San Francisco Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman was recently elected to guide the governing body's new centrist majority. | AP
A SEISMIC SHIFT: San Francisco’s ascendent moderate bloc captured a majority on the Board of Supervisors. Now, even as their de facto leader stares down a massive budget gap, he’s vowing not to slash police funding and contends the city actually needs to spend more on mental health programs.
Board President Rafael Mandelman, who was recently elected to guide the new centrist majority, sat down with Playbook for an interview to discuss the effect of the city’s changing politics as its leaders grapple with nearly $1 billion in red ink and a push to adopt more aggressive policies to combat the drug addiction crisis and hire more police.
Mandelman was selected by his colleagues in an 11-0 vote last month. It was a rare moment of unity in a city known for its sharp-elbowed politics that came after moderates last fall defeated progressive forces, which had dominated the board for six years.
Mandelman was first elected in 2018 to represent a district that includes the Castro — one of the country’s oldest LGBTQ+ enclaves — Noe Valley and Glen Park neighborhoods. He initially was a progressive but has shifted to the center in recent years, especially around public safety issues such as police surveillance and drug screening for welfare recipients. He said his views have changed as the city struggles with the fentanyl epidemic and problems with crime.
This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.
There have been a lot of bold proclamations about San Francisco pivoting away from progressive ideas. Has the city really shifted to the center?
Yes. I mean, people are complicated. Sometimes, things like equality and justice are more important to each of us. And, sometimes, safety is more important. I would definitely say that, since 2020, safety has become more important to people — the basic functioning of government, just feeling comfortable in public spaces, not having your home burgled. All those things have become more important.
The board last week approved Mayor Daniel Lurie’s plan to combat the fentanyl drug crisis, which loosens procurement rules so the city can more quickly contract with addiction and homelessness service providers. Will it make a significant difference with conditions on the street?
Time will tell. I can see why they want these authorities. I'm inclined to give them most of what they're asking for. What I will want, and what I've said to them, is it's incumbent on them to pretty quickly articulate their theory and overall plan for how to address the open-air drug scenes. One of the most distressing things about San Francisco right now … is how many of our public spaces are not usable for everyone because they've been turned over to illegal, bad activity. [Lurie’s] legislation doesn't show, in and of itself, what they're going to try to do about that.
So you’re still looking for the mayor to outline his broader plan?
Yes, very much so. I will be eager to see what that is.
The city’s $867 million budget deficit is one of the biggest challenges for Lurie and the board to address. Widespread spending cuts are likely. Is there a sacred cow that you can’t imagine cutting?
It’s going to be hard to make the case for reductions in police right now. I don't think the mayor has an appetite for shrinking the Police Department. I have no appetite for it. I don't think there's a majority of the Board of Supervisors who want to do that. I also think we need to increase our investment in care for people with severe mental illness. I don't think we're going to solve our problems, our street conditions problems, if we don't have more places for people who are severely mentally ill that are not the sidewalk, the ER or jail. But other than that … It's not going to be easy.
President Donald Trump is attacking San Francisco and California on a regular basis these days. The mayor has made it clear he doesn’t want to engage. What do you think is the right approach in dealing with Trump?
Lurie has it about right. We are not going to shy away from the fight if the fight comes to us, but we are also not going to give oxygen to his nonsense. Other than that, we need to focus on making San Francisco work. The most important thing for a prominent blue city like San Francisco to do is to show that a city like San Francisco can be run effectively. If we do that, and we become a place where red America visits or looks at us and thinks, like, ‘Wow, they really got it going on,’ then we will have done a lot for the cause.
IT’S TUESDAY AFTERNOON. This is California Playbook PM, a POLITICO newsletter that serves as an afternoon temperature check on California politics and a look at what our policy reporters are watching. Got tips or suggestions? Shoot an email to lholden@politico.com.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said his city needs about $250 million to move roughly 5,000 people living on his streets into shelters. | Rich Pedroncelli/AP
THE COST OF HOMELESSNESS: San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan has a price tag for moving the roughly 5,400 people living on his streets into shelters: $250 million.
Mahan today told Playbook he estimates that’s how much is needed for capital costs across multiple years to provide a range of “safe and managed” places, including so-called safe parking, converted motels and modular units. Public-private partnerships and money from the state and Santa Clara County would likely be needed to make his proposal happen, he said.
