The fight that could doom San Francisco's moderate coalition

Politico

17-07-2025

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MODS AT ODDS — A dispute over an urban park is threatening to fracture San Francisco's coalition of moderate Democrats, who've successfully wrested control of city politics from more progressive forces in recent years.
San Francisco voters approved a ballot measure last year to close a 2-mile portion of a major roadway, the Great Highway, and convert it into a beachfront promenade for residents and tourists at the edge of the Pacific Ocean. While the ballot initiative passed with 55 percent of the citywide vote, the loss of a major arterial to a park has enraged many homeowners on the city's more suburban west side.
Those homeowners in the Sunset and Richmond neighborhoods, many of them Chinese Americans, are part of one of the city's most powerful blocs of moderate voters. And they weren't just grumbling about traffic headaches. Unrest over the road closure and the park, renamed Sunset Dunes, has propelled a campaign to recall Supervisor Joel Engardio, who championed putting the question on the ballot.
The divide speaks to simmering tensions within the city's coalition of moderates, between so-called urbanists — who want to build a denser city that prioritizes pedestrian spaces, mass transit and apartment towers — and single-family homeowners, many of whom want to keep streets open to car traffic and preserve the suburban feel of more neighborhoods.
Both forces have largely put aside their differences in recent election cycles as they focused on common priorities like combating crime, reducing homelessness and improving the city's troubled school district. But as San Francisco has improved in those areas and urbanists flex their political muscle, the fight over housing and transportation policy is taking center stage.
The schism is amplified by Engardio's looming Sept. 16 recall election, which his detractors recently qualified for the ballot. It hasn't helped him that the city recently released a proposal to upzone much of the west side that would allow taller apartment buildings along commercial and transit corridors — further angering homeowners in the area.
Some urbanist leaders — many of whom are followers of the 'abundance' or YIMBY (Yes in My Backyard) pro-housing movements — say the split shows they need to form a new coalition of San Francisco voters who are in favor of denser development and expect the city to provide clean and safe streets.
'I like to say San Francisco is the most progressive city that hates change,' Engardio quipped during an interview at a coffee shop down the street from Sunset Dunes. 'We need to let each new generation define for themselves what they want the city to be. We can't freeze the city in amber on the day that we arrived.'
But Engardio likely faces an uphill battle to keep his seat. Some deep-pocketed moderate political advocacy groups that backed him in the past aren't pitching in to defend him now — and it's unclear if the county Democratic Party will even oppose the recall.
One of the groups staying out of the fray is Neighbors for a Better San Francisco, the city's wealthiest moderate advocacy group. Jay Cheng, its executive director, says he supports Engardio. But, he argues, the fight over the Great Highway and denser housing shows that urbanists often overlook or even 'demonize' single-family homeowners, including parents with young children for whom driving is part of their daily routines.
'They're often talking past those voters, and even worse they're often demonizing those voters,' Cheng said. 'The moderate coalition as a whole will lose if we keep going down that path.'
Nancy Tung, chair of the county Democratic Party, shares the sentiment. She said many Chinese voters on the west side resent that their community wasn't brought to the negotiating table when Engardio and four other supervisors decided to put the issue on the ballot for voters. Urbanists, she said, need to be less 'heavy-handed' in their tactics to avoid voter backlash.
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WHERE'S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.
Meanwhile, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Attorney General Pam Bondi plan to visit Alcatraz before it opens for tours this morning, KQED reports. The administration wants to reopen it as a federal prison.
CA vs. TRUMP
HIGH-SPEED SLOWDOWN — President Donald Trump announced Wednesday his administration had eliminated federal funding for California's high-speed rail project, making good on his promise to end government support for the project, our colleagues Seb Starcevic and Alex Nieves report. The development came after the Transportation Department issued a scathing report last month slamming the ambitious development for 'missed deadlines, budget shortfalls, and overrepresentation of projected ridership.'
NEWSOMLAND
GERRYMANDERING FEVER — Gavin Newsom suddenly can't stop talking about Texas gerrymandering — and a provocative idea to counter it in California, our Jeremy B. White and Nicholas Wu write.
