Meet San Francisco’s most powerful people in 2022

San Francisco is the epicenter of Massive Tech — so it is solely proper that our metro has a number of highly effective individuals who name it dwelling.

As 2022 involves a detailed, we needed to mirror on who’s made the largest distinction in our metropolis this yr.

The way it works: We mirrored on 2022’s headlines, thought-about what’s coming within the yr forward, and polled our most plugged-in readers and sources to find out who has formed SF.

• The unscientific checklist is produced completely by the Axios Native editorial group and isn’t influenced by promoting in any means.
• Individuals who made the ability checklist weren’t notified of their choice till publication.

London Breed

Mayor London Breed was thrust into the highlight in December 2017 following the sudden passing of then-Mayor Ed Lee.

• Breed is the town’s first Black feminine mayor.
• Her mayorship has centered on public security, homelessness and housing. Through the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Breed was lauded for her early and aggressive efforts to include the virus’ unfold in San Francisco.
• Sure, however: Breed’s tenure has not been with out controversy. In September, for instance, the Coalition on Homelessness filed a lawsuit alleging Breed ordered metropolis employees to relocate homeless individuals, violating the town’s personal insurance policies.

Largest transfer of 2022: Breed went 83% within the profitable elections of her 2022 appointees, together with District Legal professional Brooke Jenkins and two college board members.

• Her outsized affect on this yr’s midterm election helped cement San Francisco as a still-liberal metropolis that skews extra average.

What we’re watching: We’re curious to see if theories about Breed eager to run for a seat within the U.S. Senate or Congress in 2024 maintain any water.

Recall teams

Numerous individuals and teams contributed to the high-profile recall elections of three college board members and the district lawyer.

Largest transfer of 2022: Main the recall efforts of 4 elected officers in San Francisco.

What we’re watching: If we are able to go at the least one yr with out one other recall election.

Manny Yekutiel

Since 2018, Manny Yukutiel has hosted common civic discussions at his namesake cafe and group area Manny’s within the Mission, drawing massive names like Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), reporter Kara Swisher and Mayor Breed.

• Yukutiel can be one among seven board members for the San Francisco Municipal Transit Company, which lately voted to make the pandemic-era Gradual Streets program everlasting.

Largest transfer of 2022: He had an concept this yr that lighting up Valencia Avenue would deliver “power and vitality” to the neighborhood, which, like different industrial corridors within the metropolis, wanted a lift after the peak of the pandemic.

• With assist from main donors like Zynga founder Mark Pincus, he made it occur. String lights now illuminate over a dozen different corridors throughout San Francisco due to Yukutiel.

What we’re watching: Will he double down on bringing residents along with occasions just like the weeklong All Out SF celebration he put collectively this fall, or will he give attention to climbing the town’s political ladder?

Vincent Yuen

Vincent Yuen desires to maintain San Francisco clear and empower others to handle their neighborhood trash troubles.

• Since beginning Refuse Refuse SF final yr, Yuen’s volunteer group has organized over 700 cleanups and picked up greater than 175,000 gallons of rubbish.

Largest transfer of 2022: This summer season, on the longest day of the yr, Yuen launched into a sunup-to-sundown trash pickup that spanned all the 7.2 miles of Mission Avenue — from the sting of Daly Metropolis to The Embarcadero.

• Yuen and the volunteers who joined him stuffed 118 rubbish baggage that day, fittingly dubbed: “On a Mission on Mission.”

What we’re watching: Yuen insists that in areas the place he recurrently hosts cleanups, litter has dissipated over time. If that is the case, can Refuse Refuse and its volunteer community of over 6,000 residents really begin to make a dent in our metropolis’s trash drawback?

Honey Mahogany

San Francisco Democratic Committee chair Honey Mahogany is a longtime activist, social employee and staple in SF’s LGBTQ group.

Largest transfer of 2022: She ran a historic marketing campaign for District 6 supervisor, placing up a strong battle towards mayor-appointed incumbent Matt Dorsey in an try and grow to be the first-ever transgender supervisor in SF.

What we’re watching: Mahogany mentioned she’s “not going anyplace” and appears ahead to working with Dorsey to construct housing, cease the fentanyl disaster and assist small companies.

Chris Larsen

Chris Larsen is a longtime Silicon Valley entrepreneur, beginning E-Loans within the Nineties and extra lately, the crypto firm Ripple.

• The billionaire has funded a community of personal safety cameras all through the town over the past decade that he says is supposed to discourage crime.

Largest transfer of 2022: Larsen was the biggest donor this yr to Develop SF, a rising political motion committee that counted a number of victories in November. He additionally gave $1 million to the SFPD to spice up morale throughout the ranks.

What we’re watching: It is going to be attention-grabbing to see the place Larsen deploys his money subsequent in San Francisco, particularly since he would not draw back from controversial undertakings, like his digital camera community.

• And, he would not essentially comply with the conference of different high-powered tech execs, as seen in his backing of former District Legal professional Chesa Boudin throughout this yr’s recall, regardless of Develop SF’s assist of the recall.

Pickleball group

SF’s pickleball group represents a melting pot of individuals from all walks of life, generations, races and genders. The factor all of them have in widespread is their love of the game that mashes up tennis, badminton and ping-pong.

Largest transfer of 2022: Going toe-to-toe towards the tennis group for extra pickleball courts, arguing there are underutilized courts that may very well be transformed.

What we’re watching: Whether or not the pickleball group can persuade SF’s Recreation and Park Division to provide them extra courts, and whether or not the division decides to switch some tennis courts in Stern Grove to satisfy demand.

Go deeper: See all 200 of Axios Native’s Energy Gamers in 2022