One of the oldest conservative think tanks in America came to San Francisco on Wednesday, and some city officials met them with open arms, ready to talk through San Francisco’s purported comeback and how to fix the problems that persist.
The American Enterprise Institute and Neighbors for a Better San Francisco joined forces to host the American Dream Initiative Solutions Summit, an all-day conference on Wednesday.
The event was “invitation only” with a focus on bringing together business and civic leaders to “share ideas, network, and engage in constructive dialogue on unlocking San Francisco’s pathway to greater flourishing,” per its website.
The summit represents a partnership of strange bedfellows, considering the deep-blue political orientation of the city’s residents, but one that demonstrates how Mayor Daniel Lurie’s administration has shown a willingness to amplify center-right voices as it navigates governance in San Francisco.
Six city officials were invited to the summit. Ned Segal, the mayor’s chief of housing and economic development, spoke one-on-one with AEI President Robert Doar. District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman participated in a panel titled “From Recovery to Growth: Revitalizing San Francisco’s Economy,” alongside San Francisco Downtown Development Corporation CEO Shola Olatoye and JPMorganChase Senior Advisor Peter Scher.
San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Maria Su and Commissioner Supryia Ray joined conservative Briones Society co-founder Bill Jackson to discuss how to “advance academic excellence.” District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey spoke on a panel regarding chronic homelessness and the city’s approach to the crisis alongside the Salvation Army’s Steve Adami and two AEI representatives. District Attorney Brooke Jenkins spoke on public safety efforts with AEI’s Doar.
Dorsey told Gazetteer SF that he was invited to the summit to talk about his efforts on homelessness and drug policy. One subject of debate, Dorsey said, was the politics around “Housing First,” the policy that advocates for homeless individuals to get safe, long-term housing without conditions such as sobriety.
The supervisor said he discussed his “recovery-first” approach to the poverty crisis, including proposed programs such as “Cash Not Drugs” and the recently opened RESET sobering center.
“Having to engage with people who disagree, and taking a long-term approach so we can win hearts and minds, is something that really has informed all of the work that I’ve done,” Dorsey told Gazetteer shortly after his panel. “If there’s one issue that is bipartisan, it’s going to be drug policy and addiction. And I think there’s a way that we can talk to each other and find common ground on what works.”
Dorsey added that the fact that a “right, center-right organization” chose to have a summit in San Francisco and learn from local officials is “a win for the liberals.”
Jenkins, Segal, Su, and Mandelman did not respond to Gazetteer’s requests for comment by press time.
Co-host Neighbors for a Better San Francisco is a political funding group that has pushed centrist policies and anti-progressive rhetoric in recent elections; Bill Oberndorf, the chairman of Neighbors, gave welcome statements. Oberndorf has given more than $1 million to the California Republican Party and funded local efforts to oust progressives, including the recall of District Attorney Chesa Boudin in 2022.
AEI, meanwhile, has become a flag-bearer for the conservative movement since its founding in 1938, advocating for private enterprise, capitalism, and small government. It has also vocally opposed a number of ideas that are considered liberal or progressive; AEI, for example, has criticized the raising of the minimum wage, pushed for the privatization of public schools, supported Donald Trump’s war on trans people, and backed DOGE and the rollback of DEI initiatives across the country.
Its current board of trustees include longtime conservative activists and Trump donors such as real-estate magnate Harlan Crow, businessman Ross Perot Jr., and billionaire Dick DeVos.
Neighbors, and its embattled founder Jay Cheng, has been the subject of criticism for breaching campaign ethics rules and Cheng’s past allegations of sexual assault.
Cheng stepped down in April, but the group is ramping up spending in the 2026 election cycle. It is working to eliminate Prop. D, the “Overpaid CEO” tax proposal, and supports the competing Prop. C, which would freeze future tax increases on high-net-worth executives and is funded by billionaire Chris Larsen.
