San Francisco Mayor London Breed returned to town Sunday after spending per week in China in efforts to advance financial and cultural ties with the area regardless of ongoing crises in her metropolis.
Based on Breed’s workplace, the mayor traveled to China for a week-long, multi-city journey that included conferences with authorities, enterprise and airline officers. Chinese language President Xi Jinping and Chinese language Ambassador to the U.S. Xie Feng invited Breed to the nation throughout final yr’s Asia Pacific Financial Cooperation convention, which was held in San Francisco.
Previous to the journey, Breed advised the native NBC station one in all her targets was to convey again pandas for the San Francisco Zoo, create stronger relationships with Chinese language officers, enhance tourism and put San Francisco companies on the radar.
“We predict that with elevated flights, enterprise alternatives, pandas, the financial alternatives for San Francisco will probably be vital,” she stated throughout a press convention.
Again at dwelling, Breed’s constituents face issues nicely past zoo displays.
“Mayor London Breed’s choice to jet off to China in pursuit of pandas whereas her metropolis grapples with escalating crime and homelessness is a disgraceful evasion of her duties to make sure the security of San Francisco residents,” California Senate Minority Chief Brian Jones advised Fox Information Digital.
“Her misguided give attention to photograph ops overseas solely highlights her utter disregard for the pressing wants of these struggling in her personal yard.”
“In case you requested a thousand San Franciscans what the largest drawback going through town is, not a single one in all them would say that the zoo doesn’t have pandas. They’d say they’re bored with rising crime, sick of hovering homelessness and fed up with a damaged authorities that ignores town’s issues,” Meeting Republican Chief James Gallagher advised Fox Information Digital.
“Reasonably than boosting public relations for the Chinese language Communist Social gathering, Mayor Breed ought to give attention to fixing San Francisco’s loss of life spiral.”
Earlier this yr, San Francisco officers claimed town’s crime charge was “decrease than any interval within the final ten years” other than 2020.
In most classes, crimes in San Francisco reported to police declined in 2023 in comparison with 2022, however not as a lot as the remainder of the nation, statistics from the FBI present. In 2023, there have been 50,744 crimes reported within the metropolis throughout all classes. In 2022, San Franciscans reported 54,649 crimes, a 7.2% lower year-over-year.
Nonetheless, robberies elevated 14.8% in 2023 over the prior yr, and motorcar thefts went up 6.3% from 2022. Thus far this yr, town has recorded 11,077 crimes, down 29.7% from the identical interval in 2022.
San Francisco Worldwide Airport spokesperson Doug Yakel stated the mayor’s go to might assist enhance town’s economic system by producing hundreds of thousands of {dollars} from airline journey, with the hope that three China-based airways will do enterprise at SFO.
“It is so highly effective what it represents, not just for our airport however for native economies. We have a look at a single flight, and I am speaking a each day flight between a overseas vacation spot like China and the U.S. to SFO,” Yakel advised KTVU. “It may be upwards of $175 million in annual income and 1,200 jobs within the Bay Space complete, and that is only one flight.”
Breed stated an estimate on the price of bringing big pandas to town has not but been decided, however she advised KTVU she is assured it can occur.
“We anticipate a pair of pandas, and they’re hopefully anticipated to come back as quickly as we’re in a position to elevate the assets, do all of the allowing, proceed to work with the wildlife and conservation group in Beijing for all of the paperwork,” she stated.
Jones advised Fox Information Digital Breed ought to ship her assets and focus elsewhere.
“Moreover, everybody is aware of that the San Diego Zoo is world-famous for his or her panda exhibit. Mayor Breed ought to give attention to fixing San Francisco slightly than competing with San Diego over pandas,” Jones added.
Gloria Chan, the director of communications with the Workplace of Financial and Workforce Growth, argues that securing pandas for the zoo pays dividends for town.
