SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The California state lawmaker favored to succeed Nancy Pelosi in the U.S. House has already been thrust into the national spotlight as the force behind headline-grabbing policies like a ban on masks for federal agents and protections for transgender youth.

Now Scott Wiener is expected to win the California Democratic Party’s endorsement on Sunday, giving his candidacy an extra boost in a competitive primary. Once in Washington, he could swiftly become a fresh symbol of San Francisco politics, derided by conservatives as an example of extreme liberalism while occasionally clashing with progressives.

Wiener has practice with that balancing act after 15 years in city and state politics.

“Sen. Wiener only does the tough bills,” longtime Sacramento lobbyist Chris Micheli said. “He never shies away from a significant political battle.”

Wiener’s challenge of navigating modern Democratic politics was on display in January, when he changed his language on the war in Gaza. Days after declining to align with his progressive opponents in describing Israel’s actions as genocide, he said he agreed with that term. The shift angered some Jewish groups and led Wiener to step down as co-chair of the state Legislative Jewish Caucus.

“For a period of time I chose not to use the word ‘genocide’ because it is so sensitive within the Jewish community,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press. “But ultimately I decided I had been effectively saying ‘genocide’ for quite some time.”

Leading high-profile legislation

Wiener, known for his calm demeanor, is often at the center of California’s most divisive issues, from housing to drug use. His backers and critics alike describe him as someone who advocates relentlessly for his bills.

“If you’re willing to risk people being mad at you, you can get things done and make people’s lives better,” Wiener said.

He wrote laws requiring large companies to disclose their direct and indirect climate emissions and ramp up apartment construction near public transit stops.

But he doesn’t always win.

Wiener authored a first-in-the-nation law banning local and federal law enforcement agents from wearing face coverings after a wave of immigration raids across Southern California last summer. A judge blocked it from taking effect this month — a rare loss in the state’s legal battles with the Trump administration that had Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office blaming Wiener.

He also failed to pass high-profile bills to decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms and hold oil and gas companies liable for damage from climate-caused natural disasters.

His critics come from both parties.

Republicans have blasted many of his policies aimed at defending LGBTQ+ people, sometimes calling Wiener, who is gay, offensive names.

Aaron Peskin, a former San Francisco supervisor and outspoken progressive, said a law Wiener wrote inadvertently stifled local housing and affordability efforts.

“It was screwing my government’s ability to deliver goods and services to the people that we represent,” he said.

Shifting language on Israel

Wiener said he supports Israel’s right to defend itself but grew horrified by the scale of its attacks on Gaza and blocking of humanitarian aid. More than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began in late 2023, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. He had harshly criticized Israel’s actions but avoided using the word “ genocide.”

At a candidate forum in January, he refused to say “yes” or “no” after the Democratic hopefuls were asked whether Israel was committing genocide, which angered pro-Palestinian advocates. His opponents, San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan and former tech executive Saikat Chakrabarti, said “yes.”

Days later he released a video saying Israel had committed genocide, triggering backlash from Jewish and pro-Israel groups who said his words lacked “moral clarity.”

It was a representation of the difficult political terrain many Democrats are navigating as polls show views have shifted on Israel. American sympathy for Israel dropped to an all-time low in 2025, particularly among Democrats and independents, while sympathy for Palestinians has risen.

“Do I think he wins or loses based on this issue? Not necessarily, but it could become a problem for him,” San Francisco Bay Area political consultant Jim Ross said, adding that some voters might fear he will equivocate on issues important to them.

Just two Jewish members of Congress — Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders and Democratic Rep. Becca Balint, both of Vermont — have publicly used the word “genocide” to describe Israel’s actions. Only a small percentage of congressional Democrats have used the term, according to the Jewish Democratic Council of America.

Wiener grew up in New Jersey in a family that was Conservative Jewish, a sect of Judaism that is moderately traditional, and his only friends until high school were from his synagogue, he said. He later joined a Jewish fraternity at Duke University and was surprised by how supportive his brothers were when he told them he was gay.

“A lot of Jews just intuitively understand what it means to be part of a marginalized community,” he said.

Competing for Pelosi’s seat

Pelosi, a former House speaker, has not made an endorsement in the race.

If elected, Wiener said, he will work to bring down San Francisco’s notoriously high cost of living. His opponents are running on a similar promise and say he has failed to prioritize affordable housing.

Chan and Chakrabarti, a former aide to U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., say they are fresher faces better positioned to bring sweeping change after Pelosi. Wiener, they say, is a moderate with establishment ties. Chan has been elected twice by voters in the city’s Richmond District, while Chakrabarti has never been on the ballot.

Ross, the political consultant, said it’s impossible to compare anyone to Pelosi given the sheer size of her political influence. But like her, Wiener has proved to be a strong networker who can raise money and pass ambitious bills.

“They’re both about the politics of what they can get done,” Ross said.

___

Associated Press writer Janie Har contributed.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — After a landmark ruling, President Donald Trump’s so-called reciprocal tariffs have officially been ruled illegal.

“I was honestly really surprised,” said Ann Harrison.

Supreme Court strikes down Trump’s sweeping tariffs, upending central plank of economic agenda

Harrison is an economist and the former dean of the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley.

She says studies have shown the vast majority of the tariff costs have been paid by American consumers and businesses.

Since the tariffs first came into effect back in April, ABC7 Eyewitness News has been in touch with several local businesses in San Francisco.

Following the Supreme Court’s ruling, we wanted to talk to some of them again to hear their reaction.”

UPDATE: President Trump wants to impose 15% tariff, up from 10% he announced after Supreme Court decision

One of those establishments is Asia Star Fantasy in San Francisco’s Chinatown.

