London Breed urges more housing in mayoral victory speech

After a narrow win over former State Sen. Mark Leno, London Breed was elected to the highest office in San Francisco Wednesday. The city native held her victory speech/press conference at her alma mater, Rosa Parks Elementary School, where she thanked supporters and laid out a plan for the city.

Among her vision for San Francisco over the next couple of years—housing. A lot more housing.

“We have to build more housing. We have to build more housing. We have to build more housing, and I will be relentless in my pursuit to get the job done,” said the mayor-elect during her speech.

In a recent interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, who endorsed the winning candidate, Breed cited her support for Sen. Scott Wiener’s SB 827 (the proposal to force cities to build higher-density housing around transit hubs) as a policy position that worked in her favor.

“Even though it’s controversial, my support for SB 827...despite the fact that every other candidate opposed it and tried to imply it was something that it wasn’t,” answered Breed when asked what gave her an added edge. “I think the fact that I am open to trying new things all over the city for the purposes of building more housing—while also preserving neighborhood character—is something that people appreciated, because we have to build more housing.”

Breed also cited mental illness and homelessness as her top priorities once she takes office.

• Interview with S.F. Mayor-elect London Breed [SF Chronicle]
• SB 827: A guide to California’s transit, density, housing bill [Curbed LA]
• London Breed will be San Francisco’s new mayor [Curbed SF]