Mayor Daniel Lurie made a promise to give San Francisco a fresh start. Today, delivering on that promise includes the announcement of a new public-private street-cleaning initiative — and a new alliance with billionaire political donors Michael Moritz and Chris Larsen, both of whom heavily supported Lurie’s opponents during last year’s mayoral race.
Avenue Greenlight, a nonprofit founded and initially funded by Larsen during the pandemic, has provided money to merchant organizations to support community projects along commercial corridors, and is putting $3 million toward the power-washing initiative.
Larsen, through Avenue Greenlight, and Moritz, via his philanthropic organization Crankstart, are supporting the initiative — and both made a rare public appearance alongside Lurie at a press conference on Thursday morning at Mission and 19th streets.
It appears to be a move that underscores what Moritz said prior to the election about supporting whomever the winning candidate would be: “Poor devils,” he told Mission Local. “They’re going to need all the help they can get.”
That conciliatory note was less evident during the run-up to November when both Larsen and Moritz heavily supported rival candidates. TogetherSF, a political pressure group funded by Moritz, repeatedly sent out emails criticizing Lurie, even though he was their No. 2 candidate, while boosting their No. 1 candidate, Mark Farrell. Moritz also personally supported Farrell. Larsen, for his part, was a big backer of Mayor London Breed.
The $3 million cleaning money will initially cover the pilot for a year, Larsen said. He also emphasized that the idea is to supplement existing street cleaning efforts operated by Public Works.
“Public Works has to step up too. We gotta go fast here — we’re competing with other cities that are trying to pull away our revenue,” said Larsen, referring to publicly funded street programs.
The power-washing initiative will serve high-traffic areas in the Mission, Sunset, Tenderloin, Richmond, Chinatown, North Beach and Fillmore. The program will supplement city cleaning efforts with “deep steam sanitation, recurring maintenance, and real-time community reporting,” during afternoon and evening hours.
District 9 supervisor Jackie Fielder said she appreciated the initiative, but is hoping to expand Public Works’ street cleaning budget for the Mission. “I’m focused on sustainable, permanent funding,” she said.
“Clean streets are key to our comeback. When our streets are cared for and vibrant, people come out and spend time in their neighborhoods,” said Lurie.
I love the idea of taking SF billionaires’ money and using it to clean the streets, but would prefer we do it via taxes, rather than privatizing public services. This kind of outsourcing erodes accountability to the public. It’s bad governance.
Exactly! “Bespoke Government” brought to you by Billionaire Real Estate Dark money PAC, gee. That sounds a lot like the same ol’ City Family BS we fired with Breed.
That’s the point. The best way to show that government is corrupt and incompetent is to put the corrupt and incompetent into office (although the incompetent turn out to be curiously competent when it comes to doing oligarch bidding…). They want the plebes(us) to know our place, and be grateful, compliant, and docile supplicants for crumbs of elite largess. How can we serve thee better, O Our Masters?
And how do you propose that we tax them, exactly? Property taxes are capped by the state and if you raise income taxes too much rich people will make sure to not be SF residents.
We literally have the most Billionaires. We can afford to lose a few.
Here’s a controversial thought – SF Billionaires created our deficit, and SF ‘needs’ that deficit check to get back to being a sane, functional city again.
These Billionaire money moves are just trying to consolidate political power so they run stuff as before – we’ve had enough of Billionaire rule.
“The power-washing initiative will serve high-traffic areas in the Mission, Sunset, Tenderloin, Richmond, Chinatown, North Beach and Fillmore.”
What about the southeast parts of the city?
“Let me see, do I personally own a skyscraper there? No…” – Billionaires
What a joke. It’s the trash on the sidewalks that doesn’t get picked up. Ostensibly the streets are swept by the power sweepers that replaced street sweepers. And no trash cans. Just like Breed. Government by press release. What is Moritz getting for his contribution. More development waivers?
Accountable to none of us. Anti- democratic. Billionaires and oligarchs act as if they own the federal and local governments……”
clean”……“safe”……..”abundance”…..”streamline”………..”red tape.” When you hear this Sinclair esque group speak and these trigger words spouted by the likes of Lurie, Mahmood, Sauter & Co…….seek the funding source. Philanthropy in 2025. Where those with power punch down on unhoused families living in RVs and veterans sleeping on concrete.
Thanks for reporting.
In Europe , they not only clean the streets with a truck that drivesby and sprays it , they also spray the sidewalk.
They dont stop. You just need to get out of the way or they will spray you and whatever is there .
It works well.
In the Midwest , they do they samething.
In winter the snow removal truck does the samething .
SF needs to start doing the samething.
It is time we all be provided and allowed to use clean unobstructed passageways/sidewalks .
It is the law and ADA requires it
Just get out of the way .
Game over .
Update: What does Michael Moritz want from the city of San Francisco? He has now not only given money for this public private partnership for a street cleaning initiative. He just gave Mayor Lurie 9 million in another public private partnership so the city can give 200$ to the each of the city’s SNAP recipients since Trump won’t open the government and won’t give the emergency funds to feed people on food assistance. That’s a lot of money from this guy. Don’t forget he wants to build a luxury high rise of 19 stories or more on the Northern waterfront of San Francisco at 1088 Sansome street. He is a venture capitalist worth 5-7 billion. I hate these public private partnerships Lurie is accepting. These billionaires will want something back for this. It’s corruption and there is more to come.
Great !
I’m a volunteer and who do I call for this service ?
Is the money going to cbd’s ?
If I call for a power wash of a feces and urine soaked crevice between the Armory and the City funded Jobs center next door what does it say on the side of the truck sent to do the work ?
Problem is that the City and DPW shouldn’t have to do this.
If the DPW inspectors would cite and fine the property owners the owners would contract to have the work done themselves.
Ask the billionaires smiling for photos if they’d contact the billionaire owners of the Armory (AJ Partners outta Chicago) to engage a vendor to keep their 1,000 plus linear feet of sidewalk around their fabulous building clean just as they have a vendor for graffiti, or …
The Mayor and Supervisor Fielder could get together and make the stretch into slots for a Permanent Vendor Flea market and let the vendors take care of it.
go Niners !!
h.
Maybe cleaner streets for the 16th & Mission area for the druggies to defecate on.