{"id":28227,"date":"2023-08-31T22:57:05","date_gmt":"2023-09-01T05:57:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=28227"},"modified":"2023-08-31T22:57:36","modified_gmt":"2023-09-01T05:57:36","slug":"katie-porters-campaign-visit-to-s-f-looked-more-real-than-ron-desantis-version","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2023\/08\/31\/katie-porters-campaign-visit-to-s-f-looked-more-real-than-ron-desantis-version\/","title":{"rendered":"Katie Porter\u2019s campaign visit to S.F. looked more real than Ron DeSantis\u2019 version"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/politics\/\">POLITICS<\/a>\/\/<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/politics\/joegarofoli\/\">JOE GAROFOLI<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Senate candidate made clear she wasn\u2019t a doom loop political tourist.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/author\/joe-garofoli\/\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/author\/joe-garofoli\/\" target=\"_blank\">Joe Garofoli<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Aug. 29, 2023 Updated: Aug. 30, 2023 12:29\u00a0p.m. (SFChronicle.com)<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dialog\/feed?app_id=137086563877087&amp;link=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sfchronicle.com%2Fpolitics%2Fjoegarofoli%2Farticle%2Fkatie-porter-sf-18336518.php%3Futm_campaign%3DCMS%2520Sharing%2520Tools%2520(Premium)%26utm_source%3Dfacebook.com%26utm_medium%3Dreferral&amp;name=Katie%20Porter%E2%80%99s%20campaign%20visit%20to%20S.F.%20looked%20more%20real%20than%20Ron%20DeSantis%E2%80%99%20version&amp;description=Katie%20Porter%20made%20clear%20she%20wasn%E2%80%99t%20a%20doom%20loop%20political%20tourist.&amp;picture=https%3A%2F%2Fs.hdnux.com%2Fphotos%2F01%2F34%2F20%2F51%2F24185451%2F3%2FrawImage.jpg&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sfchronicle.com%2Fpolitics%2Fjoegarofoli%2Farticle%2Fkatie-porter-sf-18336518.php%3Futm_campaign%3DCMS%2520Sharing%2520Tools%2520(Premium)%26utm_source%3DUTMSOURCE%26utm_medium%3DUTMMEDIUM\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sfchronicle.com%2Fpolitics%2Fjoegarofoli%2Farticle%2Fkatie-porter-sf-18336518.php%3Futm_campaign%3DCMS%2520Sharing%2520Tools%2520(Premium)%26utm_source%3Dt.co%26utm_medium%3Dreferral&amp;text=Katie%20Porter%E2%80%99s%20campaign%20visit%20to%20S.F.%20looked%20more%20real%20than%20Ron%20DeSantis%E2%80%99%20version&amp;via=sfchronicle\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"mailto:?subject=Your%20friend%20has%20shared%20a%20San%20Francisco%20Chronicle%20link%20with%20you%3A%20&amp;body=Katie%20Porter%E2%80%99s%20campaign%20visit%20to%20S.F.%20looked%20more%20real%20than%20Ron%20DeSantis%E2%80%99%20version%0A%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.sfchronicle.com%2Fpolitics%2Fjoegarofoli%2Farticle%2Fkatie-porter-sf-18336518.php%3Futm_campaign%3DCMS%2520Sharing%2520Tools%2520(Premium)%26utm_source%3Dshare-by-email%26utm_medium%3Demail%0A%0AKatie%20Porter%20made%20clear%20she%20wasn%E2%80%99t%20a%20doom%20loop%20political%20tourist.%0A%0AThis%20message%20was%20sent%20via%20San%20Francisco%20Chronicle\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\" id=\"1-image-24185451\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s.hdnux.com\/photos\/01\/34\/20\/51\/24185451\/3\/1200x0.jpg\" alt=\"Rep. Katie Porter, right, joins Kevin\u00a0Ortiz during\u00a0a tour of San Francisco\u2019s Mission District on Tuesday.\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rep. Katie Porter, right, joins Kevin&nbsp;Ortiz during&nbsp;a tour of San Francisco\u2019s Mission District on Tuesday.Gabrielle Lurie\/The Chronicle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\" id=\"2-image-24185495\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s.hdnux.com\/photos\/01\/34\/20\/52\/24185495\/3\/1200x0.jpg\" alt=\"U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Katie Porter, center, chats with Marco Senghor before\u00a0touring San Francisco\u2019s Mission District on Tuesday.\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\" id=\"3-image-24185498\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s.hdnux.com\/photos\/01\/34\/20\/52\/24185498\/3\/1200x0.jpg\" alt=\"U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Katie Porter, left, talks to shop owner Vanessa Porras during a tour of San Francisco\u2019s Mission District on Tuesday.\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s become a trope. Politicians drop by San Francisco for a doom loop photo opp&nbsp;\u2014 and then fundraise off of it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Exhibit A is Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who ripped the \u201ccollapsed\u201d city in a video shot during a June fundraising trip for his presidential campaign. Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy stopped by the Mission District in June, framing his selfie video in front of sidewalks full of tents&nbsp;\u2014 and then asked for donations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This kind of drive-by commentary is sinking in nationally. A&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/news.gallup.com\/poll\/509801\/americans-rate-dallas-boston-safest-cities.aspx\">Gallup poll<\/a>&nbsp;this month found that only 52% of respondents felt San Francisco was a safe place to visit. That\u2019s an 18% point drop from 2006, the most of any big city other than Chicago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On Tuesday, Rep. Katie Porter, who\u2019s running for Senate, did what\u2019s colloquially known in political campaign-speak as a \u201cmerchant walk\u201d in San Francisco\u2019s Mission District. Translation: A candidate strolls down the street, popping into a handful of pre-screened shops to talk to merchants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Typically, the candidate nods sympathetically, notes how good the (food smells\/clothes look), then pops back into a smoked-glass SUV and drives off. Bonus points if they try the food, smile and say, \u201cThis is&nbsp;<em>delicious<\/em>!\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But Porter largely strayed from the script&nbsp;\u2014 symbolic of her real person image and campaign. She would be the only single parent in the Senate with school-age children if elected.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On Tuesday, she made clear she wasn\u2019t a doom loop political tourist. She not only asked questions, she offered a few ideas.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s important to see for yourself firsthand and not to assume you know what the problems are, but really to ask, \u2018What have been your happiest moments? What have been your toughest things?\u2019\u2009\u201d Porter said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those questions came up often at the three stops she made during her hour-plus visit to Mission Street on Tuesday evening that was sponsored by the San Francisco&nbsp;Latinx Democratic Club. Organizers wanted Porter, who lives in Orange County, to see how the challenges in the heart of San Francisco\u2019s Latino community differ from those in Southern California and the Central Valley. Start with the 54 vacant storefronts along Mission Street.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Porter was gregarious and engaged at each stop. At the Clean Cut Barbershop, she asked Apolonia Gomez how she got a small-business loan to open. Porter offered to help her connect with her local&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sba.gov\/local-assistance\/resource-partners\/small-business-development-centers-sbdc#id-what-is-an-sbdc\">Small Business Development Center<\/a>&nbsp;for help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey can give you assistance with your budget, they\u2019ll look over your lease for you, they\u2019ll help look over vendor contracts, and they have really good programs to connect to the other business owners,\u201d Porter said, noting that her mom was a small-business owner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other business owners told Porter about the recurring graffiti and homeless folks camped nearby.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On housing, Porter said, \u201cWe need more housing, and it\u2019s going to have to be everywhere. And so when people say I don\u2019t want it in my neighborhood \u2014 it needs to be in every neighborhood.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She said she\u2019d like the federal government to get more involved in building permanent supportive housing for the homeless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat is kind of getting lost in those local battles is real federal leadership, saying, \u2018We will be your partner on this. We will make sure these projects are successful,\u2019\u2009\u201d Porter said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vanessa Porras, co-owner of the Born Again Thrift clothing store, appreciated Porter\u2019s questions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not every day that you see a (Senate candidate) walking in here, especially in this part of the Mission,\u201d Porras said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Minutes later, after taking some questions from the Latinix Democratic Club at Bissap Baobab restaurant, Porter was off to catch her plane back home to Orange County. She left in a Toyota \u2014 with clear glass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just listening and offering ideas was a far cry from some of the more recent doom loop political tourism.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>DeSantis\u2019&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RonDeSantis\/status\/1671300453521408001?s=20\">minute-long video<\/a>&nbsp;was as lean on solutions (none) as it was production values. But that wasn\u2019t the point. The video was designed 1) to tweak DeSantis\u2019 rival, former San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, and 2) to showcase the worst part of the nation\u2019s most left-leaning big city to illustrate the failure of progressive policies \u2026 and fundraise off of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt just shows you that policies matter. Leadership matters. They are doing it wrong here,\u201d DeSantis said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At least Kennedy offered some solutions. Well, one solution at least. As he stood in front of a sea of tents pitched across sidewalks on a San Francisco street, he said, \u201cWe could solve the homeless problem in this country\u201d by comparing the city with West Virginia, a place with \u201cone of the highest addiction rates in the country\u201d but comparatively few homeless residents. His solution: more federal housing vouchers to help people get off the street.