Some of the members of the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee tried Wednesday to undermine a resolution opposing the influence of big corporate money in national and local politics, including a highly unusual move by member Trevor Chandler to gut and amend the measure out of existence.
Member Peter Gallotta introduced a resolution directly challenging the role that billionaires, including local tech leaders, played in supporting and promoting the Trump agenda.
The measure states, among other things:
BE IT RESOLVED, the San Francisco Democratic Party condemns the recent actions of CEO’s and corporations that have chosen to invest in and empower Trump’s right-wing agenda through massive million dollar donations to his Inauguration, seeking to curry favor and influence with this new administration in order to protect their interests at the expense of working people and the many critical issues at stake, such as climate change, immigrant rights, workers’ rights, and public education; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVES that the San Francisco Democratic Party continues to oppose the influence of big money at all levels, even here in San Francisco.
The measure specifically mentions money from Apple CEO Tim Cook, Amazon, Open AI CEO Sam Altman, Uber, and Meta.
Although the resolution doesn’t mention him, Ripple CEO Chris Larsen gave $5 million to the Trump inauguration—and also helped fund the conservative DCCC slate that now controls the local Democratic Party.
So, as the Phoenix Project notes, it was “an uncomfortable moment.”
The discussion showed exactly where some members of the local party—including Chair Nancy Tung—stand on the role of big corporate money in local and national politics.
Gallotta talked about how big corporations, including some that are local and have have played a role in SF politics, “have gone all in supporting Trump.” He called out Mark Zuckerberg, who runs Meta and whose name is (shamefully) on the city’s public hospital, and said that in 2025, “the big tech corporate vibe is get rich or destroy democracy.”
He noted that “the mega donor class also has ties to political spending locally,” and that some of the same people who are supporting Trump gave $200,000 directly to electing conservative members of the DCCC.
Chandler, who was one of those elected with the Big Tech money, did something that I have never seen in all of years covering the DCCC—and something that even the other conservatives on the panel found deeply offensive.
He moved to amend the Gallotta resolution by completely removing all its language and replacing it with a pointless statement putting the local Democratic Party on record opposing the Trump agenda.
That amounted to an alternative resolution that was never placed on the agenda, and would have allowed the members elected with Big Tech money to avoid taking a position on the original resolution.
“I have been on this body for eight years,” Gallotta said, “and this is the first time an action has been taken by a colleague to gut and amend a resolution.”
Sup. Matt Dorsey, who is a DCCC member (and not a progressive), said he found the move inappropriate: New business needs to be on the agenda in advance, he said.
The Chandler amendment was soundly defeated.
Then the panel had to address the larger issue: Does the DCCC want to challenge the type of right-wing, pro-Trump money that elected some of its members?
In the discussion, we saw very clearly where some of the leadership of the party stands.
Chair Nancy Tung complained that big money in politics comes not just from corporations but from “special interests,” and in the context of San Francisco, that can only refer to labor unions, who are the only ones able to put their members money up against the billionaires.
“There are corporations in San Francisco that benefit the city that have been called out,” Tung said.
Vice Chair Carrie Barnes complained that in her time studying public policy at UC Berkeley, there was too much “anti-corporate, anti-capitalism” discussion.
The Gallotta resolution passed, 15-7, with six abstentions. Chandler, Tung, and Barnes voted against it.
