The Phoenix Review provides analysis on the presence of right-wing forces shaping Bay Area politics. Learn more about the billionaire agenda in short takes from the Bay Area's most insightful political observers
Now that we are removed from the despotism of the last century, there is a tendency to deny the signs that signal the beginning of fascistic policy. The notion that the technocrats who influence and run our city are essentially benign is the result of careful branding, one that allows
You wouldn’t know it from corporate media, but there’s a mobilized, determined movement protecting San Francisco from a deepening crisis under a rising authoritarian government. Everyday people -- organizers, protestors, activists, and labor leaders -- are doing the real work of fighting back against the ethnic cleansing campaign
The brief saga of Isabella “Beya” Alcaraz in San Francisco reveals something about the mayoral administration of Daniel Lurie. For those of you who have been paying attention to other things in recent weeks, following the recall of Joel Engardio, the supervisor for District Four, which includes most of the
Golden Gate Park is a San Francisco jewel, a lush oasis in a busy urban center that should be there for all San Franciscans to visit and enjoy. Mayor Daniel Lurie has decided it is a money maker, accelerating the scheme begun by longtime Recreation & Parks director Phil Ginsberg.
San Franciscans are being told they’re stepping into a classroom. What they’re actually entering is a political pipeline. The ConnectedSF Institute promises “balanced viewpoints” and “non-partisan education,” but delivers direction. Flagship sessions such as “Helping Shape SF’s Next Police Chief” and “The Family Zoning Plan” are presented
In four short years, an Astroturf group that exploited the COVID-19 pandemic to unseat three progressive members of the San Francisco School Board has parlayed its powerful and wealthy connections to present itself as the leading voice for public school families. Created in September 2020, the San Francisco Parent Coalition
Wealthy hedge fund manager, Philip Dreyfuss is spending lavishly on right-wing candidates and causes in Oakland with the aim of masking his involvement in the city’s elections. The machinations of various political organizations involved in the recalls of Mayor Sheng Thao and District Attorney Pamela Price, as well as
Chris Larsen recently told a local reporter that the phenomenon of money in politics is “gross.” Whatever repulsion Larsen feels hasn’t got in the way of his quest to become a top political donor. It’s a feat he’s achieved both by spending some of his own billion-dollar
No local politician is more connected to San Francisco’s Astroturf Network than District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio. Now Engardio, the elected official who has served them so well, has become a liability. Not only is he likely to be recalled, leaving the Network without its most reliable ally on
If Willie Brown was mayor-as-king then Daniel Lurie is mayor-as-CEO. During his time in office, Brown bestowed favors on courtiers who had spent decades vying for his goodwill. Lurie is doing the same with the business leaders he has warmly welcomed into his inner circle. Both Brown and Lurie subscribe
In politics, as in so many other parts of life, timing is crucially important. For example, in the recently completed New York City Democratic primary there is little doubt that the salience of the war in Gaza to the left helped catapult Zohran Mamdani, the most outspoken anti-Israel voice in
PayPal has attained mythic status in some corners of Silicon Valley.. The money transferring service spawned the careers of a generation who went on to start and bankroll some of tech’s most successful startups, among them YouTube, Yelp and Tesla. A 2007 Fortune Magazine article, featuring a photo of
There is something deeply telling about the choice to call it a “blueprint.” A blueprint is a map drawn up in private, a set of instructions for others to follow. It doesn’t act, it orchestrates. That’s the clearest sign yet that Blueprint for a Better San Francisco is
The website is slick, sporting photos of smiling San Franciscans happily picking up trash from city streets. Among them are local celebrities, including San Francisco Giants icon Hunter Pence and two mayors, one past and one present: London Breed and Daniel Lurie, heir to a billion-dollar fortune and the man
If it feels like your Muniride is taking longer, getting more expensive, or disappearing altogether, you’re not imagining it. The city is gutting our public transit system right in front of us. But this isn’t just bad budgeting or poor planning. It’s intentional. Because billionaires like Uber,