Mark Farrell, Daniel Lurie, London Breed, Ahsha Safaí and Aaron Peskin are front-runners in this year’s mayoral election.

Less than two weeks before the election, many San Francisco voters said they still have no idea who they want to be the next mayor.

Twelve people are running against incumbent Mayor London Breed. In addition to Breed, the front-runners include former Supervisor and interim Mayor Mark Farrell, the progressive Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin, Levi’s heir and Tipping Point founder and former CEO Daniel Lurie, and District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safaí. The Nov. 5 mayoral election will use ranked-choice voting, which allows people to list candidates in order of preference rather than pick just one.

SFGATE talked with dozens of residents in neighborhoods across the city, from the Sunset to the Financial District, asking if they’ve decided on their vote. More than half said they have muddled feelings.

Advertisement

Article continues below this ad

A key reason many SF voters said they remain undecided is they believe no suitable candidates are in the race.

“I’m just like in this very dystopian moment of ‘there’s nobody good’ and ‘how is that possible?’” said Sage Russo, who has lived in San Francisco for 15 years.

Russo, who uses they/them pronouns, said they are coming to terms with selecting the candidate who feels “the least bad.”

Advertisement

Article continues below this ad

The top challengers in the mayoral race have faced varying criticisms. This month, three former San Francisco mayors, Willie Brown, Art Agnos and Frank Jordan, accused Farrell of unethical campaign practices. Specifically, the group alleged that Farrell violated campaign finance laws by using hundreds of dollars from a ballot measure committee he created to pay for his campaign. An Oct. 2 San Francisco Chronicle report revealed that Farrell owes $675,000 to a prominent San Francisco family for a home loan.

Lurie, who has never held elected office, has been criticized for his lack of political experience. An heir to the Levi Strauss clothing fortune, he has given $8 million to his own campaign, and his mother, billionaire Mimi Haas, donated $1 million to a group supporting him. While Peskin has a long history of government service in the city, he faces scrutiny for blocking proposed housing projects. Breed’s critics say she is responsible for the crime, homelessness and drug problems........

© SFGate