Breed signals intention to run for San Francisco mayor
San Francisco acting Mayor London Breed signaled her intent to become an official mayoral candidate in the June election, pulling her nomination papers at the city’s Department of Elections on Friday.
After attending a community cleanup event at Reservoir Playground in the Outer Sunset, Breed put an end to speculation about her candidacy, saying that “after careful consideration,” she intended to enter the race.
Clutching an umbrella against the morning drizzle, Breed said her life’s trajectory — from growing up in an impoverished family to becoming acting mayor — had given her a unique perspective on how to make government work better for the city’s most vulnerable.
Breed said she is uniquely qualified to address the city’s homeless crisis and quality-oflife issues on the streets but she offered few
specifics.
“Being one of the few elected officials who actually grew up in poverty in this city who understands what it feels like to be neglected, to be left out, to not feel supported ... I have a unique experience to bring to the table,” Breed said. “I want to make sure that I am not the only one coming from a situation of poverty and doing well in life.”
As president of the Board of Supervisors, Breed became acting mayor after the unexpected death of Ed Lee from a heart attack last month. Occupying multiple roles — she is also the supervisor for District Five — has raised the question of the board appointing a neutral, caretaker mayor who would not run in the June 5 election, preserving the separation of legislative and executive powers.
Having Breed step out of the role of acting mayor as she conducts her campaign would also prevent her from capitalizing on her incumbency in the mayor’s office.
Breed said Friday she would support any decision by the board to appoint an interim mayor.
“I want my colleagues to do what they think is best,” she said. “What I’ve made clear in some of the conversations I’ve had with my colleagues — I don’t want this to change how we work together. Our actions will demonstrate that for us in the months to come.”
Breed’s allies have begun an aggressive campaign — reminiscent of the “Run, Ed, Run” strategy that helped persuade Lee to run for the office while he was serving as interim mayor to fill out the term of Gavin Newsom —to keep Breed in the city’s top job.
Last month, Breed’s most prominent backer, former Mayor Willie Brown, dismissed in his Chronicle column the idea of a caretaker mayor. It was followed Tuesday by an opinion piece written by Christine Pelosi and BART board member Lateefah Simon that painted Breed, who would be the city’s first female African American mayor, as a symbol of the national #MeToo reckoning on sexual harassment.
The opinion piece spread on social media, with a boost from Los Angeles comedian Chelsea Handler, who tweeted about it Thursday evening.
Also Thursday, Breed’s supporters held a rally on the steps of City Hall. Several attendees carried signs, some with the slogan “Girl Power” and others with messages about fair and transparent government.
While pressure is building on the Board of Supervisors to decide on a caretaker mayor, the issue is not on the agenda for its next meeting Tuesday.
Last week, a group called the San Francisco Progressive Alliance inundated the supervisors and their aides with emails, urging them to pick an interim mayor who would not run in June.