The Phoenix Review is a weekly analysis of the right-wing forces shaping local politics through campaign spending. Learn about the billionaire agenda in short takes from the Bay Area’s most thoughtful political observers.
In a few short months, state Senator Scott Wiener may come one step closer to his long-stated goal of replacing Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi and attaining a measure of the power that comes with succeeding a Democratic Party icon. Recent polling has Wiener leading what is expected to be a
Where did San Francisco’s environmental movement go? This seems a rather naive question since concern for the climate is everywhere in the city’s political language. But that saturation conceals a troubling shift. Environmentalism in San Francisco has not been defeated in public debate. Rather, despite the indisputable reality
A few weeks ago it was revealed that San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie spent about $1 million on consultants to burnish his image during his first year in office. While the tone of much of this coverage was critical, although conceding that it was perfectly legal, there is another way
In 2022, when Joel Engardio unseated incumbent Gordon Mar, he made the claim that Mar did not “represent the will of the voters.” The allegation came in response to Mar’s refusal to back the reactionary school board recall of 2022 which launched the careers of many of the “moderates”
The Astroturf Network’s only major success this cycle was the ouster of District 5’s Dean Preston, the most progressive member of the Board of Supervisors. Preston’s loss in the November 2024 election can serve as a case study for how the Network uses its almost unlimited financial
The Astroturf Network spent $12 million on San Francisco’s November 2024 election. It’s a staggering sum for a city with about a half-million registered voters, but a trifling amount for a cabal that includes a handful of billionaires. The Network wanted nothing less than a top-to-
The biggest story of the elections in San Francisco was Daniel Lurie winning the race for mayor. Lurie became the first person to defeat a sitting mayor since Willie Brown stymied Frank Jordan’s bid for reelection in 1995. Jordan, in turn, was one of the first high profile politicians
As much of San Francisco mourns Donald Trump’s victory, San Francisco progressives can take some solace in local election results. After recent setbacks, the movement tallied up some impressive wins against candidates and ballot measures lavishly funded by the Astroturf Network. Former District 2 Supervisor Mark Farrell, backed by
The Astroturf Network’s involvement in the city’s mayoral race has attracted the most headlines leading up to the November 2024 election. For good reason: More than $28 million has been raised, to date, on the battle for San Francisco’s top job, with two candidates — Mayor London Breed,
Bilal Mahmood is a relative newcomer to District 5, the neighborhood he hopes to represent on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He moved to the neighborhood in 2023 in preparation for his run to unseat incumbent Dean Preston. Should he be elected Mahmood, like Michael Lai in District 11,
All eyes are on San Francisco this electoral season, with dark money groups pouring millions of dollars into candidates they believe can remake the city to serve their kleptocratic interests. Beyond a contentious mayoral race, key supervisor races have just as much, if not more, power to shape San Francisco’
A newcomer is running for District 11 Supervisor. Only six months ago, Michael Lai moved to the district that includes the Excelsior, Outer Mission and Oceanview. As a recent arrival with few ties to the community he hopes to represent and a similarly slender resume, Lai is the perfect candidate
Election season is here and with it a pile of mailers, delivered to online and physical mailboxes throughout San Francisco. Among them are “slate cards,” the list of candidates and ballot measures endorsed by a variety of organizations, some with deep roots in the community and others with the most
For too long, journalists, and many political insiders, have sought to explain San Francisco politics as an internecine struggle between progressives and moderates all of whom are left of center. This approach is extremely unhelpful. It does not so much shed more heat than light on the issue, as it
About a year ago, the “San Francisco Doom Loop” was all, but inescapable. Local news outlets and even national media (including the New York Times), painted a picture of a city on the verge of implosion. Office vacancies — and the declining tax revenues that came with them — forced the city