The GrowSF Report: Daniel Lurie pulls ahead of Breed in new poll
PLUS: San Franciscans want more housing, GrowSF’s latest poll shows
What You Need To Know
Here’s what happened around the city for the week of October 20, 2024:
- Daniel Lurie pulls ahead of Breed in new poll
- San Franciscans want more housing, GrowSF’s latest poll shows
- Bayview’s new hotspot is a $68 million park
- Former Westfield Mall heads for auction
- Fitness App Strava relocates to downtown SF
- A pro-housing measure from an unexpected supervisor: Aaron Peskin
Recent & upcoming openings:
Le Dix-Sept Patisserie comes to Potrero Hill
Daniel Lurie pulls ahead of Breed in new poll
Daniel Lurie just turned up the heat in San Francisco’s mayoral race.
A recent SF Chronicle poll shows Lurie edging out incumbent Mayor London Breed in the ranked-choice tally, leading 56 percent to 44 percent in the final round of ranked choice vote counting.
So this means that even though the pair are nearly tied in first-choice voters, Lurie is likely to win on November 5th because of voters who ranked him 2nd, 3rd, or beyond. His success comes as Mark Farrell’s numbers dip: Farrell tumbled 6 points in first-choice votes — from an earlier 20 percent to just 14 percent now — as undecided voters lock in their picks.
As Election Day nears, it’s important to watch how ranked-choice dynamics could reshape the race’s final stretch. We support all three candidates and encourage you to rank each one. For a closer look at their platforms, check out our voter guide—it’s the best place to understand their visions for San Francisco. No matter who you rank first, they’re all a good choice.
San Franciscans want more housing, GrowSF’s latest poll shows
GrowSF’s most recent poll of city residents found strong support for 6-8 story buildings near transit (87% in favor), new residential skyscrapers in downtown, SOMA, and Mission Bay (75% in favor) and near BART stops (70%), and reducing fees on new homes to spur development (81% in favor). Importantly, this pro-housing sentiment extends to traditionally low-density neighborhoods like the Sunset and Richmond districts, indicating a citywide shift in attitudes.
Residents from every age group, of every race, and both homeowners and renters support allowing taller buildings, streamlining the permitting process, and encouraging growth to address both housing needs and City budget shortfalls. Entrenched political interests might be resistant to change, but voters want a growing, thriving city.
San Franciscans overwhelmingly support building more housing and making it easier to modify existing buildings. Yet the city is held hostage by NIMBY elected officials who overwhelmingly block the kinds of reforms people want.
Online petitions aren’t enough to fix this—the only way to deliver the change our city wants is to win elections. Lucky for you, there’s an election happening right now! Follow our voter guide to elect pro-housing candidates across the City!
Bayview’s new hotspot is a $68 million park
San Francisco’s newest park is packed with features that blend Bay views with local history — and also a hefty price tag. The shoreline space at 900 Innes brings new life to Bayview-Hunters Point with waterfront trails, picnic areas, and art installations honoring the area’s cultural heritage.
At $68 million, the park was made possible by the City of San Francisco, the Trust for Public Land, and private funders like the John Pritzker Family Fund. It opened earlier this month to rave reviews, according to the Chronicle:
“It feels like we’re on vacation,” said Ashley Jarvis, who traveled from the Lower Haight with her son. We can’t wait to swing by, maybe literally—on the trellis porch swings overlooking the Bay.
Former Westfield Mall heads for auction
San Francisco’s former Westfield Mall is set to hit the auction block on November 14, marking a depressing turn for what was once the city’s largest retail hub.
Now rebranded as Emporium San Francisco Centre, the mall’s lenders — Deutsche Bank and JPMorgan Chase — are looking to recover an estimated $625 million in debt after years of tenant departures and declining property values. Once filled with flagship stores, the whole area has just been sad and half-empty in recent years.
Half of 1.5 million square feet is currently unoccupied, and it was particularly a bummer when Cinemark left the building last year. This along with Nordstrom and a bunch of smaller stores leaving shows the $1.6 billion value from 2016 nosedive to $290 million today.
There’s been much discussion about what to do with the space, including rumors last year it could becomea soccer stadium. Now however it will literally go to the highest bidder. This stretch of downtown SF could look very different indeed someday soon.
Fitness App Strava relocates to downtown SF
San Francisco’s downtown is gaining a new tenant who’s bringing energy and community where we really need it. Strava, the fitness app company, is moving its headquarters to 181 Fremont Street in the Transbay District, offering it better access to restaurants, public transit, and events in SoMa.
“We’ve been growing a ton” and “looking to make a long-term commitment,” Michele Bousquet, Strava’s chief people officer, told the SF Chronicle.
