San Francisco, CA
Daniel Lurie leads in San Francisco mayoral race
SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco is still tabulating results from Tuesday’s election, but so far political newcomer Daniel Lurie is holding his lead in the mayoral election.
The counting is not over yet, but things are looking good for Lurie at this point. After 14 rounds of counting, philanthropist and Levi’s heir Lurie is holding a lead with more than 56% of the ranked choice votes.
San Francisco State University political science Professor Jason McDaniel said Lurie has benefited from voters who want change.
“This was an election that’s an anti-incumbent, change election, said McDaniel. “People in this city and around the world really, are upset and are taking it out on our elected leaders. The incumbents and candidates in parties are losing everywhere.”
McDaniel said Lurie also benefited from a strong, well run and well-funded campaign.
“I always tell people, money doesn’t buy elections, but he ran a very good campaign,” said McDaniel. “He spent more, raised more than all the other candidates combined. He ran a very sustained campaign over the last year.”
Current Mayor London Breed trails at this point with more than 43% of the ranked choice vote, with more votes to be counted.
McDaniel said while many say conditions in the city are improving, Mayor Breed may pay a price with voters who think back to the last few years and post-pandemic conditions. “Her core support in the city didn’t collapse, she managed to hold together, but she wasn’t able to get beyond that,” said McDaniel.
“Once there were enough voters who were convinced the city was headed in the wrong direction, and again we’ve seen that around the world, that voters feel that way, enough of them blamed her and supported someone else.”
San Franciscans who voted for Lurie said they’re hopeful. “On my ballot yesterday I noticed it was ranked choice voting and there were 10 different candidates and I think nine different slots,” said Wendy Hernandez. “I did vote for Lurie at the top.”
Voters say if he goes on to win he would have to earn the confidence of those who didn’t put him at the top of their ballot. “Oh that’s sad news,” said Tutone Lyles Naranjo.” I wouldn’t want to vote for a billionaire.”
“He was my third choice.” said Mark Philpott of Lurie. “I heard him and the others speak at a debate led by the Harvey Milk Club and I went with Aaron Peskin. He’s old San Francisco. He has 20 years experience, I think.”
Our political analyst said while the incumbent mayor may pay a price for post-pandemic conditions, that doesn’t necessarily extend to incumbent supervisors.
Three incumbent supervisors are facing challengers in the city. In one of those races, to lead the Richmond District, the challenger Marjan Philhour leads the incumbent Connie Chan by just 35 votes at this point, with more results expected in that race and others tomorrow.
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco Giants Gold Glove Catcher Projected For Huge Season
The San Francisco Giants have made some huge offseason moves already and hope they aren’t done just yet, but as is the case for every team that doesn’t win the World Series, the most important development will have to come from within.
One player who took a huge step from 2023 to 2024 and will try to improve even further in 2025 is Giants catcher Patrick Bailey. After a beyond solid rookie season in 2023 in which he finished in the top-ten for the National League Rookie of the Year, Bailey won a Gold Glove in 2024.
While the offensive output was similar to his rookie season and not anything to write home about, there’s confidence the bat will come along for the 25-year-old.
In an article naming breakout stars in 2024 who are due for a huge season in 2025, Bailey was one of the first names mentioned by Will Leitch of MLB.com.
“Bailey led all players in Statcast’s fielding run value metric (plus-22), and FanGraphs, which factors pitch framing into its WAR calculation, had Bailey third among catchers with 4.3 WAR,” Leitch wrote. “At age 25, Bailey already has won as many Gold Gloves as Posey — now his team’s president of baseball operations — did over his whole career.”
Leitch pointed out that Bailey has established himself to be San Francisco’s catcher of the future, something that seems undeniable at this point. If the former first-round pick can develop his bat to the point where he is hitting at least close to the same rate as he was raking in the minor leagues, he will have a chance to become one of the best catchers in baseball.
Through 218 games over his first two seasons in MLB, Bailey has posted a batting average of .234, an OPS of .640, slugged .348, and has hit 15 home runs and 94 RBIs. Certainly not numbers that will blow you away at the plate, but his defense has more than made up for it and allowed the Giants to be patient with his bat.
In 193 minor league games since being drafted No. 13 overall in 2020, Bailey hit .251 across all levels and had an OPS of .779. He also showed an encouraging level of power with 25 home runs, but has struggled to replicate that in the big leagues thus far.
Having already established himself to be one of the best in the game on defense, Bailey will have a chance in 2025 to enter the upper echelon of catchers across the game if he can have the breakout season he appears poised to.
San Francisco, CA
Christmas gifts arrive early for children at San Francisco hospital
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco Ballet's Nutcracker celebrates big milestones this season
SAN FRANCISCO – It’s a magical and beloved holiday tradition that’s uniquely San Francisco – The San Francisco Ballet’s Nutcracker.
This year, the production is marking big milestones at the War Memorial Opera House.
The San Francisco Ballet performed the first Nutcracker in the United States in 1944. This year, the company is celebrating its 80th anniversary.
“My family has this term called ‘nerv-cited,’ it’s a mix between nervous and excited… so I’m feeling nerve cited,” said 12-year-old Stella Sieck.
Sieck performs as a butterfly in the Nutcracker this season. Dancers have been rehearsing for the production since October.
This holiday season, the company is marking its 20th year of Helgi Tomasson’s Nutcracker. The former artistic director set this production in San Francisco, inspired by the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, a world’s fair held in 1915.
Tomasson led the San Francisco Ballet for 37 years. The Nutcracker is his tribute to San Francisco.
“It means so much to the city, and the audience, how they bring their children and their grandchildren, and it has become a real tradition, and they have taken ownership of this Nutcracker, and I’m very proud of that,” Tomasson said.
Grace Maduell Holmes first danced in SF Ballet’s Nutcracker in 1979, performing in upwards of 350 holiday shows. Today, she serves as the San Francisco Ballet School Director.
“I hope that they’re not just enjoying their time on the stage as performers but also having a look at the teamwork that it takes to put on a production of this professional level,” she said. “I think it’s so important for these students to see that it’s not just about class, it’s not just about performance, but it takes a huge group of people to put something on like this.”
KTVU was there as Stella prepared to go on stage. She normally trains six to seven days a week throughout the year, and hopes to join the company one day.
“It’s just an honor and I’m so grateful to be in a production like this one, and there’s so many amazing dancers,” said Sieck. I’m standing here, an incredible dancer stood here before me.”
“We make people happy. I love making people happy because I know when I dance, I’m bringing joy to other people,” she added.
This season, the San Francisco Ballet will hold more Nutcracker shows than ever. The final day of performances is December 29.
-
Business1 week ago
Freddie Freeman's World Series walk-off grand slam baseball sells at auction for $1.56 million
-
Technology1 week ago
Meta’s Instagram boss: who posted something matters more in the AI age
-
Technology4 days ago
Google’s counteroffer to the government trying to break it up is unbundling Android apps
-
News1 week ago
East’s wintry mix could make travel dicey. And yes, that was a tornado in Calif.
-
Politics5 days ago
Illegal immigrant sexually abused child in the U.S. after being removed from the country five times
-
News5 days ago
Novo Nordisk shares tumble as weight-loss drug trial data disappoints
-
Entertainment5 days ago
'It's a little holiday gift': Inside the Weeknd's free Santa Monica show for his biggest fans
-
Politics1 week ago
Trump taps Richard Grenell as presidential envoy for special missions, Edward S. Walsh as Ireland ambassador