SAN FRANCISCO
Lee Heidhues 7.1.2024
Last April 6th a crowd of anti-democratic rowdies disrupted the campaign kickoff for Mayoral candidate Aaron Peskin in Portsmouth Square in Chinatown. Leading the charge was Mark Farrell’s campaign manager Jade Tu. Her tool of harassment was a PYLE megaphone.
At the June 30th Pride Parade, Mark Farrell could be seen brandishing this very same PYLE megaphone used by his campaign enforcer to disrupt an opponent. (See photo above).
Mark Farrell should have fired or, at the very least, condemned his campaign manager Jade Tu’s antics.
Once and future San Francisco Mayor’s dubious ethics are further evident as evidenced by The SF Standard dive into his ethically dubious entertainment expenditures. No wonder Mark looks so physically robust. That’s why many of his campaign events have him parading with a loose fitting shirt hanging over his ample frame.
Exclusive: Mark Farrell lived large on campaign cash while mayor, supervisor
Mark Farrell’s last stint as a public official concluded with a victory lap fit for a king.
During his final year as a supervisor, Farrell spent thousands of dollars in campaign donors’ cash to frequent some of San Francisco’s swankiest bars and restaurants, treating money raised for an already-concluded Democratic Party race in a manner that ethics experts likened to a slush fund. Farrell also appears to have used a legal loophole while interim mayor to accept large chunks of money from special interest groups that would have been otherwise barred.
The SF Standard provides considerable elaboration in its July 1, 2024 investigative piece.
Several active members of the DCCC told The Standard that leftover campaign funds for a seat on the local party are generally used to help pay off debts to staff, fund travel for Democratic Party functions and pay for civic events and organizations.
In contrast, from late 2016 through March 2018, Farrell’s DCCC campaign picked up more than $7,400 in tabs for meals and drinks at Spruce, Swig, Bix, Novela, Balboa Cafe, The Beer Hall, Bob’s Steak & Chop House, Izzy’s Steak & Chop House, Fat Angel Food & Libation—the list goes on for more than three-dozen meetings with “DCCC constituents” whom Farrell has declined to identify.
Lee's Perspective 