San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
The mayor-elect pauses to reflect
London Breed had her first sit-down interview with Editorial Page Editor John Diaz at the historic John’s Grill on Thursday, the day after she was declared the winner in the San Francisco mayor’s race. Highlights of the interview:
Q: Our front-page headline today was, “Historic moment.” You are not only San Francisco’s first African American woman to become mayor, you are the only female mayor in the nation’s 14 largest cities. What do those distinctions mean to you?
A: What’s so amazing is that we’re continuing to break that glass ceiling. We’re continuing to soar to new heights. And if it can happen in San Francisco, hopefully it can happen anywhere. I want what has happened here, in this moment, to be the norm and not the exception. Doris Ward was the first African American to be president of the Board of Supervisors. When I was elected to be president 30 years later, people kept saying I was the first. I was like, “no, no, you need to go back in history and be reminded of who did it first.” We shouldn’t have to wait, in this case, another 40 years for a woman to be mayor of San Francisco. I hope young women are watching this everywhere and saying to themselves: “If London can do it, maybe I can do it too.”
Q: Do you think race or gender was a factor, for or against you, in this election?
A: There were people who said they wanted to vote for me because they wanted a woman mayor. There also was the unfortunate side of things that people who have biases have said about me throughout the campaign that have been racist and sexist. We also had people who said, “I want my daughters to meet you and I want them to see what’s possible . ... I want my daughters to know they can achieve anything they want.” You have both sides of it. It does play a role.
Q: You went back to your old school, Rosa Parks Elementary, for a victory speech today. It certainly suggests you take seriously your
potential as a role model.
A: I do, because I was a difficult kid to work with. I think about all these people who didn’t give up on me, who sat down and took the time to help me understand what I was doing wrong, and what I was doing right, and how much potential I had. I just think back to those experiences: my teachers, my counselors, my classmates. It had so much in shaping me into the person I am today, and it didn’t work out that way for too many people that I grew up with. And so part of what I think about as mayor is how are we going to make sure that a situation like mine is the norm and not the exception . ... I don’t want them to think about car break-ins and drug dealing and all the crimes that I’ve seen people I know and love commit growing up, because that was what was in front of us.
Q: Your life story is such an inspiring one against the odds: growing up in public housing, raised by your grandmother, your brother in prison, your sister having died of an overdose. How does that instruct your approach to public policy?
A: We’re talking about a community where families don’t have a lot of money. Sometimes kids who go to school without lunch money or are not able to buy school clothes — just basic things that some families take for granted — I know how that feels. Part of what I want to do is make sure that going out there and commit crimes that land you in juvenile hall at any early age is not an option. As mayor, and even as a member of the Board of Supervisors, that’s how I think about policy: What does this do to prevent something from happening? What does this do to positively impact somebody’s life?
Q: This was a very close election. What do you think was the deciding issue — or issues? A: I basically talked about issues throughout the campaign. A lot of the other candidates only talked about me (laughs) and attacked me, and talked about PAC money and other things that none of us have control over. I think people probably saw through that. What I’ve heard from voters is that they believed in the things I’m proposing — even if they don’t agree necessarily, like safe injection sites — they also felt like the way I explained it, with treatment on demand and the other things — hey, they were willing to give it a try. They wanted to see a mayor willing to take risks to address these issues because they’re tired of seeing what they see on the streets.
Q: But was there a particular policy position that you think worked in your favor?
A: I think my push for more housing. Even though it’s controversial, my support for SB827 (state Sen. Scott Wiener’s proposal to compel higherdensity housing around transit hubs), despite the fact that every other candidate opposed it and tried to imply it was something that it wasn’t. I think the fact that I am open to trying new things all over the city for the purposes of building more housing — while also preserving neighborhood character — is something that people appreciated, because we have to build more housing.
Q: What is policy priority one when you get to Room 200 at City Hall? A: Policy priority one is definitely going to be mental illness, because the
people who are on our streets who are suffering from mental illness have been the most challenging people to help.
Q: With Rafael Mandelman’s election (in District Eight) the progressives now appear to have a majority on the Board of Supervisors. What is your strategy to bring people together in a divided city?
A: 2017 was a good year for the board. We worked closely together on affordable inclusionary housing ... and it was an 11-0 vote. When I was elected president last year, I made it a point to try and build bridges with my colleagues for the purposes of getting the job done for the city ... and we did. Even (Supervisor) Aaron Peskin and I had a really good working relationship, because we care about the work. But politics, sadly, sometimes get in the way in the work. Even after there was that vote to remove me as acting mayor, they were very surprised at how I acted toward them.
Q: How has life changed in the 24 hours since you’ve become mayorelect?
(Lets out a long sigh and smiles) It still doesn’t feel real, but it is real when I walk outside and people want to take a picture with me. Even on the bikes and people driving by, they’re honking. ... Everybody pretty much knows who you are. That is definitely a huge difference. In District Five, yeah, my neighbors all know me . ... Now I can’t go to other neighborhoods to hide (laughs). Even in the campaign, it was hard to go to the grocery store because everyone wanted to talk. People are happy and excited, the energy is amazing. That feels good, like it’s a new day in San Francisco.
Q: I have to ask, right after election day, you were out of pocket for a few days: Where did you go and what did you do?
A: Oh, my God, I don’t want everyone to know that.
Q: Our readers want to know.
A: I did go to Cabo, and I didn’t do anything, I went to take a vacation where I didn’t do anything. I tried not to think about 4 o’clock, the (daily) vote count. (Laughs) You know, relaxing is hard work . ... I didn’t take my phone with me. If I had it, it would not have been a real vacation.