San Francisco, CA
Daniel Lurie makes it official: He’s San Francisco's next mayor
Daniel Lurie, the first-time candidate, made it official this morning: He is San Francisco’s next mayor, and a public servant who will likely work for free.
“I have to talk to the city attorney about salary. I don’t anticipate taking one, but I have to talk to him about that,” said Lurie, the Levi Strauss heir to a crowd of supporters, campaign staffers, and reporters at St. Mary’s Square in Chinatown on Friday morning. This was the mayor-elect’s first public address since election night.
As for his own wealth, which enabled him to pour over $8.6 million into the campaign, Lurie said he will put all of his holdings into a blind trust on Day One. He takes office on Jan. 8.
Lurie said he received a “gracious call” from Mayor London Breed on Thursday, who conceded the race to Lurie that afternoon, and said she will work with him on a smooth transition.
“Your voices and your call for accountable leadership, service and change have been heard,” Lurie said reflecting on his 13-month-long campaign. “I stand before you, humbled and inspired with the great honor and privilege of serving you, the people of San Francisco, as your next mayor.”
The press conference was scant on details but did offer a couple: He will declare a fentanyl state of emergency on Day One, as he promised on the campaign trail, and he said public safety would be his “No. 1 priority” including focusing on drug dealing. “We’re gonna get tough,” he said.
He reiterated the issues he promised to address during his administration: street cleanliness and safety, drug and behavioral health crises, City Hall corruption and ineffective bureaucracy, housing affordability, small businesses and downtown revitalization.
Lurie acknowledged the challenges ahead: Both San Francisco’s own economic and social challenges and those brought about by the ascent of a second Trump administration. But as to how to prepare for such challenges, the mayor-elect laid out some high-level, common-sense promises, but scant details were revealed during the 15-minute press conference.
Lurie said he will build a world-class administration but didn’t offer any names of who will be on his team — only promising that the administration will “reflect the diversity” of the city. “The people I hire and appoint will not be in service to me, but to all of you and your desire to have a City Hall that works and listens to you,” the mayor-elect promised.
As for the looming fear and worry among San Franciscans in the face of four years of Trump, Lurie, who has “serious disagreement with President Donald Trump,” offered reassurance. “San Francisco will stand up for the rights of all of our neighborhoods,” he said. “We will never turn a blind eye to racism, bigotry, or anti-Asian hate.” He said his disagreements with the Trump administration would not stop him from doing work here in San Francisco.
Fielding questions from the press, Lurie did not say whether he would fire the police chief, and said he would not interfere in the process of Breed appointing a new District 2 supervisor when the incumbent Catherine Stefani leaves for her new job as a California Assemblymember. He was one of the few candidates who declined to offer voters a list of those he would fire, saying that he instead would interview all department heads in the first months of his administration.
As for the San Francisco Unified School District budget that will drop next week, Lurie said will work with Maria Su, the new superintendent.
And as for the persisting illegal street vending issue plaguing the Mission District, Lurie didn’t offer solutions but assures that it will be his focus in the Mission and every corner of the city.
“We have change coming on January 8th, 2025,” Lurie said in closing. “This city will rise again.”
What’s New
Hilton hotel workers in San Francisco voted on Christmas Eve to approve a new union contract after a 93-day strike, according to the Unite Here Local 2 union.
The union, which represents about 15,000 workers in the region, announced that the deal settles the last of the city’s 2024 hotel strikes, covering approximately 900 Hilton workers.
Newsweek has contacted Unite Here Local 2 and Hilton via email for comment.
Justin Sullivan/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Why It Matters
The new contracts after this year’s strikes establish significant improvements in wages, health care and workload protections for workers at Hilton, Hyatt and Marriott-operated hotels.
The agreements conclude months of labor unrest that involved thousands of workers and disrupted San Francisco’s hotel industry.
What To Know
Hilton workers voted 99.4 percent in favor of the agreement on Christmas Eve, which includes a $3 per hour immediate wage increase, additional raises, and protections against understaffing and increased workloads.
The four-year contract preserves affordable union health insurance and provides pension increases. The deal covers workers at Hilton San Francisco Union Square and Parc 55, with 650 workers having actively participated in the strike.
This agreement follows similar contracts reached with Hyatt workers on Friday and Marriott workers last Thursday, covering a total of 2,500 workers who had been on strike since late September.
What People Are Saying
Bill Fung, a housekeeping attendant at Hilton San Francisco Union Square for 29 years, said: “These 93 days have not been easy, and I’m so proud that my coworkers and I never gave up. We stood together through the rain and cold, and even though there were some hard days, it was all worth it. We will go back to work with our health care, good raises, and the confidence of knowing that when we fight, we win.”
Lizzy Tapia, President of Unite Here Local 2, said: “Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott workers refused to give up their health care or go backwards – and we proved on the picket line that we’re not afraid of a tough fight. As contract talks begin with the city’s other full-service hotels in the new year, they should know that this is the new standard they must accept for their own employees.”
San Francisco Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie said on X: “All those that have been out on strike will be back to work, and just in time for Christmas. So, things are looking bright as we head into 2025.
What Happens Next
Unite Here Local 2 said it would push for other full-service hotels in San Francisco to adopt the same standards established by the Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott agreements when contract negotiations resume in 2025.
SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco Hilton hotel workers who have been on strike for the past three months voted Tuesday to approve a new union contract.
The approval by Unite Here Local 2 in San Francisco settles the last of three hotel strikes in San Francisco this year, union officials said.
The strikes at Marriott, Hyatt and Hilton hotels throughout the city began in the fall. Marriott workers reached agreements on Thursday, with Hyatt doing the same on Friday.
San Francisco Hyatt Hotel union workers unanimously approve new contract
The Hilton agreement is the same as those ratified by striking Hyatt and Marriott workers last week, according to Ted Waechter, spokesperson for the Unite Here Local 2 union.
The agreement applies to about 900 workers, 650 of which have been on strike for over three months, according to Waechter. The hotels include the Hilton San Francisco Union Square and about 250 workers at Hilton’s Parc 55 hotel, who had been prepared to go on strike.
All the deals with hotels include keeping the workers’ health plan, wage increases, and protections against understaffing and workload increases.
Many of the 2,500 hotel workers had been striking for about 93 days, picketing daily in Union Square, which is the site of a Hilton and the nearby Grand Hyatt on Stockton Street.
SF Hyatt Hotel union workers on strike to vote on ratifying tentative agreement for new contract
“These 93 days have not been easy, and I’m so proud that my coworkers and I never gave up,” said Bill Fung, a housekeeping attendant at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square for 29 years. “We stood together through the rain and cold, and even though there were some hard days, it was all worth it. We will go back to work with our health care, good raises, and the confidence of knowing that when we fight, we win.”
Hilton media representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
San Francisco Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie on Tuesday issued a statement welcoming an end to the strike, saying it came just in time for the holiday season and allows workers to return to work for key events such as the JP Morgan Health Care Conference and NBA All-Star Game.
Unite Here Local 2 represents about 15,000 hotel, airport and food service workers in San Francisco and San Mateo counties and represented the striking hotel workers.
Copyright 2024 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, re-transmission or reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. Is prohibited.
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