Inside San Francisco’s brutal – and expensive – race for mayor

Homelessness is the major issue in an election that's projected to be the costliest in city history

When the supreme court's conservative majority ruled this summer that cities could fine and jail unhoused people for sleeping on the streets, London Breed, the Democratic mayor of famously liberal San Francisco, greeted the decision as a victory.

With more than 8,000 people in the city unhoused, Breed has increasingly embraced law-and-order policies. The supreme court's ruling would help cities like San Francisco manage our public spaces more effectively and efficiently", she argued.