Three progressive candidates backed by City College’s faculty union and other labor groups are facing four candidates endorsed by the billionaire-backed GrowSF and Abundant SF, putting the school’s finances, enrollment, and future at the center of the race.The race has drawn support from two ver y different political camps. The City College faculty union, AFT 2121, is backing Bunny McFadden, Leah LaCroix, and Jeremy Lee, along with United Educators of San Francisco and SEIU 1021, as City College’s student paper the Guardsman reports. The three are running together as a labor-backed slate with a focus on protecting students and public education.On the other side are Elijah Ball, Erwin Tam, Monroe Lace, and Ruth Ferguson, who have the backing of GrowSF and Abundant SF, two well-funded political groups that have increasingly worked in concert to support moderate candidates and policy changes in SF. According to the Guardsman, political watchdog group the Phoenix Project considers both groups part of what it calls San Francisco’s “Astroturf Network,” a collection of heavily financed political organizations that present themselves as grassroots movements. The Phoenix Project reportedly estimates that the network has helped facilitate at least $78 million in spending on local candidates and ballot measures since 2020.According to KALW, Ball has raised $24,210, Tam $22,705, and Lace $16,381, compared with $13,468 for McFadden, $7,633 for Lee, and $4,937 for LaCroix. The contrast extends beyond fundraising, with the first slate backed by GrowSF and Abundant SF and the second by labor unions, including AFT 2121, SEIU 1021, and United Educators of San Francisco. The divide between the two groups of candidates has become particularly pronounced around how candidates view City College’s financial situation. The college nearly lost its accreditation in 2024 over problems with financial planning and board governance, and its enrollment decline has reduced the state funding available to it. The Downtown Center was closed this year, with classes moved to other campuses amid the financial pressure.Ball, Tam, and Lace have emphasized fiscal responsibility and said the college needs to make difficult decisions about underused facilities and low-enrollment classes. Ball has proposed consolidating unused space while protecting Cantonese-language courses, while Tam has said he would expand classes with long waitlists and cut those with too few students. Lace reportedly couldn’t be reached for comment. The labor-backed slate has challenged the idea that City College should be defined primarily by a structural deficit. Per the Guardsman, Robin Pugh AFT 2121 president and a City College instructor, pointed to the union's own analysis of the college's finances, which found a $20 million surplus for the 2024–25 school year.AFT 2121 has also criticized what it sees as a growing push toward privatization and consolidation in San Francisco, particularly through public-private partnerships. Pugh said the union is concerned about billionaire-backed political groups gaining influence over public institutions.“What concerns me is that the billionaire agenda tends to go towards gentrification and consolidating executive power,” Pugh said, speaking to the Guardsman.LaCroix, Lee, and McFadden have each emphasized protecting programs and services for students while looking for places to reduce spending. LaCroix told KALW she would cut administrative positions and protect non-credit offerings, while Lee has focused on high-demand courses, including Cantonese, which he said has more interested students than the program's lone part-time instructor can accommodate.McFadden has declined to identify a particular program or expense she would cut, instead arguing that budget decisions should not come at the expense of students.The labor-backed candidates have also received endorsements from the California Working Families Party and Supervisor Connie Chan. KALW reports that the remaining candidates are Rome Moses Jones and Lisa Wynn. Jones has said he would look at consolidating underused facilities or finding ways to generate revenue from them. He has reportedly not filed the campaign paperwork required by the San Francisco Ethics Commission to collect contributions. Wynn has not reported any campaign contributions and does not appear to have an active campaign website or social media presence.Nearly all of the candidates who responded to questions about the college's future reportedly said they would protect Free City, San Francisco's tuition-free community college program.Related: SF City College Leader Put on Paid Leave During Investigation Into Alleged Misuse of Funds ...read more read less