Drew Spence

Currently @StanfordHAI. Alum of @USTreasury, @kamalaharris. Love talking tech, the economy, and of course, Bay Area sports.

[San Francisco Chronicle @sfchronicle]

San Francisco International Airport’s exclusive terminal calls for private TSA and customs screening, a luxury lounge and a car-to-plane valet service. https://t.co/xLb9EDKwiw

[Dean W. Ball @deanwball]

Lord, grant me the cajones to one day begin my essay: “Let’s start from this premise: I am correct. My conception of cognition, AI, labor markets, the economy, human beings, and the world is perfect, and things will go exactly as I expect. I can’t prove this, but…”

[Frank Smith @frank_smith1111]

I just donated to Scott Wiener's campaign.

Last weekend clarified the November race better than any op-ed could.

Connie Chan has built a strange horseshoe coalition: conservatives who want San Francisco frozen in amber, cars, unaffordable housing and all, and a radical fringe that would rather perform than govern. Two very different aesthetics, one clear allergy to real progress.

But beyond politics, Chan has shown a character problem. As a supervisor, she opposed police funding. Then, when her own neighborhood became ground zero for elderly Asian residents being robbed, she ran to London Breed, literally in tears, accusing her of starving the Richmond of police officers. The lack of self-awareness and accountability was stunning.

Now, I've been critical of Scott before, particularly on public safety. His policies, particularly his support of prop 47, have had real flaws in my opinion. But unlike Chan, he's delivered meaningful legislation on housing, affordability, and public transit: things that actually shape how San Francisco functions.

And last weekend, he showed something harder to register: character. Faced with genuinely hostile behavior, he didn't lose his composure or cave to the moment. He calmly removed himself from the situation, then came back to reaffirm his support for the very community that had confronted him.

That's the kind of steadiness and moral compass sorely missing from a Congress that has grown increasingly servile to the President.

Vote for @Scott_Wiener!

[Kevin Mullin @RepKevinMullin]

What happened to Senator @Scott_Wiener last night was unacceptable. Here in the Bay Area we have a long and proud history of heated protest and passionate disagreement; last night was not that. There is simply no place for hate speech, harassment, and violence - in our politics or elsewhere. No matter your beliefs, no one should be threatened or intimidated for simply showing up for their community. Elected officials and candidates for office do not lose their right to basic human decency.

[Daniel Lurie 丹尼爾·羅偉 @DanielLurie]

As mayor, I can never accept hate directed at a member of our community. The language directed at Sen. Wiener yesterday was targeted, hateful, and antisemitic. In San Francisco, we welcome disagreement and respectful dialogue around issues many of us feel passionately about—but we cannot allow harassment and threats of violence.

If you’re out celebrating Pride this weekend, I want you to be able to do it safely. Let’s also look out for each other so we can all have a great weekend. We are at our best as a city when we celebrate each other, and I’m looking forward to doing that tomorrow.

[Drew Spence @drew_spence]

This is spot on. These are misguided policies that make our housing problems much worse.

[Sheel Mohnot @pitdesi]

Zohran wants to freeze rents on 2M units, a well-intentioned but absolutely terrible idea that could erase what makes NYC special.

Bombay is a cautionary tale. Rent was frozen in 1949, and today, those neighborhoods have almost no functioning rental market. Only the ultra-rich or legacy tenants remain, and many of the buildings, once among the city's nicest, are literally falling apart because landlords can't afford to maintain or rent them.

What started as tenant protection eventually turned into a lose-lose situation. The only real winners are those lucky enough to have locked in a rent-controlled deal decades ago. One of the richest people I know pays $8 a month for a $6 million penthouse in the best part of town. His grandfather moved in during the '50s. The landlord can’t afford repairs, so my friend pays out of pocket to maintain the building. In other cases, no one pays, and buildings collapse, sometimes killing people.

Landlords forgo maintenance. Tenants free-ride on each other. Even if some are willing to contribute, big repairs require structural changes to the entire building, and tenants often lack the legal authority or incentives to get it done.

Rent control created a handful of winners but wrecked these parts of the city. Tens of thousands of units are still locked into mid-century prices. Landlords can’t raise rents, can’t evict, and often don’t rent at all, because once someone moves in, you’re stuck with them for life. There are even movies and TV shows in India about landlords unable to live in their own homes (my favorite episode of "Flop Show" iykyk).

Today, nearly 15% of Bombay’s housing stock sits vacant. Redevelopment is almost impossible in the rent controlled areas, and only the ultra-rich can afford to live in Marine Drive, Colaba, etc.

