Levi Strauss heir Daniel Lurie pledges to make San Francisco safer as mayor

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Levi Strauss heir Daniel Lurie, who has never held public office, promised on Friday that as San Francisco’s mayor he will do what seasoned politicians before him have not — clean up city streets and bring an end to its open-air drug markets.

“Your voices and your call for accountable leadership, service and change have been heard,” Lurie said at a park in San Francisco's Chinatown, delivering his first public remarks since Mayor London Breed called him to concede the race the previous day.

Lurie said he chose Chinatown for Friday’s event to underscore how important the area's health is to turning San Francisco around. He walked the neighborhood the day after Tuesday's election and visited again Friday. Chinese voters are also critical to winning citywide in San Francisco.

The Associated Press has not declared a winner in Tuesday’s election because tens of thousands of ballots have not yet been counted and added to the ranked-choice voting calculations. San Francisco uses a system that allows voters to list up to 10 candidates in order of preference.

But on Friday, Lurie held a commanding lead in early election results, and Breed called Lurie on Thursday to congratulate him. She said in a statement that she and her staff will work to ensure a smooth transition when he takes over as mayor of a city.

“I know we are both committed to improving this City we love,” Breed wrote.

Lurie's ascent was remarkable for a candidate with little name recognition who appears to have bested two San Francisco supervisors and a former interim mayor.

His deep pockets helped. Lurie spent nearly $9 million of his own money on his first-time campaign for mayor and raised more than $16 million, including $1 million from his mother Mimi Haas. Lurie is the stepson of the late Peter Haas, a great-grandnephew of Levi Strauss and longtime CEO of the iconic San Francisco-based clothing company.

Breed's victory six years ago as the city's first Black female mayor — who grew up impoverished in public housing — showed that no dream was impossible in the progressive, compassionate and equitable city. But the honeymoon was short-lived as the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered stores and tech workers retreated to home offices. Tent encampments proliferated, as did public drug use.

Streets did become cleaner and homeless tents harder to find this year, but the daytime shooting in September of 49ers rookie Ricky Pearsall in a popular central shopping district reignited a debate over public safety. She faced off with multiple opponents who accused her of doing too little too late.

Voters' dissatisfaction with how the city is handling crime and safety was also reflected Friday in their successful recall of Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price, who campaigned on promises to reduce incarceration rates. She struggled to defend herself during a double-digit percentage increase in violent crime countywide in 2023 and has now been voted out along with George Gascón, Los Angeles County's progressive prosecutor.

On policy, Lurie does not differ much from Breed. Lurie said he wants to build more housing, crack down on drug dealers, get homeless people off the streets and take a compassionate yet firm approach to drug users who refuse help.

But he said that as a political outsider, he would bring a critical eye to bureaucracy, weed out nonprofits and department heads who fail to deliver, and focus on results. As mayor, he would oversee more than 30,000 employees and a $15 billion annual budget.

Lurie plans to beef up the city's police presence, declare a fentanyl state of emergency, set up 1,500 shelter beds within six months, and drastically streamline the permitting process so small businesses can thrive, he said.

His opponents on the campaign trail trashed Lurie for spending so much money, but his supporters did not seem to mind, nor did they seem bothered by his lack of experience in government. Several people at Friday's event said they were familiar with the anti-poverty nonprofit he founded in 2005, Tipping Point Community.

“I’m so happy to have Daniel here because, you see, special interests is gone. He doesn’t need the money, it’s all about passion for this city,” said Shirletha Holmes-Boxx, 67, a community organizer.

Lurie, 47, said he plans to put his holdings into a blind trust and talk to the city attorney about forgoing the mayor’s $380,000 annual salary.

Paul Yep, a retired San Francisco Police Department commander, said Lurie convinced him early on with his ideas, passion and purpose for running.

“I saw his commitment and his love for San Francisco,” Yep said. “I knew that the outsider point of view was exactly what was needed.”

Lurie planned to visit other parts of the city Friday, including a senior center, lunch at a gumbo social, ice cream with his two children and happy hour at a pub.

“So many people love this city, it’s time for us to start making people feel like the city loves them back,” he said Friday, with his wife Becca Prowda at his side as scores of supporters snapped photos, clapped their hands and hooted with joy.

