San Francisco's Pursuit of Tech Spurs Questions

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee wants to do more to promote the local technology industry than any mayor before him. But some who advocate for low-income residents in this rapidly changing city are saying that's not necessarily a good thing.

Since he was appointed mayor a year ago and elected to a full term in November, Mayor Lee has made it a priority to boost the city's economy through the tech industry. Last year, he backed tax breaks to help San Francisco Internet companies Zynga and Twitter. He visits tech companies weekly and is close to start-up financier Ron Conway. But this approach increasingly has some advocates of affordable housing and renters' representatives questioning whether the mayor's focus on tech-sector growth is helping San Franciscans who are struggling most to recover from the recession. Advocacy groups met with Mr. Lee earlier this month to raise concerns about issues ranging from the dearth of work at the tech firms for entry-level workers to the city's rising cost of living with the arrival of wealthy tech workers.