Response to Elon Musk’s Attacks

Earlier today, the right-wing billionaire Elon Musk called for me to be “fired.” As the democratically elected representative of District 5, I will continue to fight for those in my district and across San Francisco.

I am a democratic socialist who has successfully stopped thousands of evictions, housed homeless families, and taxed the rich to raise hundreds of millions of dollars for affordable housing. It’s no surprise that a right wing billionaire like Elon Musk doesn’t like me. What’s surprising is that one of the richest men alive – in the face of existential threats like climate change and crushing poverty – has nothing better to do than sit around tweeting attacks on a city supervisor who is fighting for the most vulnerable people in our society.

What we are seeing in real time is an attempt by the most conservative billionaires to achieve a hostile takeover of San Francisco. In their corporate back rooms, anything – lies, threats, disinformation, or corruption – is standard operating procedure, and they are following this playbook in San Francisco. The fact that they see the work of my office as a threat speaks to the success of our work in the face of the brutal and callous capitalism they epitomize.

I want to thank the City leaders, constituents, union members, tenants, and others who have reached out to share their condemnation of Musk’s antics, and to offer their kind words and support. We live in very strange times, but I remain hopeful because the vast majority of decent people in our City reject the toxicity and hate that Elon Musk and his fellow right-wingers represent. We are more determined than ever to advance progressive policies that will improve our City for the benefit of everyone, not just the rich and powerful.