San Francisco mayoral candidates debate, seek firefighters' support
The five major candidates for San Francisco faced off Thursday in yet another debate. But this time, they were vying not only for votes, but for a key endorsement.
"Firefighters are here for 30 years," firefighter and paramedic Sam Gebler told CBS News Bay Area. "We've seen a lot of people rotate through these seats, supervisor seats, mayoral seats, and we've seen the games that get played. So we're here for the long haul, and we really want what's best for San Francisco."
He's not only been with the department for more than a decade, but he also serves as the vice president for one of the most significant unions in the city, Local Union 798.
Gebler listened to the candidates debate for an hour about how they would improve the city, and therefore the working conditions for the city's firefighters and first responders who confront some of the most pressing issues San Francisco is facing.
"Citizens look to their firefighters because one of the only things in this city that works is when you call 911, to ask for the fire department," he explained. "So they trust us, and we take that responsibility very seriously."
The endorsement of this union holds heavy weight in a place like San Francisco, especially for first responders, many of whom commute by the dozens from towns miles away in large part due to the high cost of living.
It's an issue candidate and non-profit executive Daniel Lurie vowed to correct.
"San Francisco has an affordability crisis, 80% of you, all or more are not able to live in San Francisco," he explained. "Same goes with our police officers, our teachers, our nurses, and that's unacceptable. You all take care of us during our darkest moments. You come when called, and we should be providing for you."
Each candidate made their support for firefighters clear. But their differences come down to the details of each candidate.
The only two who have served in the city's top office - incumbent mayor London Breed who has served as mayor since 2018, and Mark Farrell who temporarily stepped in following the passing of Ed Lee from January to July of the same year. They both committed to crack down harder on homelessness.
"Effective August, we are going to be very aggressive and assertive in moving encampments, which may even include criminal penalties," Breed said, pointing to the U.S. Supreme Court decision to allow cities to remove people from living on streets. "This is not a popular decision, just like Proposition F, that I put on the ballot that requires people who have substance use disorder to be in treatment if they want money from the city, we have had to move from a compassionate city to a city of accountability."
"As mayor, I will be aggressive," Farrell said, promising to declare a fentanyl state of emergency if elected. "We will work to get tent encampments off the street every single day that I am in office, to make sure that your lives as firefighters, every single day, once again, is focused on fighting fires, not dealing with tent encampments."
City supervisors Asha Safai and Aaron Peskin, who also serves as president of the Board of Supervisors, vowed to correct the city's drug crisis - something first responders in the room know all too well, having reversed overdoses on a regular basis.
"There is no higher priority for me as mayor in stopping the overdose crisis," Safai said. "Eight hundred and ten people died last year from overdose, thousands more overdose and were resuscitated, many by people in this room. We have to address this crisis head-on."
"The city must aggressively prosecute drug dealers, and we must work regionally to use Prop 1 money to repurpose underutilized and unused state facilities that were abandoned years ago. We should work as a region," said Peskin. "This is not a San Francisco-only problem, but we should send those folks to a regional facility with the doctors at the table."
While each candidate committed to advancing affordable housing efforts, lowering the homeless population, and cracking down on drug use, their differences lie in the intimate ways they would support the fire union if elected.
That was shown when one firefighter asked the candidates at the end of the debate whether they would reinstate a handful of firefighters who were let go during the pandemic for refusing the COVID vaccine. Some argue they should be reinstated to fill staffing shortages more quickly because they are trained and accredited.
Farrell and Safai both responded yes, Lurie said yes if the union agreed, Peskin said they deserve the right to reapply to their old positions, and Breed put the responsibility on the fire chief to make the decision.
It's a somewhat nuanced example of the kind of personalized support this union was looking for in their endorsement.
Gebler later asked candidates how they would solve an ambulance shortage.
"Even if there's a fire two blocks away, that person whose house is on fire, I can't go help them, because I need to wait for an ambulance," he explained.
Each candidate vowed to commit more resources to reduce that strain for first responders, but for Gebler it's personal.
"We're on the front lines. We see it all show up to work. We do our job a lot of times. We get forced to work more than we want to," he explained. "So we have a front and center seat to see everything that goes on in San Francisco."
Gebler says he remains undecided, but hopes the next mayor will deliver on promises made in this room.
The union says they will vote on their endorsement in the coming weeks, and plan to announce their pick in August.
