San Francisco mayoral candidate Mark Farrell floated the idea Thursday of sending in the National Guard to address the fentanyl overdose crisis by fighting the city's downtown drug markets.
The proposal is the latest instance of the Democrat venture capitalist trying to defeat Mayor London Breed in November by attacking her from the right, according to Politico.
Both Breed and California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom have deployed the National Guard and California Highway Patrol to support the efforts of local police to take down fentanyl rings, but Farrell wants more personnel for an unspecified length of time.
As the city increasingly leans into law and order policies amid voter frustration over brazen theft and crime, Farrell's call for "more armed California National Guard" is certain to resonate among residents fed up with the city's decline.
A former city supervisor and interim mayor, Farrell told Politico he does not see his proposal through an ideological lens: It is merely a necessary response to the spike in drug-related deaths, including at least 811 last year alone.
"I don't believe that it's progressive or compassionate to allow a record number of overdose deaths on our streets every single year," he said.
Farrell said he has taken his cue, in part, from other Democrat-run municipalities that have responded aggressively to similar problems, like New York Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul dispatching the National Guard to New York City subway stations to fight crime.
A central feature of San Francisco's mayoral contest this election cycle is the one-upmanship the major players are engaging in to appeal to voters. Because Breed and her major opponents have all positioned themselves as moderate Democrats, they are all trying to outdo one another by proposing Republican-sounding policies that would increase the presence of law enforcement in the city and force people to seek help for addictions.
Breed's campaign has responded by calling Farrell too conservative for the famously liberal city.
"If he tacks any farther to the right, Mark Farrell might need to re-register as a Republican," Joe Arellano, Breed's spokesperson, told Politico.
The swing toward the right is reflective of the growing frustration voters have with the unsafe condition of the city's streets, as well as the impact of tech-funded advocacy groups that have pushed for tougher drug addiction and public-safety policies.
Breed also faces competition from philanthropist and Levi Strauss heir Daniel Lurie, who announced his candidacy in September. Lurie has also introduced a number of policies to respond to the city's rampant crime and drug addiction crises. According to Politico, he called on the city to declare a "state of emergency" Wednesday over the fentanyl problem, which he said would result in more state and federal funds.
"These are not just numbers on a page," Lurie said during a news conference. "Every death is someone's son, daughter, sister, or brother."
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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