This article is from Power Play, a twice-weekly newsletter rounding up the latest City Hall and local politics gossip. To sign up, visit The Standard’s newsletter page.

The all-powerful moderate cash cow GrowSF has had a shakeup in its ranks: Consultant Tyler Law, one of the brains behind Daniel Lurie’s 2024 win who continues to be a close confidant of the mayor, has peaced out, Power Play has learned. 

Law became involved in GrowSF in 2025, as the organization connected itself at the hip with Lurie in the post-election reordering of political alliances. Even though founders Steven Buss and Sachin Agarwal weren’t Lurie’s biggest cheerleaders during the 2024 campaign, their views on public safety, homelessness, and housing largely aligned with the mayor’s well-heeled network of supporters and fundraisers. That’s where Law came in, helping the group on strategy as it prepared for a rough-and-tumble 2026 election season. 

“Campaign cycles have a rhythm, and Election Day is fast approaching,” Law said of his exit. “It was always the plan to focus my time on the mayor’s priority ballot measures in June and November.” 

Agarwal said, “Tyler continues to be a great ally and partner in our efforts to make San Francisco safer and more affordable. As he takes on major ballot measures and focuses on the critical work of saving Muni, we’re proud to support him and the leadership he’s bringing to drive the kind of progress San Francisco needs.”

The group has been on a fundraising spree for the 2026 races, going after tech donors and other deep-pocketed contributors to support the campaigns of Lurie-allied Supervisors Stephen Sherrill and Alan Wong. By the latest count, Sherrill’s GrowSF PAC has hauled in $267,000, while Wong’s has $306,000. 

GrowSF was most recently in the headlines after Trump czar David Sacks gave money to the group, then asked for it back. GrowSF’s response? Sorry, we already spent it.

— Gabe Greschler

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RIDICULOUS RANKING: Hey, reader, who’s your second-ranked choice in the historic election to replace Rep. Nancy Pelosi? 

You don’t have one? Good, because that would be nuts. Unlike other contests appearing on the June ballot in San Francisco, the congressional race is not ranked-choice.

Now try telling that to canvassers for Saikat Chakrabarti, who apparently are being coached to tell voters to rank one of his rivals as their No. 2 selection. Power Play obtained a copy of the script handed out to Chakrabarti door-knockers, who interrupt dinners and Netflix binge-watching to persuade folks for their vote. These one-pagers usually consist of a flowchart guiding how a conversation should go; for example, if a resident says “No, I’m not backing your candidate,” the script might direct the canvasser to boast the candidate’s positions.

But the flyer we obtained advised that if a voter says they’re not backing Chakrabarti, canvassers should say, “Oh no problem, I totally get it! My number 2 is Connie [Chan], is that your choice?” 

Cue DJ scratch. Because federal elections, unlike local ones, don’t do rankings. While the script doesn’t explicitly say “ranked choice,” using the term “number 2” and invoking the word “choice” heavily flirts with the concept.

The campaigns of Chan and state Sen. Scott Wiener declined to comment. Power Play spoke to Buck Bagot, an organizer with the Bernal Heights Democratic Club who’s been knocking on doors in elections and training progressive canvassers since Art Agnos’ mayoral campaign in 1987. 

His expert opinion? “Wow, that’s sneaky as fuck.”

Chakrabarti’s campaign seems unconcerned. Spokesperson Tiffaney Bradley said Chan and Chakrabarti share values, like preserving labor rights and taxing billionaires, while Wiener’s donors are stand-ins for Fortune 500 companies. (That’s intended as an insult, in case you’re a Fortune 500-stan.)

“If Connie wins the primary, Saikat and his entire team will support her. If Saikat wins the primary, he hopes she will do the same,” Bradley said.

There may be reason to worry, as the misinformation could spread confusion among voters. On any given weekend, canvassers reach as many as 1,200 people, one consultant told Power Play. So tell your friends, tell your neighbors — the congressional election isn’t ranked-choice. 

Bagot, at least, has hope that folks won’t be snowed over. “I think he’s underestimating the intelligence of the average San Francisco voter,” he said. “We have a bunch of really savvy people in this town.”

— Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez

SUNSET SHOCKWAVE: The ever-twisty District 4 supervisor race just had another surprising twist. Lucas Lux, the Sunset Dunes mastermind has endorsed City Hall staffer Natalie Gee, who supports reopening the coastal road to cars, sending shockwaves through the Sunset and sparking hundreds (opens in new tab) of social media comments.

Lux sent out a lengthy explanation in a Slack channel for Dunes supporters, according to screenshots obtained by Power Play, urging others to back Gee. But Dunesheads have pushed back, questioning whether Gee’s positions on housing and her public transit record align with their urbanist priorities. Gee’s boss, Supervisor Shamann Walton, has been one of the most outspoken critics of the road closure policy and voted against the Family Zoning Plan.

“With around half of Sunset voters supporting the park these days, our supporters are spread across the SF political spectrum,” Lux told Power Play. “I welcome their passion and feedback.”

Jamie Hughes, a campaign consultant for Albert Chow — a merchant leader and another candidate — said he is not worried about Lux’s endorsement. “He is highly unpopular in the Sunset, and I’m doubtful his endorsement will have any impact,” Hughes said.

Only one candidate, Jeremy Greco, supports keeping Sunset Dunes, but he is widely considered a long shot. 

Lux’s move is a notable rebuke to the mayor, who appointed incumbent Wong. Sources tell us that Team Lurie was also caught off guard by the endorsement and its implications for Wong.

A social media video (opens in new tab) shows Gee, Greco, and Chow banding together to oust the sitting supervisor, saying repeatedly, “Vote anyone but Wong.” Gee clarified that the messaging does not translate to a formal ranked-choice strategy, but she will personally rank all other candidates first and leave Wong off the ballot. Gee is navigating Lux’s endorsement carefully; her text-banking volunteers are telling voters that her position on the Great Highway remains unchanged.

Despite Gee’s momentum, observers say it is too early to call the race, especially as Wong’s outside supporters have poured hundreds of thousands of dollars (opens in new tab) into this relatively small contest.

— Han Li

THIS COUNT COUNTS: Much ink has been spilled about Lurie’s tire-screeching reversal from his campaign promise to generate 1,500 shelter beds within six months of taking office. He’s admitted to falling way short of that promise, now claiming he instead wants the “right kind” of beds. But the actual number of new beds has bounced around (opens in new tab), depending on what type you count and how many shelters have closed (opens in new tab) at the time you counted.

Fear not — an official number is finally at hand. The Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing has tallied its inventory gains and losses and, in a Board of Supervisors Budget and Appropriations Committee meeting Wednesday, revealed the net total beds added since roughly the beginning of Lurie’s administration through April 1.

Drumroll please. The number: 408 crisis and shelter beds. 

That count includes crisis beds, stabilization/treatment beds, transitional housing, and emergency shelter. That’s about 1,100 beds short of Lurie’s six-month promise, nearly 16 months into his administration. Even less, if you don’t count crisis beds in the tally of shelter beds (some critics do not).

Most painful of all: Another shelter, at 711 Post St., is set to close, which reportedly will result in the loss of about 250 beds. The mayor’s office assures us there are more shelter beds in the pipeline. But still, it’s a good thing he backed down from that promise. 

— J.F.R.