1,055.
Meanwhile, in the supervisor races, District 5 incumbent Dean Preston raised the most money between July 1 and Sept. 21, $44,613, bringing his total to $307,478 — more than any of his opponents. Preston is also the candidate who has the most money raised against him: A total of $297,347 has gone to a GrowSF PAC opposing him, largely from a small handful of wealthy tech executives like Emmett Shear and Garry Tan.
- Preston is followed by District 7 candidate Matt Boschetto, with $37,485 and District 3 candidate Sharon Lai, with $35,765. Both are leading in direct fundraising in their districts.
Business tax measure gets another boost
The Chamber of Commerce PAC is, unsurprisingly, getting involved in this election’s big tax measure:
- The business trade group gave a whopping $245,000 to Prop. M, the tax reform measure that would lower taxes on both small businesses and very large corporations in the city, crafted by both Peskin and Breed.
The group previously gave $4,000 against Prop. L, the other business tax measure on the ballot, which would tax ride-hailing and autonomous vehicle companies like Lyft, Uber, and Waymo to fund Muni.
Prop. M has raised a total of $1.23 million, (most of that thanks to Google, which donated $500,000) second only to Prop. D, which has raised $8.7 million.
Prop. D continues to wallop its competition and outpace every other measure combined, by several times. Since Sept. 18, Prop. D — which would also expand the power of the police chief and limit the Police Commission’s oversight — has taken in some big sums from deep pockets. The competing measure, Prop. E, has raised $27,404.
- Blake Byers, the founder of an investment firm, gave $50,000 to TogetherSF’s ballot committee supporting Proposition D, bringing his total contribution to that measure to $150,000.
- Alana Palmedo, the COO at a crypto investment firm, gave $15,000 in support of Farrell’s Proposition D committee and $10,000 to TogetherSF Action.
Big donations fly
Large donations continue to propel the money race in the November election: Most funds came from donations of $50,000 or more.
Since our last report on September 18, the PAC supporting Lurie has received donations from several investors:
- Jonathan Meeks, the managing director at a private equity firm who is based in Atherton, gave $100,000.
- Jonathan Adam Gans, the CEO of an investment firm, gave $98,000, bringing his total to $301,000.
- Adam Clammer, another investment firm CEO, gave $50,000, bringing his total to $150,000.
- James Clark, the managing director of an investment firm, gave $25,000, bringing his total to $50,000.
In addition to some other big-ticket donations:
- Grace Voorhis, a philanthropist, gave $50,000 to the PAC supporting Lurie.
- Ari Lurie, Lurie’s brother, gave another $50,000 to the PAC supporting Lurie, bringing his total to $150,000.
Other notable contributions:
- Thomas Coates, the Republican donor and rent-control foe who has long supported Farrell, gave another $30,000 to a pro-Farrell PAC. That brings his total spending backing Farrell to $500,500, plus another $500,000 from him and his wife to Farrell’s ballot measure committee for Prop. D.
- CG Bennington LP gave $100,000 to the PAC supporting Farrell. It is not clear what the limited partnership does, but it is managed by Curtis Gardner, according to the Secretary of State business registry. He was once a partner at the real estate investment firm Arroyo and Coates — alongside Thomas Coates.
- The California State Pipes and Trades Council, which represents plumbers and pipefitters in unions around the state, gave $50,000 to the PAC opposing Breed.
- The Operating Engineers 3 Statewide PAC, the union which represents heavy-equipment operators, gave $50,000 to the PAC supporting Breed.
- The San Francisco Apartment Association gave $50,000 to fight Proposition B, and $390 million bond measure to fund community health, street safety and shelters. “San Francisco continues to spend and spend on various projects without really making progress on the issues that matter to residents,” said Charley Goss of the San Francisco Apartment Association. “We have a $16 billion budget, an $800 million deficit, we have passed $5 billion in bonds over the past few years. The PAC felt we needed to draw a line in the sand.”
Additional reporting by Joe Rivano Barros.
Anything notable we’ve missed? Email me at kelly@missionlocal.com and we’ll get it into a future dispatch.
