{"id":44983,"date":"2025-11-08T13:21:58","date_gmt":"2025-11-08T21:21:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=44983"},"modified":"2025-11-08T13:21:59","modified_gmt":"2025-11-08T21:21:59","slug":"with-pelosi-out-san-francisco-faces-existential-decision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2025\/11\/08\/with-pelosi-out-san-francisco-faces-existential-decision\/","title":{"rendered":"With Pelosi out, San Francisco faces existential decision"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/users\/profile\/Adam%20Shanks\">By Adam Shanks | Examiner staff writer<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Nov 6, 2025 (SFExamner.com)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com\/sfexaminer.com\/content\/tncms\/assets\/v3\/editorial\/4\/e5\/4e59d40c-b39a-4a27-bba7-fca0939820a5\/690d261fc8eee.image.jpg?resize=400%2C267\" alt=\"PELOSI RETIRE 4\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi \u2014 seen in 2022 greeting her staff \u2014 announced Thursday that she won\u2019t be seeking reelection, giving San Francisco something it hasn\u2019t had in some time: An open debate at the federal level.Erin Schaff \u00a9 2022 The New York Times Company<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The exit of a political legend has opened the door for a new political discourse \u2014 or a free-for-all fracas \u2014 in San Francisco for the first time in nearly 40 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rep.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/politics\/nancy-pelosi-not-running-for-reelection-congress\/article_cb68b9aa-e9b7-4204-8853-6dd1798da870.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Nancy Pelosi\u2019s decision not to run for reelection<\/a>, announced Thursday, will allow San Francisco to openly debate how its representative \u2014 and the Democratic Party \u2014 should approach this unprecedented moment in American politics and democracy in the 2026 election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since Pelosi was first elected to Congress in a special election in 1987, tech bubbles have ballooned and burst, the Embarcadero Freeway was torn down and whole new neighborhoods have sprouted up. The City is different, and so is the country \u2014 and in many ways, both are internally divided.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Two prominent candidates have already lined up to fill Pelosi\u2019s seat, and more are likely to join, each offering a different path forward.<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAQAAAADCAQAAAAe\/WZNAAAAEElEQVR42mM8U88ABowYDABAxQPltt5zqAAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==\" alt=\"Saikat Chakrabarti\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-25.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-44991\" srcset=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-25.png 640w, https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-25-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-25-150x100.png 150w, https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-25-225x150.png 225w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"4\" height=\"3\" src=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-23.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-44989\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Saikat Chakrabarti \u2014 seen at his campaign headquarters on Irving Street in August \u2014 is also running for the congressional seat that represents most of The City.Craig Lee\/The Examiner<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Saikat Chakrabarti is a millionaire thanks to his participation in San Francisco\u2019s last big tech wave, during the quaint days before artificial intelligence was the investment de rigueur. His wealth comes from tech, but has hitched his political wagon to stars such as U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, both of whom he helped campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2026, Chakrabarti will test whether voters trust a millionaire to\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/magazine\/2025\/10\/30\/saikat-chakrabarti-nancy-pelosi-democratic-party-00624012\" target=\"_blank\">stick it to the billionaires<\/a>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0if such a message even resonates here \u2014 and solve an affordability crisis while possibly stretching the definition of a\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DNT8ntkyDzO\/\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cgrassroots\u201d<\/a>\u00a0campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"791\" src=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-26-1024x791.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-44992\" srcset=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-26-1024x791.png 1024w, https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-26-300x232.png 300w, https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-26-150x116.png 150w, https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-26-768x594.png 768w, https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-26-1536x1187.png 1536w, https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-26-194x150.png 194w, https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-26.png 1638w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"4\" height=\"3\" src=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-22.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-44988\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Scott Wiener, reacting to Pelosi\u2019s decision not to run for reelection,&nbsp;rattled off an array of Pelosi\u2019s accomplishments, including the fight she pledged to wage against AIDS immediately upon taking the seat in 1987.Cayce Clifford \u00a9 2025 The New York Times<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/politics\/scott-wiener-congress-nancy-pelosi\/article_f92a9029-60c8-4d16-b25a-2b609308bc48.html\" target=\"_blank\">State Sen. Scott Wiener<\/a>\u00a0has made a name for himself in San Francisco by being an\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/mar\/28\/what-is-abundance-liberalism\" target=\"_blank\">capital-A \u201cAbundance\u201d-style<\/a>\u00a0Democrat who champions housing development. But on the national stage, he has earned recognition and a fair share of Fox News hate for being a fiercely proud gay man and an online opponent of the MAGA crowd. Can Wiener be both versions of himself in a successful congressional run?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-27.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-44993\" srcset=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-27.png 750w, https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-27-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-27-150x100.png 150w, https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-27-225x150.png 225w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"4\" height=\"3\" src=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-20.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-44985\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">District 1 Supervisor Connie Chan speaks at a press conference in support of San Francisco as a sanctuary city, on the steps of City Hall on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025.&nbsp;Craig Lee\/The Examiner<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Speculation also has run rampant that&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/politics\/sf-supervisor-connie-chan-traveled-unlikely-political-road\/article_d0e910be-b1d8-11ef-85db-5f9aea550d4d.