London Breed facts for kids

Quick facts for kids London Breed
45th Mayor of San Francisco
In office July 11, 2018 – January 8, 2025
Preceded by	Mark Farrell
Succeeded by	Daniel Lurie
In office December 12, 2017 – January 23, 2018 Acting
Preceded by	Ed Lee
Succeeded by	Mark Farrell
President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors
In office January 8, 2015 – June 26, 2018
Preceded by	Katy Tang
Succeeded by	Malia Cohen
Member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from the 5th district
In office January 8, 2013 – July 11, 2018
Preceded by	Christina Olague
Succeeded by	Vallie Brown
Personal details
Born	London Nicole Breed (1974-08-11) August 11, 1974 (age 50) San Francisco, California, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Education	University of California, Davis (BA) University of San Francisco (MPA)
Signature

London Nicole Breed (born August 11, 1974) is an American politician. She served as the 45th mayor of San Francisco from 2018 to 2025. Before becoming mayor, she was a supervisor for District 5. She also led the Board of Supervisors from 2015 to 2018.

London Breed grew up in the Western Addition area of San Francisco. After college, she started working in government. In 2012, she was elected to the Board of Supervisors. She became its president in 2015. When Mayor Ed Lee passed away, Breed became the acting mayor. This was from December 12, 2017, to January 23, 2018.

Breed won the special election for mayor on June 5, 2018. She is the first Black woman to be elected mayor of San Francisco. She is also the second Black person and second woman to hold this office. She officially became mayor on July 11, 2018. She ran for re-election in 2024 but lost to Daniel Lurie.

Early Life and Learning

London Breed was born in San Francisco. Her grandmother raised her in public housing in the Western Addition neighborhood. She has shared that her family of five lived on a small income. They often reused items and faced challenges.

Breed graduated with honors from Galileo High School. In 1997, she earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of California, Davis. She later received a master's degree in public administration from the University of San Francisco in 2012.

Starting Her Career

Breed began her career as an intern for Mayor Willie Brown. She worked in the Office of Housing and Neighborhood Services. In 2002, she became the leader of the African American Art & Culture Complex. She helped raise over $2.5 million to improve the building.

In 2004, she joined the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency Commission. Later, in 2010, Mayor Gavin Newsom appointed her to the San Francisco Fire Commission.

San Francisco Board of Supervisors

Official portrait for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors

In November 2012, London Breed was elected to represent District 5 on the Board of Supervisors. She won against the person who held the seat at the time. She officially started her role on January 8, 2013.

As a supervisor, Breed worked to improve the city. She helped get new bike lanes built faster on Oak and Fell Streets. She also secured money to redesign Masonic Boulevard. This project added bike lanes and made the street safer. The project cost $25 million and was completed in 2018.

On January 8, 2015, Breed was elected President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. She won by a unanimous vote. She took over from Supervisor Katy Tang.

Breed supported a $500 million bond in 2014. This money was for street repairs, public transport, and making streets safer for walking and biking. It passed with 72% support from voters. She also helped pass a measure to increase transportation funding as the city grew. This provides about $25 million each year for improvements.

In 2015, Breed helped pass a law to give neighborhood residents priority for affordable homes built in their area. She worked to make sure this program could move forward. The program first helped residents in the Willie B. Kennedy apartments.

San Francisco also passed laws in 2015 to allow more homes to be built in certain areas. This helped increase housing options without making buildings taller. The city also removed rules about how many parking spaces new buildings needed.

Breed pushed for improvements in the San Francisco Fire Department's emergency response times. She helped secure $47.3 million to hire more emergency workers and buy new equipment. This helped reduce ambulance response times by over 26%.

She also worked with Mayor Ed Lee to add 400 new police officers. After a police shooting in 2015, Breed and Supervisor Malia Cohen asked for a review of police policies. This led to many recommendations to improve the SFPD.

In 2015, court documents mentioned an allegation about Breed receiving gifts. Breed denied this allegation. No evidence was ever shown to prove it.

Breed was a main supporter of two housing measures. Proposition A in 2015 provided $310 million for affordable housing. Proposition C in 2016 used unused city funds for affordable housing. Both measures passed with strong support.

