WEBVTT - San Francisco’s Next Mayor Talks Local Focus While Trump Looms

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<v Speaker 1>Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio news.

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<v Speaker 2>Okay, so let's go to some of the necessary efficiencies.

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<v Speaker 2>Let's call it you. So, you can't cut your way

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<v Speaker 2>out of this, but you are doing a reorganization, particularly

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<v Speaker 2>of your role in the administration. How does that look like?

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<v Speaker 2>What does that achieve?

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah?

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<v Speaker 1>No, just to be clear, we can't only cut our

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<v Speaker 1>way out of this, but we have to make sure

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<v Speaker 1>that we get efficient We need our departments talking to

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<v Speaker 1>each other, communicating, collaborating, making sure that we do get

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<v Speaker 1>efficiencies across departments. We have fifty six different departments here

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<v Speaker 1>in San Francisco that report up into one chief of staff. Yesterday,

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<v Speaker 1>I announced that we are going to be changing the

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<v Speaker 1>Office of the Mayor's governing structure. We're going to have

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<v Speaker 1>four chiefs that will help organize and make sure that

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<v Speaker 1>those departments are run more effectively, more efficiently, and that

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<v Speaker 1>we cut out the waste.

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<v Speaker 2>Let's talk about the growth then. Is it about getting

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<v Speaker 2>workers back in the offices five days a week. How

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<v Speaker 2>do you galvanize people spending in the city.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, listen, I have said that my office and all

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<v Speaker 1>the employees that I oversee at city Hall, we are

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<v Speaker 1>going back five days a week. Now, I am not

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<v Speaker 1>a mayor that is going to dictate to private industry

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<v Speaker 1>what they should do.

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<v Speaker 3>I would, of course.

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<v Speaker 1>Encourage companies to come back as many days a week

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<v Speaker 1>as possible, whether that's four or five days a week.

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<v Speaker 1>We're going to be working with companies starting on January

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<v Speaker 1>eighth to ask them to bring their employees back downtown.

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<v Speaker 1>But that's incumbent on me then, to make sure that

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<v Speaker 1>public safety is at the core of everything that we

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<v Speaker 1>do here, especially in downtown, that we get people off

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<v Speaker 1>the street that are suffering from mental health issues or

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<v Speaker 1>drug addiction into the treatment.

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<v Speaker 3>That they need.

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<v Speaker 1>We need to be better for those that are suffering

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<v Speaker 1>on our streets. Once we create the conditions, we believe

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<v Speaker 1>that people.

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<v Speaker 3>Will want to be back downtown. That's what we need

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<v Speaker 3>to do.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm here in your beautiful San Francisco office on the

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<v Speaker 1>Pier Ferry Building. Is here when things are moving here

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<v Speaker 1>in San Francisco, when the sun is shining here in

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<v Speaker 1>the city, there is no better place to come to

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<v Speaker 1>work than downtown San Francisco.

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<v Speaker 3>It hasn't been that way, but we will get back

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<v Speaker 3>to it.

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<v Speaker 2>What's interesting is you have actually brought back tourists and

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<v Speaker 2>that's almost akin to pre COVID levels. But why aren't

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<v Speaker 2>hotel taxes back to where they used to be. How

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<v Speaker 2>can you ensure that that part is running more efficiently,

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<v Speaker 2>more effectively, more growth.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, it's a great, great point.

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<v Speaker 1>Tourism is our number one industry and we need to

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<v Speaker 1>invite the tours back from Asia, from Europe. We have

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<v Speaker 1>seen an uptick. Listen, San Francisco is on its way back.

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<v Speaker 1>There's not a question in my mind. But we have

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<v Speaker 1>to be inviting to people and we have to tell

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<v Speaker 1>our story of safety and security for those that come here.

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<v Speaker 1>The story is out there that you know San Francisco

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<v Speaker 1>is down on its luck. We have to change that

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<v Speaker 1>narrative and we will.

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<v Speaker 3>Jenerator.

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<v Speaker 2>AI has changed a lot of narratives. And you're like

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<v Speaker 2>in Epicenter, how of you bringing on board Sam Altman,

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<v Speaker 2>for example, open AI leader and you're having him advise you.

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<v Speaker 2>What are some of his arguments for what you should

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<v Speaker 2>be doing?

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<v Speaker 1>Well, Listen, Sam Altman has been great as a transition

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<v Speaker 1>code chair. We are committed to leaning into being the

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<v Speaker 1>home of AI. We have historic investments already here in

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<v Speaker 1>San Francisco.

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<v Speaker 3>We're going to continue to lean.

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<v Speaker 1>In not only AI, not only technology, but really once

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<v Speaker 1>again being the epicenter for business again. There is no

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<v Speaker 1>better place to do business on the globe than San Francisco.

