Ed Lee Sworn In As Interim San Francisco Mayor
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5 / KCBS / AP / BCN) ― San Francisco welcomed its first Asian-American leader Tuesday afternoon, as City Administrator Edwin Lee was sworn in as interim mayor before a crowd of hundreds.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to appoint Lee to fill the remainder of Mayor Gavin Newsom's term. Newsom was sworn in Monday as California's lieutenant governor.
Immediately following the vote, flanked by Newsom and former mayor Willie Brown, Lee took the oath of office. It was administered by San Francisco Superior Court Judge Katherine Feinstein before a packed audience of family members, current and former city leaders, and supporters from the Chinese-American community who gathered in the City Hall rotunda.
KCBS' Barbara Taylor Reports:
In a speech afterward, Lee pledged to be a mayor "for everyone" and to tackle the city's problems "with resolve, and a seriousness of purpose."
Foremost on his agenda are the city's nearly $400 million budget deficit and the selection of a new police chief.
Lee was selected by the Board of Supervisors following much political jockeying between the board's progressive and moderate factions.
Lee, a favorite of Newsom, Brown and influential Chinatown political consultant Rose Pak, was a surprise entry into the mix last week, after he had initially rejected the offer.
Lee specifically thanked Pak -- who attended Tuesday's ceremony and was believed to have played a major role in Lee's selection -- twice in the speech.
"To my good friend, Rose Pak, thank you," he said. "We have done it."
Former mayor Newsom delayed his transition to Sacramento until after four new supervisors took office on Saturday, in an effort to ensure that Lee would replace him.
Newsom on Tuesday voiced his strong support for his successor.
"I have all the confidence in the world in Mayor Lee's ability to lead the city we both love," he said.
Newsom's efforts on Lee's behalf angered progressive members of the board, who were ready to approve Sheriff Michael Hennessey as interim mayor. They later expressed praise for Lee, but criticized the political process that led to his appointment.
Lee said Tuesday that he hoped to move beyond progressive and moderate labels.
"I was a progressive before progressive was a political faction in this town," Lee said. He said that as an attorney for the Asian Law Caucus prior to his work with the city, he fought to integrate the city's fire department, and for rights for tenants and seniors.
"I fought to empower the powerless," he said.
With Lee's appointment, the city is now the largest in the nation with an Asian-American leader.
San Francisco's population of 815,000 is nearly one-third Asian — also the largest percentage of any county in the continental United States, according to U.S. Census Bureau.
"This is a big step we're making as a city," said Supervisor Eric Mar, one of four Asian-Americans serving on the 11-member Board of Supervisors.
Earlier this month, neighboring Oakland inaugurated Mayor Jean Quan, the first Asian-American woman to helm a major U.S. city. Quan, a longtime acquaintance of Lee's, also was present at Tuesday's ceremony to show her support.
Lee said that as an Asian American in San Francisco, he was aware of his community's "long and troubled and proud history" here.
But, he said, "I'm committed to move all San Francisco, all of us, forward."
The 58-year-old Lee will serve as interim mayor until next January, when the winner of November's mayoral election will take over. Lee, a city employee for more than 20 years, has said he does not plan to run and expects to return to his old job as city administrator.
But he said Tuesday he sees the temporary post as mayor as a "tremendous, historic opportunity."
"I will work with each and every one of you to see that constituents are well-served, that the doors of diversity and opportunity are open," he told the supervisors. "I know I can help you run this city well."
Lee said he would be a mayor for neighborhoods, downtown, business, labor, and the right and left sides of the political aisle.
"I understand that not only do people need to flourish here, but businesses need to flourish here," he explained.
Lee worked as a private sector attorney for 10 years before beginning his public service career in 1989, when former Mayor Art Agnos named him investigator under the city's first whistleblower ordinance. He has since worked under four mayors, heading the Human Rights Commission and the Department of Public Works and overseeing purchasing for the city.
He took over as city administrator in 2005.
That record makes Lee a solid choice to lead a city grappling with a $379 million deficit, his supporters said.
"This is not a time for someone who needs a learning curve," said Supervisor Scott Wiener. "You need someone who can step in on day one, and Ed Lee will do that."
(© 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press and Bay City News contributed to this report.)