Instead of creating an affordable and vibrant city, rent control has left South Bombay as an enclave for the super rich. A policy meant to protect tenants ended up gutting the middle class and freezing the city in time.

So... New York should pay attention... Do NOT elect this man - he might have a great social media game but has terrible policies! Freezing rents might feel like a win today, but it can lock cities into decay for generations.

[Garry Tan @garrytan]

The California asset seizure tax is only going to impoverish the state and reduce funding for health care

The SEIU UHW union doesn’t care if quality of care or even the state’s ability to care for its people goes away

There is only pure self interest there

[Garry Tan @garrytan]

The common sense pro-prosperity pro-education pro-public safety center can win in California

We know this because we won big in this last election

Follow @garryslist so we can keep winning

[Garry Tan @garrytan]

Bernie Sanders introduced a bill to seize 50% of any AI startup that crosses $200M in revenue.

The same anti-prosperity bloc spent the year trying to ban startup acquisitions, blocking the only exit 85% of founders ever get.

This is a war on building startups in America.

[Garry Tan @garrytan]

Gavin Newsom came for a @garryslist event at YC and we were proud to talk little tech, YIMBY, how to stop the the asset seizure tax, and how to keep California's innovation wave going while making sure things work for every Californian.

Thank you @GavinNewsom

[Sachin Agarwal @agarwal]

Tuesday night was a huge win for San Francisco.

It doesn’t feel like it because voters reelected incumbents and (likely) defeated a bad ballot measure. Nothing dramatic changed.

But that’s the point. We were at risk of moving backward. Instead, voters chose to protect the progress San Francisco has made and keep the city moving in the right direction.

[Stephen Sherrill @scsherrill]

Tuesday was an incredible night!

Serving District 2 is the honor of my lifetime. I’m grateful for your support and proud of what we’ve accomplished together.

I’ll keep working to make our neighborhoods safe, support small businesses, and ensure San Franciscans can stay, grow, and thrive.

You’ll see my name back on the ballot Tuesday, November 3 & I hope to once again earn your support.

[Drew Spence @drew_spence]

A pretty good night in SF. The moderate coalition is hanging in there. Now time to keep this good momentum in November

[Sachin Agarwal @agarwal]

I can’t believe it’s been six years since I left tech to start @GrowSF.

In that time, we’ve been fortunate to help win some important elections and contribute to San Francisco’s turnaround. The city has made real progress, but the work is far from done.

The early results tonight are looking great, but we’ve had some close losses so I’m not celebrating yet. Hoping for the best so we can keep the momentum going!

[Sachin Agarwal @agarwal]

Tomorrow is Election Day, and the stakes are incredibly high.

This is the sixth major election @GrowSF has participated in over the last four years. In the previous five, voters helped drive real change: recalling the School Board, recalling the District Attorney, flipping Supervisor seats, and electing a pro-growth majority to the SF Democratic Party.

Tomorrow is different. For the first time in years, winning mostly preserves what we've already achieved. Defeat puts it at risk.

Lose a seat on the Board of Supervisors and the Mayor's job gets harder. Lose a seat on the Board of Education and students pay the price. Pass Proposition D and we'll make it harder for businesses to stay in San Francisco, putting jobs at risk.

This will be a low-turnout election, which means every vote matters more. Please make a plan, vote, and remind your friends and family to do the same.

[Mayor Matt Mahan @MattMahanSJ]

Results, that’s the difference in this primary. And by the way, if I don't deliver different results, I won't get a raise.

[Garry Tan @garrytan]

This is the Wolff we need on our side

Vote Patrick Wolff for insurance commissioner

[Nicholas Bagley @nicholas_bagley]

What are public sector unions for, exactly? What problem are they trying to solve? And what does the evidence show about whether they solve it?

I dig into those question in my latest for @TheAtlantic (link below).

[Garry Tan @garrytan]

Matt Mahan on Ezra Klein, laying out the most pragmatic approach to homelessness in California:

Convert rundown motels into transitional housing. House people from the local neighborhood first. No-encampment zones only AFTER offering real alternatives.

Result: 911 calls drop. Blight drops. Neighborhoods stabilize.

Meanwhile the state spends $1M per unit on new affordable housing that takes years to build.

This is what happens when a politician actually cares about the outcomes for homeless people before writing policy.

https://t.co/RXTiAd7OEq

[Mayor Matt Mahan @MattMahanSJ]

I’m running on housing, so I thought this costume would be fitting for Bay to Breakers. Great time in SF!

[Garry Tan @garrytan]

Prop D is not a tax on overpaid CEOs

It's a tax on normal people through an 800% increase in gross receipts tax that will be a chill on business and only increase everyday costs for people at Walgreens and Safeway