Willie Brown joins former Dem mayors in urging probe into their own party’s mayoral candidate

Former Democratic San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, an ex-boyfriend of Vice President Kamala Harris, joined other Democratic mayors on Monday in urging an investigation into one of their party’s mayoral candidates, Mark Farrell.

Voters in the heavily Democratic city are set to vote for a mayor in November, with Farrell facing four other Democratic candidates. In a letter to Democratic California Attorney General Rob Bonta and District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, Brown, along with former San Francisco mayors Frank Jordan and Art Agnos, called for a criminal investigation into Farrell’s campaign over alleged money laundering.

“We write in regard to a remarkable situation wherein Mark Farrell appears to be willfully violating election law,” the letter states. “Mr. Farrell has funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars into a ballot measure to pay for expenses incurred exclusively by his campaign for mayor.”

The letter was additionally signed by former city attorney Louise Renne, former Democratic state Sen. Mark Leno, retired Judge Quentin Kopp, former supervisor Angela Alioto, former assistant district attorney and current criminal defense attorney Randy Knox, and veteran Bay Area attorney John Keker.

The former mayors and six other state and city workers who signed the letter allege that Farrell’s campaign has used state ballot measure Proposition D to bypass the $500 limit on individual contributions in order to cover costs for his campaign.

According to reporting from the San Francisco Chronicle, the letter alleges that Farrell’s ballot measure committee “subsidized 40% of his payroll and about half of the rent” for his mayoral campaign under the guise of “shared” expenses. Farrell’s committee has raised an estimated $2.4 million, while his campaign has received approximately $1.8 million, according to Mission Local.

Polling on Sept. 10 showed Farrell slightly leading the race at 20.6%, followed closely by current Democratic Mayor London Breed at 20.3% and fellow Democratic candidate Daniel Lurie at 17.5%, according to Kron4.

“We urge you to investigate and take action now before the election,” the letter concluded. “A prima facie case against Mr. Farrell can be established on publicly available records alone. If you fail to act promptly Mark Farrell will have exploited inaction by ethics officials and law enforcement authorities alike to unlawfully funnel hundreds and thousands of dollars into his campaign for mayor and perhaps prevail as a result.”

San Francisco has struggled with homelessness, drugs, and crime for years—issues that have escalated under Mayor London Breed’s leadership since 2018. In January, the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing reported a 7% increase in homelessness since 2022, despite a budget of $676 million allocated to address the issue in the 2022-23 fiscal year. In August, Breed issued an executive order mandating city officials to offer homeless people bus tickets before any other service due to shelters and housing options reaching capacity.

In 2023, San Francisco recorded a record high of 806 accidental drug overdose deaths, with fentanyl responsible for 80% of these fatalities, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Farrell’s office did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

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