Incumbent Supervisor Alan Wong has a not-so-secret weapon in the District 4 supervisor race: Mayor Daniel Lurie.
On a recent Saturday, Wong and Lurie walked down 42nd Avenue in the Sunset, trying to drum up votes for Wong on June 2. Residents were happy to open their doors when they saw it was the mayor knocking. One man, peeking from his second-floor window, hurried downstairs to meet Lurie.
Delight in meeting the mayor didn’t necessarily equate agreeing with him, though. “I’m voting for that guy at Other Avenues. The white guy, you know?” the man said, apparently referring to Jeremy Greco, who worked for the co-op grocery store.
“I must be doing a good job if you know who I am but not who the other candidates are,” Wong said, with a dry laugh.
“You could vote for him No. 2,” Lurie jumped in, pointing at Wong.
The man said he was not a fan of ranked-choice voting. But, he said, he remained a fan of the mayor. “You have a thankless job,” he told Lurie. “And you’re doing pretty well.”
“Thank you,” Lurie said, before gesturing at Wong and smoothly bringing the conversation back on track. “And he’s been a big reason why we’ve been getting things done at the Board of Supervisors. We’re working well together. And I’m just hoping that I have a partner for years to come.”
‘It’s a classic Sunset thing’
Wong, who is also an officer in the California National Guard, is a fast walker. He did not slow down at all for the hills, leaving everyone else — Lurie, Lurie’s security detail, Lurie’s liaison to the Board of Supervisors, a videographer and a few interns — trailing behind.
As he rang the doorbell at the Outer Sunset’s many single family homes, Wong, carrying a worn-out Trader Joe’s bag with flyers, craned his neck to look into the second-floor windows.
“It’s a classic Sunset thing,” Wong explained, of people’s reluctance to step out and chat. “I’ve had so many doors where people just talk through the window. Some seniors may have a harder time coming down as well.”
During his past campaigns, Wong did not canvass door-to-door like this, he said. When he ran for the City College board, a citywide race, Wong focused on endorsements and events where he could meet a lot of people at once.
As partners go, Wong was not Lurie’s first choice. Before appointing Wong last November to replace recalled supervisor Joel Engardio, Lurie very publicly fumbled his first appointment to the vacant seat, choosing a Sunset resident with little political experience, and literal skeletons in her past, financial and otherwise.
At least on the Saturday walk, Sunset residents did not appear to hold any grudges over that, or Lurie’s upzoning plan, which also faced criticism from Westside residents. Instead, there were smiles and occasional pat on the back.
Lurie is popular: The mayor has a 74 percent approval rate citywide, according to a recent poll by the San Francisco Chronicle.
And Lurie was eager to rub his popularity off on Wong.
“He is doing a good job,” Lurie said, pointing at Wong again, as they talked with a man out weeding his front yard, who introduced himself as Steve.
“Well, you are too,” said Steve.
Again, Lurie thanked him, but quickly returned to message. “I need good partners too. So it’s a team sport.”
“Give him a shot in June,” Lurie said to Steve, as he and Wong walked on. “That’s my ask.”
Lurie’s appointment of Wong has worked out for him so far. Unlike his ill-fated predecessor, Wong has years of experience in city government. He was the legislative aide for former District 4 Supervisor Gordon Mar and served on the City College Board of Trustees.
Since Lurie appointed him, Wong has been a key ally for the mayor at the Board of Supervisors, helping boost Lurie’s moderate majority there.
On his second day in office, Wong voted yes on the mayor’s upzoning plan, risking the ire of his constituents, many of whom oppose anything other than single-family zoning. Wong is also the only co-sponsor for the mayor’s ordinance to allow developers to skip the requirement of planting street trees by paying a fee of $2,590. He aligned with the mayor’s initiative, Permit SF, which aims to cut red tape for developers and for small businesses by cutting fees and streamlining processes.
Lurie did not shy away from talking about Wong’s value to him with Sunset voters.
“The city is on the rise. We are moving in the right direction,” Lurie said to a group of Wong’s campaign volunteers near 42nd Avenue and Vicente Street. “It’s because the Board of Supervisors and I are working really well together.”
“Alan’s been a great partner. We need to get him elected this June,” Lurie continued. “I like to just win by a lot, so no one thinks about running against you this November.”
Standing next to Lurie and Wong, Rafael Mandelman, the board president and Nancy Tung, the San Francisco Democratic Party chair, agreed.
“We love you, Mr. Mayor. We love you, Supervisor Wong,” said Mandelman. “Mayor Lurie and this board have a pretty good thing going. Alan is a pretty important part of that.”
‘You’ve been a great partner in City Hall’
As they went door-to-door, it became clear that Wong and Lurie have different styles. Wong almost immediately launched into his platform — public safety, small businesses and education. Lurie was more likely to ask questions and let the voter talk.
At one household, as Wong listed his qualifications for the job — policy director at Children’s Council, City College board president — a resident interrupted him. “I’m familiar with your background,” he said. But Wong kept going.
“Can I jump in?” Lurie said, tapping on Wong’s shoulder. At this, Wong stopped.
“I need partners at City Hall for all issues,” Lurie said, shifting into his Wong pitch. “I can’t keep up with him walking up and down the street. He’s going to work so hard for you guys. I just don’t see anybody else working as hard and also listening to you.”
The resident took this in, then turned to Wong. “Some of your responses have lacked a little bit of humility and curiosity,” he told Wong. He noticed that when people challenged Wong, he added, “you come across a little defensive at times.” Wong thanked him for the feedback.
When a hot button topic like Sunset Dunes came up, Lurie deferred to Wong, keeping his distance from the touchy topic. “I think it’s for the people out here to decide,” Lurie said to this reporter on the sidewalk, declining to weigh in on his own stance, Dunes-wise.
After some 40 minutes, it was time for Lurie and his team to go. He ended the canvassing session by shooting one of his signature social media videos, broadcasting the same message he’d been telling Sunset voters door-to-door to his 248,000 followers on Instagram.
“You’ve been a great partner in City Hall,” Lurie said to Wong and the camera. “And I’m out here telling people that I want you elected on June 2.”
