Days before San Franciscans vote on Mayor Daniel Lurie’s charter reform package, two local newsrooms have mapped the money around him. The San Francisco Standard, after a months-long review of campaign, IRS and city records, counted about $163.7 million flowing through political, philanthropic and personal channels connected to Lurie since he launched his mayoral campaign in 2023.

The four buckets

  • Philanthropic: $123.6 million. Private donations Lurie helped steer to city efforts on homelessness, addiction, downtown and food aid.
  • Political: $38.9 million. Campaign and PAC money, including his 2024 race and this year’s ballot measures.
  • Personal: $1.2 million. Lurie’s own money spent on political consultants and communications staff since taking office. Mission Local also reported he has spent at least $1.2 million of his own money this way.
  • An undisclosed nonprofit set up by his allies, which the Standard did not include in the total.

Behested payments

When an official asks a donor to give to a cause, San Francisco law requires a public filing called a behested payment report. The Standard found Lurie has reported $53.9 million across more than 220 such filings in less than two years. Of that, $34 million went to Breaking the Cycle, the public-private homelessness and addiction fund he launched early in his term. The fund has raised $49 million in all, including $10.5 million from Michael Moritz’s Crankstart and $10 million from the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation. As of late October, $19 million had been disbursed or was being drawn down.

The political side

Both outlets report that a PAC created by financiers Alec Perkins and Adam Clammer spent $6.7 million backing Lurie in 2024. This year, the Standard counted 54 contributors giving $13.5 million to his charter reform measures, an average of $249,817 per donor. Lurie’s four ballot proposals together have raised $18.6 million. Opponents of Prop. D have raised about $200,000, according to both outlets.

Lurie spokesperson Max Szabo said the mayor has challenged successful people “to give back to San Francisco,” and that the support “has helped protect food assistance for families, strengthen Muni, and advance commonsense reforms.” University of San Francisco politics professor Keally McBride told the Standard that progressives have struggled to match the spending or build a grassroots counter-campaign.

For the measures themselves, see our story on the Props. D, E and F campaign.

How to vote

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polls and vote centers close at 8 p.m., and mailed ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and arrive within seven days. You can check your registration and ballot status at sos.ca.gov/elections. California lets you register and vote the same day at a vote center.