<\/p>\n
Craig Lee<\/p>\n
Political consultants, pollsters and public affairs advisers hold privileged vantage points from which to observe the intense political crucible that is San Francisco, itself a cauldron of distinctive neighborhoods, activism and debate that over the years has produced many powerful elected leaders, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi and former U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, to name a few.<\/p>\n
Whether managing campaigns, conducting opinion surveys, helping to craft media strategies or navigating bureaucracy, such experts counsel clients in and around centers of government power, sometimes to promote candidates for public office, sometimes for private industry, sometimes for the nonprofit sector.<\/p>\n
With the November midterm elections fast approaching, the Nob Hill Gazette interviewed four particularly prominent advisers \u2014 Ruth Bernstein, Kate Maeder, Ace Smith and Alex Tourk \u2014 who have long worked variously in politics and public affairs in San Francisco, the State of California and beyond.<\/p>\n
They have had a front-row seat to some of the biggest civic moments of recent years that have impacted San Francisco \u2014 the ballot box victories, the candidate flameouts, the comic and not-so-comic foibles, changes in voter sentiment and the big spending by well-resourced interests.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Political consultant Ace Smith of Bearstar Strategies has been making moves in San Francisco for some four decades.<\/p>\n
Craig Lee<\/p>\n
ACE SMITH<\/p>\n
Ace Smith is a partner at the San Francisco\u2013based political consulting and public affairs firm Bearstar Strategies. He advised campaigns for Ed Lee for mayor; Gavin Newsom for lieutenant governor and governor; and Kamala Harris for state attorney general and U.S. senator. He was also state director for U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton\u2019s 2008 presidential primary campaigns in California, Texas and North Carolina. He\u2019s the person you call when winning isn\u2019t optional.<\/p>\n
What inspired you to go into politics? My father [former San Francisco District Attorney Arlo Smith]. I was a junior at UC Berkeley when he ran for district attorney in 1979. I took the quarter off to work on the campaign, and it was a very historic campaign, where we beat the sitting, incumbent D.A., who had just lost the Dan White case [a jury found White guilty of voluntary manslaughter, not murder, in the shooting deaths of then-Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone]. I got bit by the political bug, and then I realized that people were willing to pay me for something that I enjoy doing. So it\u2019s been a great blessing.<\/p>\n
If you were explaining either San Francisco\u2019s political system or the state of California\u2019s political system to a reporter, what questions should they be asking that most journalists never think to ask? The question I would ask is: Why have so many national and state stars come out of San Francisco in particular, and way more for its population size than almost anywhere else in America? And I can give you my answer: My belief is that it\u2019s one of the toughest testing grounds in politics. It\u2019s because the competition is so intense with the amount of debating, press coverage and pressure from competitive campaigns that exists.<\/p>\n
What parts of the City\u2019s power structure remain largely invisible to the public? Oh, that\u2019s the commission system, which was really put in place originally for a lot of citizen participation. It was probably incredibly effective in its day, but with the way people organize their lives and get information, it\u2019s probably very anachronistic.<\/p>\n
The biggest misconception outsiders have about San Francisco politics is \u2026 I think a lot of it has to do with the way the Republican Party, not just now but over the years, has tried to characterize San Francisco, [which] is not appreciating the seriousness of all the people involved in politics and policy in San Francisco. Generally, the earnestness of the people involved has usually been pretty high.<\/p>\n
Who has more influence in San Francisco \u2014 the person with the biggest campaign check or the person who has everyone\u2019s cell phone number? I\u2019d say cell phone number. Relationships are important in this town.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s the most valuable currency in San Francisco politics that isn\u2019t money \u2014 loyalty, information, timing, fear, favors? Oh, I\u2019d say loyalty.<\/p>\n
If you could anonymously release one document, text message or meeting transcript from the last decade of San Francisco politics that would reveal the most about how the City really works, what would it be? Probably just about any meeting that [former California State Assembly Speaker and Mayor] Willie Brown ever had.<\/p>\n
If someone wanted to understand who really holds power in San Francisco, where should they spend a week \u2014 not City Hall? I would say Sam\u2019s [Grill]. I go there all the time, and I see everyone there.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s a rule of San Francisco politics that everyone on the inside knows, but nobody says out loud? You\u2019re not just defined by a headline or what your opponent says; that there\u2019s actual deep knowledge in the electorate in the City. I think Gavin Newsom proved this over his entire career. You can convince people with a long-form answer uniquely in San Francisco that you can\u2019t in many other places.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s the funniest thing you\u2019ve ever seen derail a serious political strategy? Frank Jordan in the shower. [Then-Mayor Jordan, running for reelection, posed naked in his shower with two radio disc jockeys in 1995.]<\/p>\n
