State Senator Leland Yee today declared his intention to run for mayor of San Francisco. Photo by Michael J. Costa.
By Luke Thomas
November 10, 2010
State Senator Leland Yee ended months of rumor and speculation about his political future today when he filed papers to legally begin a fund-raising campaign for mayor of San Francisco.
“I am honored by the support and encouragement I have received from my family and the residents of San Francisco to consider a run for mayor,” Yee said in a statement. “Today, we begin the process of asking San Franciscans what they want of their city government and their next mayor.”
“We need experienced leadership that can bring us together as one community,” Yee added. “I want to see the Mayor work with, and not against the Board of Supervisors. The next mayor should partner with the school board, parents and teachers to improve our public schools. It is time we get back to basics, fix Muni, create jobs and continue to lead on important issues like the environment and human rights.”
Yee, a Democrat, made the announcement outside the San Francisco Department of Elections this morning. If elected, Yee would be the first Chinese-American mayor of San Francisco, a city and county with a 31 percent Asian population.
Mayor Gavin Newsom, who defeated incumbent Abel Maldonado in the race for Lt. Governor, will effectively vacate the office of mayor when he is sworn in as Lt. Governor on January 3. Following his swearing in, Board of Supervisors President David Chiu will become acting mayor until the Board of Supervisors elects a caretaker mayor to complete Newsom’s term.
Yee joins termed out Supervisor Bevan Dufty, City Attorney Dennis Herrera and former Supervisor Tony Hall as the only electeds so far to have declared candidacies for the 2011 open seat. State Senator Mark Leno; District Attorney Kamala Harris; Supervisors Ross Mirkarimi and Michela Alioto-Pier; and former Board of Supervisors President Matt Gonzalez, are rumored to be considering mayoral candidacies.
Luke Thomas
Luke Thomas is a former software developer and computer consultant who proudly hails from London, England. In 2001, Thomas took a yearlong sabbatical to travel and develop a photographic portfolio. Upon his return to the US, Thomas studied photojournalism to pursue a career in journalism. In 2004, Thomas worked for several neighborhood newspapers in San Francisco before accepting a partnership agreement with the SanFranciscoSentinel.com, a news website formerly covering local, state and national politics. In September 2006, Thomas launched FogCityJournal.com. The BBC, CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox News, New York Times, Der Spiegel, San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Magazine, 7x7, San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco Bay Guardian and the San Francisco Weekly, among other publications and news outlets, have published his work. Thomas is a member of the Freelance Unit of the Pacific Media Workers Guild, TNG-CWA Local 39521 and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists.
Follow Me:
The Hunger Site
No Comments
Comments for Yee Declares Mayoral Bid are now closed.