Mark Farrell
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Mark Farrell was the acting Mayor of San Francisco in California. He assumed office in 2018. He left office in 2018.
Farrell ran for election for Mayor of San Francisco in California. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Farrell completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Farrell was born in San Francisco. He earned a high school diploma from St. Ignatius College Preparatory, a B.A. from Loyola Marymount University, an M.A. from University College Dublin, and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. His professional experience includes working as a corporate and securities attorney and small business owner.[1][2]
Elections
2024
See also: Mayoral election in San Francisco, California (2024)
General election
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General election for Mayor of San Francisco
The ranked-choice voting election was won by Daniel Lurie in round 14 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.
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Total votes: 389,744 |
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 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Endorsements
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To view Farrell's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Farrell in this election.
2014
The city of San Francisco, California held board of supervisors elections on November 4, 2014. In District 2, incumbent Mark Farrell defeated Juan-Antonio Carballo in the general election.[3][4]
| San Francisco Board of Supervisors, District 2, 2014 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
 Mark Farrell Incumbent |
78.6% | 15,546 | |
| Juan-Antonio Carballo | 20.7% | 4,090 | |
| Write-in | 0.7% | 141 | |
| Total Votes | 19,777 | ||
| Source: San Francisco Board of Elections - Official 2014 election results | |||
Endorsements
In 2014, Farrell's endorsements included the following:[5]
- U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein
- Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom
- Mayor Edwin M. Lee
- Assessor/Recorder Carmen Chu
- Treasurer/Tax Collector Jose Cisneros
- District Attorney George Gascon
- Public Defender Jeff Adachi
- San Francisco's Democratic County Central Committee
- San Francisco Republican Party
- Alice B. Toklas Democratic Club
- Asian Pacific Democratic Club
- Raoul Wallenberg Jewish Democratic Club
- San Francisco Women's Political Committee
- SF Moderates
- FDR Democratic Club
- San Francisco Young Democrats
- Richmond District Democratic Club
- Westside Chinese Democratic Club
- Irish American Democratic Club
- California Nurses Association
- Alliance for Jobs and Sustainable Growth
- Building Owners and Managers Association
- IBEW Local 1245
- International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFTPE Local 21)
- LiUNA! Local 261
- OPEIU Local 3
- San Francisco Building and Construction Trades Council
- San Francisco Local Firefighters Local 798San Francisco Police Officers Association
- Small Property Owners Association
- San Francisco Carpenters Local 22
- San Francisco Labor Council
- Sheet Metal Workers' Local Union No. 104
- UA Local 38
- United Educators of San Francisco
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Mark Farrell completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Farrell's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
| Collapse all
San Francisco’s best days are ahead of us—if we have the courage to bring real change to City Hall. I’m running for Mayor because, during London Breed’s six years in office, San Francisco has become a city in decline. We’re facing an unprecedented police staffing crisis, a hollowing-out of our downtown, a growing homeless population, rampant open-air drug markets, mushrooming corruption scandals, and sky-high housing prices. We can’t afford four more years of this administration’s failed leadership, and I’m ready to hit the ground running on Day One to finally deliver the change and results San Franciscans deserve.
I was born and raised in San Francisco, and I’m raising my three kids here with my wife, Liz, because this was the best place in the world to grow up, and I know it can be again. We just need new leadership to get the job done. I served as Interim Mayor in the wake of Ed Lee’s tragic death, as a member of the Board of Supervisors for seven years before that, and I began my career as a lawyer, banker, and small business owner. I’m the only candidate for Mayor with meaningful experience inside and outside City Hall, as well as a proven track record of policy wins for San Francisco’s working families. To learn more about my plans and my record, visit https://www.markfarrell.com/.
- Public safety should be government’s #1 priority. During her six years in office, London Breed has defunded the San Francisco Police Department to the tune of $120 million and let our force shrink by over 500 officers, a full 25 percent cut. It’s no surprise that San Franciscans have never felt less safe. As Mayor, I’ll increase our anemic staffing levels, hire a new Police Chief, and always support those who put their lives on the line to keep us safe—so we can finally shut down the drug markets, end property crime, and deliver the level of service residents deserve.