Who are the people every political consultant knows, but the public has never heard of? What makes them influential? It\u2019s probably the class of lobbyists, people who work behind the scenes on issues. The public doesn\u2019t tend to know them, but everyone in politics tends to know them. They have usually spent their careers making themselves deeply connected.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s the one question reporters almost never ask, but should? It usually tends to be not taking the time to ask people\u2019s thought processes.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Ruth Bernstein of EMC Research, seated among campaign posters at her Oakland office.<\/p>\n
Craig Lee<\/p>\n
RUTH BERNSTEIN<\/p>\n
As a veteran pollster with deep experience in politics and a senior principal at the Oakland-based opinion research firm EMC Research, Ruth Bernstein consults with election campaigns and other types of clients in government, nonprofit and private industry spheres. Recent clients have included Scott Wiener for Congress, Connect Bay Area, the California Democratic Party and the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce. The firm also worked with former Mayors Ed Lee and London Breed. She\u2019s the person you call when you want to know how voters are feeling.<\/p>\n
What inspired you to go into politics? Ronald Reagan was president when I was in my early 20s, and I was angry about what he and others were doing to move the country backwards. I was also worried about nuclear war. Getting involved in politics felt like a way to try and make a difference. I have been lucky to find an area \u2014 polling \u2014 that is interesting and allows me to be involved in politics and other politically adjacent issues.<\/p>\n
If you were explaining San Francisco\u2019s political ecosystem to a reporter, what questions should they be asking that most journalists never think to ask \u2014 and what parts of the City\u2019s power structure remain largely invisible to the public? Reporters a lot of times want to cover the politics, which is important, but maybe they don\u2019t cover as much about actually what candidates have done on issues or what ballot measures are actually going to do, as opposed to just where did it come from and who\u2019s supporting it.<\/p>\n
The biggest misconception outsiders have about San Francisco politics is \u2026 I think the biggest misperception right now is that San Francisco is a super-progressive city. There are definitely a lot of progressives here, and we are certainly a very liberal city compared to most places in the country, but when you look at many of the policies around housing and homelessness and transportation and other issues, we\u2019re not radically progressive.<\/p>\n
Who has more influence in San Francisco \u2014 the person with the biggest campaign check, or the person who has everyone\u2019s cell phone number? I\u2019m not a lobbyist. I\u2019m just a pollster. I think it depends on what you\u2019re talking about, what you\u2019re trying to get done.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s the most valuable currency in San Francisco politics that isn\u2019t money \u2014 loyalty, information, timing, fear, favors? It entirely depends on the timing. Every election is different. Every cycle is different. For [former District Attorney] Chesa Boudin [who was recalled by voters in 2022] it was bad timing. Or his opponents had good timing. Crime goes up, we start noticing it more, and he gets ousted. But like all of these things, there\u2019s no one factor. Timing you cannot control. It is incredibly important to know how voters are feeling. That is currency. You can act smartly on that.<\/p>\n
If you could anonymously release one document, text message or meeting transcript from the last decade of San Francisco politics that would reveal the most about how the City really works, what would it be? On the polling side, I would never release any of those things.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s a rule of San Francisco politics that everyone on the inside knows, but nobody says out loud? Money matters. Everyone knows that. It\u2019s not a secret. When you have to raise money, it means that you have to be connected with people who can help you raise money, unless you have your own money.<\/p>\n
If someone wanted to understand who really holds power in San Francisco, where should they spend a week \u2014 not City Hall? I\u2019m not a lobbyist. I don\u2019t need to go and schmooze all day. As a pollster, I feel like my role is to try and stay a little bit further from it, so I can actually understand what voters are saying. When I read a poll or I write a poll, I don\u2019t want it to be super-insidery. I don\u2019t need to spend my life trying to be a super-insider. I already know too much.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s the funniest thing that you\u2019ve ever seen derail a serious political strategy? Funniest? There\u2019s so many not-funny things. I\u2019ve seen poll numbers tank.<\/p>\n
Who are the people every political consultant knows, but the public has never heard of? What makes them influential? Opposition researchers. Because they do the opposition research.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s the one question reporters almost never ask, but should? Ask candidates. Why are they supporting a particular issue or policy and what are the expected outcomes if a policy, measure or bill gets approved?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Alex Tourk, principal at Ground Floor Public Affairs in San Francisco, with a photo of Robert F. Kennedy and Willie Brown walking in Bayview in 1967.<\/p>\n
Craig Lee<\/p>\n
