San Francisco’s First Ever Black Woman Mayor Takes Office

San Francisco, CA — Following the sudden death of San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, the city’s President of the Board of Supervisors, London Breed, made history when she became the city’s first Black female mayor. The 43-year old will carry on in the role until a citywide mayoral election is held in the summer of 2018.

Breed is also only the second woman to be mayor of the city, as the only other woman to be mayor was Mayor Dianne Feinstein from 1978 to 1988. In addition, Breed is also only the second Black person to take the job. The first was Mayor Willie Brown, who served from 1996 to 2004.

But aside from inheriting her role as mayor, she is also planning to actually run for mayor in the 2018 election. She told reporters, “I do feel strongly that I’m qualified and I’m prepared to do this job.”

Born and raised in San Francisco, Breed earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Davis in 1997 and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of San Francisco in 2012.

In 2002, Breed became the executive director of the African American Art & Culture Complex, where she raised over $2.5 million to renovate the complex’s 34,000 square foot space. She was named to the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency Commission in 2004, and in 2010, she was appointed to the San Francisco Fire Commission.

For more details about the San Franciso Mayor’s office, visit www.sfmayor.org