Daniel Lurie, founder of Tipping Point and heir to the Levi's fortune, made official Tuesday his intent to run for San Francisco mayor.
Lurie took to social media to make the announcement after filing papers at the Department of Elections.
"With my wife by my side, I just filed the paperwork to launch my campaign for Mayor of San Francisco. I love this city, and I know that working together we will overcome our most pressing challenges and turn San Francisco around," Lurie posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Lurie, 46, grew up in San Francisco, and he lives in the Potrero Hill neighborhood, where he officially kicked off his campaign Tuesday, with Hall of Famer and 49ers legend Ronnie Lott making the introductions.
“This is not a crisis of resources, this is a crisis of leadership,” said Lurie, addressing a few hundred people in a packed room.
A couple of protesters showed up at the formal announcement and did not waste any time showing their disapproval.
“Where he been? When the violence was taking place in the community, where he been? I know Mayor Breed been on the front line, I can speak to that,” said Shawn Richard, who supports Breed.
“If you want more of the same, there will be plenty of people on the ballot that have been in city hall for a decade, 20 plus years,” said Lurie.
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In addition to Lurie and Mayor London Breed running for re-election, the 2024 San Francisco mayoral race includes Supervisor Ahsha Safai. Political experts expect the candidate list to grow.
Lurie is a Duke University graduate and earned a master's degree in public policy at UC Berkeley.
Political experts noted that San Francisco voters have a long history of electing mayors with prior experience in city government -- something Lurie has zero experience in.
He’s the heir to the Levi's fortune, has run his non-profit foundation called Tipping Point Community for the past 15 years, and was tapped by former Mayor Ed Lee to lead the Super Bowl 50 bid committee in 2016.
Critics point out he may have trouble finding ways to differentiate his goals from those of the current mayor.
At Tuesday’s event, he listed a series of positions and priorities -- including some that sound very similar to goals Mayor Breed has set -- including recruiting more police and clearing tent encampments after alternatively housing or shelter has been offered.
“If you're offered a shelter bed, and you say no, you can't stay on the street. That's simple. The time for that is over,” said Lurie.
He added that Mayor Breed should have directed the city to build more shelters and believes she should have had a faster legal reaction to the federal injunction that prevented the city from clearing nearly all encampments.
