District 10 supervisor candidate Shawn Richard called on an independent committee backing rival candidate Theo Ellington to redirect a $500,000 contribution from cryptocurrency billionaire Chris Larsen toward Bayview-Hunters Point churches and community groups, asking that the money be used to buy groceries and household supplies for struggling families, at a City Hall news conference Sunday.
Larsen, executive chairman of Ripple Labs and one of Mayor Daniel Lurie’s most prominent financial backers, gave $500,000 to a political action committee called “From the Neighborhood, For the City, Supporting Theo Ellington for Supervisor 2026,” according to an Ethics Commission filing. The San Francisco Chronicle has described the contribution as among the largest ever donated to a single supervisor candidate in San Francisco.
The committee was formed just two weeks before Larsen’s contribution became public. Individuals are limited to giving just $500 directly to a single candidate, but donors can pour far larger sums into independent committees. Larsen, his wife Lyna Lam, and Ripple Labs have collectively put more money into this year’s San Francisco elections than any other donor, including $2.5 million to support Mayor Lurie’s charter amendments and $500,000 toward a committee backing the Muni parcel tax measure.
“Half a million dollars invested directly in families struggling with the high cost of food and necessities could have an immediate and tangible impact on people in our community in a way that political advertising, consultants and direct mail never will,” Richard said.
In his statement, Richard, a longtime anti-violence activist in the district, said he respects Larsen’s right to participate in San Francisco elections but questioned how the money would be spent.
“Half a million dollars invested directly in families struggling with the high cost of food and necessities could have an immediate and tangible impact on people in our community in a way that political advertising, consultants and direct mail never will,” Richard said, calling on the committee to direct the full contribution to “longstanding Black and community churches serving Bayview-Hunters Point.”
District 10 covers Bayview-Hunters Point, Potrero Hill, Dogpatch, Visitacion Valley and Sunnydale, representing just under 80,000 residents. The seat is open because Supervisor Shamann Walton, who has held the seat since 2018, is now term-limited.
Ellington, executive director of the Ruth Williams Bayview Opera House and a former city commissioner who also works as a registered city lobbyist, previously ran for the District 10 seat in 2018, finishing third with 20 percent of the vote. His candidacy is endorsed by the SF Democratic Party as their sole recommendation, as well as by GrowSF, the Housing Action Coalition, and Supervisors Stephen Sherrill, Matt Dorsey, and Danny Sauter.
So far Ellington’s raised roughly $472,000 for his own campaign, while rival candidates Dion-Jay “DJ” Brookter and J.R. Eppler had raised about $129,000 and $151,000, respectively — a gap that Larsen’s PAC contribution has now widened dramatically.
We reached out to Ellington, his campaign, and Larsen for comment.
