Daniel Lurie could be the next S.F. mayor — here’s some advice for him

Daniel Lurie, who ran a campaign against "City Hall insiders," is likely to be inside those halls very soon.

He's leading with 56.34 percent of the returns thus far, and with the incumbent Mayor London Breed trailing by 24,342 votes, it is unlikely she will make up the difference, political analysts said.

So Lurie's first City Hall job — overseeing 34,000 employees — comes with the backdrop of a looming Trump administration and a once and future president who has often disparaged perceived chaos and lawlessness in San Francisco .

"It's pretty clear that the city is in the bull's eye for Trump," said Bruce Cain, a political science professor at Stanford University.

"The Trump administration will be looking for things that they oppose in San Francisco," he added, which could include gender identity, homelessness, and crime.

"They will make an example of the city," Cain said, with threats to take fiscal measures and withhold federal grants if they find fault with the city's policies.

San Francisco Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin, who is presently sitting at third in the mayor's race, sees immense challenges for any mayor, but particularly for one without experience.

"He will both have to learn how to run the government — which is a massive undertaking in itself — while having to be a part of the blue city resistance," Peskin said. "Which will be another monumental undertaking."

With such challenges ahead, experts and officials also offered advice for Lurie.

"Talk to sympathetic people, especially those who were dealing with a similar situation back in 2016," Cain said.

Cain also cautioned Lurie to anticipate things in advance and lessen the blow for the city. "Some of it may be inevitable," he said. "Some of it might be avoidable."

"No matter what," Cain added. "You need to have back channels and seek out influential people."

Sen. Scott Wiener, for his part, pointed out that San Francisco needs to be unified when the White House, the Senate, and potentially the House go Republican.

At this point, Wiener is not yet offering any advice to Lurie but said he "will be happy to" if needed.

"We are all gonna be together in this," Wiener said.

As for who to trust, Peskin, the most progressive major candidate in the mayoral race, offered his advice. "I would tell him not to listen to his billionaire friends and listen to people who actually are experts in city government and have their feet planted in the community."

"We will all be here to help should he win," Peskin said.