Three men in suits speak outdoors with text captions: "DEPARTMENTS TO ASK," "STREETS AND CORNERS," and "All of that, all of it costs money."
SSan Francisco

Thanks, Daniel Lurie. Now every SF official thinks they’re an influencer

  • August 13, 2026

For subscribersPublished Aug. 12, 2026at5:55pm

Few San Franciscans are as Insta-famous as Mayor Daniel Lurie. 

Now all the other politicos want in — no matter how obscure their office. 

Cue Joaquín Torres, the city’s assessor-recorder. “I’m the role you never heard about,” he tells the camera (opens in new tab) as he walks Clement Street in an Instagram post from last week after he filed his reelection paperwork. A jazzy drum number plays as he explains that his office handles assessments of taxable property.

The campaign video has been making the rounds among City Hall’s chattering class for its slick production values, nearly 500 likes, and resemblance to Lurie’s walk-and-talk videos. Former Aaron Peskin campaign finance director Jack Shelley called the video a “banger” in the comments, and even local impresario Broke-Ass Stuart commented that it was “great.”