Special Election Edition
Trump returns to White House
By Angela Jia ’25
In the early hours of Nov. 6, Donald J. Trump won the presidential election against Kamala Harris. Trump swept all swing states with 312-226 electoral votes.
Trump started and ended strong on election night, winning North Carolina and Georgia from the get-go. His win was all but assured after he won the crucial swing state of Pennsylvania in the late hours of the night as his campaign preemptively declared victory with 267 electoral votes, just three shy of the 270 required to win.
Octavio Hoglund ’25 commented, “I’m surprised at how fast the votes were tabulated, how fast everything went. It’s crazy how much information you can get in just one night. It took us roughly five days in 2020, but now we have the results in less than 24 hours.”
While Harris and Trump polled neck and neck in swing states leading up to election day, Trump overwhelmingly won the Electoral College. He also won the popular vote by more than 4 million, which is the first time the Republican party has won the popular vote in over 20 years.
Greyson Simmons ’27 said, “I’m pretty happy actually…I’ve always thought that basing your
moral beliefs [and] putting [them] into politics, they don’t fuse. I think that if you separate that and focus on policies, kind of like separating art from the artist, it works out in our favor.”
Trump has made history as being the first United States president with felony convictions–not just one, which already makes history in itself, but 34. He is also only the second president to win a second term after a previous failed re-election campaign, as well as the oldest president in history at 78 years old.
Trump’s win is widely attributed to voters’ anger with inflation as well as Biden’s unpopular presidency. During Harris’ lastminute campaign, she frequently struggled to break herself away from her predecessor’s low approval ratings.
The fact that she didn’t win the primary, and was instead nominated by Biden after he dropped out when the primary was over, hurt her chances and drew criticism.
Additionally, her history of “flip flopping” on certain issues by backing away from her previously progressive stances–such as banning fracking and decriminalizing border crossings–have drawn fire from critics and decreased trust in voters.
Although current inflation is a trend felt by all countries due to price spikes after Covid, and the US economy is robust against the state of other nations’, Trump’s campaign seized voter discontent and effectively tied Harris to the country’s economic woes.
While Harris made fundamental freedoms a central theme of her campaign–emphasizing that his aides warned of his authoritarian tendencies–the kitchen table issues outweighed the future of
American democracy. Eric Dean ’25 stated, “I feel very concerned. If you’re any type of minority living in this country, you are at risk…It’s something that we know is coming because they’ve outlined it in places such as Project 2025 and multiple other key high ranking officials have claimed similar viewpoints.”
Trump has publicly denied his support of Project 2025.
Lurie wins over San Francisco voters
By Vincent Douglas ’25
Daniel Lurie, the founder of Tipping Point Community and Levi Strauss heir, was elected to be the next mayor of San Francisco.
Lurie and former Interim Mayor Mark Farrell were predicted to land at the top in the race for the next mayor as many San Franciscans expressed discontent with Mayor London Breed’s approach towards the crime and drug epidemic in the city. However, in the last few weeks of the campaign, the two began increasingly aggressive advertisements.
Farrell’s ads referred to Lurie as “a trust-fund guy,” while Lurie called attention to Farrell’s previous ethics fine of $25,000 in 2016.
On Nov. 4, the day before the election, Farrell was hit with the largest ethics fine in city history–$108,179–for allegedly funneling funds from his Proposition D campaign into his own mayoral campaign.
In a statement to ABC7 News, Farrell said, “As the person responsible for both campaigns, I take full ownership of these issuesthis is [the] kind of accountability I am modeling for my children.”
Many believe that the timing of this fine caused him to lose a large number of voters.
In his first news conference since being elected, Lurie said, “No matter who you supported in this election, we stand united in the fight for San Francisco’s future and a safer, more affordable city for all,” before stating that he will “declare a fentanyl state of emergency on day one, …get tough on those that are dealing drugs,” and “protect” transgender youth and their families.
Please see “SF Mayor” on page 3
Photo by Wikimedia Commons, Illustration by Angela Jia ’25 President-Elect Donald J. Trump won 312 electoral votes and the popular vote.
