Recently, Mayor Daniel Lurie of San Francisco decided to host 11 high school newspapers. Although one school did not show up because Mayor Lurie decided not to show up because of “urgent matters”. The press conference was in City Hall, and the mayoral office was represented by the Press Secretary Charles Lutvak, the Chief of Infrastructure, Climate and Mobility Alicia John-Baptiste, and the city’s Fire Department Chief Dean Crispen.
I am Arelyn, a tenth grader at Mission High School. On the day of May first, waiting for the clock to turn to 2:30 felt dreadful. The tension in the room was strong, with murmurs as the students read their questions, as well as the small conversation about the mayor completely abandoning the 11 schools that attended that day. “ This is so pointless.” “ Why show up if he’s not here? “ Did the Mayor seriously not show up?” I overheard while scouting the room full of students. Although the Mayor must have thought it was ok to miss a meeting like this, it really affected the students in that room who spent weeks planning questions to find an answer for, not from the Press Secretary, the Director of Transportation, nor the city’s Fire Department Chief, but our Mayor Daniel Lurie himself.
I’m Max, a Junior at Mission High School, and I spoke to the mayor’s press secretary. Fortunately, we had prepared a plethora of questions before the conference, but the sudden change of panel guests made me second-guess whether we were prepared enough. The atmosphere felt pretty serious, but not as intimidating as one would think. Mayor Lurie’s absence significantly impacted the mood of all the students. One school ended up not even showing up, but the new panel guests were still prepared for everyone’s questions.
I am Kirin, a tenth grader at Mission High School. At the mayoral press conference, I knew Mayor Lurie would not be in attendance, but I had also never been inside City Hall. It was amazing to see the architecture of a place that is figuratively the center of our city. Not being able to meet the mayor, and Him also not being in attendance, made me feel underappreciated as a youth and student. I was also surprised when I noticed that Ruth Asawa School Of The Arts journalism class didn’t show up because of the mayor’s absence. Overall, it was a really amazing experience, even though I did not get to meet the Mayor of San Francisco.
