San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, the first Chinese American mayor in San Francisco, is urging full political participation by the city’s permanent residents, reports New American Media.
He launched a campaign along with Board of Supervisor’s President David Chiu to encourage permanent residents to become naturalized.
One out of eight residents in San Francisco is a permanent resident. They are not allowed to vote despite being eligible for full citizenship through naturalization.
79-year-old Su Fang Gao who came to the United States from Shanghai in 2006 has studied English for two years. She plans to take the naturalization test soon.
“America is a great country, I want to become a citizen,” she said.
You can read more about what San Francisco plans to do to encourage new residents to get naturalized in New American Media.