Mission Local is publishing a daily campaign dispatch for each of the major contenders in the mayor’s race, alternating among candidates weekly until November. This week: Daniel Lurie. Read earlier dispatches here.
Around 5 p.m. on Thursday, mayoral contender Daniel Lurie arrived at Woods Polk Station, a tavern in Russian Hill. His task for the next 20 minutes was simple: Pick up trash with the tavern’s neighbors and his staffers along Polk Street.
After briefly greeting everyone, Lurie quickly grabbed a trash picker and a plastic bag, which was provided by the Polk Street trash-pickup organizer, Laura Pallin.
This is not his first trash pickup, the candidate said. “We did one in Bayview a few months ago,” Lurie said. “And we had about 15 to 20 volunteers.”
Along the way, Lurie was mostly quiet and focused, picking up trash like cigarette boxes and plastic wrappers hidden amongst bushes or resting on the curb. He occasionally checked in with his staffers, asking how they were doing.
Among them was Ryan Kigawa, senior director at Street Level Strategy, a public affairs company specializing in campaign organizing and field voter engagement, who flew in from Los Angeles to train other members on the campaign. Kigawa, who has been working on political campaigns since 2016, said he and his firm started with Lurie about a month ago.
This reporter decided to tag along with Lurie and make small talk. And the topic of the day was work-life balance.
Asked how he juggled campaigning and family life, Lurie paused with trash picker in hand, looked up at this reporter, and smiled before speaking.
“My kids always come first,” he said. Lurie said he drives his two children, a 10-year-old son and a 13-year-old daughter, to school every morning by himself, and then starts his day running for mayor. Sometimes, that is at his campaign headquarters at 20th and Mission streets, other times at the various merchant walks and house parties that make up the campaign trail.
Family life can eat into the schedule. This Sunday, before a planned trip to the Clement Street farmers market at 10 a.m., Lurie said he is going to try to take his son to soccer.
And, most nights, he is home to say goodnight to his children, who make the task easier by arriving late: His son has soccer and baseball practice and his daughter has ballet practice until around 8:30 or 9 p.m.
Lurie added that his wife, Becca Prowda, who serves as director of protocol for Gov. Gavin Newsom, drives to and from Sacramento every day.
“Anytime people say, ‘You have a crazy schedule!’ I’d say, ‘Talk to my wife,'” Lurie said. “She works so hard. I’m really proud of her.”
At about 5:20 p.m. on Thursday, Lurie’s ride, a black Rivian truck, pulled up alongside the candidate, and a staffer told him to hop in: They had 10 minutes to drive to a cocktail party at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco along the Embarcadero to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Chinese Hospital.
This reporter wanted to learn more about why Lurie chose to locate his campaign headquarters in the heart of the Mission, so she tagged along for the ride.
“We want it to be near public transportation, BART, to make it easy for people,” Lurie explained, as he knotted his tie for the next event. “A lot of our team either bikes or takes public transportation, just about everybody.”
Asked for his favorite lunch spot in the area, Lurie said the team had just ordered from La Taqueria yesterday, and it was “hard to think of anything other than La Taqueria.” But, he said, he is also partial to Taqueria Cancún at 19th and Mission streets. These are perhaps the two most-well-known taquerias in the neighborhood.
But more often than not, Lurie said, the team — especially its younger staffers — wants to eat healthy, so they order salad.
After a breezy 10-minute ride, Lurie’s car pulled up across the street from the Hyatt, and Lurie stepped out, suited up. He walked across the street to meet up with his political consultant, Kit Lam, and entered the hotel.
But, he said, he would be home to say goodnight to his family, as usual. “I’m not going to stay for dinner,” he said while walking in.
Pff! Is he gonna keep picking trash after being elected? (if he gets elected) Doubt it! He would only show up again on an SF street for another ridiculous stunt.
Do people still fall for this kind of populist theater? Gosh! all these politicians are all the same, it doesn’t matter if they’re right or left, none of them run to serve their communities, they’re only in it to advance their own personal agenda and enrich themselves… Why would we believe a word these people say?… and then “experts” wonder why voter turnaround is low.
I guess taquerias don’t have any healthy food…. Also, don’t forget about Buen Sabor! That’s the closest taqueria to them and they’re are plenty of healthy options there!
There’s an even closer lunch spot to them, Yasmin. Delicious Mediterranean food and healthy even…. Seems like such a shame that your would locate your headquarters in one of the densest and most diverse restaurant neighborhoods in the city and not support the local restaurants.
Next time, Mom should give Daniel some spats so he doesn’t mess those fancy shoes.
This is so funny. When will Mr. Lurie come to the Tenderloin to pick up trash?
Looks like Lurie would be great leading DPW.
Yeah. In the same way that Nuru did.
Russian Hill? He’s getting down and dirty.
This guy looks like Montgomery Burns trying to relate to average people and pretending to be a man in the streets. He hardly looks comfortable doing any “dirty” work in dress shoes and slacks. It’s like something out of SNL but more funny.
This is so pathetic and laughable. What if I had a camera on me every time I went to a neighborhood trash clean up? Give me a break. Anyone can see through this PR grab.
Go to the Tenderloin and clean up – for more than 20 minutes – Billionaire Boy!
I’m surprised he’s not wearing shoe covers so his loafs don’t get dirty.
ya pr grab!
pathetic attempt to look like he is doing something. Go pick up trash in the TL, mission, or soma.