Just one day after word came that Gary Locke would step down from his post as US Ambassador to China, there’s news that San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee could be named by President Obama to succeed him, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
That’s apparently the buzz around City Hall.
Lee is currently in China in the southern city of Chaozhou. It’s his third trip to that country this year to cultivate business ties with San Francisco.
The mayor’s office would not comment on the rumors.
“The mayor is 100 percent focused on being mayor of San Francisco and delivering on jobs, housing, transportation and all the other commitments he made to San Francisco voters when he was elected,” spokesman Christine Falvey said.
If it happens, the first Chinese American mayor of San Francisco would replace the first Chinese American ambassador to China. Locke is resigning to rejoin his family in Seattle where they returned just a few months ago so their son could finish high school there.
If Lee leaves the mayor’s office, Board of Supervisor president David Chiu would automatically step in as acting mayor. Chiu is the first Chinese American president of the Board.
You can read more about the political implications of all this in the San Francisco Chronicle.