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan<\/a>&nbsp;could enter the mix. Chan, who represents a district that includes the Richmond neighborhood, has positioned herself as an adult-in-the-room presence on the Board of Supervisors as chair its Budget Committee amid particularly calamitous budget cycles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Politically, Chan has proven capable of marshaling the power of organized labor to help her win reelection. Though commonly labeled as a progressive, she\u2019s worked closely with moderate Mayor Daniel Lurie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No matter who\u2019s running, San Francisco voters will have to ask themselves what\u2019s most important to them in a congressional representative. Inherently local issues \u2014 such as the increasingly\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/finance.yahoo.com\/news\/renting-in-san-francisco-turns-cutthroat-as-ai-jobs-boom-collides-with-low-supply-170225356.html\" target=\"_blank\">hellish process<\/a>\u00a0of finding a livable apartment \u2014 are likely to be top of mind for many.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But on the national level, democratic norms are being upended left and right under President Donald Trump, and the stakes couldn\u2019t possibly be higher. Democrats \u2014 and Pelosi in particular \u2014 have faced criticism for failing to have a clear counterstrategy in place when Trump and the Republican Party surged back to power in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The race could shape up to be a referendum on Pelosi\u2019s leadership, particularly under Trump\u2019s two terms and amid increasing pressure within the Democratic Party to shift politically leftward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For what it\u2019s worth, Trump reacted to the news of her retirement by saying \u201cit is a great thing for America\u201d and calling her a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/11\/06\/us-news\/trump-applauds-evil-corrupt-nancy-pelosis-retirement-great-thing-for-america\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">highly overrated politician.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Candidates will have to weigh how much they want to pitch themselves as a continuation of a representative who was undeniably popular in San Francisco \u2014 she never faced a serious challenge over 20 terms in office \u2014 but immensely polarizing on the national stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"688\" src=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-28-1024x688.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-44994\" srcset=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-28-1024x688.png 1024w, https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-28-300x202.png 300w, https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-28-150x101.png 150w, https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-28-768x516.png 768w, https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-28-223x150.png 223w, https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-28.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"4\" height=\"3\" src=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-19.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-44986\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Democrats, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in particular, have faced criticism for failing to have a clear counterstrategy in place when Trump and Republicans surged back to power in 2024.Andrew Harnik\/Associated Press<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Chakrabarti, who has never run for office himself before, was particularly critical of Pelosi, calling on her to make way for a new generation of leadership and calling for a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/sanfrancisco\/news\/tech-millionaire-saikat-chakrabarti-takes-aim-at-nancy-pelosis-seat-in-congress\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">leftward shift by the Democratic Party<\/a>. Wiener had long praised Pelosi and pledged to wait until she retired to seek the position \u2014 only to announce his candidacy before she officially bowed out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The difference between the two candidates was evident in videos they posted to social media after Pelosi\u2019s announcement. Chakrabarti&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/saikatforcongress.bsky.social\/post\/3m4xx4ahcfi24\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">effectively thanked Pelosi<\/a>&nbsp;for getting out of the way and quickly offered himself as a leader who \u201cwon\u2019t just manage a broken system\u201d but rebuild it. Wiener, on the other hand, rattled off an array of Pelosi\u2019s accomplishments, including the fight she pledged to wage against AIDS immediately upon taking the seat in 1987.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cShe was sticking up for people like me, for kids like me, for gay men like me, and I and so many others will be eternally grateful for her fight and for her leadership,\u201d Wiener said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Particularly since&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/our_sections\/forum\/nancy-pelosi-s-got-99-reasons-to-step-down-as-the-house-s-top-democrat\/article_617cd11e-620e-11ed-9e7e-6f45216a3267.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">giving up Democratic leadership<\/a>&nbsp;in the House in 2022, Pelosi preferred a diminished public role, while still orchestrating behind the scenes. In 2024, she reportedly played a key role in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/2024-election\/nancy-pelosi-helped-pressure-joe-biden-end-2024-campaign-rcna162943\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">urging President Joe Biden<\/a>&nbsp;to step aside in the contest against Trump. And in the recent campaign for Proposition 50, Pelosi was reportedly&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/09\/14\/us\/politics\/nancy-pelosi-california-redistricting.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pivotal from the jump<\/a>&nbsp;in fundraising, but left it to party leaders such as Gov. Gavin Newsom to give the stump speeches and appear in advertisements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Such tact was emblematic of Pelosi\u2019s commitment to the party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But what will Pelosi do now that she\u2019s not \u2014 or at least not directly \u2014 serving the party and San Francisco? There\u2019s ample speculation that should Chan run, Pelosi could throw her still-ample political muscle behind the Richmond-district supervisor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Obviously, whoever fills Pelosi\u2019s shoes \u2014 or heels, to put it more accurately, even at her 80-plus years of age \u2014 will wield less influence than the woman who literally wrote the book on \u201cThe Art of Power.\u201d Taking for near-certainty that a Democrat will win the race for Pelosi\u2019s seat in 2026, San Francisco voters will have to decide what they want the Democratic Party to be and what role they want their representative to play in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And that\u2019s a decision San Franciscans haven\u2019t really been confronted with in decades.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The exit of a political legend has opened the door for a new political discourse \u2014 or a free-for-all fracas \u2014 in San Francisco for the first time in nearly 40 years. Rep.&nbsp;Nancy Pelosi\u2019s decision not to run for reelection, announced Thursday, will allow San Francisco to openly debate how&#8230; <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2025\/11\/08\/with-pelosi-out-san-francisco-faces-existential-decision\/\"> 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":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44983"}],"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=44983"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44983\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44995,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44983\/revisions\/44995"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}