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US: San Francisco's 1st Black Woman Mayor London Breed to Address Homelessness, Drug Abuse

  • Through her candidacy, Breed has pledged to address some of the issues plaguing the city such as homeless tent camps, open drug use and skyrocketing housing prices.  

    Through her candidacy, Breed has pledged to address some of the issues plaguing the city such as homeless tent camps, open drug use and skyrocketing housing prices.   | Photo: London Breed / Twitter

Published 11 July 2018
Opinion

The 43-year-old Democrat who ran a grueling 5-month campaign will take oath on the steps of the city hall and address a gathering of nearly a thousand people. 

In a historic first, London Breed will become the first Black woman to be appointed as San Francisco's 45th mayor Wednesday.

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The 43-year-old Democrat who ran a grueling 5-month campaign will take oath on the steps of the city hall and address a gathering of nearly a thousand people, the Associated Press reported.

Breed who earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Davis and a master’s in public administration from the University of San Francisco is known to be corporate-friendly. 

"I just plan to do my job," she told the San Francisco Chronicle. "And I hope I can count on not only maintaining the support that I earned over the course of this campaign but earn even more supporters throughout that time. And the results will, hopefully, speak for my ability to continue to lead this city."   

"There will be some things I’ll be able to do right away, but Rome wasn’t built in a day," she added.  

Through her candidacy, Breed has pledged to address some of the issues plaguing the city such as homeless tent camps, open drug use and skyrocketing housing prices.  

Only 6 percent of San Francisco's population of around 870,00 is Black. 

Critics have pointed out that she will not have enough time to make a difference as she only has until Nov. 5, 2019, before the city dwellers go back to the polls to pick the next mayor. The preceding mayor, Ed Lee died in December thus prompting the unusual circumstances of Breed's election in June. 

She is expected to run in the next election. "Every political decision has to be carried out with a view toward how it will relate back to the next campaign," said James Taylor, a political science professor at the University of San Francisco, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.  

"She has to buckle down and act like most American politicians — do things that are as much about principle and the immediate needs of the city, but also couple those issues in a way that she’s constantly showing her achievements with a view toward re-election. It’s a big mistake for her if she doesn’t stay in campaign mode." 

The news also comes at a time when the 28-year-old, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a former Bernie Sanders volunteer from the Democratic Socialists of America defeated a heavyweight, corporate Democrat, Joe Crowley. 

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