Newly inaugurated Mayor Daniel Lurie said Thursday he wants to freeze city hiring and new programs — though there are major exemptions and scant details on exactly what departments will be affected. 

In light of a historic budget deficit reaching nearly $900 million, Lurie said the city would pause hiring for new positions, except those that are “historically challenging to staff and that directly support public safety and health.”

Additionally, Lurie told department heads to “realign programming and spending” with core priorities, according to a press release, including freezing new contracts and programs. 

The mayor’s office did not respond to a list of questions from The Standard about which departments would be exempted from the hiring freeze or the criteria for halting programs and contracts. 

“As we speak, the San Francisco Police Department and sheriff’s department are rapidly shifting resources and personnel to bring drug dealers to justice and clean up our streets,” Lurie said in his inaugural address Wednesday.

Chinese Americans have long played a critical role in San Francisco politics and the city’s identity as a bastion of progress and compassion, advocating for integrated schools, affordable housing and public safety, especially after the pandemic when anti-Asian hate crimes spiked.

It’s also a fast-growing electorate. The Asian population had the highest growth rate of any ethnicity in San Francisco from 2010 to 2020, according to U.S. Census data. Chinese residents account for nearly 22% of the city’s population.

Lurie has already hired several staffers to help him bridge cultural divides, including Han Zhao, a political strategist for Lurie’s campaign who will be the director of public affairs; Paul Yep, a former San Francisco police commander who will be the director of public safety; and Kit Lam, who was the Asian American and Pacific Islander political director for Lurie’s campaign and who was previously an organizer of the school board recall in 2022. He will serve as a press liaison between the mayor’s office and AAPI communities.

Lurie, founder of the nonprofit Tipping Point and heir to the Levis Strauss clothing fortune, campaigned as a political outsider fed up with dysfunction and corruption in City Hall.

He has never held elected office before, but convinced voters that his background in nonprofit work would position him well to bring new ideas to City Hall. Campaign contributions soared past $62 million, topped by Lurie who raised roughly $16 million — about half of which was self-funded — making his run the most expensive in the city’s history.

At Wednesday’s night market, hundreds of residents packed the streets of Chinatown to eat and dance to electronic music by San Francisco-born electronic music producer, Zhu.

“I just got off of work over at Equinox and came because Zhu was performing, but I also came here to support our new Mayor Daniel Lurie,” said Mason Maes, who lives in Noe Valley. “It’s great to see all these residents get together.”

Elizabeth Wang, a Marina resident, came because she was hoping to learn more about Lurie and to have fun with friends.

“I’m just here for the vibes. I can’t say I know much about [Lurie] since he’s new to government,” Wang said. “But having a party here in Chinatown means a lot.”

Others at the event, who didn’t vote for Lurie and had skepticism about his wealthy background, said they’re waiting to see what type of change his administration will bring.

“We weren’t Daniel Lurie fans, but we love this city and hope it gets better,” said Tiny Harris, who was chasing her toddler around the market.

She said she voted for Aaron Peskin partly because he opposed sweeps of homeless encampments and supported housing and behavioral health solutions over law enforcement to address street homelessness.

“But out of all the mayoral candidates, we could have done worse, so I’m thankful for that,” Harris said.

Large turnout for new San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie’s inauguration night celebrations in Chinatown.
He thanks the Asian and AAPI communities for their support. San Franciscans, even one that said she didn’t vote for him, say they are excited and optimistic that he may bring change.