Taking stock and looking ahead for San Francisco
The San Francisco Standard
Published Dec. 26, 2024 • 6:00am
I inaugurated The Lash in March, convinced that San Francisco’s ills could be explained by examining two longstanding problems: the stultifying warfare between progressives and moderates and the culture of dysfunction created by the self-interested City Family.
As the year draws to a close, and with a new regime headed for City Hall, I’m reflecting on what I’ve learned these past 9 months and what I’m expecting from 2025.
Here’s the spoiler: San Francisco has a lot of hope at the moment, but its problems are bigger by orders of magnitude. Shuttered stores and empty offices have exacerbated a bevy of woes, from plummeting tax revenues to fiscally bereft schools. Despite an undeniable vibrancy in many neighborhoods, an all-around ickiness persists in the city’s core.
Change is unmistakably afoot. A new, inexperienced, yet eminently likeable mayor takes office Jan. 8, promising to make tough choices for the good of the city. Daniel Lurie has the purposeful air of a golden retriever bounding about to meet all of his new constituents. He displays a lack of ideological fervor. Time will tell if his enthusiasm endures and his pragmatism translates to results.
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