In breaking news reported by SFGate, San Francisco’s current board of supervisors just voted Ed Lee to be its first Asian American mayor. Although there will be a new board of supervisors once current mayor Gavin Newsom takes on his new position as lieutenant governor, he has already secured enough votes among the remaining supervisors that he is virtually guaranteed this new position. Given that just recently Oakland, its neighbor across the Bay, just inaugurated its first Asian American mayor, Jean Quan, this is amazingly historic.
Ed Lee, in reports by bloggers on SFGate, was reluctant to fill in to be mayor, but politically he was seen as the safest bet among other potential mayoral appointees, including fellow Asian American politicians Leland Yee who is the current state senator for San Francisco and northern San Mateo County, and current president of the SF Board of Supervisors David Chiu, who recently declined the position of SF Attorney General since Kamala Harris is now CA Attorney General. Among politicos in SF, Lee is seen as more moderate and less likely to seek the position of mayor once his appointed term ends in the future, which made him the perfect appointee.
What this means for the Bay is unsure, but given that we have suddenly two Asian American mayors in major American cities, these are very exciting times.
Photo credit: SF Gate
