Charles Kretchmer Lutvak

Today, I stood with Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky to announce his $100 million gift to San Francisco’s parks. This is the largest single-donor gift to the city in San Francisco’s history, and will support the development of new parks, upgrades to existing spaces, expanded hours at recreation facilities, and much more.  An initial $39 million will help unlock five projects in neighborhoods across our city. SoMa, the Mission, Bayview-Hunters Point, Potrero Hill, and downtown will all see transformational projects finish sooner, bringing more welcoming public spaces to residents across San Francisco.  As Mayor, one of my top priorities is making San Francisco a city where families can put down roots and build their futures. Earlier this year, we launched our Family Opportunity Agenda—a citywide effort to bring down the cost of living and expand economic mobility for San Francisco families.    We're building more housing, protecting tenants, expanding access to affordable childcare, and keeping public transportation safe, reliable, and affordable. We're also investing in the public spaces families rely on every day.  Our parks are an essential part of what makes San Francisco such a special place to raise a family. Our recreation programs provide exceptional and affordable opportunities for San Francisco families. With this investment, we're bringing those opportunities to more neighborhoods across our city, expanding access to recreation, and making our parks even better for the families who use them.  San Francisco has created enormous opportunity for the people who have built their businesses here. And with that success comes a responsibility to give back to the city that helped make it possible. So, my ask to every leader who sees what Brian has done today is simple: help us create more opportunities for the people who call San Francisco home. Now is the time. Our city is coming back. Don’t just watch it from the sidelines. Be a part of it.

Every day, I see the conditions that Marshall Elementary families and Mission residents are dealing with, and every day, I am frustrated. Moving the problem from one block to the next isn’t good enough—this community deserves concrete steps that will make a real difference. That’s why we brought everyone to the table: Supervisor Fielder, community leaders, law enforcement, social services, and our philanthropic and state partners. And today, I am happy to outline a plan for a $9.25 million investment from Crankstart and $3 million in state funding that will help make our Mission corridor and BART plazas safer. Alongside an immediate law enforcement surge, this funding will allow us to activate these spaces and add infrastructure on the plazas and near Marshall Elementary, so we can shut down dangerous and illegal activity and provide the safe, clean streets this community deserves. Thank you to Crankstart, Supervisor Fielder, and Assemblymember Gabriel for your partnership and commitment to the safety and well-being of the Mission community. missionlocal.org/2026/11/san…

Your Golden State Valkyries are WNBA Champions! In just their second season EVER, the @valkyries have taken the sports world by storm. They’ve made history and given San Francisco another team to love. Every player showed up for their teammates, their fans, and the Bay Area. And our fans sold out Ballhalla every single night, backing the Valks every step of the way. Congratulations to the players, the coaches, the staff, and the entire Valkyries organization on this historic victory—we’re so excited to celebrate this incredible team. Let’s go, Valks!

Every San Franciscan living in supportive housing deserves a home and community that is actually supportive. So when we hear serious concerns about residents’ safety and care, we have a responsibility to act quickly—for the residents, the neighbors, and the taxpayers. Following HomeRise’s decision, our administration will go through a process to identify capable providers who can deliver on the promise of supportive housing for these San Franciscans. We will work across departments and with HomeRise and their financing partners to ensure every client has safe, affordable housing with minimal disruption. And we will always protect residents’ rights so every person who has moved off the street can continue on their journey to stability. San Francisco works with nonprofit partners to deliver all kinds of critical services, and many of them do extraordinary and difficult work. We have a responsibility to support the organizations delivering strong results, while holding every provider to high standards. We owe that accountability to the people receiving services and to every San Franciscan whose dollars fund them. sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti…

Arts and culture are driving San Francisco's recovery, and the work of the artists and staff at our cultural institutions make that possible. And as the cost of living rises, we are working to build a city where those artists, workers, and families can put down roots. I am grateful to the musicians of Local 6 for their constant commitment to reaching an agreement, and I want to thank Matthew Shilvock and the San Francisco Opera leadership for their hard work throughout the process. We would not have an agreement without the dedication of Matthew Goudeau, our executive director of arts and culture, who spent night after night in City Hall and the War Memorial, working to get the opera started again. San Francisco invests in the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center so it can be filled with the arts and culture that are driving our recovery. Performances at the Opera House support artists and staff, draw residents and visitors to small businesses in Hayes Valley, and bring people together to enjoy amazing music. That should have been on full display through the last week and at the free performance in Golden Gate Park last weekend, which was cancelled. Finally, we are getting those performances started again. sfchronicle.com/entertainmen…