San Francisco mayoral candidate Daniel Lurie, middle, tours businesses as he walks through Chinatown in San Francisco, Friday, Nov. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

San Francisco mayoral candidate Daniel Lurie tours businesses as he walks through Chinatown in San Francisco, Friday, Nov. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

San Francisco mayoral candidate Daniel Lurie, middle, is greeted by supporters after speaking at a news conference in San Francisco, Friday, Nov. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

San Francisco mayoral candidate Daniel Lurie, middle, greets Wing Pau, manager of Far East Cafe restaurant, as he walks through Chinatown in San Francisco, Friday, Nov. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

San Francisco mayoral candidate Daniel Lurie, middle, and his wife, Becca Prowda, middle right, walk through Chinatown in San Francisco, Friday, Nov. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

San Francisco mayoral candidate Daniel Lurie, foreground right, speaks at a news conference next to his wife in San Francisco, Friday, Nov. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Daniel Lurie, center, speaks at a news conference accompanied by his wife, Becca Prowda, center left, in San Francisco, Friday, Nov. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Daniel Lurie speaks at a news conference in San Francisco, Friday, Nov. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Daniel Lurie waves as he arrives at a news conference in San Francisco, Friday, Nov. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Daniel Lurie speaks at a news conference accompanied by his wife, Becca Prowda, left, in San Francisco, Friday, Nov. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

LAUSANNE, Switzerland & SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 12, 2024--

Logitech (SIX: LOGN) (NASDAQ: LOGI), today released a suite of Sync smart office tools to improve the workplace experience for employees and strengthen analytics for business IT teams. Auto Book and Auto Release features automatically reserve and cancel room bookings based on workplace behavior, and Logitech View interactive digital office maps make navigation through large office complexes intuitive.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241112053346/en/

A Steelcase Workplace Survey found that 40% of employees waste up to 30 minutes per day searching for meeting spaces,* a problem caused by people occupying meeting rooms without booking them, remaining in rooms beyond the time of their reservation, or failing to show up to (“ghosting”’) booked rooms.

“With hybrid work so pervasive, the office can feel like the Wild West,” said Henry Levak, VP of Product, Logitech for Business. “Logitech’s smart office tools are the not-so-secret weapon to bring predictability and detailed insights into these dynamic work environments.”

Auto Book and Auto Release solve these challenges: When employees start using a meeting room, Auto Book reserves it. Conversely, if a room is reserved but no one shows up, Auto Release frees the space for others to use. After multiple no-show meetings, the entire recurring series can also be automatically canceled, with the changes reflected in the calendar and on Tap Scheduler.

“Rally Bars use AI in-camera sensors to automatically detect and respond to natural workplace behaviors with no human intervention needed,” Levak added. “Employees can focus less on manual actions and more on collaboration, and IT admins get a realistic picture of which rooms are actually used, not just which rooms are booked.”

Unlock these features in rooms with Rally Bar or Rally Bar Mini, whether your organization uses Appspace, Envoy, Microsoft, RICOH Spaces, Robin, Zoom, or other booking platforms.

“Auto Book and Auto Release are prime examples of how Logitech shares our commitment to consumer-friendly, intuitive experiences that seamlessly integrate into daily life,” said Paul Alley, VP of Global Partnerships at Appspace. “Together, we’re removing obstacles that stand in the way of employee productivity, while also harnessing valuable data to address today’s business challenges.”

Availability status updates are reflected in near real time in Logitech View, a digital office mapping solution that keeps hybrid workers and visitors oriented with easier wayfinding in large office complexes via quick, color-coded visibility of meeting rooms, workstations, amenities, and exits. Maps can be displayed on large monitors or TV screens using Logitech RoomMate. Using the touchscreen, people can book rooms directly on the map or search for their colleagues’ desks.

The benefits run deep for IT teams responsible for ensuring that conference rooms are equipped with the right technology at the right times, and Facilities teams charged with optimizing office real estate.

“Underutilized and overutilized rooms are bad news for the bottom line,” said Prakash Arunkundrum, Chief Operating Officer and GM of Logitech for Business, ”Logitech Sync Insights gives you data analytics on space usage, occupancy, and the use of video conferencing equipment during meetings so you can make smarter decisions about tech investments and space planning.”

Pricing and availability

Logitech View, Auto Book and Auto Release are available with a Logitech Essential or Select service plan, priced at $199 and $399 per room annually, respectively. To start using Logitech View, update your RoomMate to CollabOS 1.14 (request early access here ). Auto Book and Auto Release require a Rally Bar or Rally Bar Mini on CollabOS 1.13 or higher.

About Logitech

Logitech designs software-enabled hardware solutions that help businesses thrive and bring people together when working, creating, gaming and streaming. As the point of connection between people and the digital world, our mission is to extend human potential in work and play, in a way that is good for people and the planet. Founded in 1981, Logitech International is a Swiss public company listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (LOGN) and the Nasdaq Global Select Market (LOGI). Find Logitech and more of its business products and enterprise solutions at www.logitech.com/business, the company blog, Logitech Business or @LogitechBiz.

Logitech and other Logitech marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of Logitech Europe S.A. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. For more information about Logitech and its products, visit the company’s website at www.logitech.com

*The New Era of Hybrid Work: It’s Time to Give People What They Want, Steelcase Global Research Study, 2022

Logitech Auto Book and Auto Release automatically reserve and cancel room bookings based on workplace behavior, and Logitech View interactive digital office maps make office navigation intuitive. (Photo: Business Wire)