On podcasts and social media, the California governor has threatened that if Texas follows President Donald Trump's advice and redraws its congressional districts to shore up the GOP's slender House majority, California should throw out its own maps to boost Democrats, circumventing or overhauling the state's voter-approved redistricting commission.
The proposal, however, is a long shot. And reactions have been … mixed.
— 'Trying to save democracy by destroying democracy is dangerous and foolish,' said Assemblymember Alex Lee, the head of the state Legislature's progressive caucus. 'By legitimizing the race to the bottom of gerrymandering, Democrats will ultimately lose.'
— 'The idea of taking away the power from the citizens and giving it back to the politicians — the optics of that is horrendous and indefensible,' said one Democratic political consultant granted anonymity to speak freely. 'That's insane. That's a crazy hill to die on.'
Read more from the piece here.
UNION TOWN
SERVING COMPLAINTS — The hospitality union UNITE HERE Local 11 is accusing a defunct restaurant owned by billionaire Rick Caruso of violating labor law by laying off its entire staff without offering severance packages.
The union asked the state labor commissioner in a letter Wednesday to investigate. It also filed an unfair labor practice charge accusing managers of Tony P's Dockside Grill in Marina del Rey of failing to provide employees legally guaranteed breaks and requiring them to take a survey, unpaid, outside work hours.
'There's a lot of workers that have been working 10-plus years,' said Lolita Olivarez, a server who was involved in the unionization efforts at the restaurant who was laid off when it closed. 'We didn't want to leave just with the pat on the back.'
This is just the latest time UNITE HERE has tangled with Caruso, who could run for governor or again for Los Angeles mayor, after his failed campaign against labor-backed Karen Bass in 2022. The union unsuccessfully this year pushed the California Coastal Commission to block expansion of a Caruso-owned resort because it would place affordable housing in a flood-prone area.
'Billionaire Rick Caruso talks a lot about helping families but closing a restaurant that he owns and tossing workers out on the curb after they had the courage to organize their union and then failing to pay a penny of severance to them speaks volumes about his concern for working people,' UNITE HERE Local 11 Co-President Kurt Petersen said in a statement. 'Los Angeles needs a leader who will protect Angeleno working families and not a billionaire's bottom-line.'
Restaurant leaders announced they'd be closing up shop in April, which UNITE HERE officials said was after workers had announced their intent to unionize. But a spokesperson for restaurateur Tony Palermo disputed that claim and said management provided job placement resources to help laid off workers find jobs in the hospitality industry as the grill closed its doors in June.
'The dedicated employees took great pride in working at Tony P's – a fixture in the community and known for its family-oriented culture since the '90's,' the spokesperson said in a statement. 'The allegations by the Union, which did not represent workers until after Tony and Danny announced their decision to retire, are not accurate and contrast sharply with the culture that was developed over nearly three decades of operating Tony P's.'
CAMPAIGN YEAR(S)
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: BAINS' MAINS — Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains racked up a slew of endorsements from fellow Democrats on the first day of her campaign against Republican Rep. David Valadao. They include Central Valley state Sen. Melissa Hurtado and seven members of California's congressional delegation: Reps. Luz Rivas, Laura Friedman, Dave Min, Judy Chu, Ami Bera, Julia Brownley, Norma Torres and Adam Gray.
'I know what it takes to win tough races in the Central Valley — and I know Jasmeet Bains has what it takes to do it too,' Gray, who flipped a Republican House seat in the region last fall, said in a statement.
Consolidating support on her side of the aisle will be key for Bains, who is up against a more progressive Democratic challenger, Visalia school board member Randy Villegas.
Also giving Bains the nod were IBEW Local 428, the Kern County electrical workers union and SEIU California, which has like her been pushing Valadao over Medicaid cuts.
'Dr. Jasmeet Bains is SEIU members' choice for Congress because she's fighting for our lives, our kids' healthcare, and home care our seniors need to thrive,' the Democrat-aligned labor powerhouse said in a statement.
BADGE OF APPROVAL — The Deputy Sheriffs' Association of San Diego County is the latest law enforcement group to throw its support behind Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco's gubernatorial campaign.
'California is facing a number of issues that must be addressed — public safety chief among them,' said Michael O'Deane, president of the association. 'The deputies who keep San Diego County safe know that there's only one candidate in this race who will do what's needed to protect our communities and get things done. We are proud to stand with Sheriff Bianco.'
