Nina Negusse, Mayor Daniel Lurie’s communications director appointed in January alongside the rest of his PR and people team, has abruptly departed the administration. She is to be replaced by Han Zou, Lurie’s campaign manager who was key to his strong performance with Asian voters across the city.
Negusse’s last day was Thursday, March 6.
“Nina was a valued member of our team, we appreciate her contributions to the administration, and we wish her the best in her future endeavors,” wrote Charles Lutvak, Lurie’s press secretary, in a statement. “Han Zou has been a trusted advisor to the mayor, and we are excited to have him taking on an expanded role leading our communications efforts in addition to his work managing our public affairs team.”
Negusse did not return calls. It is unclear where she will land.
She has a long history in communications, working with the PR giant Edelman and, previously, as a public information officer for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and Department of Elections. Last week, the San Francisco Standard reported that Negusse and Lutvak had moved to rein in city departments from making press statements without authorization from the mayor’s office.
The mayor’s office denied that Negusse’s departure was related to that reporting.
Zou is an experienced campaign hand, a “door-knocking genius” who helped Lurie canvass the city, and who was instrumental in Matt Haney’s successful races for district supervisor in 2018 and State Assembly in 2022.
On Lurie’s team, he was key to winning Asian votes, alongside Lurie’s head of Chinese outreach, Kit Lam. Lam also moved into City Hall with Lurie, but left his post as Asian American outreach head last month, after barely a month on the job.
Lurie won far more Asian-heavy precincts in the November 2024 election than his opponents, helping secure his victory. Zou also knows City Hall well: He was Haney’s legislative aide for three years, between 2019 and 2022. Prior to this appointment, he was serving as Lurie’s director of public affairs.
Additional reporting by Joe Eskenazi.
Come on. What was Lurie thinking . Willie Brown shouldn’t be a “mentor” to anyone , especially a young lady .
Campers,
Lurie listens.
And, he can change his mind.
His first Campaign Manager for his run for Mayor lasted just a couple of weeks as I recall.
His Press Secretary (Charles Lutvak) has kept me in Lurie’s Loop while the last 4 mayors banned me.
I recall when a staffer said that the happiest two days in a Football franchise were the day you hired Jim Harbaugh and the day you fired him.
They said that when he walked through the Niners outer office that the room grew silent because of mutual disdain.
Ending toxic relationships is an important skill in life.
go Niners !!
h.
It does seem like she was fired. The question is why.
I shop at the Trader Joe’s in Westlake.
“door-knocking genius” – Just the re-use of this term implies people are dumb enough to believe anything, if you repeat it. It’s not some genius new idea to knock on people’s doors with canvassers of various types, you’re just high on hype. Yes, if you make an NFT of yourself and sell it for $1000, some idiot may even buy that. But it sure doesn’t make you a genius to try to pack in the ‘asian’ vote in San Francisco any more than a knock on the door is neurosurgery.