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.
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