The pro-Trump sheriff from Southern California who had success on the campaign trail for Prop 36 has coalesced a large group of more than 30 county sheriffs, several district attorneys and multiple sheriffs' associations.
But an architect of the tough-on-crime ballot initiative — Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig — has endorsed Bianco's most serious Republican opponent, Steve Hilton.
STATE CAPITOL
PUTTING OUT FIRES — Incoming Assembly Republican Caucus Chair Heath Flora wants you to know even though he's not on the front line anymore, he's still ready to fight fires.
After a few picked up seats and legislative wins, Flora, a former firefighter, hopes to build off of the work done by outgoing caucus Chair James Gallagher by staying focused on what he says are 'non-partisan' issues like homelessness, public safety and the cost of living.
'We're not going to chase rabbits down rabbit holes. You want to stay focused on what the electorate cares about,' he told Playbook.
Flora says he is also excited to 'lean in on' SB 54 and CEQA reform, something he says they have been making noise on for some time. Opting for a milder style than some of his current and former colleagues, Flora said, 'I want to be a part of being an effective elected official that can be a calming voice [in] sort of a chaotic political climate that we have.'
As for those firebrand Republicans, Flora admits that he understands their appeal to voters in conservative districts. Just expect him to be cheering them on from a distance.
'It's just not my style or my personality,' he said.
IN THE COURTS
RAID FALLOUT — A U.S. citizen who was detained for three days by immigration agents after a raid at a cannabis farm last week in California said he plans to sue the federal government over the incident.
'I hope they learn,' George Retes, a 25-year-old Army veteran and security guard at Glass House Farms, told reporters Wednesday. 'The only way they will learn is through a lawsuit.'
Retes said he was pepper sprayed and handcuffed when he showed up for his shift at the Camarillo farm July 10 but was given no explanation of the charges against him. Another person, 57-year-old Jaime Alanís Garcia, fatally fell from a greenhouse roof while fleeing federal agents during a pair of raids at Glass House locations in California the same day.
Retes said he missed his daughter's birthday while in custody and was placed on suicide watch. He said Immigration and Customs Enforcement previously visited the facility, but he stopped them from entering.
'The way they're going about this entire deportation process is completely wrong,' he said.
CLIMATE AND ENERGY
IT ISSUES — Lawmakers are looking to extend their push for affordability to the AI boom, with efforts to shield ratepayers from the potential costs of data centers. The tech industry is fighting back. Read last night's California Climate for more on the changes that lawmakers are hoping will win over techies.
Top Talkers
SUPERSTAR STATUS — The San Francisco and San José regions are artificial intelligence 'superstars,' meaning that the areas are well-prepared for AI system development, according to a report by the Brookings Institution. San Francisco, San José and Los Angeles are among the top 10 areas for AI.
AUTHORITY EXPANSION — ICE is sharply expanding its authority to detain far more people by using a legal authority to jail anyone who entered the U.S. illegally without allowing them a bond hearing, The Associated Press reports. ICE's acting Director Todd Lyons wrote in a memo to workers that the agency was revisiting its authority to detain people and, effective immediately, people would be ineligible for a bond hearing before an immigration judge. They cannot be released unless DHS makes an exception, the report said.
AROUND THE STATE
— Cannabis industry leaders are figuring out how to react as immigration raids on Southern California cannabis facilities sow fear in workers. (San Francisco Chronicle)
— California almond growers are set to have their second-largest harvest in history. (Fresno Bee)
— Berkeley's Homeless Response Team could improve its transparency, create stronger coordination practices and enhance its data collection, a City Auditor's report finds. (The Mercury News)
Compiled by Juliann Ventura
PLAYBOOKERS
PEOPLE MOVES — Andrew Kehoe, former communications director for Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains, joined UC Davis Health as government and community relations manager.
— Lila Mirrashidi became Newsom's chief deputy cabinet secretary earlier this year as Gina Da Silva, the governor's top immigration adviser, stepped back from chief deputy duties to focus on immigration in Trump's second term. Mirrashidi is a Brown administration alum and former deputy secretary at the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency.
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