Peskin prods for discussion of interim mayor vote

San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin called for a special meeting of the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday to discuss and possibly vote on an interim mayor following the death of Mayor Ed Lee last month.

Peskin is requesting to have the meeting next week on Jan. 16, which could remove board President London Breed as Acting Mayor of The City.

Per the City Charter, Breed automatically became Acting Mayor when Lee died on Dec. 12, allowing her to also retain her position as the president of Board of Supervisors. The City Charter also allows the board to vote on an interim mayor or a “caretaker” mayor if the board desired to do so.

Peskin addressed his concerns at the regular board meeting Tuesday of having Breed holding two positions as the acting mayor and board president:

“I am one member of this body who has said that while the charter allows the president of the board to also serve as the mayor, I don’t think we should have a mixing of the two branches of government for a prolonged period of time.”

He also said it would be an opportunity for the public to weigh in on choosing an interim mayor:

“There has been no opportunity other than emails for this body to hear from the public in this rare and unique and tragic circumstance.”

It will take six votes from members of the board to agree on an interim mayor. Board members are not able to vote for themselves. Peskin said he was unsure how other board members would vote.

Residents of The City will have their say in a June election to vote on the next mayor of San Francisco to fill Lee’s remaining term.

Eight candidates have filed to run, including Breed, former state Sen. Mark Leno and Supervisor Jane Kim.

Jerold Chinn

Jerold serves as a reporter and San Francisco Bureau Chief for SFBay covering transportation and occasionally City Hall and the Mayor's Office in San Francisco. His work on transportation has been recognized by the San Francisco Press Club. Born and raised in San Francisco, he graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in journalism. Jerold previously wrote for the San Francisco Public Press, a nonprofit, noncommercial news organization. When not reporting, you can find Jerold taking Muni to check out new places to eat in the city.