TogetherSF Action cancels Monday mayoral debate after three candidates bail

And then there were none.

TogetherSF Action canceled its planned mayoral debate for Monday, finally ending a flurry of controversy over the event.

The political organization opted not to move forward with the debate after three of the top five mayoral candidates declined to participate , citing concerns that included ties between TogetherSF and candidate Mark Farrell .

In announcing the cancellation on X on Friday, TogetherSF framed the debacle as evidence that “our movement to hold our elected officials accountable to results is working.”

Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin was the first to opt out of the debate, citing the reported connections between the staff of Together SF — an explicitly political organization that has yet to formally endorse a candidate — and Farrell, The City’s former interim mayor.

Farrell’s campaign manager is TogetherSF’s former chief of staff. His communications consultant also represents TogetherSF, and the organization’s founder and CEO, Kanishka Cheng, is also a former Farrell staffer.

Incumbent Mayor London Breed’s campaign blasted the event as being “marked by chaos.”

“The distractions have reached a fever pitch and tainted the debate beyond repair,” Breed said in announcing her decision.

The chaos included an apparent inability to lock down a moderator for the event, which was important to candidates who were concerned about potential partiality due to TogetherSF’s perceived bent. The event was also set to be co-sponsored by GrowSF, which — like TogetherSF — exists to back moderate politicians and causes in The City.

Daniel Lurie, the Levi Strauss heir and nonprofit founder, demanded that a neutral journalist moderate the debate. He announced Thursday that, with his conditions unmet, he would drop out.

Breed and Peskin had planned to hold a separate “conversation” at Manny’s Cafe in the Mission district but that, too, was canceled. Manny’s Cafe owner Manny Yekutiel said he canceled the event because he planned to moderate a debate with all five candidates sharing the stage.

Had it gone forward, the debate would have featured Farrell and Supervisor Ahsha Safai, who said he remained game to participate.

San Franciscans will not have to wait long to see all five candidates in the same event. All are slated to participate in a forum hosted by the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club on Tuesday.