T
he Bay Area's real estate industry is poised for a friendlier political climate after Tuesday's election, with moderate candidates leading in key races. Jay Cheng, executive director of Neighbors for a Better San Francisco, believes the results are a "huge boost" to the real estate community. Daniel Lurie, heir to Levi's fortune, has a significant lead over Mayor London Breed in the San Francisco mayor's race, and moderate challengers are ahead in two hotly contested Board of Supervisors races.

    Cheng attributes Lurie's lead to the remaining ballots being mostly mail-ins, which tend to lean more moderate. He also believes that moderate candidates Bilal Mahmood and Marjan Philhour will hold their leads over progressive incumbents Dean Preston and Connie Chan, respectively. A flip in these two seats would have a significant impact on the board's makeup, as both Preston and Chan are known for being anti-real estate and anti-housing.

    Jane Natoli of YIMBY Action is optimistic that Lurie will be receptive to housing issues, despite not having made strong specific statements during his campaign. She notes that there is still much to be determined, including whether Lurie surrounds himself with good housing people. Corey Smith of the Housing Action Coalition is less certain, saying that the remaining ballots don't lean towards any one candidate or philosophy.

    The results in the Board of Supervisors races also show a trend towards anti-incumbency, which Natoli believes is an expression of voters' desire for change in San Francisco. If moderates take control of the board, Cheng says it will be driven by concerns about public safety and homelessness, as well as housing production.

    Across the bay, recall efforts against Oakland Mayor Sheg Thao and Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price are leading in early results, with broad support from commercial real estate interests. Isaac Abid, a developer who led one of the groups behind the district attorney recall, says the message from voters is clear: they want change on public safety and local governance.