ALEX TOURK<\/p>\n
In 2007, Alex Tourk founded Ground Floor Public Affairs, a government relations and community outreach firm that works with clients in the private, nonprofit and public sectors. Tourk\u2019s previous roles include working in the administrations of former Mayors Willie Brown and Gavin Newsom. As Newsom\u2019s deputy chief of staff, Tourk created the widely emulated Project Homeless Connect program that aims to help people experiencing homelessness get services. He\u2019s the person you call when the fight is worth having.<\/p>\n
What inspired you to go into politics? Public service. Decisions that impact and improve lives. The politics, pomp and circumstance are the intrigue, but the policies of change are the legacy.<\/p>\n
If you were explaining San Francisco\u2019s political ecosystem to a reporter, what questions should they be asking that most journalists never think to ask \u2014 and what parts of the City\u2019s power structure remain largely invisible to the public? I believe San Francisco politics is rooted in conflict. Even though the majority of individuals are Democrats and agree on basic principles, when it comes to land use and tax policy, we pick sides, go to battle and then retreat to our collective corners. Journalists could attempt to go deeper and, rather than glorify the division, dig into compromised solutions. How far apart are the two sides? How can the collective not let perfect be the enemy of the good? Being inquisitive could actually help lead to potential solutions.<\/p>\n
The biggest misconception outsiders have about San Francisco politics is … With 800,000 people and a $17 billion budget, we are actually larger than several countries, and we certainly behave that way.<\/p>\n
Who has more influence in San Francisco \u2014 the person with the biggest campaign check, or the person who has everyone\u2019s cell phone number? Easily the person with the contacts. Money will always be the mother\u2019s milk of politics, but coalition building, organizing and establishing a political army are all about relationships, trust and loyalty.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s the most valuable currency in San Francisco politics that isn\u2019t money \u2014 loyalty, information, timing, fear, favors? The only currency we have is loyalty and your word. It can take a career to build and a second to destroy.<\/p>\n
If you could anonymously release one document, text message or meeting transcript from the last decade of San Francisco politics that would reveal the most about how the City really works, what would it be? Personality politics let the [San Francisco] 49ers get away. We could have built a world-class stadium, practice facility and administrative operation in the heart of Bayview\u2013Hunters Point, which deserves massive economic development, but we lacked the dialogue and vision to create what could have been a legacy for the City. Essentially, city leadership did not prioritize ongoing deferred maintenance at Candlestick [Park] and failed to appropriately engage in a broader vision for a new stadium in Bayview\u2013Hunters Point, which could have been a financial boon for a historically underserved neighborhood.<\/p>\n
If someone wanted to understand who really holds power in San Francisco, where should they spend a week \u2014 not City Hall? Sam\u2019s Grill. Willie Brown holds court and the powers of industry come to listen, learn and engage. If those walls could talk …<\/p>\n
What\u2019s a rule of San Francisco politics that everyone on the inside knows but nobody says out loud? The enemy of my enemy is my friend.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s the funniest thing you\u2019ve ever seen derail a serious political strategy? A candidate being removed from public office for not living in the district after checking water levels to prove residency, as anyone living in a domicile actually has to flush a toilet more than once a year.<\/p>\n
Who are the people every political consultant knows but the public has never heard of? What makes them influential? Steven Kay. An attorney, an icon, a mentor, a legend. Seasoned, uber-connected, the greatest advice with the fewest number of words.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s the one question reporters almost never ask but should? \u201cYou live in the greatest city on Earth; what are you all complaining and fighting about?\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Political consultant and media strategist Kate Maeder, partner at KMM Strategies, at her office in San Francisco.<\/p>\n
Craig Lee<\/p>\n
KATE MAEDER<\/p>\n
Kate Maeder is a San Francisco\u2013based political consultant, media strategist and partner of KMM Strategies, a national political media firm for candidates and campaigns for ballot initiatives. Maeder has worked every election cycle for the past 17 years. She was campaign manager and lead strategist for Eleni Kounalakis for California lieutenant governor, who was the first woman elected to the role. She\u2019s the person you call when the impossible needs a strategy.<\/p>\n
What inspired you to go into politics? I was in college in 2008, and a friend of mine asked me to travel to Reno and then Denver to knock on doors for Barack Obama. I was always interested in politics and in media, and I took this class called Campaign Media Strategy at UC Berkeley. It was like a light bulb went off. There was an intersection of all these things that I\u2019m passionate about. So I graduated Cal in three years and got a job at Storefront Political Media when I was 21 and just kind of fell into it \u2014 fell in love with it. I started in politics to make a difference, and I stayed because of the people I get to meet along the way.<\/p>\n
