Mayor Lurie takes credit for immigrant legal funding he had little to do with

Mayor Daniel Lurie announced on August 5 that he secured $3. 4 million in funding for immigrant legal defense through a grant from the Crankstart Foundation. However, the grant was awarded to the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, and Lurie did not directly assist in securing it. Critics, such as former supervisors, labeled Lurie’s legislative action as routine and lacking substantial effort to protect immigrant rights. The mayor's office claimed that sponsoring the legislation was a significant step, but Lurie’s involvement raised questions due to the lack of additional support for the public defender’s office.

Furthermore, while Lurie touted this new funding, he chose not to renew a prior $878,000 allocation for immigrant legal services, effectively reducing funding during a critical period. Advocates emphasized the urgent need for funding amidst federal enforcement actions and challenges faced by immigrant communities. The Crankstart Foundation expressed confusion over Lurie’s claims, indicating that the public defender’s office was unaware of the press release describing the funding. Lurie’s dual approach of claiming credit while cutting existing funding has sparked criticism regarding his commitment to immigrant defense.