Lurie reflects on first year in office as 2025 draws to a close

SAN FRANCISCO - Mayor Daniel Lurie is touting a transformational year, saying San Francisco has turned the corner and better things await the city in 2026. The mayor said there has been major progress on crime and street conditions, but stressed there's still room to grow.

Mayor Lurie was sworn in as San Francisco's 46th mayor in January, promising to address crime and street conditions in the city. Now, as 2025 draws to a close, the mayor said there has been significant progress addressing crime. 

"As you know, it's down 30% citywide," Lurie said. "It's down 40% in Union Square since we started the hospitality zone task force, where we added officers on a dedicated beat in Union Square."

The mayor also said there has been progress on street conditions, with a 44% decrease in encampments, a 40% increase in shelter placements and 500 new treatment and recovery beds.

"I'm not here to say that we don't have challenges, because we do, and I get frustrated just like every other San Franciscan," Lurie said. "But, we have momentum. We have a lot of work to do, but we're going to be relentless in getting our streets safe and clean and getting the people that are struggling with addiction off (drugs) and into the right kind of care."

Economic outlook

On the economic front, there are glimmers of hope with an increase in convention bookings, and a record-breaking Thanksgiving holiday at San Francisco International Airport. The mayor said the city is still working to boost business in the downtown. 

"We have a lot of focus on downtown, but all the things that we're doing — First Year Free, Vacant to Vibrant — all these other things are also helping not just downtown recovery but our neighborhoods," Lurie said.

Mistakes

The mayor said this last year has been a steep learning curve with some notable missteps, most prominently the appointment of Beya Alcaraz to fill a vacant Board of Supervisors seat. Supervisor Alcaraz resigned after a week in office after revelations about her business and taxes surfaced.

The mayor said he was mistaken for not making sure she was ready for the job, and that it helped inform him about how to find her replacement, Alan Wong. 

"If I make a mistake, which I will make more of, I'm always going to learn from them. I'm always going to get better," Lurie said. "I don't want to be making the same mistakes twice."

The year ahead

Now the mayor said the end of the year is an opportunity to look back, and also look forward to what 2026 will bring. 

"The eyes of the world are going to be on the San Francisco Bay Area, and we have so much to show off," Lurie said. "I can't tell you how excited I am for 2026."

Mayor Lurie pointed to major events in 2026 that are expected to benefit San Francisco and the rest of the Bay Area, including the Super Bowl in February and World Cup play in June and July.