(2024-02-12) Inside Tech Billionaires Push To Reshape San Francisco Politics A Hostile Takeover

Inside tech billionaires’ push to reshape San Francisco politics: ‘a hostile takeover’. ..the political-influence machine that tech billionaires and venture capitalists have recently built in San Francisco stands out for its size and ambition

push the famously progressive city into adopting policies that are tougher on crime and homelessness, and more favorable to business and housing construction.

In the past six years, prominent tech and venture capital leaders – including the hedge fund manager William Oberndorf, billionaire investor Michael Moritz, cryptocurrency booster Chris Larsen, PayPal co-founder David Sacks, Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan and Pantheon CEO Zachary Rosen – have invested at least $5.7m into reshaping San Francisco’s policies

The three major groups in this network – NeighborsSF, TogetherSF and GrowSF – have pulled in more than $26m in contributions since 2020

In the 2010s, the tech investor Ron Conway played a crucial role in the election of mayor Ed Lee and was a major factor in the ascent of current mayor London Breed after Lee died in office in 2017

Political observers trace the newcomers’ involvement to 2018, when a special election brought Breed to power. Their engagement grew as progressive candidates won a number of narrow but surprising victories in 2019, including the district attorney office and several seats in San Francisco’s legislative body, the board of supervisors.

But, those observers say, their political participation really intensified during the pandemic, when frustrations over rising visible homelessness, a sharp increase in petty crime and fentanyl-related overdose deaths, and an economic downturn in the city boiled over.

The priorities of these deep-pocketed figures have varied. Oberndorf, the hedge fund manager, had been a long-time charter school advocate and major Republican party donor. Larsen, the crypto investor, has been a strong backer of expanding police ranks and surveillance capabilities. Tan, the Y combinator CEO, has pushed for business policies favorable to crypto, artificial intelligence and autonomous cars.

Among the most prominent and resourced groups in this network is Neighbors for a Better San Francisco Advocacy, which was founded by Oberndorf,

Moritz is one of the most prominent players in reshaping San Francisco. Since 2020, he has donated more than $336m towards various causes in the city, both social and political, according to a recent Bloomberg report.

Through varying alliances, the groups have exerted their influence on debates that go to the heart of San Francisco policy. Among the first was the February 2022 recall of three members of the San Francisco school board, whom voters ousted from office over frustrations with the slow reopening of district schools during the pandemic, a controversial proposal to rename school sites, racially charged tweets by one of the members, and changes to the testing requirements for admission to the city’s only selective academic public high school, Lowell.

Billionaire charter school backer Arthur Rock was the single largest donor to the SFUSD recalls

NeighborsSF was also key to the successful recall of the progressive district attorney Chesa Boudin in 2022

Towards 2024

GrowSF is among the main drivers behind aggressive efforts to oust two progressive supervisors

“There’s a sense by these guys that they are the tip of the spear,” he said. “If you can take on liberal/progressive thought in politics in San Francisco, you can do it anywhere.”