If you were explaining San Francisco\u2019s political ecosystem to a reporter, what questions should they be asking that most journalists never think to ask \u2014 and what parts of the City\u2019s power structure remain largely invisible to the public? Simply, follow the money. And pay attention to the prohousing advocates who continue to grow in influence and power.<\/p>\n
The biggest misconception that outsiders have about San Francisco politics is \u2026 The culture of San Francisco politics is unique, in that any time a consultant wants to break into city politics, they get a rude awakening that the way they\u2019re used to doing things doesn\u2019t work here. When they\u2019re making political ads, for example, the messages don\u2019t tend to land as well as for somebody who\u2019s played in the sandbox here. The different neighborhoods and the activists actually have their own networks and their own vibe. The people who thrive in San Francisco politics are the ones who are deeply rooted in knowing how things work and being very connected.<\/p>\n
Who has more influence in San Francisco \u2014 the person with the biggest campaign check, or the person who has everyone\u2019s cell phone number? It has to be the relationships. I really believe in the relationship economy. It\u2019s not how much money you have, and nowadays with AI, it\u2019s not even how much you know. It\u2019s who, and so I think it\u2019s the ability to have that political capital to pick up the phone and call them.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s the most valuable currency in San Francisco or state politics that isn\u2019t money \u2014 loyalty, information, timing, fear, favors? Endurance. Politics isn\u2019t just about transactional relationships, but who can stay in it the longest. Look at someone like Willie Brown, or even someone like the late John Burton, who had an immense influence over generations of political operatives.<\/p>\n
If you could anonymously release one document, text message or meeting transcript from the last decade of city politics or state politics that would reveal the most about how the process works, what would it be? A clever answer is not to answer this question at all.<\/p>\n
If someone wanted to understand who really holds power in San Francisco, where should they spend a week \u2014 not City Hall? Hang out for lunch at Sam\u2019s Grill.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s a rule of San Francisco politics or state politics that everyone on the inside knows, but nobody says out loud? I think that the culture of politics is changing. It\u2019s changing with this next generation who isn\u2019t afraid to call out the toxic culture. Because my first response was going to be something like: The rule is keep your head down. But this next generation is: If you see something, say something. Not just sexual harassment, but corruption.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s the funniest thing that you\u2019ve ever seen derail a serious political strategy? Funniest? Just Google: \u201cSunset pet store debacle.\u201d [Mayor Daniel Lurie named a woman to a vacant District 4 supervisor seat last November, and she resigned a week later under pressure amid unflattering revelations about her former pet store opertaions.]<\/p>\n
Who are the people every political consultant knows, but the public has never heard of? What makes them influential? Most political consultants know who pulls the strings \u2014 often via independent expenditures \u2014 and this small group remains nearly invisible to the public. We continue to move so far away from a democracy every cycle and move closer to an oligarchy, which means a select few run everything in the veil of democracy. It\u2019s mostly the money and the connections. It can make you pretty cynical about the whole process.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s the one question reporters almost never ask, but should? Having a front-row seat in the gubernatorial race [Maeder advised former U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell before he withdrew following allegations of sexual assault], I was talking to reporters every day \u2014 state, local, national. What\u2019s interesting is how much education I had to do most of the time to bring reporters up to speed about either the electoral process in San Francisco and in California, or helping frame the race. I feel like reporters these days are less investigative and more focused on their byline, or feeling the pressure to churn out a lot of content.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Craig Lee Political consultants, pollsters and public affairs advisers hold privileged vantage points from which to observe the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":449234,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[7,1409,204,989,405,39608,4263,20442,112950,14017,13,8584,101,103,102,104,106,105],"class_list":["post-449233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-francisco","tag-california","tag-city","tag-election","tag-elections","tag-government","tag-loyalty","tag-money","tag-opinion-poll","tag-organized-events","tag-political-events","tag-politics","tag-politics-of-the-united-states","tag-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco-headlines","tag-san-francisco-news","tag-sf","tag-sf-headlines","tag-sf-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/449233","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=449233"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/449233\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/449234"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=449233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=449233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=449233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}