Follow along with Mission Local’s pre-election blog for tidbits in the run-up to June 2
by Kelly Waldron and Io Yeh Gilman
May 21, 2026 (MissionLocal.org)
It’s 12 days until the primary on June 2, and there’s a lot of election news: billionaires and business groups dropping six-figure sums on local races, candidates dropping seven-figure sums into their own races, and Jeopardy-themed flyers landing in mailboxes, among many, many others items.
Mission Local is running a pre-election blog for these small(ish) pieces of news.PAC in favor of two-state solution for Israel-Palestine backs Scott Wiener
J Street Action Fund announced today that it will spend $60,000 on an ad campaign boosting congressional candidate Scott Wiener.
J Street describes itself as “pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy” and has positioned itself as a middle ground between the Democratic Party’s AIPAC-backed, hardline pro-Israel faction and its pro-Palestine progressive wing. The group says that it will support candidates who are concerned about the current direction of the Israeli government but that they must believe in the existence of a Jewish Israeli state.
Wiener has similarly tried to walk the line on Israel-Palestine. While he has been a frequent critic of the Netanyahu government and violence in Gaza and the West Bank, at a January debate he declined to take a stance on whether Israel’s actions in Gaza constituted a genocide. The non-answer sparked backlash across social media, and four days later Wiener released a video saying that he now does believe it’s a genocide.
“Scott Wiener will be a powerful voice in Congress for Americans who believe Israelis and Palestinians alike deserve freedom, safety and equal rights,” said Tali deGroot, J Street’s vice president of political and digital strategy.
In February, J Street Action Fund announced that it had raised $3 million for the 2026 election cycle.
For more on Scott Wiener’s stance on Israel, Palestine, and other foreign policy issues — plus those of the other two leading candidates, Connie Chan and Saikat Chakrabarti — read our Q&A here.
– Io Yeh GilmanAnti-worker PAC spends for Supervisors Alan Wong and Stephen Sherrill
California Alliance of Family-Owned Businesses has fought an increase in state minimum wage, objected to an act requiring employers to give workers written notice of their rights, and opposed a bill limiting workplace surveillance.
Now, its spending in favor of District 4 candidate Alan Wong and District 2 candidate Stephen Sherrill, Junyao Yang writes.
Read more in our piece “S.F. supervisors Alan Wong, Stephen Sherrill backed by anti-worker PAC.”
— Io Yeh GilmanGoogle co-founder dumps $500K to defeat “Overpaid CEO tax”
Sergey Brin, the Google co-founder whose turn to the right — and “MAGA girlfriend” — the New York Times recently profiled, has made his first foray into San Francisco politics.
Brin dropped half a million dollars to tank the union-backed “Overpaid CEO tax.”
The campaign against that tax was already flush: It had raised some $4.1 million when Mission Local last published a fundraising update just two weeks ago, and its total is now over $6 million.
Brin is not the only one:
- Amazon contributed $150,000 on May 20. That’s on top of $50,000 contributed earlier in February.
- Neighbors for a Better San Francisco, the group we once referred to as the 800-pound gorilla of San Francisco politics, put in $550,000 on May 12. In total the group has given $860,000 against Prop. D
- “SF Believes,” a PAC funded by Mayor Daniel Lurie’s wealthy allies that counts a MAGA megadonor among its financiers, has put in $100,000.
- Target chipped in $50,000.
- And Katherine Auguste-deWilde, the former president of the now defunct First Republic bank, donated $50,000.
Read more about why the mayor opposes both Prop. C and Prop. D and where virtually every other elected official stands on Prop. D.
– Kelly WaldronSaikat Chakrabarti drops another $1.1 million into his campaign
Congressional candidate and centimillionaire Saikat Chakrabarti spent another $1.1 million on his campaign, at least. That brings his total self-financing to at least $5.9 million. By Thursday evening, we’ll know more; that’s the next congressional campaign finance filing deadline.
– Kelly WaldronMajor congressional endorsements drop
While Nancy Pelosi endorsed District 1 Supervisor Connie Chan, on Monday, Chakrabarti had his own endorsement to tout this week: Rashida Tlaib, U.S. representative for Michigan’s 12th District and longtime member of the “Squad,” endorsed Chakrabarti’s campaign.
Read more about Pelosi’s endorsement of Chan here.
— Kelly WaldronDo District 2 voters care about corruption allegations?
We wrote this week about how corruption allegations that surfaced regarding District 2 Supervisor Stephen Sherrill’s appointment are not making waves among district voters — not yet at least.
Read more in our piece “Stephen Sherrill’s appointment has drawn corruption allegations. But District 2 voters are shrugging it off.”
Kelly Waldron Data Reporter
Kelly Waldron is a data reporter at Mission Local. She studied Geography at McGill University and worked at a remote sensing company in Montreal, analyzing methane data, before turning to journalism and earning a master’s degree from Columbia Journalism School. You can reach her on Signal @kwaldron.60.More by Kelly Waldron
Io Yeh Gilman Staff Reporter
Io is a staff reporter at Mission Local covering city hall and S.F. politics. She is a part of Report for America, which supports journalists in local newsrooms.
Io was born and raised in San Francisco and previously reported on the city while working for her high school newspaper, The Lowell. She studied the history of science at Harvard and wrote for The Harvard Crimson.
You can reach Io securely on Signal at ioyg.10More by Io Yeh Gilman
