SF Mayor Ed Lee pledges new political era

Three mayors, Willie Brown (left) Gavin Newsom (center) and Ed Lee enjoy a light moment at City Hall on Tuesday. Three mayors, Willie Brown (left) Gavin Newsom (center) and Ed Lee enjoy a light moment at City Hall on Tuesday. Photo: Brant Ward, The Chronicle Photo: Brant Ward, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 7 Caption Close SF Mayor Ed Lee pledges new political era 1 / 7 Back to Gallery

A historic era in San Francisco politics began Tuesday when Edwin M. Lee was appointed and sworn in as mayor, the first Asian American to hold the post.

The Board of Supervisors unanimously appointed Lee, the city administrator, to serve out the remaining year of newly minted Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom's term as mayor, ushering in what Lee hopes will be a tenure of bridge-building.

"I hope to move us past the labels that have pigeonholed us at City Hall," Lee told the throng that filled the floor of the City Hall rotunda and lined balconies three stories high.

He is serving as a steward of the city and has pledged not to run for a full four-year term as mayor in November.

His ascension to mayor capped a tumultuous two months of jockeying at City Hall after Newsom was elected lieutenant governor

It was the first time in more than three decades that the office of mayor was vacant, leaving the Board of Supervisors to fill it. It last happened in 1978, when then-Supervisor Dianne Feinstein was appointed mayor after George Moscone was assassinated.

Feinstein's daughter, San Francisco Superior Court Presiding Judge Katherine Feinstein, swore Lee in Tuesday as his two daughters, family and two mayoral predecessors looked on.

Board President David Chiu, who broke with his allies on the board's left flank to support Lee in a key preliminary vote last week, said Lee's historic rise was "not just about the Chinese American community or the Asian American community."

"This is about the American Dream," Chiu said. "The idea that anyone, from any background ... can come here and someday be at the very top of what our community is about."

Lee, a likable, down-to-earth civil rights attorney who went on to a 21-year career as a city bureaucrat, vowed to be a mayor for all.

"I'm not going to change," Lee said. "I'm going to open up that Room 200 daily. I present myself as a mayor for everyone."

He noted the "long, troubled and proud history" of Chinese Americans in this city, laced with racism and neglect, and acknowledged twice the key role his longtime friend and Chinatown political power broker, Rose Pak, played in him becoming mayor.

"Now, today, Rose, our struggle, our struggle is here, and it is succeeding," Lee said.

Former Mayor Willie Brown, the master of ceremonies, also acknowledged Pak before some city officials.

Progressive critics from the left of Newsom and Brown have blamed the two for orchestrating a backroom deal with Pak to get Lee in power.

Lee, though, said: "I am my own person.

"I was a progressive before progressive was a political faction in this town," Lee said.

He is expected to dive into his new job today, meeting separately with Chiu, the mayor's office staff, budget advisers and department heads. Then there's a conference with Police Commission President Thomas "Tippy" Mazzucco and newly appointed District Attorney George Gascón on selecting Gascón's replacement as police chief.

"That," Lee said of appointing a new chief, "is a big one."