Publicity-Thirsty Lurie Skips City College Building Opening

Mayor Daniel Lurie was Absent from the Student Success Center Ribbon Cutting.

By Lev Farris Goldenberg
lfarrisg@mail.ccsf.edu

John R. Adkins
jradproduction@gmail.com

Update: The Guardsman obtained a copy of the mayor’s schedule for the day of the ribbon cutting.

Dignitaries from the State Senate, City Hall, Consulate of Ireland, and the entire City College football team all showed up to celebrate the opening of the $140 million Student Success Center on Thursday, but publicity-hungry Mayor Daniel Lurie was nowhere to be seen.

The mayor’s public schedule, released earlier that morning, announced that Lurie would be occupied with “internal meetings.”

Charles Kretchmer Lutvak, the mayor’s media representative, stated that Lurie “had a conflict at that time so was not able to attend.” Lurie’s office did not send a representative in his stead.

The Guardsman obtained a copy of the mayor’s schedule for the day of the ribbon-cutting. Lurie had a 15-minute meeting at SFPD headquarters at 2 p.m. and a staff meeting via phone from 2:30-2:50. His schedule was clear for the rest of the day.

Those who did not have scheduling conflicts that day included Supervisors Connie Chan and Rafael Mandelman, Elizabeth Creely, a cultural officer from the Consulate General of Ireland, Ralph Remington, director of Cultural Affairs for the San Francisco Arts Commission, and a representative from State Senator Scott Weiner’s office, who presented Chancellor Kimberlee Messina with a certificate.

Since taking office, Lurie has prioritized appearances in the community, a strong presence on social media and spent big on his public image. One of the wealthiest mayors in San Francisco history, Lurie has attempted to lay down the track record of accessibility and local awareness.

And yet, he was absent from the opening of the Student Success Center. Due to the mayor’s anticipated presence, the no-show signals a disregard for the state-of-the-art construction project voted on and paid for by the city’s taxpayers.

In 2020, San Francisco voters passed Proposition A, an $845 million bond measure to fund extensive campus improvement projects at City College, including the build-out of the Student Success Center and the $155 million STEAM Center, which opened in December of last year.

Mayor Lurie’s commitment to City College has not been established, nor has his commitment to continuing to fund the Free City College program.

During his campaign, Lurie was asked about Free City on a mayoral forum, to which he replied, “We need Free City College.” But since taking office, he has not reinforced that sentiment.

The Success Center, which Chancellor Messina says enables easier access to college resources, will serve the almost 19,000 City College students who benefit from Free City each year. According to AFT 2121, Free City has served over 120,000 San Francisco residents since its inception in 2017.

District 1 Supervisor Connie Chan got one of the loudest cheers of the afternoon when she led the crowd in a “Free City” chant.

“What makes San Francisco so unique … is two words: Free City,” Chan said. “Let’s make sure that Free City will be here to stay and thrive, and expand. We are not okay with Free City the way it is now.”

However, Mayor Lurie’s budget may be the biggest obstacle to ensuring Free City’s future.

The city budget, passed in July, maintained the funding that allows the Free City program to operate for the 2025-26 fiscal year. However, his proposed budget for next year would cut funding by $2.15 million, necessitating difficult decisions for the college.

“It’s not entirely clear to us that he understands the importance of this program just yet, or that he understands how urgent it is that this funding is kept stable for it in the continuing years,” said Anya Worley-Ziegmann, the coordinator of the People’s Budget Coalition.

Advocates from the People’s Budget and the student group Protect Free City said it was a struggle to even maintain the program’s funding level this year.

In a recent editorial piece, the Guardsman called for the mayor to support Free City. Amidst the uncertain future of Free City’s funding, the lack of visibility at City College looks increasingly like an attempt to dodge questions regarding his commitment to the college.

The day after the Student Success Center celebration, the mayor continued his campaign of visibility throughout San Francisco by visiting the M Stop Deli and Dream Team SF, both just a five-minute drive away from the Student Success Center.

This was Mayor Lurie’s chance to show his support in person, as he so often does. There will be more opportunities to do so, as it is the college’s 90th anniversary, and the new home of the priceless Diego Rivera mural is expected to break ground soon. Budget decisions made in the years to come will speak for themselves.

For now, the campus community is left to wonder: Does Lurie recognize the value of City College?