The race to succeed termed-out Supervisor Shamann Walton in San Francisco's District 10 started out cordial. Then the money arrived, Mission Local reports.
The donation
On Sept. 5, crypto billionaire Chris Larsen gave $500,000 to a political action committee backing frontrunner Theo Ellington. He added $40,000 on Sept. 29, which he told Mission Local was to cover the expenses of the team managing the PAC. The San Francisco Standard reported the PAC had spent more than $200,000, mostly on Facebook and YouTube ads.
The alliance
Ellington's rivals, former Young Community Developers CEO Dion-Jay "DJ" Brookter and small-business attorney J.R. Eppler, launched a joint "anti-billionaire" campaign. They are asking supporters to rank the other second on the ranked-choice ballot. Former Mayor Art Agnos, a longtime Potrero Hill resident, appeared in a video with both. He told the Standard it's "essential that we have people who are elected who are unencumbered from any special relationships with the tech industry." The pair's slogan is "District 10 can't be bought."
Ellington's position
Ellington has the most money and endorsements, including Mayor Daniel Lurie and the group Grow SF. His campaign account alone has raised more than Brookter and Eppler combined, the Standard reported. He told Mission Local the fallout from the contribution, which went to a third party he does not control, made it "more trouble than it's worth." Walton is backing Brookter, and former Mayor Willie Brown has endorsed both Ellington and Brookter.
Will it work?
Moderate consultant Todd David, who donated to Ellington, told Mission Local that this kind of alliance has rarely worked. Mission Local noted it nearly worked against London Breed in 2018, and worked for Jean Quan in Oakland in 2010.
District 10 runs from Potrero Hill and Dogpatch to Bayview and Visitacion Valley.