San Francisco can no longer be called a progressive city, one of its largest newspapers reported.
An article published by the San Francisco Chronicle Wednesday declared that the city—renowned as a bastion of liberalism—can no longer be considered progressive: "Not after voters approved ballot measures Tuesday to loosen restrictions on the police and screen welfare recipients for drugs, while a measure to boost developers was leading and likely to pass."
The outlet made specific reference to two propositions. Proposition E grants police the power to install public surveillance cameras and use drones and facial recognition technology. It was passed by almost 60 percent. Meanwhile, Proposition F, which called for drug screening for city welfare recipients, won the support of 63 percent of voters.
The image of San Francisco as a city in decline has been growing in the national consciousness across the past few years, accelerated by visible drug issues, closing businesses and the flight of some city dwellers during the pandemic. In the city itself, it appears those who are fighting back against these problems may be regaining the upper hand.
Both measures were proposed by San Francisco Mayor London Breed, who has set out to tackle crime and public safety. Breed, a Democrat, has low approval ratings to overcome if she is to be successful in her reelection bid this November.
Breed thanked voters on X, formerly Twitter, for granting more power to the police, pointing to decreasing crime figures in 2023 and 2024 as proof that her agenda is working. She also characterized her proposition on drug screening as one that would help people suffering from addiction in the city, writing, "We can't just keep giving people money to overdose and die on our streets—we have to do more."
Newsweek has contacted the mayor's office via email for her thoughts on what the votes mean for San Francisco as a progressive city. The mayor's office pointed us towards the comments made in Thursday's State of the City address.
More broadly, the passage of these measures indicates the growing strength of the city's more moderate political wing, bolstered by hefty financial donations. The Chronicle reports that about $3 million of fundraising backed Breed's proposed measures in the run-up to polling day.
By contrast, progressives seem to have lost control of the Democratic County Central Committee, a key party organization.
The political struggle within San Francisco is largely one between Democrats at the progressive end of the scale and those who are more moderate. The Chronicle reports that while progressives generally share the same values, "they don't always have a unified message" and are less effective at mobilizing their vote.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Ben Kelly is Newsweek's Audience Editor, based in London, UK. Ben joined Newsweek in 2022 from The Independent and has worked ... Read more
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