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Rola Johnson, the owner of the butcher shop A K Meats at 2346 Clement St. in the central Richmond District, had her mind set on Mark Farrell for mayor.
Already, she had posted the signature orange sign of “Mark Farrell For Mayor” at her checkout counter. Then, in walked Daniel Lurie. He noticed the sign. No matter.
“I’m just gonna do this for now,” he said, putting his own signature blue and horizontal sign on top of Farrell’s. He leaned against it, using the back of his legs to support the sign. Everyone in the shop laughed at his ploy.
Johnson explained her support for Farrell; things were better when he was mayor in 2018. “That’s all. That’s all it is,” she said.
“I’ve got nothing against it,” Lurie replied. “But let me push on one thing.”
He pushed on three: Bringing a culture of accountability to City Hall, delivering an affordable housing project at 833 Bryant St. on time and under budget, and his promise to emulate the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein and former Mayor Willie Brown by walking and always keeping an eye on the streets and calling up department heads.
Johnson nodded along. “How about that!” she said from time to time.
By the end of the 10-minute visit, Johnson had bumped Farrell to second, and Lurie to the top.
“He never came in,” Johnson said of Farrell. She only got the Farrell sign from a friend who lives across the street from her shop.
So, on a sunny Saturday afternoon, Lurie had changed one mind.
“One at a time,” Lurie said to this reporter, walking over to Frankie, his brown rescue dog, who still smelled a little like the skunk she battled three days ago — and that was after three showers.
Throughout the day, Frankie waited patiently for Lurie outside every shop he visited, occasionally barking back at other dogs. Hennessy Zhang and Fernando Villarreal, two of Lurie’s young campaign staffers, attended to her and, from time to time, Lurie would take the leash.
Sometimes, voters first noticed Frankie and looked up to realize the dog’s owner was Lurie. No matter. Lurie seemed comfortable with their reactions. So it was on to the stroll that would end at the Richmond Night Market, which was starting within an hour on Clement Street between 22nd and 25th Avenues.
Lurie also seemed popular in this section of District 1. At least two dozen people came up to the candidate to shake his hand and announce, “I’m going to vote for you.”
A man in a pink shirt even shouted to Lurie, “my wife’s a psychic, and she said you are gonna win!”
At times, businesses were simply too busy to have a long conversation with anyone, including Lurie. Those included his favorite burger joint, Bill’s Place close to 24th Avenue. He used to frequent it with his father. Busy workers at the restaurant only shook hands with him and wished him good luck with the race.
It was the same at one of his favorite taco and burrito spots, Gordo Taqueria, which has a shop at the corner of Clement Street and 24th Avenue; the line was so long, and workers were so busy making food in the kitchen and taking orders, that Lurie didn’t even get a chance to introduce himself.
And Lurie was not the only candidate to take advantage of the night market.
As a co-sponsor of the market, Connie Chan, who is running for re-election as District 1 supervisor, set up a tent at the market. Phil Ting, the termed-out Assemblymember for District 19, set up a tent next to Chan’s. Lurie shook hands with Chan and then continued on.
Like the BeChinatown Night Market, the evening was also co-sponsored by the Civic Joy Fund, a $2 million project created by Lurie and Manny Yekutiel, proprietor of Manny’s in the Mission District. Lurie, who no longer manages the fund, didn’t get a tent.
Marjan Philhour, Chan’s major opponent, showed up with volunteers wearing campaign T-shirts and passing out green and blue bead necklaces to passersby. Jen Nossokoff, another opponent of Chan’s, arrived with her husband, her two kids, and a campaign pin on her shirt, and shook hands briefly with Lurie.
Laurance Lem Lee, who is running for school board, and Ryan Khojasteh, who is running for District Attorney, were also at the market.
Lurie, who arrived early at 3 p.m. for his merchant walk, didn’t stay too long, and left around 5:20 p.m., as more and more of the politicos started to roam the three blocks.
As Lurie made his exit, the lion dance had just finished and Chan, Sen. Scott Wiener, Yekutiel and other organizers of the evening took the stage at the center block of the market. Lurie, leash in one hand and phone in the other, took some pictures of Yekutiel as he made his welcome speech. He then wandered away with Frankie and called it a night.
Ah right, the Clement farmer’s market. A first order pandering zone. Couple weeks ago, I barely avoided London Breed, flotilla in tow, floating down the middle of the street like a three masted brig.
Peskin for Mayor !!
That out of the way, Lurie for your Second Pull of the Ranked-Choice Levers !
Of the other candidates Daniel’s only one whose knuckles don’t drag when he walks.
He’s real with the dog and wife and kids presentation tho.
His kids go to school at the Old Levis Factory next to my Old Vets Home and when I pointed out they were young to be making jeans he assured me they were teaching the regular school stuff there now.
Still, there he and Becca are like the average Joe whose kids attend the Friends School (lived next to em 9 years now and they give a mix of scholarships to enhance culture for those who can stand the 60k yearly fee) …
Also, our dogs (his poodle and my French Rabbit Hound) have met and he can tell you what happened.
lol
Peskin for Mayor !!
Lurie Second !
Safai Third …
Go Niners !!
h.