Photo by Sean Reyes ’25
Daniel Lurie participated in a mayoral debate in the Lindland Theater in September.
Billionaire backers threaten democratic integrity
The Crusader Editorial Staff billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy, which aims to make the government more efficient by slashing regulations and cutting spending. There’s a certain irony in a “cutting costs” department to be led by billionaires, and an “efficiency” department led by two people.
In the recent U.S. elections, the role of money in politics has never been more apparent. Whether it be billionaires influencing national campaigns to San Francisco’s record breaking expensive elections, financial influence plays an alarming role in shaping every level of American government–whether people choose to recognize it or not.
At the national level, Donald Trump’s relationship with Elon Musk has afforded the already richest-man-in-the-world a concerning amount of additional power.
Musk has been an outspoken supporter of Trump. Trump’s new tax plan, which aims to reduce corporate tax rates and provide incentives for private investment, plainly favors the rich at the expense of workingclass Americans.
For his support, Musk has been rewarded with a government position as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E) alongside
To get there, Musk poured hundreds of millions of dollars into Trump’s campaign, and even paid selected swing state voters $1 million in exchange for signing a right-wing petition.
His acquisition of X–formerly Twitter, which came at a whopping $44 billion price tag–also fueled the direction of the campaign. On the App Store, X is #1 in News; since owning X, users have reported a decidedly rightwing turn among content, which in turn shapes public perception of the millions of voters that use X as their top news source. Musk has also gutted content moderation staff, which has led to the reinstatement of white supremacist accounts and a concerning rise in racism,
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Editor-in-Chief
Angela Jia ’25
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Aiden Pavon ’25
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Hoorain Farooq ’25
Campus News Editors
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Isabelle Abad ’26
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Daniella Lainez ’26
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misogyny, and misinformation in the name of “free speech.”
Even Vice President Kamala Harris received high-profile backing from a range of millionaire celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey, Lebron James, Beyoncé, and Taylor Swift. Many not only endorsed Harris, but financially supported her as well.
The 2024 presidential election is a prime case study on the conglomerate of power that money can buy–the bureaucracy, the media, and now the White House.
Even the intersection of money and politics is clear at the local scale. This is seen here in San Francisco with newly elected mayor Daniel Lurie, heir to the
Reporters and Photographers
Aarav Agrawal ’28
Julian Amann ’26
Jonah Berg ’28
Kaia Burris ’27
Roman Castro ’25
Sofia Chan ’27
Logan Dee ’26
Christopher Dominguez ’25
Liam Falcon ’28
Lucas Fernandez ’27
Rachel Gerke ’27
Ellory Jantz ’26
Malcolm Jones-Smith ’25
Joshua Lee ’26
Nora Lee ’27
Rhianna Mallory ’26
Mateo Munoz ’27
Elliott Ng ’28
Emmanuelle Ng ’26
Henry O’Connell ’27
Kianna Panaligan ’27
Colton Parenti ’25
Exchange Editors
Marley Naniola ’25
Taylor Tran ’25
Levi Strauss fortune who spent millions of his own money into his campaign. These contributions made this race the most expensive in San Francisco’s history.
This emphasizes the challenges of transparency and taking accountability in politics. The Supreme Court case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission removed restrictions on campaign spending by corporations and unions, and now the ability of money to influence elections has reached unprecedented levels.
This begs the question: Does American democracy still function when money talks louder than voters?
Reporters and Photographers
Ellie Paris ’25
Aaron Peakes ’25
Ciara Rivas ’25
Andres Roca ’25
Emilio Rocha ’25
Emma Rocha ’25
Emilia Ross ’26
Sofia Sarracino ’27
William Saunders ’26
Beatriz Taylor ’26
Isabella Thumas ’26
Rowan Tomassi ’27
Evangeline Tonella ’25
Isabella Torrea ’25
Zoe Walker ’28
Elizabeth Walsh ’26
Crystal Wei ’26
Luna Weng ’28
Miles Witte ’27
Marvin Wong ’25
Bernice Yeung ’28
Charlottie Yip ’26
Adviser
Susan Sutton, MJE
Letters to the Editor
Letters to the editors will be accepted with the same deadlines as ads. These letters may come from students, staff, parents, board members, or other members of the community. The Crusader reserves the right to edit the letter for grammatical and spelling errors, as well as length, but not content unless it includes foul language, plagiarized material, or libelous content. If the claims or assertions are incorrect, The Crusader reserves the right to refuse publication of the letter.
