Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie waves to the audience during his inauguration ceremony at Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco on Jan. 8, 2025. (Gina Castro/KQED)
Daniel Lurie’s first day as mayor of San Francisco is in the books, and the energy around the political outsider — who won’t be able to claim that status much longer — feels warily optimistic.
The mayor started the celebratory day in the Tenderloin, where he was congratulated and greeted by residents as he served breakfast at St. Anthony Foundation and walked the streets with Police Chief Bill Scott.
He also hit some San Francisco staples, taking a morning cable car ride down Powell Street and stopping into Ghirardelli Square for hot chocolate with his family before arriving to a buzzing Civic Center — on time — for his midday inauguration.
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Among the crowd of political bigwigs and business leaders was Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who praised Lurie in a reflection.
“There’s a spirit in the air, an optimism, and it’s authentic,” Kerr told the crowd. “We have been through an awful lot in recent years, and our city has taken some hits, but we are bouncing back, and Mayor-elect Lurie is ready to guide our city to new heights.”
Audience members attend Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie’s inauguration ceremony at Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco on Jan. 8, 2025. (Gina Castro/KQED)
City public school students announced each of the speakers, including Lurie’s wife, Becca Prowda, who serves as Gov. Gavin Newsom’s chief of protocol in Sacramento and worked as an aide in his San Francisco mayoral administration. She said proudly that she and her husband were both committed to serving the city in their new roles.
“Daniel and I both believe it’s not enough to just live in a place; you have to take action to make that place better,” she said. “For us, San Francisco is that place.”
After being sworn in, Lurie announced plans for legislation cracking down on fentanyl and speeding up City Hall’s work. He walked off the stage to applause and a performance by Oakland musician Michael Franti.
Mayor Daniel Lurie and his family cheer after his signing of the oath to office inside City Hall, during his Inauguration Day, in San Francisco on Jan. 8, 2025. (Gina Castro/KQED)
“The Sound of Sunshine” carried hundreds of attendees inside City Hall, where the public was invited to share snacks, listen to a live jazz band and write letters outlining their wishes for the city and the new administration.
Seven-year-old Amelia Rose, whose dad picked her up from school early to attend the inauguration, wished for the city to be welcoming and united.
“Dear San Francisco, I want everybody to have love and loyalty in others,” she said. “We love you, San Francisco, and have faith in you.”
Lurie shared Amelia’s optimism in his speech, saying hope was in the air and promising that the city — for all its challenges and stories of decline — was beginning a comeback. However, he also tempered expectations, warning that the work would take time to bear fruit.
Mayor Daniel Lurie shakes hands with Willie Brown after taking the oath of office on Inauguration Day at Civic Center in San Francisco on Jan. 8, 2025. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)
“Lasting change doesn’t happen overnight,” he said. “But if we are consistent, if we have vision, if we aren’t afraid to make tough decisions — San Francisco will rise to new heights.”
Lurie held true to his promise to tackle fentanyl on day one, offering a list of emergency ordinances he plans to put forward at the new Board of Supervisors’ first meeting next week.
Although his campaign refrains about revitalizing downtown and cracking down on drugs have started to take shape, it remains to be seen how they’ll come to pass. As a new mayor with no government experience, Lurie must soon contend with an $876 million budget deficit, five new supervisors whose legislating strategies are still unknown, and a notoriously challenging bureaucratic structure.
“A lot of people always say they’re gonna do this stuff,” said Deonte Dial, a resident Lurie greeted on his Tenderloin walk.
“All we can do is kick back, and you see what he does,” Darrell Luckett, who’s lived in the Tenderloin for 40 years, added.
After the formal festivities, Lurie will head to Chinatown for a party featuring a special night market and more local music from San Francisco EDM artist Zhu.
Thursday, some of Lurie’s sunnier visions could give way as he gets down to crunching numbers for service provider budgets and hosts a meeting with city department heads, who he said earlier this month are all re-interviewing for their roles.
“As your mayor, I will always tell you the truth, even when they are hard truths,” Lurie told the inauguration crowd. “The challenges ahead of us are enormous, but in the words of Harvey Milk, ‘You have to give people hope. Hope for a better world, hope for a better tomorrow.’ And as I look out on this crowd, I feel that hope.”
