San Francisco

Late Mayor Ed Lee's Influence on San Francisco's Asian American Community

Ed Lee was the first Asian American to be elected mayor of San Francisco.  He led the city for nearly seven years before his unexpected death on December 12, 2017.

Lee championed prominent tax breaks to lure tech companies like Twitter to San Francisco's mid-Market area and helped re-energize the city's job market.
He was also a big advocate for affordable housing and a champion of gay rights and immigrant rights.

Before office, Lee was known as a civil rights attorney who fought for tenants facing rent increases. He worked for more than a decade fighting for the city and county of San Francisco before public life - working with the Human Rights Commission, Department of Public Works and was City Administrator.

Ed Lee was 65 years old.

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