San Francisco Mayor London Breed has released a proposal to have recipients of public assistance undergo drug tests as the city fights the ongoing fentanyl crisis, Politico reports.
"We need to make a significant change. No more 'anything goes' without accountability, no more handouts without accountability." Breed, who is running for reelection next year, said at a press conference from City Hall on Tuesday.
"People are not accepting help," she added. "Now, it's time to make sure that we are cutting off resources that continue to allow this behavior."
Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin, a progressive who Politico reports is a possible contender for Breed's office, criticized the decision, saying that the mayor is attempting to shift blame onto others for her office's failure to coordinate with law enforcement to shut down open-air black markets.
"These are serious times in San Francisco — and we need serious ideas, not politicians desperately grasping for a political lifeline," he said.
Politico reports that Breed's announcement came on the same day that Daniel Lurie, the founder of Tipping Point and heir to the Levi Strauss & Co. fortune, announced his candidacy to replace her.
"My administration will finally slam the door shut on the era of open-air drug markets and end the perception that lawlessness is an acceptable part of life in San Francisco," Lurie said during his campaign launch.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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