Illustration by Angela Jia ’25
Jenkins secures decisive win in district attorney race
By Daniella Lainez ’26
In recent years, the city of San Francisco has been struggling on many fronts including crime, homelessness, and public safety.
Some argue the Covid 19 pandemic overshadowed focus on city issues; some say that new power needs to be elected into office.
On election day — Nov. 5, voters cast their ballots for the future of the United States on a congressional, state and local level.
In San Francisco, voters decided on mayor, supervisors, sheriff, and district attorney, ultimately choosing incumbent Brooke Jenkins over Ryan Khojasteh, with Jenkins securing a decisive win.
Voting results quickly flooded in after election day, showing immediate favor for Jenkins, who secured reelection as the 31st San Francisco District Attorney, with 66 percent of the vote, defeating Khojasteh, who received just over 34 percent.
Jenkins, who assumed office in 2022 following the recall of Chesa Boudin, has positioned herself as a stronger and eminent leader focused on public safety and crime reduction, in contrast to Boudin’s controversial and progressive policies that led to his recall.
Khojasteh, a former assistant District Attorney, criticized his firing as abrupt, saying, “I was on vacation at a family wedding. She
just called and fired me from my job with no explanation.”
Jenkins’ office did not respond to interview requests at press time.
This tension fueled the 2024 race, with Khojasteh challenging Jenkins’ position for the District Attorney role. Ultimately, Jenkins pulled forward with a win.
A Bay Area native of Black and Latina heritage, Jenkins began her career in 2014 as a prosecutor in the San Francisco District Attorney’s office. She worked in several specialized units, including hate crimes and sexual assault, before leaving in 2021 over dissatisfaction with Boudin’s leadership, according to published reports.
After the recall, Jenkins assumed office as interim District Attorney, returning to focus on reducing crime in the city, which she has claimed dropped by 32 percent during her first term.
Despite challenges, Jenkins received endorsements from prominent figures like Governor Gavin Newsom, Senator Scott
Wiener, and Sheriff Paul Miyamoto, which helped solidify her political support.
Her campaign website quotes her as saying, “As District Attorney, I’ve proven we can reduce crime, promote an efficient and fair criminal justice system, and above all, work toward the goal of ensuring all San Franciscans feel safe in the city they call home.”
As she begins her second term, Jenkins will continue to navigate the ongoing challenge of balancing her crime and public safety agenda while also resolving internal staff issues.
Her reelection reflects strong support for her approach to crime but it also leaves open questions about the future of her office’s internal stability and overall effectiveness in tackling key issues in San Francisco.
As voters cast their ballots this year, many hoped that the results of this election and others not only ran smoothly, but contributed to the overall betterment of the city of San Francisco.
Sheriff Miyamoto embraces second term
By Aiden Pavon ’25
Among the myriad of elections San Francisco voters were presented with earlier this month, there was one that flew under the radar of many: the sheriff.
The election was a landslide victory for the incumbent Sheriff Paul Miyamoto. According to ABC News, Miyamoto received a whopping 81 percent of the total vote, and his opponent Michael Juan,–a Riordan alumnus–only received 19 percent.
Also according to ABC News, despite the Sheriff election having the lowest turnout for any city-wide office, Miyamoto still received the highest amount of votes for a single candidate overall at 204,563.
“[My goals] in terms of continuing on my second term, is continuing on with the good work that we’ve
been doing,” Sheriff Miyamoto told The Crusader.
Despite his popularity, though, he faced many challenges in his first term as Sheriff, including a training session involving expired tear gas near an elementary school that ended up harming children.
Miyamoto looks to learn from his mistakes, take responsibility for his past missteps, and address key issues in his department.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, “He’s worked to increase safety training with deputies to address violence in the jails.”
Despite his loss, Juan will continue to support the Sheriff’s department any way he can.
