If you’re even just a moderately influential Daniel Lurie for Mayor booster, you may have won a prize! Look under your chair — no, it’s not a car; he’s not Oprah Winfrey — but you might find an invite to a position on a ceremonial body that sounds very impressive, at least on paper. 

That would be Lurie’s mayoral transition team, a mix of advisers who diagnose San Francisco’s ills, experienced bureaucrats (insiders, if you will) who know their way around City Hall, and a smattering of people mostly there for window dressing as a thank-you for their help with the campaign. 

This will be the brain trust driving the transition from Mayor London Breed’s administration to the Jean Machine. (Get it? Levi’s?) Look, if Willie Brown can be the “juice mayor,” we can willpower this Lurie political nickname into existence. 

Perhaps one of the biggest names we can confirm in the running is Ben Rosenfield, who until February this year was the city controller. He’s one of the most respected names under City Hall’s dome, known as one of the sharpest tacks — and politically savvy, too, having worked under five mayoral administrations.

Dave Ho, a onetime lieutenant to Rose Pak and a consultant in his own right, said Lurie would be wise to recruit Rosenfield. “He knows where all the bodies are buried in City Hall, and nobody would challenge his numbers. He’s respected across the aisle,” Ho said. Insiders who know Rosenfield speculated his desire to enjoy retirement is strong, and any help he’d offer would be temporary.

At Lurie’s first mayoral speech at St. Mary’s Square on Friday, plenty of other names were whispered, including Manny’s proprietor Manny Yekutiel, venture capitalist Roy Bahat, retired SFPD Commander Paul Yep, former Supervisor Mabel Teng, former Rec and Park Commissioner Allan Low, and former Fire Commissioner Steve Nakajo. Ho also speculated Lurie campaign manager Han Zou could be a more permanent addition to Lurie’s staff. “He’ll definitely be part of the leadership team at a pretty high level,” Ho said. 

In a phone interview, Yep said he's not aware of any transition team invitation but would love to continue supporting Lurie. "In what roles? I don't know yet," he said. Others Power Play spoke to were evasive about their plans. Yekutiel and Teng, for instance, wouldn’t give a straight yes or no answer on any possibles roles. (Usually that’s a “yes” or “it might happen” in the political world). 

In any case, the team may be ginormous. As one insider told Power Play: “Everyone’s pushing for their own people, so it remains to be seen” who’s chosen. 

Ho said Lurie’s team reached out to him — among many folks — to recommend names to help with the transition. “I just want to make sure this new administration is on reset and reflects the small businesses of Chinatown and nonprofit service providers, right?” he said. 

One last big name Power Play heard many rumors about — but couldn’t quite confirm — is longtime Gavin Newsom adviser Jason Elliot, who is said to play a role in assembling Lurie's cadre. When we texted him, he didn’t answer. Maybe the silence speaks volumes — or maybe he’s snoozing off the stress from Trump’s election. 

Breed's office confirmed they are initiating the transition process. That means directing all city department heads to prepare reports on their current status, what work is in progress, and their plans for the next four years. Godspeed, folks. 

LAST APPOINTMENT: Even though Breed is leaving City Hall soon, she still has a chance to make a critical political appointment that will shape the politics of the city's most affluent areas. Current District 2 Supervisor Catherine Stefani, representing Pacific Heights and Marina, will vacate her seat in early December to be sworn in for the Assembly, allowing Breed to choose her successor before stepping down.

Many names have been floating around, with some expressing interest publicly. They include Eileen Feinstein Mariano, granddaughter of late Sen. Dianne Feinstein and a mayoral staffer who specialized in state and federal affairs; former Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier; Eric Kingsbury, president of the D2 Democratic Club and Breed's reelection campaign manager; Kat Anderson, president of the Recreation and Park Commission, who ran for the seat in 2010 against Mark Farrell; and Lily Ho, a public safety advocate and member of the Democratic County Central Committee.

"I would be honored if Mayor London Breed would meet with me," Anderson said. But others may have stronger ties with Breed, who highly values loyalty. Alioto-Pier both solely endorsed Breed at DCCC and helped her fundraise, and Mariano, with family name recognition, works for her.

Both Breed's office and Stefani are tight-lipped on this matter. Breed’s spokesperson said Breed is now focusing on running the city and handing off the reins to Lurie’s team. Stefani, who has already been to Sacramento for orientation, will likely have some influence on Breed's choice. She declined to comment.

Additionally, Stefani, a current elected member of DCCC, will become an ex-officio member on the party board, allowing chair Nancy Tung to appoint another person to her seat.

CALL QUESTION: News outlets announced Lurie’s win Thursday with 143,000 ballots left to count, a little over half of total ballots cast. How, then, with so many ballots still floating around out there in the ether — unopened, uncounted — did Breed concede and the media announce the city’s new mayor?

More than a few folks out there asked Power Play this very question. So, how’s it done? 

In short: statistical models, based on voting patterns and remaining precincts, that gauge the likelihood of a swing in remaining votes. So says Jason McDaniel, an associate professor of politics at San Francisco State University who studies ranked-choice voting. That’s how outlets like the Associated Press traditionally call races, for instance. “And when those things start looking very, very, very unlikely or impossible, that's when they will call a race,” McDaniel said. 

The votes coming out last week showed Breed not getting enough second- or third-place votes from Aaron Peskin or Mark Farrell voters. And there wasn’t a huge difference between votes that came in early by mail and votes that arrived on the day of — another nail in the coffin for Breed’s chances. 

ELECTORAL SNOOZE: Plenty of San Francisco Democrats suffered anxiety over President-elect Trump’s reelection, but new data shows they may not have lost any sleep over it. Sleep Cycle, an app developed by a company of the same name, released data this week showing Californians hit the hay earlier on election night 2024 than they did in 2020 by a healthy 20 minutes and had better sleep quality than half of U.S. states. 

Were we just fed up with the results earlier? Or did we knock ourselves out with whatever was on hand? In that case, the message is clear: Thanks, Valium! 

HIGHER EDUCATION: If last week felt like a bad trip, here’s a palate cleanser: In 2025, undergraduates at the California Institute of Integral Studies will be able to declare a major in psychedelic studies as the nation’s first bachelor of science degree in hallucinogenic drugs. 

TRUMP’S SF FANS: The Republican president-elect isn’t very popular in San Francisco. But residents of Visitacion Valley and Portola said they weren’t surprised that Trump won as much as a third of the vote in predominantly working-class southeastern neighborhoods.  

DEPORTATION THREATS: San Francisco immigrants are gripped with worry over Trump’s promise of mass deportations during his upcoming term. “So many of my students in tears thinking they’re going to get deported,” said a public school teacher in the Excelsior neighborhood.