Mayoral appointments under fire
- Critics singled out Mayor Lurie for pro‑police policies, upzoning, and appointing Sherrill, described as a Bloomberg ally. (x.com) - Reporting notes these appointments are reshaping Board dynamics and provoking political resistance. (x.com) - The controversy also connects to congressional succession chatter and speculation about Connie Chan. (x.com)
Mayor Daniel Lurie’s appointees and allies are changing the balance of power at San Francisco City Hall, drawing resistance from the board’s progressive wing. (missionlocal.org) Mission Local reported this week that four of San Francisco’s 11 supervisors were elected in 2024, while two others arrived by mayoral appointment — Stephen Sherrill in District 2, named by Mayor London Breed in December 2024, and Alan Wong in District 4, appointed by Lurie on Dec. 1, 2025. (missionlocal.org (sfgate.com)) Sherrill has become a focal point in that fight. Mission Local reported that he previously worked as a senior adviser to former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Breed installed him after Catherine Stefani won a California Assembly seat. (missionlocal.org (missionlocal.org)) Lurie also moved early on two issues that define his governing coalition: police staffing and housing growth. In May 2025, he launched a “Rebuilding the Ranks” plan after City Hall said the Police Department was more than 500 officers below its recommended minimum, and in December 2025 he signed the Family Zoning Plan, which city planners said would create capacity for 36,000 homes. (sf.gov) (sfplanning.org) (kqed.org)) Those appointments matter because San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors does more than vote on ordinances. The board president controls committee assignments, and those committees shape the city budget, housing legislation and ballot measures before they reach the full board. (48hills.org) (missionlocal.org)) The pressure is rising as another race opens above City Hall. Supervisor Connie Chan announced on Nov. 20, 2025 that she is running for Congress to succeed Nancy Pelosi in California’s 11th District, joining state Sen. Scott Wiener and Saikat Chakrabarti in the race. (sfgate.com) (missionlocal.org)) Chan’s congressional bid has fed succession talk at the local level because she chairs the board’s budget committee and represents District 1 on the west side. Mission Local reported this month that District 4 candidates were already being asked which congressional candidate they backed, and the candidates who answered said they supported Chan. (sfgate.com) (missionlocal.org)) Sherrill and his allies have pushed back on criticism of his appointment. In March, his campaign said he was chosen for his executive experience at City Hall and cited his work leading the Mayor’s Office of Innovation, including the ASTRID homelessness data system. (missionlocal.org)) What happens next will play out on two tracks: inside the board chambers, where Lurie is trying to hold a working majority for policing, zoning and charter changes, and on the campaign trail, where Chan’s congressional run could open another seat and another appointment fight. (missionlocal.org 1) (missionlocal.org 2))