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s more important than funding wars. It\u2019s more important than funding overseas adventures,\u201d Kennedy said. \u201cWe need to take care of Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Good idea, ridiculous comparison. West Virginia has as much in common with San Francisco as my three-point shot does with Steph Curry\u2019s.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A June study of California\u2019s homeless population by UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative&nbsp;\u2014 one of the most comprehensive studies of unhoused adults in three decades&nbsp;&nbsp;\u2014 found that homelessness in California is driven by high housing costs.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe need to solve the fundamental problem \u2014 the rent is just too high,\u201d&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/sf\/article\/california-homelessness-study-18152805.php\">said Margot Kushel<\/a>, the study\u2019s principal investigator and director of UCSF\u2019s Benioff Institute.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s a reality check on RFK Jr.\u2019s comparison. The median price of a home sold in San Francisco last month: $1.3 million, according to Realtor.com.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The median price of a home sold in Morgantown, W.Va.,&nbsp;last month: $292,937.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Perhaps that\u2019s beside the point. And perhaps the only monetary note that mattered was a postscript to Kennedy\u2019s video: \u201cPlease consider making a contribution today by visiting:&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.kennedy24.com\/donate.%E2%80%9D\">www.kennedy24.com\/donate.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>San Francisco Mayor London Breed responded to DeSantis\u2019 comments, part of the never-ending national pile-on on her city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s using the old playbook in politics to get attention: talking bad about what\u2019s wrong and not necessarily talking about solutions to fix it,\u201d she told KTVU.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cFocusing on the negative and targeting places like San Francisco has been, unfortunately, the norm,\u201d Breed said. \u201cAnd we have to turn that around.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s the bottom line: San Francisco has to turn it around. Until then, it will continue to be a regular fundraising stop for doom loop political tourists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reach Joe Garofoli: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com; Twitter: @joegarofoli<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Written By <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/author\/joe-garofoli\/\" target=\"_blank\">Joe Garofoli<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/joegarofoli\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Joe Garofoli is the San Francisco Chronicle\u2019s senior political writer, covering national and state politics. He has worked at The Chronicle since 2000 and in Bay Area journalism since 1992, when he left the Milwaukee Journal. He is the host of \u201cIt\u2019s All Political,\u201d The Chronicle\u2019s political podcast. Catch it here:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He has won numerous awards and covered everything from fashion to the Jeffrey Dahmer serial killings to two Olympic Games to his own vasectomy \u2014 which he discussed on NPR\u2019s \u201cTalk of the Nation\u201d after being told he couldn\u2019t say the word \u201cballs\u201d on the air. He regularly appears on Bay Area radio and TV talking politics and is available to entertain at bar mitzvahs and First Communions. He is a graduate of Northwestern University and a proud native of Pittsburgh. Go Steelers!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/img\/logos\/black\/logo.svg\" alt=\"San Francisco Chronicle Homepage - Site Logo\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/img\/core\/hearst_newspapers_logo.svg\" alt=\"HEARST newspapers logo\">\u00a92023 Hearst Communications, Inc.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>POLITICS\/\/JOE GAROFOLI The Senate candidate made clear she wasn\u2019t a doom loop political tourist. Joe Garofoli Aug. 29, 2023 Updated: Aug. 30, 2023 12:29\u00a0p.m. (SFChronicle.com) It\u2019s become a trope. Politicians drop by San Francisco for a doom loop photo opp&nbsp;\u2014 and then fundraise off of it.&nbsp; Exhibit A is Republican&#8230; <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2023\/08\/31\/katie-porters-campaign-visit-to-s-f-looked-more-real-than-ron-desantis-version\/\"> Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr; <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[534],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28227"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28227"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28227\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28229,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28227\/revisions\/28229"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}