Aaron Peskin is a former politician. He’s termed out. He even tried running for mayor, and the voters of San Francisco soundly rejected him. That should have been the final word. His brand of politics is toxic, his ideas outdated, and his record a failure.
Yet, even after the voters showed him the door, Peskin still insists on inserting himself into San Francisco’s most urgent debates. Last week, he came out swinging against Mayor Daniel Lurie’s housing plan, which is designed to meet California’s mandate for 82,000 new homes by 2031. Instead of offering solutions, Peskin presented the same thing he has always: obstruction, lawsuits, and threats of political chaos.
We know what Peskin’s style of politics produces. For years, he used his office to block new housing near transit, gut projects that could have built affordability, and prioritize the interests of wealthy homeowners over those of renters and working families. The result? Skyrocketing rents, middle-class families priced out, shuttered storefronts, and a homelessness crisis that has spiraled into a humanitarian disaster. This is not “neighborhood character”; it’s the direct consequence of his obstruction.
San Francisco today is less affordable, less livable, and less hopeful because of Aaron Peskin’s policies. While other cities are building solutions, he spent his career strangling supply and fueling displacement. His politics have made it harder for teachers, nurses, service workers, and even our own children to stay in the city they love.
And let’s be honest, why is a termed-out politician still trying to influence housing legislation? Who exactly is he working for? Is this just about ego, or is he acting as an unregistered lobbyist, pulling strings behind the scenes without accountability? The people of San Francisco deserve transparency. If Peskin wants to influence laws, he should follow the rules like everyone else.
He warns of “political ruin” if the city moves forward with new housing. But the absolute ruin is the San Francisco he left behind, a city of displacement, skyrocketing rents, and thousands sleeping on our sidewalks. That is his legacy, and the voters already rejected it when they rejected him.
Now, at the very moment when San Francisco needs bold leadership, Peskin is still trying to drag us backward, but we can’t afford to keep letting him. We need to move beyond his toxic politics, his obstruction, and his failures.
San Francisco deserves leaders who build, not politicians who block. Leaders who fight for renters, working families, and the unhoused, not for entrenched privilege. Leaders who believe in a city where people can afford to stay, not one where only the wealthy few survive.
The city’s choice is clear. We can continue to let the ghost of Aaron Peskin drag us backward, or we can move forward, toward a San Francisco that builds, welcomes, and works for everyone.
Jordan Angle lives in North Beach.
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