SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco is still reeling from the back and forth over whether there would be a federal deployment in the city.
Today, residents are getting some idea of the behind-the-scenes work that went into convincing President Trump to not surge federal assets into San Francisco, at least for now.
The backstory:
San Francisco is still on edge after a week of “will he or won’t he” speculation when it comes to the president ordering a surge in federal assets to the city.
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie confirmed Thursday that he received a phone call from President Trump, and in the course of that call, urged him to allow the city to work on its issues.
The president ultimately decided to hold off on sending federal agents to the Bay Area.
The mayor said his focus was and is on the city, not national politics.
“I’m focused on what I can control and that is making sure that we continue to tackle crime here, focus on our behavioral health crisis and making sure that we tell the world that San Francisco is on the rise,” Lurie said.
Since he took office, Mayor Lurie has repeatedly avoided conflict with President Trump, even when the city came under the president’s criticism.
What they’re saying:
San Francisco State University political science Professor Jason McDaniel said that the strategy of avoiding high-profile conflicts appears to have worked.
“I think this is the way Lurie likes to govern,” said McDaniel. “So far it seems to be working for him.”
McDaniel noted it wasn’t just Mayor Lurie calling. Trump himself said Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang were among those urging him to not bring additional federal assets to the city.
“As you probably know, you heard we were going to do a big surge in San Francisco, but I got a great call from some incredible people,” Trump said on Thursday. “Marc. Everybody knows him and Jensen. Everybody knows Jensen.”
McDaniel said the work Lurie has done to build consensus may have facilitated those calls as well.
“Lurie deserves credit,” McDaniel said. “It’s not just the billionaires talking to Trump. It’s Lurie initiating that and I think the success of it is clear because how often have you seen one person, one politician, get praise from both Trump and Nancy Pelosi in a single day? That shows that he probably did something right.”
What’s next:
There has been no word of any follow-up phone calls. But, the mayor did address those with lingering concerns about a potential deployment.
“I would say we are in close coordination with the rapid response that we continue to meet with immigrant leaders, faith leaders,” Lurie said. “I would urge people to communicate and to stay strong, and we have power in our community and I would urge people not to panic.”
Mayor Lurie also said he is also in close communication with the mayors of San Jose and Oakland, to monitor the latest developments on this issue.
The Source: Original reporting by Christien Kafton of KTVU