“What they all have in common is essentially a bed on site, security on site, sanitation, three meals a day, and some basic case management,” Mahan said.
The mayor shared the number ahead of a city council budget planning session this afternoon.
He estimated ongoing operating costs would run the city about $235 million per year, which he admitted “is more than we alone can sustain.” Mahan suggested the state and the county could help cover some health care and human services-related expenses, which would help bring that estimate down.
The mayor contrasted the shelter price with the cost of building new housing units for more than 5,000 people, which he said would be closer to $5 billion.
As KQED reported yesterday, this push toward shelter is in line with how Mahan has spent homelessness money in recent years.
The city's budget presentation estimated there are about 5,400 homeless people in San Jose without shelter. The city's 2023 homelessness count estimated there were about 4,500 people living outside at that time.
While the mayor wants to continue building affordable housing, he wants to see the state develop its shelters.
“California has just never built out a robust and mature shelter system,” Mahan said. “If you go to cities like New York, Boston, Chicago — cities with harsh winters — they have done this. They've done this for decades. And look, it's not perfect, right? We can talk about all the trade-offs here, but they have that.”
Meanwhile, the Fremont City Council tonight will consider an ordinance banning camping on streets, sidewalks, parks and other public spaces. Notably, it would also penalize those “causing, permitting, aiding, abetting or concealing” a violation of the new rules.
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CA vs. TRUMP
Gov. Gavin Newsom continued to avoid conflict with President Donald Trump at a wildfire recovery news conference in Altadena. | Damian Dovarganes/AP
NEWSOM PLAYS NICE: Gov. Gavin Newsom today continued to avoid conflict with Trump at a wildfire recovery news conference in Altadena. The governor criticized the president's newly enacted tariffs on steel and aluminum, but he stopped short of railing against them.
“Obviously, we’re gaming all those impacts out,” Newsom said in response to a question about whether the tariffs will affect Los Angeles-area rebuilding efforts.
“These tariffs are nothing more than taxes, paid by consumers, paid by taxpayers,” he continued. “So by definition, they would impact some of these efforts. I hope those things are considered.”
The governor then backed off a bit from the tariffs, saying he thinks “these things are well within the consciousness of the administration,” noting Trump, a longtime developer, is a president “who deeply understands the issues of material and related development and redevelopment costs.”
“These things — we’ll just see how they play out, and we’ll react to actually what happens,” the governor said.
A TAX BACKFILL?: California’s school chief is floating raising taxes on the wealthy if the Trump administration eliminates the Department of Education to help fund his tax cuts.
State superintendent Tony Thurmond told reporters after a briefing today that he “likes the idea” of taxing wealthy Californians to “put the money back where it belongs — back in public education.” Trump is expected to sign an executive order this month dismantling the department, and California could stand to lose $9 billion in funding for schools if the DOE is eliminated, according to Thurmond.
Thurmond spoke to reporters after a briefing on the AP African American Studies course that launched this school year, but could get drawn into Trump targeting what his administration described as “radical indoctrination” in schools. Thurmond said at the briefing that he “never thought that I'd hear anyone in an elected capacity have those words,” referring to Trump and other conservatives who have pushed to stop schools from teaching certain materials about race.
But the superintendent, who is running to replace the termed-out Newsom, could run into a roadblock from the governor, himself, if he fleshes out the tax proposal. Newsom has repeatedly declined to back new taxes on the wealthy and a spokesperson pointed to his prior statements on the issue. — Eric He
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WHAT WE'RE READING TODAY
— Sen. John Laird says Newsom’s proposed $375 million cut to Cal State University system is “untenable” as some Cal State schools already make large program cuts. (CalMatters)
— California lawmakers proposed three bills that would crack down on sales from out-of-state puppy mills. (Los Angeles Times)
— U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said a flyer circulating online claiming raids would take place on Tuesday was fake. (San Francisco Chronicle)
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AROUND THE STATE
— An internal auditor in Orange County will review two pandemic-era agreements with ties to Supervisor Andrew Do, who pleaded guilty in federal court for taking bribes. (Orange County Register)
— The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a ruling that ordered Sheriff Kelly Martinez to release internal records of a man who died from his injuries in county jail. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
— Compton students are scoring more than half a grade better in math than in 2019 after implementing things like in-class tutors and bolstered teacher trainings. (Los Angeles Times)
— compiled by Nicole Norman
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