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San Francisco mayor-elect Daniel Lurie lays out new vision for city in first speech Friday
As votes continue to be counted in the San Francisco mayoral race, Daniel Lurie spoke to supporters Friday near Chinatown as the next mayor-elect, after Mayor London Breed conceded Thursday night and called to congratulate him on his apparent victory. Lurie spent the day visiting Asian American small business owners, an LGBTQ senior center, and attending a community lunch in the Bayview and other events across the city. as
San Francisco Mayor-Elect Daniel Lurie made his first public remarks Friday after incumbent Mayor London Breed conceded to her opponent by phone on Thursday.
The incoming mayor spoke from St. Mary's Square in San Francisco.
Lurie said he wants the city to be a "model of progress."
"The people in my administration are going to reflect the diversity of this great city. We're going to look for people that are here in San Francisco, and frankly across this country and possibly the globe that want to come and turn around this great American city," Lurie said.
Lurie acknowledged he'll be leading a city that has often been in the crosshairs of the incoming U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. Lurie said he would stand with the city's immigrant families who might feel under siege.
"I will have everybody's back here in San Francisco. Those communities will have an ally in me," Lurie said.
The mayor-elect also said that solving the city's crime and drug problems would be a top priority.
"We're going to get tough. We're going to work with federal, state and local law enforcement to make sure we close these open-air drug markets," Lurie said.
While the final mayoral vote has not been certified, Lurie is the leader mathematically.
Lurie holds a strong lead with 55.77% of the vote, while Breed continues to trail at 44.23% in the latest round of results released on Friday.
The next count update is scheduled for Saturday at 4 p.m., according to election officials. The county has about 117,000 ballots left to be counted.
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San Francisco Mayor London Breed concedes race to political newcomer Daniel Lurie
Two days after the election, San Francisco Mayor London Breed concedes race to competitor Daniel Lurie, non-profit executive, philanthropist and Levi Strauss heir. In her speech, Breed was gracious in defeat and says she plans to help Lurie and his team make a smooth transition. h
Lurie is a descendant of the Levi Strauss family, and the founder of an anti-poverty nonprofit called Tipping Point. He served as the organization's CEO until 2019.
The mayor-elect has never held public office, but did gain the San Francisco Chronicle editorial board’s endorsement for his balance between "compassion and toughness."
Lurie beat out 14 other candidates, including Breed and former interim Mayor Mark Farrell, as well as supervisors Aaron Peskin and Ahsha Safai.
Supporters say Lurie won their votes because he made a point of showing up and reaching out to people in the Asian American community and other groups across the city.
"He opened up an office in Chinatown, in the Sunset, he met with community leaders, closed door, listened to their concerns," Mark Young, co-founder of Stand With Asians said.
"He's walking down Grant Avenue now. The small businesses in Chinatown, of course, like everyone else, are still hurting with many challenges," Eva Lee of the Chinatown Merchants Association said. "I would like to have him bring back a positive image by the very fact that he's on top of public safety and that is really a concern for a lot of visitors who come to San Francisco."
"I am so excited. We are going to have our beautiful city. We're going to have clean streets, take care of the sick and the poor, not have all of this infighting that has been going on," Angela Alioto, the former President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors said.
Alioto said Lurie's election with no prior political experience, should not be seen as a disadvantage, because her late father, the former Mayor of San Francisco, also had no previous political experience when he was elected in 1967.
San Francisco Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin, who held third place in the race, said Friday that he called Lurie to wish him early congratulations, but said out of respect for the voters, he would not declare victory or concede defeat until all ballots were counted.
"He's never been in government before, and in the face of tough budget times, and a federal administration that is not going to be kind to California and San Francisco," Peskin said. "So he's got a monumental undertaking on top of a monumental undertaking, and I think we'll all be there to help him."
"If we come together, we are a city that has innovators and entrepreneurs. I plan to bring everybody together, work with everybody, whether they supported me during the election or not, I'm going to be a mayor for all of San Francisco," Lurie said.
Jana Katsuyama is a reporter for KTVU. Email Jana at jana.katsuyama@fox.com. Call her at 510-326-5529. Or follow her on Twitter @JanaKTVU and read her other reports on her bio page.