“Currently I work as a police officer for the UC San Francisco Police Department. I plan to
President: Trump returns to White House
As Trump made gains in the Electoral College, Republicans also secured the Senate with a 53-47 majority as of press time. Republicans also won control of the House. The red victory in the House means conservatives have control of all three branches of America’s government.
This would allow Trump to enact his agenda with significantly less guardrails and speed bumps than his first term.
A Republican Congress is likely to pass almost any law Trump desires, and a 6-3 conservative Supreme Court–three of whom were appointed by Trump himself–is expected to provide an icy
reception to any progressive legal challenges.
Harris gave her concession speech at her alma mater of Howard University after calling to congratulate Trump on his win. Her response is a marked departure from Trump’s 2020 tactic where he repeated the baseless claims that he won and the election was rigged.
Dean concluded, “We like to say that America [is the] land of the free, most powerful country. But…regardless of how accurate that statement may be, the people that we do have in office are going to not just affect our own country, but the status of the entire world.”
continue working on patrol and eventually get into investigations or promote,” he said.
Miyamoto’s first term began in the middle of the COVID pandemic, which he believes hindered his operations for the first two years he donned the badge.
“So we hit a big pause button for about two years before we could even get back on track,” he said.
Sheriff Miyamoto hopes to move San Francisco forward and build a better future for the city and its people.
“We want to stay focused on public safety… We’re going to continue to make sure our footprint in the community is supported and stronger than it has been, so that we can keep people safe, and make sure people feel safe.”
Paul Miyamoto was reelected Sheriff of San Francisco County in this month’s election, setting the stage for a second term in office. He is the City’s first Asian American sheriff.
SF Mayor: Voters elect Lurie
In her concession speech, Mayor Breed said, “We will always do everything we can to ensure the success of the city and that there is a smooth transition so that the important work that has been done and needs to continue in San Francisco moves forward.”
San Francisco uses rankedchoice voting, in which voters choose which candidate they would like the most to see as their mayor, and also make note of their second and third choices, down the list of candidates.
English teacher and San Francisco resident Brian Kosewic ’16 explained how Lurie used this system to his advantage, saying,
“He also ran a campaign where he really just tried to present himself as a nice guy, and in a lot of ways, he avoided taking a firm stand on a lot of issues, and so I think his goal is really to make himself as unoffensive as possible to as many voters with the strategy of being ranked maybe as their first choice, but also as a lot of people’s second choice votes.”
First time voter Manuel Alexandre Fonseca ’25 said, “Lurie, while not a perfect candidate, has provided solutions to tackle San Francisco’s drug, theft, and homelessness problems, and will hopefully show better leadership on these issues.”
brookejenkinssf.com
Brooke Jenkins was reelected DA.
Photo provided by Sheriff Miyamoto’s campaign office
Great Highway to close despite neighbors’ opposition
By Angela Jia ’25
After a narrow race, Prop K–a ballot measure that would permanently close the Great Highway for recreation–won. As of press time, 54.2 percent voted yes and 45.7 percent voted no. Votes are still being counted.
Though the proposition only concerns a strip of highway, it has proved to be one of the most divisive measures on the San Francisco ballot this election.
Those in the west of San Francisco–who live close to the Great Highway and use it the most often–overwhelmingly voted ‘No’ to keep the highway open, and those in the east–miles away from the road–overwhelmingly voted ‘Yes’ to close it down.
Lucas Lux, head of the Yes on K campaign, told The Crusader that “Because we live in the Outer Sunset, we know neighbors who voted against K, and have heard their concerns about traffic safety in the neighborhood. We share a desire for safe residential streets, and look forward to working with our neighbors–whether they voted for or against Prop K–to find common ground and implement traffic safety improvements to benefit the whole community.”
The No on K campaign did not respond to The Crusader’s request for a statement.
A pandemic-era decision, the Great Highway is currently closed to cars on the weekends for recreation and open for traffic on the weekdays. Along with
permanently closing it to cars, Prop K would aim to transform the Great Highway into an oceanside park with recreation amenities that supporters say would decrease beach pollution and increase community engagement. The highway’s partial closure already sees 10,000 visitors every weekend.