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<v Speaker 1>When we're at our best, we have to get back

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<v Speaker 1>to that. It does not have to be complicated. So

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<v Speaker 1>this is what I'm calling CEOs around the country and saying,

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<v Speaker 1>we want your business back here in San Francisco. We

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<v Speaker 1>want you to bring your conferences here. But it's not

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<v Speaker 1>just about business. It's about bringing our arts and culture

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<v Speaker 1>back to San Francisco, because that's where people.

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<v Speaker 3>When people think of San Francisco, they.

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<v Speaker 1>Think of culture, they think that everything starts here. Yes,

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<v Speaker 1>AI started here and we wanted to grow here, but

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<v Speaker 1>we kind of want the best of everything coming back

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<v Speaker 1>to San Francisco. Had a great conversation with Jamie Diamond

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<v Speaker 1>a couple of weeks ago. We had a conversation with

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<v Speaker 1>the NBA Conditioner Commissioner Adam Silver about the NBA All

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<v Speaker 1>Star Game coming here in February.

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<v Speaker 3>We have so much to look forward to.

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<v Speaker 1>We just have to get that story out there, and

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<v Speaker 1>that's what I plan to do.

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<v Speaker 2>I mean, you're someone who knows well how to make

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<v Speaker 2>cultural events bound together, Big cultural movement benefit concert raise

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<v Speaker 2>seventeen million dollars. You've done other philanthropic work, but you're

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<v Speaker 2>also from a business dynasty of Levi and what parts

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<v Speaker 2>of industry do you want to cultivate here? You just

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<v Speaker 2>mentioned financial services, there, you mentioned sports, but it's got

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<v Speaker 2>to be broader than that.

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<v Speaker 1>Absolutely, we are calling healthcare executives, biotech ai. We want

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<v Speaker 1>real estate thinking that San Francisco is a place that

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<v Speaker 1>they want to invest in again. Because when you get

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<v Speaker 1>these business leaders back, what that tells me is that

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<v Speaker 1>we get the small businesses back to San Francisco back

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<v Speaker 1>thriving again. Our small businesses have been dying on the

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<v Speaker 1>vine here in San Francisco for a variety of reasons,

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<v Speaker 1>but most of on most of which we talked about earlier,

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<v Speaker 1>and that is that people are not coming downtown like

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<v Speaker 1>we'd like them to be.

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<v Speaker 3>We invite these companies back.

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<v Speaker 1>That's good for our small business community, it's good for

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<v Speaker 1>our arts and culture institutions. It's a flywheel that we

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<v Speaker 1>have to get going again. We're seeing green shoots and

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<v Speaker 1>I'm telling you San Francisco is on its way back,

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<v Speaker 1>and there is no better place to be if you

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<v Speaker 1>are a big business or a small business than San Francisco.

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<v Speaker 3>I promise you that.

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<v Speaker 2>Do you think you can align the new administration from

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<v Speaker 2>the White House on that as well? Because in the

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<v Speaker 2>Mayor's budget summary it says that Trump's policies will have

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<v Speaker 2>quote unknown future impacts.

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<v Speaker 1>Listen, you know the current mayor has put out a

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<v Speaker 1>guidance to department heads. What I got elected on with

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<v Speaker 1>a mandate was to get results for the people of

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<v Speaker 1>San Francisco. It wasn't to you know, start talking about

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<v Speaker 1>national politics. We have our own issues right here in

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<v Speaker 1>San Francisco. They are solvable. That's what people elected me

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<v Speaker 1>to do, and that's what I'm doing right now during

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<v Speaker 1>this transition period, and I'm telling everyone here in San

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<v Speaker 1>Francisco that I am going to be laser focused on

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<v Speaker 1>making sure that we get our budget under control, that

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<v Speaker 1>we grow our economy, that we keep people sick, and

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<v Speaker 1>that we get results for the people of San Francisco.

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<v Speaker 2>Once again, do you think, though, that as a new

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<v Speaker 2>kid on the block in the world of mayors, you

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<v Speaker 2>will be able to have a more positive relationship with

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<v Speaker 2>the next administration than perhaps some are factoring in.

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<v Speaker 1>Listen, I plan where we can find a common ground

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<v Speaker 1>to work with anybody, and that's my focus. That's why

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<v Speaker 1>I plan just here locally. We have eleven supervisors and

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<v Speaker 1>there is usually a tendency to try to divide politicians

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<v Speaker 1>and elected officials here here in San Francisco, and I've

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<v Speaker 1>told everybody I plan to work with all eleven supervisors,

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<v Speaker 1>no matter where they fall on the political spectrum. I

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<v Speaker 1>need to bring people together during this time. There is

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<v Speaker 1>so many people that want to divide us. But when

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<v Speaker 1>San Franciscan's work together, we can get big things done.

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<v Speaker 2>Daniel Luri joy to have you. Thank you very much.

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<v Speaker 3>Indeed, San Francisco, thank you for having me.