Michael Bloomberg, the one-time presidential contender and former three-term mayor of New York, has donated $200,000 to a group supporting San Francisco Mayor London Breed’s reelection effort, according to newly filed campaign finance documents.
Bloomberg gave the money to Forward Action AF, an independent political committee that supports the mayor’s reelection campaign.
The mayors have a long history of supporting each other. Breed endorsed Bloomberg when he made a bid for the White House in 2020 by running as a centrist who could appeal to both parties. The San Francisco mayor has tried to position herself similarly, though the outcome may be just as disastrous.
Breed, who narrowly won San Francisco’s mayoral special election in 2018, has come under scrutiny from some progressive Democrats for cracking down on crime and homelessness. She announced a bill that would deny welfare benefits to anyone “suffering from substance-use disorder” who was not enrolled in a drug or addiction treatment program.
“No more handouts without accountability,” she said. “In order to receive resources from our city, you will need to be in a substance-use-disorder program and consistently seeking treatment.”
Her comments may have earned her a “Bravo” tweet from X owner Elon Musk, but San Francisco liberals and homeless advocates lashed out, linking her punitive policy proposals to Republicans.
She told the San Francisco Chronicle that Bloomberg’s tough-on-crime track record during his time in the mayor’s office and “what he’s done afterward” has resonated with her.
Bloomberg isn’t the only major donor who has opened his wallet for a candidate in the San Francisco race.
Billionaire businesswoman Mimi Haas, the mother of Breed’s opponent Daniel Laurie, a Levi Strauss heir, has donated $1 million to an independent political committee supporting her son’s campaign.
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Laurie, who is also the founder and CEO of the grant-making nonprofit organization Tipping Point, is on a long list of people who have expressed interest in Breed’s job.
However, there are only four declared candidates for the position: Breed, Laurie, San Francisco Supervisor Asha Safai, and Shahram Shariati, a transportation engineer.