Lux said, “Every major environmental group in San Francisco endorsed Prop K because it is the best plan for our coast. Removing automobile pollution – especially runoff pollution from tires and brakes – from our coast is better for the coastal ecosystem and the wildlife that call it home.”
Opponents point out that the current situation is already a compromise that meets driver needs and pedestrian wants.
The Great Highway is a crucial transportation corridor that connects San Francisco to the Richmond, they say, and is frequently utilized by the working class families of the Outer Sunset.
Counselor David Canales ’02, who grew up in the Sunset, expressed, “What bothers me is the Great Highway is essential for transportation reasons. We already live in a neighborhood that’s farthest away from freeways. Yeah, I’m okay with it being closed on weekends…I’m sure the kids will benefit from that.”
“But the amount of traffic, bro, for the people that live on Great
Highway, it’s gonna be insane, dude, it’s gonna be insane.”
Those who live by Ocean Beach fear that the closure will increase traffic inland among residential areas, making it more dangerous for pedestrians. Independent experts consulted by the San Francisco Public Press have generally validated the traffic and public transportation concerns by opponents of the measure.
However, supporters point to how the southern section of the highway is already slated for closure by early 2026 due to coastal erosion. Thus, they assert, its current function as a road is already falling apart.
Aliana Urdaneta-Rodas ’25, who was eligible to vote in the
election, said, “I have a lot of friends that live in that area that commute to San Francisco for work and realized that this would be detrimental to their lifestyle as many people living in that area commute out of the area through the Great Highway.”
Opponents also point out the lack of funding in Prop K, arguing that proponents have no practical financial plan for actually creating a park. However, the Yes on K campaign website argues that this is deliberate, claiming that funds for designing the park will come later.
Canales said, “It’s just one of the things where I wish there was a compromise instead of a straight up shutdown.”
California calls for crime crackdown
By Ishaan Gupta
’26
With the rise of crimes related to theft and drugs in California, more and more people are affected. Recently, strings of propositions have been passed and rejected in California. One important one relating to this prevalent issue has passed, Proposition 36.
Proposition 36 passed with a landslide of 70 percent voting yes and 30 percent voting no. With it being passed, it allows for more felony charges and increased sentences for those who commit certain drug and theft crimes.
Penalties for crimes relating to illegal drugs, drug traffickers, and smash and grabs have also been increased with repeat offenders being held more accountable. With theft crimes, a sentence of up to three years would happen if a past offender had two or more past convictions relating to theft crimes.
According to a report by CalMatters, Prisclla Ocen, a law professor at Loyola Law School said, “We are aware that there’s been a shift in terms of the vibe
around criminal legal reform.”
Additionally, those who committed drug related crimes would need to complete treatment for mental health or drugs. If they complete their treatment, their charges can be dismissed but if they fail to complete it, offenders can serve up to three years in prison.
Jackie Grealish, Psychology
teacher, said, “It will be interesting to see how it affects streets in San Francisco. We’ve all seen the impacts of thefts in the city with drug stores like CVS having more items behind glass. For people with substance use disorders who are arrested for possession, hopefully this gets them the help that they need through rehabilitation.”
She continued, “It seems like we’ll need more treatment facilities specifically for people who are incarcerated for drugrelated charges.”
Another aspect of Prop 36 is the possibility of murder charges if someone sells illegal drugs that kill someone.
Furthermore, Prop 36 would lengthen felony sentences for property damage or theft by up to three years if three or more people committed the crime together.
Prop 36 would also increase the number of people in prison, leading to increased costs in the millions.
Ocen, a former special assistant attorney general at the California Department of Justice, also said, “I think on certain issues, yes, the electorate is frustrated with feelings of insecurity — despite the fact that those feelings are often not grounded in data in terms of your likelihood of being victimized, either by a property crime or a crime against a person.”
While Prop 36 has its cons, voters saw the benefits and hope it will help address the ongoing crime issues California faces.
Photo by Angela Jia ’25
Photo illustration by Angela Jia ’25
With 70 percent saying yes, voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 36.
The City’s western neighborhoods voted No on K, but it passed by 8.5 percent.