Owner Nancy Yu Law says the tariffs have drastically increased shipping costs for her business.

Now that they’re gone, what she’s looking for is clarity.

“I want something stable so we can have better planning what to do. Last year we talked about 54% and 100% and 120%. We don’t know what to do at that time,” she said.

The reciprocal tariffs represent about 70% of the global tariffs the president has imposed.

Last year, we spoke with fellow San Francisco business owner Kevin Teng about what they would mean for his K-Pop store.

We caught up with him again on Friday.

“In the past ten months it’s around $17,000 or $18,000 in tariffs that we paid,” said Teng.

With the Supreme Court’s ruling, many businesses are now calling for the tariff money they paid to be reimbursed to them from the federal government.

A task Teng knows will not be easy to achieve.

“Because if you passed on the costs to the customers, shouldn’t the people of America be getting that refund as well. So it’s really complicated. I don’t know how we’re going to go about it. Maybe a tax credit would be nice,” he said.

President Trump has promised to impose a new set of 10% tariffs for countries across the globe starting Tuesday.

A move, Harrison says, is likely aimed at preserving one of Trump’s primary aspirations.

“One of the goals is to bring manufacturing back to the US and that requires long term planning,” she said.

Since April, the tariffs have collected more than $142 billion in revenue according to Yale Budget Lab.

The controversial insurance denial involving a veteran firefighter’s cancer treatment has drawn the ire of California Assemblymember Catherine Stefani, D-San Francisco, who has summoned top leaders from Blue Shield of California to meet with her and firefighter advocates on Monday to explain the rationale behind the private insurer’s recent actions.

“I think it’s just reprehensible,” Stefani told the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit. “This firefighter is fighting for his life — he shouldn’t have to fight his insurance company to get the care he needs to prolong his life.”

Stefani said she was angered, frustrated, and saddened to learn Ken Jones, 71, had part of his cancer treatment recently denied by Blue Shield.

Jones, who retired from the San Francisco fire dept. in 2012, was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer last year. His physician believes the disease is likely linked to Jones’ 17 years working as a firefighter amid smoke and ash.

Blue Shield, which administered Jones’ Medicare Advantage Plan, said it denied the immunotherapy Jones’ oncologist requested because FDA and Medicare guidelines only allow the treatment when it is used early as a “first-line therapy.” Blue Shield deemed Jones ineligible since he previously underwent other rounds of cancer medication.

“Our hearts go out to individuals and their families who are facing a cancer diagnosis or navigating treatment,” a Blue Shield spokesperson previously wrote in a statement. “We are committed to supporting our members with compassion and working with their doctors to help them access care and resources.”

Jones’ oncologist. Dr. Matthew Gubens, views the immunotherapy he prescribed as a continuation of Jones’ initial treatment since it was never completed. Jones paused his chemo and immunotherapy in order to receive a pair of medical trials. However, when those experimental treatments didn’t deliver the results doctors had hoped, Gubens decided to get Jones back on immunotherapy, which Blue Shield denied.

After receiving Blue Shield’s denial letter, Gubens immediately called the number listed on the insurance document to lodge an appeal. After spending nearly three hours on the phone, however, he says he was never able to reach the appropriate person, so he submitted his appeal in writing, which Blue Shield ultimately denied.

“He couldn’t even get through,” Stefani said. “If he can’t, who can?”

Stefani said she will ask Blue Shield executives to explain how they plan to prevent future patients and physicians from encountering the same problem when trying to phone the company to appeal a denial.

“At the very least, what I want to come out of this meeting … is a promise from Blue Shield to create a [phone] line or to a live person when it involves claims for our firefighters up and down the state,” she said. “If they fight me on it, I’ll legislate it.”

Stefani says her meeting is expected to include the insurance company’s vice president of state govt. affairs Andrew Kiefer, chief medical officer Ravy Kavasary, and lobbyist Alex Tourk. Representatives from San Francisco’s local firefighters union are also expected to attend.

Blue Shield did not immediately respond to NBC Bay Area’s request for comment regarding Stefani’s upcoming meeting with company leaders, but the company has previously stood by its decision to deny Jones’ immunotherapy, saying it followed FDA and Medicare guidelines.

“They seem to forget there’s a human being involved here that’s very sick and that needs help,” Stefani said. “I just don’t understand why they can’t do better.”

Catch up on our series now

Part 1:

Ken Jones, who spent 17 years as a San Francisco firefighter, is asking government officials to intervene after his city-provided insurance plan declined to approve a new course of treatment Jones’s oncologists believe would help slow down the progression of his stage 4 cancer.

Part 2:

A retired San Francisco firefighter, who spent nearly two decades willingly putting his life on the line for others, now finds himself fighting for survival while in a battle against his own insurance company. Senior Investigative Reporter Bigad Shaban reports.

Part 3:

The head of San Francisco’s health oversight board determined Blue Shield acted appropriately in denying immunotherapy to a San Francisco firefighter suffering from Stage 4 cancer. Senior Investigative Reporter Bigad Shaban explains why some are angered by the decision and what they perceive as a lackluster investigation by a city official.

Part 4:

Longtime San Francisco firefighter Ken Jones believes he has found a way to receive the cancer treatment previously denied by Blue Shield under his Medicare Advantage plan. Senior Investigative Reporter Bigad Shaban explains.

Part 5:

Assemblymember Catherine Stefani (D-San Francisco) is scheduled to meet with Blue Shield of California executives and their lobbyist on Monday to discuss the high-profile insurance denial of longtime San Francisco firefighter Ken Jones. Senior Investigative Reporter Bigad Shaban explains.

Contact The Investigative Unit

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