In a significant boost to his mayoral campaign, Daniel Lurie, founder of the anti-poverty nonprofit Tipping Point, has garnered a heavyweight endorsement from former San Francisco mayor and police chief Frank Jordan, KRON4 reports. Jordan, aligning with Lurie's political ethos and concern for the city's safety, publicly backed the candidate on Wednesday, declaring safety as the "number one concern" that needs prioritizing. Lurie, an heir to the Levi Strauss empire, is running on a platform that includes fully staffing the city's police and sheriff’s departments and addressing the rampant fentanyl crisis with a citywide state of emergency.

Amid the intensifying race for San Francisco's mayoral seat, Lurie used the endorsement moment to announce his plan for a robust response to the drug epidemic, according to the San Francisco Examiner, which includes immediate arrests or treatment for those abusing drugs on the streets and improving mental health and addiction services, Lurie articulated how the previous state of emergency declared in the Tenderloin neighborhood was insubstantial and how his administration promises greater coordination and a senior-level position to spearhead the response directly reporting to the mayor.

At the press conference near Crissy Field, Jordan touted Lurie's potential to elevate the city to its former glory, highlighting his integrity and vision. Amidst ongoing debates over public safety and fiscal responsibility, Lurie expressed his disapproval of the current administration's efforts on handling the fentanyl crisis and homelessness, promising a more comprehensive and enforced approach to the issues plaguing San Francisco, "We don’t have time to wait while record numbers of people die on our streets," Lurie stated, echoing the urgency for reform.

In contrast to lauding Lurie's qualifications, much of Jordan's commentary also served as a critique to the incumbent Mayor London Breed, whose term he insinuated had reached its expiration, as Breed seeks re-election against candidates such as Lurie and Supervisor Ahsha Safai and with former mayors like Gavin Newsom and Willie Brown yet to endorse anyone in the race, Jordan stressed the city's ample $14 billion budget should suffice to resolve its challenges addressing the issues of homelessness and safety, the same that Jordan faced during his time as mayor, advocating for the need to "reboot" the city's leadership, Lurie's posted on X (formally Twitter).

I am deeply honored to receive the endorsement of former SF police chief & Mayor, Frank Jordan.

Mayor Jordan successfully led this city through a challenging era. With his support, we will assemble a public safety team that understands the urgency of the crisis we face today. pic.twitter.com/QCk38tdrUj

— Daniel Lurie 丹尼爾·羅偉 (@DanielLurie) March 27, 2024