GrowSF, a moderate-leaning Democratic political group allied with Mayor Daniel Lurie, will double its spending toward a centrist slate of candidates in 2026, The Standard has learned.
The group has committed as much as $1.75 million from its PAC to keep, or expand, the moderate majority on the Board of Supervisors that has supported Lurie’s legislative agenda, from granting him emergency powers to combat fentanyl to reshaping the city’s zoning landscape. GrowSF spent less than half that amount (opens in new tab) on candidates in 2024, the last time supervisors ran in a competitive election.
That level of spending puts GrowSF in the upper echelons of political groups supporting candidates and issues in San Francisco. In 2024, for example, Neighbors for a Better San Francisco was among the highest spenders: roughly $5 million, according to an Ethics Commission dashboard. The next major spender, a PAC formed by the San Francisco Labor Council, spent $1.1 million.
“GrowSF backs leaders committed to safe and clean streets, housing affordability, and world-class public schools,” cofounder Sachin Agarwal said in a statement. “We’re not going back to the performative politics that have held San Francisco back. That’s why in 2026 we’re going all in to elect candidates who deliver results.”
The group’s first priority is backing Supervisor Alan Wong, a Lurie appointee who replaced recalled Supervisor Joel Engardio. It’ll spend $250,000 to support Wong in his June special election.
Wong has raised $17,000 for his own campaign, according to the latest filings. He faces a competitive race against progressive candidate Natalie Gee, who has raised $66,000, and neighborhood activist Albert Chow, who has raised $6,000.
“If there is one thing that Sunset residents are sick of, it’s outside groups telling us who to vote for,” Gee said in response to GrowSF’s announcement. “Our campaign is about uplifting working families in District 4 and fighting for a safer, more affordable, and more equitable city. If that makes us the target of attacks by ultra-wealthy, anti-worker special-interest groups, then it proves that our fight is righteous.”
After emerging during the pandemic, GrowSF swiftly grew into one of the most strident anti-progressive pressure groups, most recently targeting left-leaning supervisors who voted against Lurie’s Family Zoning Plan, which changed zoning across the city to foster denser housing construction. GrowSF shares advisers with Lurie, including Tyler Law and communications guru Max Szabo. In 2024, the group aggressively leveraged a war chest of roughly $300,000 to oust Supervisor Dean Preston, a democratic socialist, with its “Dump Dean” campaign.
Every even-numbered Board of Supervisors seat is up for election in 2026. The candidates most allied with GrowSF and Lurie are Wong and District 2 Supervisor Stephen Sherrill, who faces a serious challenge from neighborhood organizer Lori Brooke. GrowSF could also play a role in the heated contest for District 8 between Manny Yuketiel, a cafe owner, and Gary McCoy, an organizer who has been an aide to Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, although it’s unclear which candidate the group will support.
GrowSF has committed to spending at least $250,000 in each competitive race. For Wong in District 4 and Sherrill in District 2, the group may spend as much as $500,000, splitting its spending between the June special-election ballot and November’s general election.
At least $12,000 of that support came in donations from Sherrill’s family to GrowSF, ethics filings reveal. Other donors to GrowSF’s efforts include the Building Owners and Managers Association PAC, which gave $49,000, and Calvin French-Owen (opens in new tab), a former OpenAI engineer, who gave $25,000.