“Securing the primary official residency for big pandas in San Francisco is an enormous win for our metropolis. San Francisco is a world vacation spot and the gateway to the Asia Pacific. Having pandas right here will strengthen our already deep cultural connection and honors our Chinese language and API heritage that’s core to San Francisco’s historical past,” Chan stated.
A professor at UCLA additionally shared ideas on Mayor Breed’s panda diplomacy with Fox Information Digital.
“If Mayor Breed and the Board of Supervisors don’t make dramatic modifications concerning homelessness, crime, drug abuse, spending and reinventing downtown by attracting new companies, quickly San Francisco might turn out to be the subsequent Detroit,” Lee Ohanian stated.
Based on the 2022 Level-in-Time Depend from town’s Division of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, 7,754 individuals have been homeless in San Francisco that yr, 3.5% decrease than the earlier yr. Of these individuals, 3,357 have been staying in a shelter, the report stated.
In 2023, town reported 810 drug overdose deaths. Of these, 656 have been linked to fentanyl. These numbers have been greater than double the nationwide common that yr, The New York Instances reported.
SAN FRANCISCO MAYOR LONDON BREED BLASTS HOMELESS COALITION: HELD CITY ‘HOSTAGE FOR DECADES’
In November, U.S. Legal professional Ismail Ramsey introduced the federal authorities was offering main assets to help within the metropolis’s drug-dealing epidemic. A press launch stated the “all fingers on deck” initiative combines federal, state and native assets to ramp up arrests of avenue sellers. The U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace additionally elevated federal prices towards drug traffickers, elevating the stakes by holding sellers accountable, the discharge acknowledged.
Breed has additionally confronted criticism from a number of high-profile individuals.
Throughout TNT’s various broadcast of the NBA All-Star Sport in February, Charles Barkley took a jab on the metropolis whereas speaking to Basketball Corridor of Famer Reggie Miller.
Barkley requested Miller which he would select — enjoying within the chilly in Indianapolis, the place Miller spent his complete 18-year NBA profession, or “being round a bunch of homeless crooks in San Francisco.”
Golden State Warriors star Draymond Inexperienced referred to as Barkley “loopy,” including Barkley was not “welcome” within the metropolis.
In protection of town, WNBA star Candace Parker stated, “We love San Francisco.”
“No we don’t,” he responded. “You possibly can’t even stroll round down there.”
Chino Yang, a San Francisco-based rapper and restaurant proprietor, launched a “dis monitor” calling out Breed for permitting town to turn out to be a “zombie land.”
“London Breed, you ain’t nothing however a clown,” Yang raps within the music “San Francisco Our House.” “Once we actually wanted you, you ain’t by no means been round. You executed turnt this nice metropolis right into a zombie land.” Yang has since apologized for “spreading misinformation about our beloved Mayor London Breed,” suggesting somebody with “connections” to “the highest elites” threatened him and his household.
“I’m merely a civilian. So, for the sake of my household and my family members — my shut pals — I might prefer to overtly and publicly express regret concerning my actions and what I stated within the video,” Yang stated, in accordance with CBS Information.
Breed introduced plans Tuesday to set a curfew in a part of the Tenderloin to assist curb crime within the space, the mayor’s workplace confirmed to KTVU.
In 2023, town stated native legislation enforcement companies remodeled 2,000 arrests for drug gross sales or drug use within the Tenderloin. Additionally they seized over 260 kilos of fentanyl. Town stated work has continued into 2024, with 350 arrests up to now this yr for drug gross sales or drug use.
“Our work round public security is making a distinction, however we’ve acquired extra work to do,” Breed stated. “We aren’t letting up on our efforts to make San Francisco a safer and gratifying metropolis for everybody, and this contains persevering with to ramp up police staffing and giving our native enforcement companies the assets they should do their job.”
These numbers don’t embrace further federal efforts being carried out by the U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace and Drug Enforcement Company, in accordance with town.
Fox Information Digital reached out to Mayor London Breed’s workplace and the San Francisco Police Division for remark.
Fox Information’ Ryan Gaydos, Jeffery Clark and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
