Today marks a new beginning for London Breed and the city of San Francisco.
On Wednesday, a public inauguration will take place on the steps of City Hall as Breed will be sworn in as the 45th Mayor of the City and County of San Francisco — making her the second woman, and the first black woman to be elected in the city, according to the Associated Press.
Last month, the 43-year-old secured her win as mayor during a special election, which led her opponent and former state senator, Mark Leno, to concede the race. Breed, who was formally the president of the Board of Supervisors, will succeed and finish the term of late Mayor Ed Lee, who died in December at age 65.
“I am so hopeful about the future of our city, and I am looking forward to serving as your mayor,” she said during a short news conference after her historic win. “I am truly humbled and I am truly honored…Whether you voted for me or not, as mayor, I will be your mayor too.”
As a fellow native of San Francisco’s public housing, Breed hopes her historical win will inspire future political figures.
“I’m a native San Franciscan — I grew up in some of the most challenging of circumstances,”she added during the conference. “I think the message that this sends to the next generation of young people growing up in this city, that no matter where you come from … you can do anything you want to do.”
Breed will have to run in the November 2019 election for a four-year term.
