The Phoenix Project (San Francisco)
| Formation | February 2024 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California |
President | Julie Pitta |
Vice President | Anabel Ibanez |
Secretary | Keane Chukwuneta |
Executive Director & Treasurer | Jeremy Mack |
| Hope Williams | |
| Website | https://www.phoenixprojectnow.com/ |
The Phoenix Project is a nonprofit advocacy group in San Francisco, California.
Overview
The Phoenix Project was formed in February 2024 by Julie Pitta and Jeremy Mack.[1][2] The group is a progressive group, formed as a reaction to "wealthy tech moguls and billionaires," who "are funding moderate political action committees."[1][3][4] The group tracks "money and influence in San Francisco politics."[5]
Activities
As part of the organization's mission to "Uncover San Francisco's dark money trail," the group published a series of white papers detailing large amounts of money in San Francisco politics.[6][7] In those white papers, The Phoenix Project detailed $33 million raised to influence politics in the city from 2020 through the 2024 election, noting that "that more than half of that—$18 million—is 'dark money,' meaning the donors are never disclosed."[3]
When, in February 2025, newly elected mayor Daniel Lurie gathered a group of wealthy business leaders to advise him about San Francisco city politics, The Phoenix Project described it as "extremely disappointing" and "a largely Pacific Heights crowd” in reference to the wealthy Pacific Heights neighborhood the mayor resides in.[8]
References
- ^ a b Toledo, Aldo (Feb 9, 2024). "Moderates have been ascendant in S.F. politics. This new group is fighting back". The San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 9 February 2024.
- ^ Greschler, Gabe (8 February 2024). "Progressive group targets Garry Tan, San Francisco moderates". The San Francisco Standard. Archived from the original on 15 February 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
- ^ a b Redmond, Tim (2024-02-21). "Ten groups. $33 million, half of it dark money. Behind the billionaires in SF politics". 48 hills. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
- ^ Gardiner, Dustin; Jones, Blake (2025-02-27). "San Francisco's left licks its wounds". POLITICO. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
- ^ Johnson, Sydney (2024-12-11). "Is San Francisco a Bellwether for Cryptocurrency Influence on Local Elections? | KQED". www.kqed.org. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
- ^ "The Phoenix Project". www.phoenixprojectnow.com. Retrieved 2025-04-07.
- ^ Barros, Joe Rivano (2024-09-17). "TogetherSF wants to remake City Hall. Internal doc shows that's just the beginning". Mission Local. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
- ^ Gardiner, Dustin; Jones, Blake (2025-03-20). "Daniel Lurie calls in A-list CEOs". POLITICO. Retrieved 2025-04-03.