The move aligns with Strava’s plans for tech meetups, fitness panels, and public events that will be hosted both in the building and nearby at Salesforce Park. It’s a great addition downtown, and we’re looking forward to seeing how Strava’s presence will help invigorate the area.
A pro-housing measure from an unexpected supervisor
It’s not that often we see Aaron Peskin backing a big housing push, but this time he’s going pro-density to make small-scale multifamily buildings easier to build in San Francisco.
Peskin’s proposal asks city departments to consider allowing six-story apartment buildings to be constructed with a single staircase, a simple tweak that could make smaller projects more financially feasible. The adjustment could help make better use of limited space and streamline costs for smaller, more affordable housing.
Building upward in San Francisco is a complex latticework of zoning restrictions, fire codes, and density regulations, but resolving this one issue would help advance the ball. With a city-mandated goal of 82,000 new homes by 2031, this is a pro-density stance we’ll take even if Peskin’s not the mayor we want. The resolution will head to the board next week for review.
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Recent & upcoming openings
A great city is constantly changing and growing, let’s celebrate what’s new!
Le Dix-Sept Patisserie comes to Potrero Hill
Le Dix-Sept Patisserie, helmed by pastry chef Michelle Hernandez, is opening a flagship bakery in Potrero Hill on Saturday, November 2. Known for her Paris-inspired creations, Hernandez will debut new items like pistachio croissants scented with orange blossom, chai palmiers, and seasonal cakes with unique flavor profiles like rose and caramelized pear. The new lilac-hued space, with chandeliers and tile floors, also houses a small pantry with teas, candles, and local ceramics.
WHERE: 455 Carolina Street, Potrero Hill, San Francisco
Your Action Plan
Now that you know what’s happening, help us shape what happens next:
It’s time to vote — Use our Voter Guide to navigate the ballot
Getting informed about everything on the ballot is hard, that’s why we have worked over the past three months to produce our biggest, most informative, voter guide yet. Our well-researched analysis cuts through the noise and provides the critical information you can trust.
Read the full GrowSF Voter Guide and share it with your friends. Let’s put San Francisco back on track.
The Spirit of San Francisco
There’s a lot to love about our city and the Bay Area. Here’s what makes it great. Brought to you by The Bold Italic.
What we’re doing this week
The Great Hauntway
SomethingThe Great Hauntway is a large annual Halloween event in San Francisco, offering over a mile of car-free trick-or-treating along the scenic Upper Great Highway. This family-friendly celebration features activities like pumpkin decorating, bounce houses, live music, and safe treat options for kids with allergies. First held in 2021, it has quickly become a beloved community event, attracting thousands of attendees each year. It emphasizes safety, inclusivity, and fun in a coastal setting.
WHEN: October 27, 2024, 1 PM - 4 PM
WHERE: Upper Great Highway, between Judah and Taraval Streets
Oh and we saw this adorable way to arrive:
It’s Halloween
Technically Halloween is the 31st, but much of the partying will happen this weekend. We’ve published a Halloween 2024 guide and a Castro Halloween is coming back story. But we’d be remiss to also not specifically mention Glow in the Streets because frankly, Comfort & Joy told us we really ought to. As the pitch goes, this is the group’s sixth iteration of the Halloween event, and it’s got phantasmal fashion, immersive art, and bewitching drag performances.
WHEN: Halloween events are mainly Oct. 26 and 27, and more events on Oct. 31 throughout the day on all days
WHERE: All over SF, check our guide
What we’re writing about
I want to hate Waymo but can’t
“My first ride went perfectly except in the parking lot. The poor Waymo couldn’t figure out how to navigate around others, then later in the night picking us up, hilariously, it got stuck behind another Waymo and couldn’t drive around it in an empty parking lot. I felt impressed but also vindicated; Waymo probably wouldn’t kill me but also wasn’t smarter than human drivers.”
Castro’s first-ever night market was good, not great
Given Castro’s long reputation for throwing some of the wildest parties in America, its first-ever night market needed more sizzle. We could tell you the 2-block bazaar had it all, and yeah we had outdoor dancing, tarot reading, and your typical long lines at food trucks, alongside equally expected political flyer pushers. I just wish it also had the bicep show like this year’s Castro Street Fair or costumed revelry like Halloween.
Did you know there’s an SF Fashion Week?
We feel a little monstrous being so honest about a runway show that ironically was one of the best I’ve seen in San Francisco. The boppy music kept things rolling right along for hours, there was a lovely variation in aesthetics, and the models were generally very pretty and good walkers. But the vibe just off and tense from the moment we arrived at SF Fashion Week.
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Paid for by Coalition to Grow San Francisco - Grow SF PAC. FPPC # 1433436. Committee major funding from: Jeremy Liew. Not authorized by any candidate, candidate's committee, or committee controlled by a candidate. Financial disclosures are available at sfethics.org.