- Our sidewalks belong to everyone. London Breed has increased homelessness and social services spending by $2.5 billion in six years, but San Francisco has nothing except higher taxes to show for it. When I served as Interim Mayor, I cleared all large tent encampments in six months, and I’ll do it again by reuniting unhoused individuals and their families, aggressively connecting those suffering on our streets to mental health services, expanding compelled treatment, and implementing a zero-tolerance policy for dangerous street behavior.
- We can bring Downtown back. On London Breed’s watch, San Francisco has had the worst post-pandemic economic recovery of any major American city, and our commercial vacancy crisis threatens funding for the key services our residents rely on. I’ll get serious about Downtown’s recovery by restoring public safety, providing tax credits for small businesses and larger companies that bring employees back to the office, revitalizing public spaces like Embarcadero Plaza and Union Square, providing new incentives for office-to-housing conversions, and more.
On top of what I’ve already mentioned, I believe we need to bring a spirit of efficiency to City Hall. For example, there’s no reason San Francisco needs eight separate homeless outreach teams that duplicate each other’s efforts, fail to produce results, and make it increasingly frustrating for residents to know how to engage with the services they pay for. In the same vein, many residents would likely be surprised to learn that most City employees do not receive performance reviews and most City departments do not need to measure their work against objective benchmarks for success. None of this would be acceptable in any other workplace or organization, and San Franciscans don’t need to accept it from City Hall.
My parents have always been my greatest role models. I grew up in a working-class family here in San Francisco, and after my dad served in the military and my mom immigrated to the United States from Germany, my parents became the leaders of their respective labor unions. Through their sacrifices, my parents taught me to value family, hard work, and perseverance—values I’ve tried to pass along to my own children. Their example is just one reason why I’ve always stood with my brothers and sisters in the labor movement, and it’s why I’m proud to have earned the support of unions including Firefighters Local 798, the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association, the Building and Construction Trades Council, and more.
Public officials need to hold themselves to the highest standards of honesty, integrity, and ethics. San Franciscans should be able to trust that their government is working for them, not funneling taxpayer dollars to insiders or pet projects. But that’s exactly what we’ve seen for the last several years, as a parade of City officials has resigned in disgrace, been indicted by state or federal prosecutors, or pled guilty, and as London Breed’s signature initiative has crumbled under new reports of self-dealing among its leadership. As Mayor, I will not tolerate this kind of behavior from anyone in City government, and I’ll demand that every single dollar we invest produces tangible results for the people who live and work here.
I have a long track record of delivering results inside and outside of City Hall. I served as Interim Mayor after seven years on the Board of Supervisors, including a tenure as the longest-serving Budget Chair in San Francisco history. In elected office, I grew our Police Department and budget reserves to record levels, cleared all large tent encampments, passed strong tenant protections, and advanced more new housing in my district than any of my predecessors. Before my time in public service, I worked as a lawyer and banker and co-founded an investment firm focused on the travel and mobility sectors, where I learned firsthand what it’s like to run a business and make payroll. I’m the only candidate in this race who can hit the ground running and finally deliver the change San Franciscans deserve.
We need a Mayor who takes responsibility and sweats the details. During London Breed’s tenure, when people feel unsafe, it’s the District Attorney’s fault. When Downtown’s still suffering four years later, it’s the pandemic’s fault. When a neighborhood objects to a streetscape redesign, it’s the SFMTA’s fault. When our schools are failing, it’s the School Board’s fault. When wasteful spending comes to light, it’s an isolated employee’s fault. Enough. San Franciscans are fed up with the finger-pointing and blame-shifting that have characterized this administration, and they are rightly demanding that the next Mayor bring a can-do attitude to our greatest challenges.
I want to make San Francisco the best place in the world to grow up and raise a family. Between public safety concerns, failing public schools, and the ever-increasing cost of living, too many families are being pushed out. As Mayor, I’ll establish universal childcare through new subsidies for low- and middle-income families, work with SFUSD to focus on key metrics of student success, like third-grade literacy, and make sure all families can feel physically and financially secure in our great city. Parents shouldn’t have to choose between raising their kids or staying in San Francisco—and when I’m Mayor, they won’t have to anymore.
