CA-11: Well Known Provocateur Has Been Trolling House Candidate Saikat Chakrabarti (D) With Painted Van

A small van emblazoned with the message "Saikat lives in Maryland!" has been seen parked around San Francisco, trolling House candidate Saikat Chakrabarti over a home that he purchased in Maryland in 2018, and declared his primary residence.

And the Chronicle reports today that the van appears to be registered to Conor Johnston, the former aide to Mayor London Breed and longtime local political prankster. Johnston has not taken responsibility for the van, but the stunt makes perfect sense, given Johnston's longstanding connection to Scott Wiener, who is running against Chakrabarti.

Also, this is a replay of a very similar negative-campaigning effort by Johnston when Daniel Lurie was running against Breed in 2024. As was widely reported that year, Johnston was behind the "Malibu Dan" nickname for Lurie, which was similarly meant to accuse him of carpetbagging and calling out the $15.5 million home Lurie purchased in Malibu's Point Dume in 2021.

(As a reward for his efforts and his loyalty, Johnston was rumored to be among the potential appointees to the Board of Supervisors to fill Catherine Stefani's seat, but that instead went to Stephen Sherrill, possibly as a favor to Michael Bloomberg, for whom Sherrill formerly worked and who seems to have been a benefactor of Breed's.)



https://sfist.com/2026/04/29/well-known-provocateur-has-been-trolling-house-candidate-saikat/