About the author
Jim’s, Mission diner, will keep cooking under nonprofit ownership
Fear not, we won’t be missing the beloved green salsa at Jim’s Restaurant for some time — breakfast is here to stay. Mission Local has learned that the Mission Language and Vocational School will take over neighborhood mainstay Jim’s, which invited customers in today for its last day in business under current ownership. This afternoon, a line was seen reaching the corner of the building at 20th and Mission streets, and the diner had to take a waitlist for people to get in. Mission Language and Vocational School, a nonprofit that offers workforce development and small business supportive services, will staff the restaurant with graduates from its catering program and culinary school. The nonprofit will keep on Beto, the longtime cook. The owners, husband and wife Kim Ok Un and Kim Jung Nyun, are retiring. MLVS is expected to take over the restaurant […]
Lara Trump withdraws from consideration to replace Rubio in US Senate
By Jasper Ward(Reuters) -Lara Trump, daughter-in-law of President-elect Donald Trump, said on Saturday she has removed her name from consideration to replace outgoing U.S. Senator Marco Rubio.Rubio was picked by Trump to serve as secretary of state. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will pick a replacement for Rubio, who is expected to resign as senator when Trump takes office on Jan. 20.There was speculation that Lara Trump, who served as co-chair of the Republican National Committee in the lead-up to the 2024 election, would succeed Rubio in the Senate.Trusted news and daily delights, right in your inboxSee for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories.However, in a post on X, Trump said she had decided to remove herself from consideration "after an incredible amount of thought, contemplation, and encouragement from so many.""I could […]
Hawk on the house
Hawk on the house Source: missionlocal.org
Burglars ransack Southern California homes while posing as deliverymen
Residents are frightened and angry as a group of suspects continue ransacking San Fernando Valley homes, leaving a trail of destruction behind.A Valley Village resident said she was stunned and shaken up after thieves targeted her home on Dec. 17 between 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.The break-in was captured on home surveillance cameras as a male suspect approached the house and appeared to be disguised as a delivery man.“Ten minutes after we left [our home], someone was knocking at the door and our dog was barking away,” she said. “Then within a minute, someone had broken into the back of the house, smashed the glass door, came in and locked the dog in a room and just trashed the house. They took all of my jewelry.”Photos of the aftermath showed drawers in every room were removed and emptied and all […]
Jim’s owners retiring, leaving future of Mission diner unclear
The mom-and-pop owners of Jim’s Restaurant on Mission Street, a community staple for over three decades, will have their last day of work this Saturday, according to the restaurant.Jim’s Restaurant announced that its owners will be retiring after Saturday. It’s unclear, however, whether Jim’s will continue operating under new management. What is clear is it will no longer be the same without Ms. and Mr. Kim. The current owners, Kim Ok Un and Kim Jung Nyun, declined to comment about their retirement or whether Jim’s would continue operating. An Instagram commenter says, “So so sooo happy for you guys!! So well deserved but Jim’s will never be the same without you”.Another says, “Legendary spot just up the street from KPOO. Thanks y’all for the decades of service to the community.”On Friday around noon, the restaurant at 2420 Mission St. between 20th and […]
Police bust man at Gwinnett McDonald’s they say tried to sell home he didn’t own
Gwinnett County police arrested a man at a local McDonald’s who they say attempted to sell a property he did not own by stealing the identity of its rightful owner.Police say 55-year-old Armond Long, of Lilburn, posed as the property owner and listed the land for sale on Zillow.The scheme unraveled when the actual owner discovered the listing while the sale was pending and contacted authorities.Records show the land was pending for $130,000 before law enforcement got involved.“He didn’t have any intention of selling that property, so he contacted local authorities,” said Cpl. Juan Madiedo.TRENDING STORIES: Authorities in Lake Havasu City, Arizona worked with Gwinnett County police to set up a sting operation.Long agreed to meet at a McDonald’s near the Mall of Georgia to sign final closing documents. An undercover Gwinnett officer, posing as a courier, handed Long documents […]
Related
Jim’s, Mission diner, will keep cooking under nonprofit ownership
Fear not, we won’t be missing the beloved green salsa at Jim’s Restaurant for some time — breakfast is here to stay. Mission Local has learned that the Mission Language and Vocational School will take over neighborhood mainstay Jim’s, which invited customers in today for its last day in business under current ownership. This afternoon, a line was seen reaching the corner of the building at 20th and Mission streets, and the diner had to take a waitlist for people to get in. Mission Language and Vocational School, a nonprofit that offers workforce development and small business supportive services, will staff the restaurant with graduates from its catering program and culinary school. The nonprofit will keep on Beto, the longtime cook. The owners, husband and wife Kim Ok Un and Kim Jung Nyun, are retiring. MLVS is expected to take over the restaurant […]
Hawk on the house
Hawk on the house Source: missionlocal.org
Jim’s owners retiring, leaving future of Mission diner unclear
The mom-and-pop owners of Jim’s Restaurant on Mission Street, a community staple for over three decades, will have their last day of work this Saturday, according to the restaurant.Jim’s Restaurant announced that its owners will be retiring after Saturday. It’s unclear, however, whether Jim’s will continue operating under new management. What is clear is it will no longer be the same without Ms. and Mr. Kim. The current owners, Kim Ok Un and Kim Jung Nyun, declined to comment about their retirement or whether Jim’s would continue operating. An Instagram commenter says, “So so sooo happy for you guys!! So well deserved but Jim’s will never be the same without you”.Another says, “Legendary spot just up the street from KPOO. Thanks y’all for the decades of service to the community.”On Friday around noon, the restaurant at 2420 Mission St. between 20th and […]
S.F. police shoot, kill Dior guard turned alleged hit-and-run driver
San Francisco police shot and killed a purportedly armed man they say they tracked down — after he allegedly hit pedestrians and a cyclist with a car on Thursday evening. Assistant Chief David Lazar, who gave a press conference this morning, said the man was believed to be a security guard at Dior, and said he discovered a firearm “on the ground” at the scene that he believed belonged to the guard. He did not give any details about whether the man was armed at the time police shot him. Lazar also could not confirm how many police officers fired their weapons at the man. The driver was allegedly driving on the sidewalk around 6:30 p.m. at Kearny and Post streets and hit two pedestrians, an 18-year-old and a 17-year-old, Lazar said, in pursuit of a man on an electric bicycle. After hitting […]
Street sheet – Mission Local
Mission Local produces enterprise reporting on San Francisco's most critical issues: police reform, corruption, public health, housing and homelessness. Learn more about us, and donate below keep us reporting.Subscribe to Mission Local's daily newsletter Source: missionlocal.org
Supervisor Melgar won, now the trick will be to manage her constituents’ competing interests
District 7 incumbent Myrna Melgar faced a particularly bruising re-election campaign. She squared off against significant numbers of her own constituents by supporting hot-button issues like Proposition K to close the Great Highway to cars, and upzoning parts of her district that have been previously limited to single-family housing. “If I lose this election on this issue, then that’s the right thing to do,” Melgar said in June, after a particularly contentious meeting about zoning changes coming to her district, and the rest of the city. But she didn’t lose the election. No matter the ideological differences, most of her constituents agree: She’s good at the actual work of being a district supervisor. “When I call — somebody does get back to me,” said Peggy da Silva, a West Portal resident who has reached out to Melgar’s office over concerns like city […]