I am grateful to have grown up in a loving, working-class family here in San Francisco. Like a lot of people, I took out student loans to pursue higher education, and for many years I worked around the clock to pay down that debt and build a brighter future for my three children. It was tough to have to spend time working when I would have rather been traveling with my family or coaching my kids’ teams, and I left public office in 2018 in part because I wanted to make sure that I saw my kids grow up. As my oldest starts college this fall, I’m so glad to have taken that opportunity when I did.
I’m proud of the support we’ve received from a wide range of neighborhood leaders and organizations including San Francisco Firefighters Local 798, the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association, the Chinese American Democratic Club, GrowSF, Supervisor Catherine Stefani, and so many others. Our diverse and energetic coalition is ready to hit the ground running on Day One!
Strong leadership requires accountability—and it’s been missing from City Hall in recent years. The amount of petty corruption and wasteful spending London Breed has overseen during her tenure has been staggering, and it’s a big part of why San Franciscans have completely lost faith in their local government. As Mayor, I’ll usher in a new era of transparency and accountability, and the buck will stop with me. That’s why I’ll launch an audit of all City spending on Day One, and bring special scrutiny to the explosion in homelessness spending that has enriched City contractors while failing to improve conditions on our streets.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign ads
| February 13, 2024 |
View more ads here:
2014
On his campaign website, Farrell highlighted the following issues:[6]
Economy
- Excerpt: "When I was first elected in 2010, we were enduring the aftermath of the Great Recession and unemployment citywide was staggeringly high – above 10%. When I ran in 2010, I pledged to use my private sector background and experience to help turn our local economy around and put people back to work. During my time in office, I’ve helped pass and advance legislation and policies to do just that. Now, we have a local economy that is diverse and thriving and one that is the number one county in the country for job creation."
Neighborhoods
- Excerpt: "It is my absolute honor to represent the neighborhoods of District 2 at the Board of Supervisors, which I grew up in and now choose to raise my family in. The constituents of District 2 and the best interests of San Francisco are always at the forefront of my mind while making decisions that have real impacts on our everyday lives."
Affordability
- Excerpt: "The cost of living, housing, and our City’s affordability is a top priority to ensure we maintain the diversity and neighborhood character which makes San Francisco unique. Years of slow housing development has led to a significant supply/demand imbalance, and moving forward we need to promote additional housing supply that meets the needs of all income levels."
Homelessness
- Excerpt: "Homelessness has been a problem in San Francisco for generations. For the past 10-years our City’s homeless population numbers have remained the same, and it has affected all of our City’s neighborhoods, residents, and visitors in so many ways. It affects San Franciscans in many ways – as a civic pride issue, as a public safety issue, but ultimately this is a human issue, as these are sons, daughters, mothers and fathers on our streets, and I believe we need to do everything possible to house these individuals, and within City Hall focus greater attention on the issue. I have made this issue a top priority at the Board, advancing solutions to get more people off our streets."
Families
- Excerpt: "Unfortunately, we know from recent Census data that San Francisco has the lowest percentage of children of any major city in our country. As a father of three young children, I have made it a top priority of my office to advance policies and projects that help to make San Francisco a more desirable place for families to live and raise their family in. Creating a city that is welcoming and encouraging to families will reap positive benefits for San Francisco for years to come."
Public safety
- Excerpt: "Public safety is a top concern of residents citywide, and I have made it a priority to be a fierce advocate for public safety enhancing policies, as well as securing the necessary funds to ensure that we have adequate first responders on staff."
Environment
- Excerpt: "San Francisco has been at the forefront of supporting and advancing policies aimed at enhancing and preserving our environment for generations to come. In one of the most environmentally conscious cities in the world, I have advanced government programs that incentivize renewable and energy efficient options while also creating new green jobs in the emerging clean energy economy."
See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Footnotes
- ↑ San Francisco Board of Supervisors, "District 2," accessed December 1, 2014
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 7, 2024
- ↑ City of San Francisco, "Official candidate list,"
- ↑ San Francisco Board of Elections, "2014 Unofficial General Election Results," accessed November 4, 2014
- ↑ Mark Farrell, "Endorsements," accessed September 30, 2014
- ↑ Mark Farrell, "Issues," accessed September 30, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Mayor of San Francisco 2018-2018 |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
San Francisco Board of Supervisors District 2 2011-2018 |
Succeeded by Catherine Stefani |
| |||||||||
