Warning to NY: Don't make the mistake we did in San Francisco by electing Zohran Mamdani
Take heed, New Yorkers, and learn from San Francisco's mistakes: The City by the Bay has discovered to its sorrow that charismatic leaders like Zohran Mamdani can dazzle — but their decisions can be disastrous.
Just a few years ago San Franciscans, too, supported magnetic populists, then watched as their neighborhoods fell off a livability cliff.
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Regrets, we have more than a few — and many we want to mention.
In 2017 London Breed, a brash and captivating city supervisor from the projects, became acting mayor when the mild-mannered Mayor Ed Lee died.
With big promises of housing creation, downtown revitalization and racial equity — as well as her hard-partying charm — she whipped up the crowds, winning the mayoralty outright in a special election.
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But during her tenure, San Francisco went from thriving to diving.
Massive tent encampments took over large swaths of the city thanks to her lax policies, and the financial district and retail centers hollowed out.
'I am the mayor, but I'm a black woman first,' she shouted in a 2020 speech, as violence spiraled nationwide after the death of George Floyd. 'I am angry.'
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That same day, looters and vandals were running roughshod over Union Square stores and small businesses in Chinatown.
Far-left public defender Chesa Boudin one-upped Breed's progressive leanings when he joined her in city government.
Boudin thrilled local social-justice activists when he ran for district attorney in 2019, as opposition to President Donald Trump and the Black Lives Matter movement gained steam.
He quickly eliminated cash bail, reduced incarceration and put pressure on law enforcement instead of on criminals.
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Soon Honduran cartels and dealers flooded Fog City with fentanyl, and drug tourists arrived from all over the country to overstay their welcome on our permissive streets.
Overdoses spiked, and property crimes like shoplifting, looting and car smash-and-grabs became the norm.
Jennifer Friedenbach, the firebrand executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness, spearheaded the push to pass a 2018 'tax-the-rich' ballot proposition that promised to raise hundreds of millions for affordable housing.
Her influence was enough to persuade Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff to back the measure.
Prop C passed but did nothing to solve the exploding homelessness problem.
Instead, high net-worth companies like Stripe and PayPal, which contributed heavily to the city's tax revenues and provided vital jobs, simply packed up and left.
Life in San Francisco got ugly, fast.
The police force shrank from nearly 2,000 officers in 2020 to under 1,500 in 2024. Businesses fled and tourism dwindled.
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An online 'poop map' made our filthy streets a national punch line.
A city that was once so vibrant and full of civic pride became an embarrassing warning to the rest of the country: Do not do what we they are doing.
Now, San Francisco is in intense repair mode. Voters ousted Boudin in 2022, and his replacement, Brooke Jenkins, has focused on increasing arrests and convictions.
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In 2024, the calm and measured political outsider Daniel Lurie defeated the bombastic Breed in her bid for a second term.
His 100-day progress report heralded a drop in crime, the removal of tent cities and an uptick in visitors.
As for Friedenbach, her coalition's sway is sagging. Calls for her dismissal from the oversight committee that controls the Prop C funds are intensifying.
San Franciscans are allowing themselves to feel cautious optimism about their future: 43% of residents now believe the city is on the right track, nearly double what it was a year ago.
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Pessimism persists, and it's warranted, but green shoots of hope are taking root.
That's why so many San Franciscans watched New York City's Democratic primary election with both fascination and despair.
They know too well that electing compelling characters like Mamdani can have dire consequences.
Our merry band of socialists here are celebrating Mamdani's win, but the majority of San Francisco residents, workers and business owners send this warning: The politics and policies he espouses can turn a flawed but marvelous city into one that is unrecognizably horrifying.
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So be careful, New York. It's easy to fall for simple-sounding solutions delivered by a smooth talker in seductive speeches.
But once that person takes the reins, and the pie-in-the-sky promises become dangerous reality, the process to remove him is long and arduous — and fixing the wreckage is even harder.
Erica Sandberg is a freelance journalist and host of the San Francisco Beat.
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New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Free Buses and Child Care. A Rent Freeze. Can Mamdani Achieve His Plans?
