London Breed has now joined a unique sorority – the sisterhood of Black female mayors of a major American city.
Due to the sudden death of San Francisco’s elected Mayor Ed Lee, 65, who died Tuesday morning from a heart attack, London Breed has become acting mayor. It’s also worth noting that she first Black woman to serve in that executive capacity, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
“It is with profound sadness and terrible grief that we confirm that Mayor Edwin M. Lee passed away on Tuesday, December 12 at 1:11 a.m. at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. Family, friends and colleagues were at his side,” a statement from his office said.
Breed is a native San Franciscan who was raised in the projects by her grandmother. As a longtime community leader, she first won election to the city’s Board of Supervisors in 2012. Her colleagues chose her to serve as president of the board in 2015. After winning re-election to the Board in 2016, Breed was unanimously chosen by the other board members to continue serving as president.
Breed holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Davis in political science, with a minor in African American studies. She went on to earn a master’s in public administration from the University of San Francisco. Her political career started with an internship under former Mayor Willie Brown in the Office of Housing and Neighborhood Services. As the board’s president, she oversees a $10 billion budget and more than 30,000 employees.
Breed has taken hits for her no-nonsense approach to tackling issues. In fact, an expletive-laden social media post in 2012 got her in hot water. But she’s learned to take a different approach that’s still effective, the Chronicle says. The Board must vote to officially make Breed the temporary mayor.
She’s expected to get their approval. Breed would serve out Lee’s term until the June 2018 election.
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