Bucking their progressive reputation, San Francisco voters sent a clear message with their embrace of law and order ballot measures Tuesday night, according to the Daily Mail.
In addition to being backed by San Francisco Mayor London Breed, Measures E and F, which will expand police powers in the city and mandate drug screenings for adults receiving welfare, respectively, were approved by strong majorities of city voters.
"It is clear that people want to see changes around public safety," Breed said, according to the Mail. "What's exciting about this for me is I get the kind of tools I need to continue the work we're doing."
A spokesperson for the mayor told Fox News that the election results show that residents are "fed up and want more action to address crime."
"Over the last few years, the city's policies swung too far to the left," he said. "Now, it's time to send a message that San Francisco is closed to criminals and brazen theft will not be tolerated."
According to the Mail, more than 800 San Franciscans died of accidental drug overdoses last year, many of whom were fentanyl or xylazine addicts living on the streets.
Breed is facing a tough reelection battle to retain her position in November and has reportedly attempted to modulate her campaign platform to appeal to law-abiding San Francisco residents, who have become increasingly fed up with the city's laissez faire attitude toward drugs and violent crime.
The city's reputation as a bastion of liberalism began to change in 2022, when voters recalled District Attorney Chesa Boudin, who was well-known for putting alleged violent criminals back on the streets after their arrests.
Opponents of the ballot measures reportedly cited privacy and civil liberties concerns and said they would have a negative effect on marginalized communities.
During a January campaign stop, however, Breed said that residents from poor, Black, and immigrant neighborhoods are pleading with the city for more police officers, according to the Mail.
The drug testing measure has been endorsed by non-profit leaders who work with low-income people, including Trent Rhorer, executive director of the San Francisco Human Services Agency.
Rhorer's agency provides cash assistance and employment services to low-income residents without dependent children.
"To give someone who's addicted to fentanyl $700 a month, I don't think it helps improve their lives," he said. "In fact, I think it does the opposite."
Nicole Wells ✉
Nicole Wells, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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