A new political force: San Francisco’s mayoral election is a litmus test for tech elite’s influence

In recent years, money has poured into local politics as wealthy financiers try to remake the landscape of the city

As San Franciscans gear up to decide whether their embattled mayor London Breed deserves another term, political observers are watching whether this fall's election - projected to be the most expensive municipal contest in history - will bring definitive proof of the growing political power of the city's tech elites.

Wealthy financiers, including members of the city's traditional financial elite and the region's upstart tech oligarchs, have in recent years spent millions in an effort to reshape the political landscape of the city, pushing moderate candidates and policies over their more progressive rivals.