San Francisco – San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie has won early victories in his crusades against the city’s homelessness and fentanyl addiction twin crisis, signed from a strong oversight committee to circumvent the Bypassing bureaucratic barriers to bureaucracy that slowed down the expansion of shelter capacity and treatment programs, and so on, seek private funds to help fund these initiatives.
The measure, known as the fentanyl emergency ordinance, marks the first step in Lurie’s health service to fulfill her campaign commitments. That commitment helped Lurie, a moderate Democrat and political newcomer, wins in November’s election against the incumbent London breed, accusing three other Town Hall veterans of allowing homelessness, addiction and peer retail and property crime diseases.
Lurie said at a City Hall press conference on Wednesday before the signing of legislation that the new authorities would allow his administration to act “quickly and effectively.”
“The fentanyl crisis is not a nine-to-five action,” Lurie said. “It doesn’t require a break, and neither will we.”
Lurie introduced the ordinance shortly after her inauguration in January and negotiated with the San Francisco Board of Supervisors (Bobs), a 11-person agency that acts as the city’s legislative arm. Supervisors finalized the ordinance with a 10-1 vote on Tuesday.
This overwhelming support marks a huge shift in power dynamics between the mayor and the board, which the company has been considered progressive for years. The board often opposes the breed – also a centrist Democrat, who is in a tough effort to defeat drug dealers and empower police.
The November election led to board mistakes as voters were tired of homeless camps and violent drug use, aiming to change local governance. The newly formed board will have five new members and a gentler bend.
“The board of progressives has been drastically lowered, and those who have been progressing before are now moving towards center,” said Jason McDaniel, a political science professor at San Francisco State University. “I do think the board of directors and the city.” The long goal is to…try to address some of these issues that voters still seem to be frustrating.”
Rafael Mandelman, the director who was appointed chairman of the board last month, worked with Lurie to amend the ordinance to reduce the ordinance by making the board more liberal members appease and get a majority vote . Mandelman is one of the progressive directors in recent years in 2018.
The ordinance cuts New York City’s homelessness by temporarily strengthening the mayor’s authority (and reducing the role of the board) in approving city contracts related to homelessness, addiction and mental health. Emergency response to homeability and drug use. It accelerates the process of hiring outreach workers and public safety employees, responsible for personnel shelters. Until 2026, it also exempts such contracts from the city’s strict competitive bidding process.
The board still has the opportunity to weigh contracts worth from $10 million to $25 million, but the statute requires supervisors to take action within 45 days of the contract proposal.
The key components of the ordinance allow Lurie and his government to collect up to $10 million in private donations to personal efforts to engage in business in the city, giving up on the feeling of “ Parties of interest, relevant parties,” a wide range of categories including contractors, lobbyists and companies.
This allowance provides Lurie, the heir to the wealth of the family, the Levi Strauss family, the opportunity to capitalize on the wealthy connections in the technology and business fields that his family has accumulated over decades of philanthropy over the decades of its philanthropy. , and his experience as an anti-poverty nonprofit organization. External funds could help buy backs are expected to approach a $1 billion budget deficit and avoid cutting homelessness and treatment services, which could undermine Lurie’s efforts.
Lurie said the easy rules will help the city quickly build a 24/7 “stability center” in the heart center of the tenderloin area so that police can remove people in need of medical services to replace prisons and emergency rooms.
The exemption has raised concerns among a few supervisors who advised Lurie to use her power carefully and mentioned a series of embarrassing scandals that have shaken the city hall in recent years. This includes the 2022 federal lawsuit against former directors of the San Francisco Department of Public Works, involving long-term plans involving bribery and kickbacks. The same year, San Francisco voters approved a voting measure that restricted city officials from making private donations to business with the city.
“Through my vote today, I am confident in Mayor Luri’s administration, using these extraordinary powers to enforce the will of voters and provide housing, shelter and treatment for our most vulnerable people, Jackie Field, a freshman (Jackie Fielder) said after voting for the ordinance at a February 4 meeting.
Shamann Walton, a progressive director, expressed concern over weakening the checks and balances of the government and the lack of details in Lurie’s plan before making a unique “no” vote on the ordinance.
Lurie promised “full transparency” on Wednesday, explaining who contributed to the funding of enhanced services. “The public will know who we are talking to and who donates,” he said.
Despite Lurie’s early victory, political observers say future policy differences between the board and the mayor’s office are almost certain. Democratic political adviser Jim Ross said that while addressing fentanyl abuse is a popular issue, the looming budget crisis could spark more tensions over the debate over Luri’s recent recruitment-free Town Hall.
“This is his first legislative issue, and I think there are a lot of members on the board who don’t want to start the time …become the mayor’s enemy,” Ross said.
