Swalwell Accused of Sexual Assault - He Should Drop Out
Crime Falls Further, But Gun Violence Up
What You Need To Know
Here’s what happened around the city for the week of April 5, 2026:
- Swalwell Accused of Sexual Assault - He Should Drop Out
- Crime Falls Further, But Gun Violence Up
- Michael Levine will be the new Homelessness Director
- Transfer Tax Fix Threatened
- City Targets Battery Fires
- Fielder Seeks 3-Month Leave
Election Countdown
52 days until the June 2 SF Primary Election — the one that decides whether our commonsense Board majority survives. Read the GrowSF Voter Guide for the June election
GrowSF endorses Alan Wong in District 4, Stephen Sherrill in District 2, and Phil Kim for Board of Education. This week we also endorsed Scott Wiener for Congress, and Matt Mahan for Governor.
On the local ballot measures, GrowSF endorses Yes on A, Yes on B, Yes on C, and No on D. Stay tuned for more!
Read our full endorsement rationale in the GrowSF Voter Guide.
Swalwell Accused of Sexual Assault - He Should Drop Out
Published April 11, 2026
The Facts
Rep. Eric Swalwell is facing serious sexual-assault allegations from a former employee, as revealed in a bombshell report from Alexei Koseff and Sophia Bollag at The Chronicle. Other reporting describes one allegation as possible rape. Dozens of top Democratic officials have called for him to drop out of the race. Swalwell has denied wrongdoing.
The Context
The allegations have already reshaped the California governor’s race: campaign staff resigned, Swalwell’s endorsements collapsed, and rivals publicly said he should leave. On Polymarket, odds for Swalwell winning the governors race collapsed from 60% to under 4%.
The GrowSF Take
Swalwell should drop out. A candidate credibly accused of sexually assaulting an employee, and possibly raping her, should not continue a campaign for higher office while asking voters to trust his judgment and character.
Last week we endorsed Matt Mahan for governor, and we think voters looking for a pragmatic and effective leader should vote for him.
Crime Falls Further, But Gun Violence Up
Published April 11, 2026
The Facts
San Francisco’s April 1 crime report shows total reported crime down 28% year over year through March 29, with robbery down 33%, assault down 10%, and property crime down 30%.
But gun violence has not improved at the same pace. The same SFPD report shows 29 shooting incidents and 33 gun-violence victims citywide, up from 26 incidents and 28 victims at the same point in 2025. Aidin Vaziri at the Chronicle also reports a person was critically injured in a Mission District shooting on April 9, hours after city leaders publicly called for a 24-hour ceasefire.
The Context
In January, SFPD announced that 2025 ended with 28 homicides, the city’s lowest annual total since 1954, while crediting close work with the Mayor’s Office, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, and other public-safety partners.
An SFPD technology update said the Real-Time Investigation Center, drones, license plate readers, and public safety cameras had already helped officers make over 500 arrests. And after voters passed Proposition E, City Hall moved to cut duplicative reporting rules and expand those tools.
The GrowSF Take
This is still real progress, and the people who pushed for it deserve credit. Brooke Jenkins has helped restore accountability. SFPD’s tech tools are producing results. And after Prop E, the Police Commission is no longer as free to bury officers in process while crime victims wait. But the rise in shootings is a warning: San Francisco should keep backing what works and intensify pressure on the small number of people driving gun violence.
Michael Levine will be the new Homelessness Director
Published April 11, 2026
The Facts
Mayor Daniel Lurie plans to appoint Michael Levine to lead the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. Levine is currently assistant secretary for MassHealth, and where he helped oversee a $23 billion program covering nearly 2 million residents of Massachusetts. He will replace Shireen McSpadden. HSH runs a $785.6 million budget.
The Context
San Francisco’s 2024 count found 8,323 people experiencing homelessness, so this is one of the mayor’s most important hires. MassHealth has backed housing-related services and built one-stop behavioral health centers for mental health and substance-use care. A UMass Chan study found one MassHealth support program cut hospitalizations by 23% and ER visits by 13%.
The GrowSF Take
A great résumé does not guarantee success in San Francisco, but it certainly helps! The city doesn’t need just another shelter administrator; it needs someone who can connect homelessness policy, behavioral health, and public dollars into one accountable system. If Levine can bring that kind of results-focused management here, he may go down as Lurie’s most important hires. No pressure, though, Michael!
Transfer Tax Fix Threatened
Published April 11, 2026
The Facts
San Francisco leaders are fighting over the city’s Prop. I transfer tax on large property sales. Mayor Daniel Lurie and Supervisor Bilal Mahmood teamed up to lower the tax rates charged on sales of large buildings: from 5.5% to 2.75% on sales from $10 million to $25 million and from 6% to 3% above $25 million. But subsidized housing advocates are threatening to run a November ballot initiative that would keep rates high and lock at least 60% of the tax revenue to new subsudized housing construction.
The Context
Voters approved Prop. I in 2020, raising taxes on property sales above $10 million. It was pitched as a “mansion tax” by Supervisor Dean Preston, but it actually only applies to large apartment buildings and office buildings. Urban think-tank and good-government group, SPUR, opposed the measure.
The GrowSF Take
Right now, San Francisco’s need for budget flexibility is higher than its need for more subsidized housing. If the city has to cut back on vital services because millions of dollars are sitting in a bank account that can only be used to build very expensive subsidized housing, are we really coming out ahead? We don’t think so. A tax that falls hardest on large multifamily and commercial deals can suppress the very construction the city says it wants. Lowering these rates is the better move; City Hall should not double down on a tax that makes building harder.
City Targets Battery Fires
Published April 11, 2026
The Facts
Low quality or knock-off chargers and batteries without a UL certification will soon be banned in San Francisco. This week, Supervisor Bilal Mahmood introduced legislation to ban the sale of uncertified lithium-ion batteries and powered devices used in e-bikes and scooters after a December fire at 50 Golden Gate Ave. was linked to a battery malfunction.
The Context
San Francisco adopted a fire code ordinance in 2024 that restricted damaged and reconditioned batteries in powered mobility devices. That legislation required the use of certified devices but didn’t restrict the purchase thereof.
The GrowSF Take
Far from being government overreach, requiring consumer-grade electronic devices to obtain a UL certification is just common sense. UL certification is already required to pass city inspection for electrical work, so applying the same standards to what we plug into the wall makes sense.
Fielder Seeks 3-Month Leave
Published April 10, 2026
The Facts
District 9 Supervisor Jackie Fielder asked Tuesday to be excused from Board and committee meetings through June after a mental health crisis, according to Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez at The Standard. Under the Board’s Rules of Order, excusing a supervisor from a Board meeting requires a majority vote of supervisors present. Fielder has held the District 9 seat for just over a year.
The Context
Fielder was hospitalized March 27, during what her office described as an acute personal health crisis. Rumors are still circulating that her office was the source of a leaked legal memo, in violation of the law. As we noted last month, a resignation would have let Mayor Daniel Lurie appoint a replacement; a leave does not change the seat, but it does leave District 9 without its elected voice in regular Board and committee debates. Last week we said a three month leave would be reasonable, but any longer should prompt a discussion about her constituent’s right to active representation.
The GrowSF Take
We hope Fielder makes a full recovery. If she still needs more time after her three month leave, then we expect calls for her replacement to grow louder so that District 9 residents have representation in City Hall.
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Nick Josefowitz
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