The Phoenix Project: 2024 in Review
Over the past year, the Phoenix Project has emerged to document the recent rise of Right-wing billionaire money flooding into San Francisco politics. This money, totaling over $50 million since 2020, has been used to invest in a network of dark money fake grassroots (astroturf) organizations that have buoyed a wave of conservative Democrats and referendums. The organizations, such as Neighbors for a Better San Francisco, Together SF and GrowSF, use the funding from their billionaire Venture Capitalist and Real Estate interests to push forward tough on crime, anti-regulatory and pro-corporate developer policies, grooming candidates to run for office on their platforms and implement a continued neoliberal and corporate-serving agenda.
Since launching in February, 2024, the Phoenix Project has hit the ground running, shining a light on the emergent Astroturf Network, its backers, and its agenda.
Some of our biggest accomplishments have included:
Publishing three volumes of the Phoenix Papers, in-depth research reports that showcase how the Astroturf Network is attempting to take over San Francisco politics
Collaborating with Mission Local to leak a bombshell TogetherSF internal document outlining their plans for over the next five years
Receiving critical praise and recognition of our research by major outlets such as the New Republic, the Guardian, the San Francisco Chronicle, KQED, Mission Local and 48 Hills
Being featured over nine times on local podcasts, Sad Francisco and The Doomloop Dispatch, and local radio station KPFA and KIQI to discuss our research
Launching the Phoenix Review, a weekly blog series dedicated to tracking the evolving influence of the Astroturf Network
And perhaps most importantly – shifting the narrative on San Francisco politics to problematize the continued influence of Right-wing big money in local politics
Please consider supporting our work by donating here. This fundraiser runs though till the end of February, so please consider donating today!
Also, keep an eye out for an announcement of our one-year anniversary party coming up soon.
In community,
Jeremy Mack,
Executive Director, The Phoenix Project
Over the past year, the Phoenix Project has emerged to document the recent rise of Right-wing billionaire money flooding into San Francisco politics. This money, totaling over $50 million since 2020, has been used to invest in a network of dark money fake grassroots (astroturf) organizations that have buoyed a wave of conservative Democrats and referendums. The organizations, such as Neighbors for a Better San Francisco, Together SF and GrowSF, use the funding from their billionaire Venture Capitalist and Real Estate interests to push forward tough on crime, anti-regulatory and pro-corporate developer policies, grooming candidates to run for office on their platforms and implement a continued neoliberal and corporate-serving agenda.
Since launching in February, 2024, the Phoenix Project has hit the ground running, shining a light on the emergent Astroturf Network, its backers, and its agenda. Some of our biggest accomplishments have included:
Publishing three volumes of the Phoenix Papers, in-depth research reports that showcase how the Astroturf Network is attempting to take over San Francisco politics
Collaborating with Mission Local to leak a bombshell TogetherSF internal document outlining their plans for over the next five years
Receiving critical praise and recognition of our research by major outlets such as the New Republic, the Guardian, the San Francisco Chronicle, KQED, Mission Local and 48 Hills
Being featured over nine times on local podcasts, Sad Francisco and The Doomloop Dispatch, and local radio station KPFA and KIQI to discuss our research
Launching the Phoenix Review, a weekly blog series dedicated to tracking the evolving influence of the Astroturf Network
And perhaps most importantly – shifting the narrative on San Francisco politics to problematize the continued influence of Right-wing big money in local politics
Please consider supporting our work by donating here. This fundraiser runs though till the end of February, so please consider donating today!
Also, keep an eye out for an announcement of our one-year anniversary party coming up soon.
In community,
Jeremy Mack,
Executive Director
The Phoenix Project
