{"id":491879,"date":"2026-10-10T20:26:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-10T20:26:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/491879\/"},"modified":"2026-10-10T20:26:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-10T20:26:10","slug":"san-francisco-mayor-daniel-lurie-blames-progressive-politics-for-citys-decline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/491879\/","title":{"rendered":"San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie blames progressive politics for city\u2019s decline"},"content":{"rendered":"

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie blamed the city\u2019s progressive politics for fueling its homelessness, drug overdose and business exodus<\/a> crises, admitting in a new interview that the city had \u201clost its way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lurie, who has made restoring San Francisco\u2019s battered public image a priority since taking office, told CNN\u2019s Dana Bash that his administration is taking a more hard-nosed approach<\/a> to crime while working to make the city friendlier to businesses.<\/p>\n

But Bash pressed the mayor on why San Francisco needed a turnaround in the first place \u2014 prompting a blunt admission about the city\u2019s far-left reputation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie speaks during an interview with CNN\u2019s Dana Bash. CNN<\/p>\n

\u201cWe lost our way as a city. We were focused on the wrong things and today we\u2019re focused on common sense,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, we got so, entrapped in our progressive values and talking about progressivism that, we weren\u2019t taking stock of what was happening on our streets,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

San Francisco has drawn national scrutiny in recent years for controversial policies<\/a> aimed at addressing its problems, including a proposal to give welfare recipients an extra $100 a week<\/a> to stay sober and nonprofit groups handing out free tents to homeless people.<\/p>\n

Lurie pointed to the deadly consequences of the city\u2019s drug crisis and the toll of rampant property crime.<\/p>\n

Homeless people consume illegal drugs in an encampment along Willow St. in the Tenderloin district of downtown San Francisco, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. Los Angeles Times via Getty Imag<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had 810 people die of overdose in San Francisco three years ago. There\u2019s nothing progressive about that,\u201d Lurie went on. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing progressive about 30,000 car break ins. Everyone had to deal with whether or not their car was going to be broken into.\u201d<\/p>\n

The mayor said some progressives had become so entrenched in their ideology that they treated street drug use and shoplifting as acceptable behavior.<\/p>\n

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Homeless tents stand at 7th Street and Mission across the street from the Nancy Pelosi Federal Building in San Francisco on Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023. The city of San Francisco is trying to clean up various areas of the city before the APEC Conference in November 2023. David G. McIntyre<\/p>\n

He said his administration is instead focused on making everyday life safer for residents, including parents walking their children to school.<\/p>\n

\u201cInstead of talking about ideological issues and instead of talking about like, all the dysfunction, we are focused \u2014 if you asked me a question, I\u2019m focused on how do we keep that mother walking their child to the bus stop safe and also not seeing open air drug use,\u201d Lurie said.<\/p>\n

The mayor said his version of \u201cgood governance\u201d includes cutting red tape for businesses, getting people into drug treatment and establishing involuntary treatment centers.<\/p>\n

He has also backed increased investment in police, breaking with the \u201cDefund the Police\u201d movement<\/a> that gained traction among progressives following George Floyd\u2019s 2020 killing.<\/p>\n

Lurie touted what he said was a 90% drop in car break-ins under his administration, arguing that a tougher approach to public safety is delivering results.<\/p>\n

Still, the mayor acknowledged that the city has plenty of work left to do, particularly on addiction and recovery.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe stood up 600 treatment and recovery beds last year, and we still have work to do,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I\u2019m proud of the progress we\u2019ve made here in San Francisco.\u201d<\/p>\n

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