Analysis by WorldTribune Staff, February 11, 2024
The thing about leftists is they will speak out against policies that destroy their cities and assign blame to elected officials, but never accept their own complicity in voting in those politicians in the first place. And then, they will repeat the process all over again.
Look at San Francisco. The once shining City by the Bay that Journey’s Steve Perry yearned for has essentially descended into a crime-ridden, drug-infested, filthy wasteland with a major homelessness crisis.
How can the chain of leftists complaining about incompetent leftists they voted for only to vote in more incompetent leftists be broken?
The answer may be in the tech industry, which has remained mostly on the sidelines when it comes to San Francisco politics, a report said.
“Silicon Valley investors, executives and CEOs are banding together to host fundraising events for local candidates, pouring money into city ballot initiatives and using their influence to try to sway public opinion,” the Wall Street Journal reported on Feb. 8.
Tech industry leaders have made it a priority to back a less liberal slate of candidates to San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors. Over half of the city’s board are up for re-election in November. The board controls the city’s budget and can block policy proposals by Mayor London Breed, who has the backing of the industry.
“San Francisco, to some extent, has gouged its own eyes out,” said Garry Tan, the CEO of startup incubator Y Combinator, which has spawned companies like Airbnb and DoorDash.
It was money from Silicon Valley which helped pave the way for the recall of San Francisco’s soft-on-crime District Attorney Chesa Boudin. Tech money also funded the recall of some school board members.
The tech industry, the Journal noted, “is seeking residents’ support to elect a spate of moderate Democrats gunning for local elections this year.”
“Silicon Valley leaders say they want to make the city a safer and more hospitable place to raise families and run businesses. They also want to halt the exodus of some of tech’s most talented workers and reverse the doom loop narrative that has haunted downtown since Covid-19.”
Tech industry leaders say that San Francisco’s downfall stems from its current establishment having swung too far left, if that’s possible.
“They believe progressive Democrats are too soft on drugs and street crime, and too woke on issues like public education,” the report said.
Progressive Democrats, meanwhile, say that the policies the tech executives are pushing would disproportionately impact minorities and the poor.
“I just see a cynical effort to control the city,” said Dean Preston, a member of San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors who is up for re-election. Tech’s attempt to back new leaders and policies is a blatant attempt to “buy political power and reshape the rules for their own economic benefit,” he said.
Preston says he’s getting targeted because he supported higher taxes on expensive property sales during the pandemic—a policy that has weighed on some of the city’s wealthiest residents.
A decade ago, Silicon Valley leaders campaigned for causes that squarely served their interests, such as rewriting the city’s tax code, said Tony Winnicker, who worked in senior positions for two former San Francisco mayors.
“As tech boomed, San Franciscans often blamed the industry for driving up the cost of rent and food,” the Journal’s report said. “The city was attracting top talent. Companies were growing and the economy was flourishing—no one felt the need to get their hands dirty.”
When the Covid pandemic hit, tech workers left San Francisco in droves. Problems, including break-ins, theft and hate crime, skyrocketed. Lawlessness became so rampant that the city couldn’t keep up.
Nordstrom, Whole Foods, and Banana Republic closed their flagship stores.
Post-pandemic, downtown San Francisco continues to struggle.
“Salesforce’s billionaire CEO Marc Benioff threatened to move his marquee Dreamforce conference, worried the city’s problems could scare off his attendees. He agreed to stay after the mayor promised to clean up the sidewalks and ramp up police presence during this year’s event in September,” the report said.
Founders and investors who made a fortune in tech have “now been here for 10 to 15 years. They’ve put down roots here and they’re like, ‘What the hell happened to my city?’” said Winnicker, who now advises wealthy San Franciscans, including angel investor Ron Conway.
“They’re angry,” he added.
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