San Francisco's mayoral election defined by housing crisis and shift to right

[RandySF]

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Concerns about housing and crime are dominating San Francisco's mayoral race, an election that gives voters a chance to choose which path they trust to pull their city out of a slump.

San Francisco has come to represent the challenges faced by many large U.S. cities that have struggled with an uneven economic recovery and rising cost of living since the COVID-19 pandemic.

To critics of its leadership, the city has become caught in what they call a doom loop, characterized by street homelessness and open-air drug markets. Downtown recovery has been slow, with many empty storefronts and low street traffic.

Among major U.S. cities, San Francisco has the highest office vacancy rate at about 32%, according to March 2024 data from real estate company JLL.


https://www.reuters.com/world/us/housing-crisis-shift-right-define-san-francisco-mayoral-race-2024-10-05/

[JohnSJ]

1. No surprise. The recall of the District Attorney Chesa Boudin evidenced the frustration with crime in the city, and a

good number of businesses having to close their doors.

Housing and crime isn't just a problem in San Francisco, it pertains to the whole Bay Area.

[brush]

2. I wouldn't call concern about crime and a housing crisis a shift to the right.

It's a concern about crime and the housing crisis. Pretty normal.