Zohran Mamdani's rapid rise from upstart mayoral hopeful to likely winner of the Democratic primary for mayor of New York City was propelled by the simple message that the city was too expensive — and that he had plans that would fix it. Mr. Mamdani's singular focus on the city's affordability crisis resonated, especially with young voters. They embraced his populist promises to make bus service free, freeze rents on stabilized apartments, build city-owned grocery stores and offer free early child care. But whether his campaign promises can become reality is an open question — and important parts of Mr. Mamdani's platform are not solely in a mayor's control. While some of his left-leaning policy ideas are not entirely new — rents have been frozen before, for example — others would represent a dramatic reimagining of city government. And much of Mr. Mamdani's agenda relies in large measure on increasing revenue through taxes on businesses and the wealthy — part of an overarching vision to rethink how the city funds expanded social programs. Along with raising income taxes, he has pledged to shift the property tax burden 'from the outer boroughs to more expensive homes in richer and whiter neighborhoods,' according to his campaign website. Already, Mr. Mamdani's plans, in line with his democratic socialist political affiliation, have prompted intense backlash from business leaders who say he poses a danger to New York's economy. In private meetings, power brokers are discussing how to mount a strong challenge to Mr. Mamdani in the November general election. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Interview: Zohran Mamdani on taxing the rich, Democratic Party, willingness to negotiate
The Brief In a one-on-one conversation with FOX 5 NY's Morgan McKay, Zohran Mamdani responded to the lack of endorsements from major Democratic leaders, while expressing confidence in his plans to tax millionaires. Mamdani addressed concerns from business leaders and critics, including Mayor Eric Adams, by highlighting his willingness to negotiate on most issues, except those related to affordability, and his commitment to expanding his coalition. Despite criticism from some Jewish voters regarding his stance on Israel, Mamdani expressed his intent to engage with all New Yorkers and meet with Jewish leaders to address their concerns. NEW YORK - From the lack of endorsements from Democratic leadership to being labeled a "snake oil salesman" by the incumbent mayor, Zohran Mamdani's Democratic primary domination in the NYC mayoral race is anything but politics as usual. Yet the candidate, a 33-year-old self-described democratic socialist, insists that his progressive agenda shows that policies labeled as "non-starters"—like raising taxes on millionaires—are, in fact, what New Yorkers really want. While the results are not yet finalized, Mamdani's camp credits his likely victory on an enthusiastic ground game centered on listening to constituents in all five boroughs. In a conversation with FOX 5 NY's Morgan McKay, Mamdani delves into his conversations with Democratic leaders, expresses confidence in his promise to tax the rich as mayor, insists he'd be willing to negotiate with business leaders and shares plans to meet with Jewish leaders. Watch the full interview in this week's episode of Politics Unusual, in the media player above. What they're saying Mamdani says after primary election night, he received congratulatory calls from Democratic leaders like House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, but notes they have not yet issued full-out endorsements. In the interview, he didn't show concern, as he said he's noticed a "hunger" for a "different kind of politics." "I look to earn every endorsement every single day of this race. And the coalition that we have built, it is only going to expand in the days and weeks and months to come," he said. Still, he fell short of labeling the Democratic Party as "out of touch" when asked, saying he'd instead like to "listen more and lecture less." And endorsements are trickling in, including a post-election nod from Rep. Jerry Nadler, who backed. Scott Stringer in the primary. Also this week, two major trade unions, the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council and 32BJ SEIU, have shifted their support to Mamdani for the general election after backing former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the primary. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is also another Democratic big wig to issue the congratulatory non-endorsement, balking at the idea of raising taxes on wealthy New Yorkers and corporations. Mamdani's big campaign promises - free child care, free buses, a rent freeze - would be largely funded by raising the corporate tax rate and income taxes for the city's millionaires by 2%. But any tax hikes would need to be implemented in conjunction with Albany. Despite this reality, Mamdani says: "In the same way that people describe raising taxes as a non-starter, they would have described this campaign as a non-starter, and here we are having won the Democratic primary before ranked choice voting was even tabulated. That's the kind of movement we're building that will deliver a more affordable city." In a recent FOX 5 NY interview, New York City power-broker Kathryn Wylde called some of Mamdani's policies "terrifying" but shared that she was "delighted" to learn that he's willing to meet with her. Mamdani agreed that he would be willing to negotiate on most items, aside from the affordability policies that buttress his campaign. "I've always appreciated the time and the back and forth because even where there is disagreement," he said of Wylde. "There's room for negotiation, there's room for compromise, but not on the outcomes of making this city more affordable," he added. Mamdani said there is "room for everyone" when asked if Cuomo should run in general election following his primary night concession. He also suggested that his certain general election opponent, Mayor Eric Adams, was projecting when he called Mamndai a "snake oil salesman." "I think ultimately, these are the words of someone who looks at the results in Bed-Stuy, who looks at the results in Harlem, who looks at the results in Washington Heights - neighborhoods that he won in 2021 in single digits - that we just won in double digits, and sees that his coalition is, in fact, becoming a new coalition, one that will actually deliver on the promises he made in 2021, not betray them like he did over the last four years," he said. Some Jewish voters, an important voting bloc in the city, have criticized Mamdani's support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and his use of the term "genocide" to describe Israel's war on Gaza, according to the Associated Press. Mamdani insisted that he want to "respect and respond to each and every Jewish New Yorker and New York at large" and that they are "not just looking to represent those that voted for me or just those that vote for Andrew Cuomo or those that even don't vote at all. Ultimately I want to represent all New Yorkers." He also said he was committed to meeting Jewish leaders who may have concerns about the election. The Source This article uses reporting from McKay's interview with Mamdani, comments from other leaders and the Associated Press.
Washington Post
3 hours ago
- Washington Post
Many South Asians and Muslims in NYC and beyond electrified by Mamdani's mayoral primary triumph
The success of Zohran Mamdani in New York City's Democratic primary for mayor is euphoric for Hari Kondabolu, a stand-up comedian who's been friends with the candidate for 15 years. Mamdani stunned the political establishment when he declared victory in the primary on Tuesday, a ranked choice election in which his strongest competition, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, conceded defeat.