In February 2016, Breed announced she would run for re-election for District 5 supervisor. She won re-election on November 8, 2016. In 2017, she helped create a law to provide legal help for tenants facing eviction. This helps prevent people from unfairly losing their homes.

Breed was re-elected as Board President on January 9, 2017.

Mayor of San Francisco

When Mayor Ed Lee passed away in December 2017, London Breed became the city's Acting Mayor. This was because she was the President of the Board of Supervisors. She served in this role until January 23, 2018. The Board then chose Mark Farrell to be the interim mayor.

Breed ran in the special mayoral election on June 5, 2018. She won the election after a close race. She resigned as president of the Board of Supervisors on June 26, 2018. Malia Cohen took over her role. Breed became mayor on July 11, 2018. She was elected for a full term in the 2019 mayoral election.

In December 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom chose Alex Padilla to be a U.S. Senator. Breed and former Mayor Willie Brown shared their hope for an African American woman to be chosen.

In 2024, Breed ran for re-election as mayor. She lost the race to Daniel Lurie on November 7, 2024.

Dream Keeper Initiative

In February 2021, Mayor Breed announced the "Dream Keeper" initiative. This plan aimed to invest $120 million into San Francisco's Black community. In 2024, there were concerns about how some of the money was used and problems with certain contracts. The city later canceled several contracts due to "significant conflicts of interest." Breed stated that funding was paused before issues were found.

Housing Efforts

Mayor Breed supports building all types of housing, both affordable and market-rate. She has said she would not approve any laws that stop housing construction. In 2019, voters approved a $600 million housing bond that Breed supported.

Breed also created the "30x30 Plan." This plan aims to bring 30,000 new residents to San Francisco by 2030. It involves turning office buildings into homes and shops. It also focuses on building new student housing. To help convert office buildings, Breed started a program to make the approval process faster.

In March 2024, Breed supported Proposition C. This measure gives a tax break for the first time commercial buildings are turned into homes. It passed with 5% of the vote. Breed also proposed removing fees for office-to-housing conversions. These fees can add a lot to the cost of each new home.

Breed is a big supporter of modular housing. She believes it can be built faster and cheaper. As Acting Mayor, she announced a plan to build a modular housing factory.

Breed has worked with leaders like State Senator Scott Wiener to support more housing. In her 2018 speech, she said: "We will build more housing." In 2024, her planning department moved forward with a new zoning plan. This plan aims to help the city reach its goal of 82,000 new homes. It includes allowing more homes in certain areas of San Francisco's western neighborhoods.

Transportation Improvements

Muni and Transit Service

In 2024, 72% of people who ride Muni (San Francisco's public transport) said the service was "good" or "excellent." This is the highest rating since 2001. Under Breed, San Francisco has added over 75 miles of bus lanes. The city has also created several Bus Rapid Transit routes.

Breed supported laws that allowed Muni to buy hundreds of new buses and trains. This included 260 new light rail vehicles. These new trains are replacing older ones and adding more service. The first new Siemens train started running in 2017.

Breed also worked to add cell service for riders on Muni's underground trains. This had been a common request from riders for a long time.

Bikes and Street Safety

Mayor London Breed has continued San Francisco’s commitment to Vision Zero. This is a goal to stop all injuries and deaths from road accidents. As of spring 2024, 72% of all bike lanes in San Francisco were built while Breed was Mayor.

In 2018, Breed asked the SFMTA (San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency) to speed up their projects. They started "Quick Build" projects. These projects are simple and cheap to put in place. They focus on dangerous roads. By spring 2024, 39 Quick Build projects were finished.

During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Breed closed 1.5 miles of JFK Promenade to cars. This created more outdoor space. In November 2023, San Francisco voters approved keeping JFK Promenade car-free forever. This means there is a long car-free path from the Panhandle to Ocean Beach. Breed also wants to create more pedestrian-only areas in the city.

Breed's SFMTA also started the Slow Streets Program in 2020. This program creates safe routes with less car traffic for walking and biking. A 2021 study found that car speeds dropped by 14% and accidents decreased by 36% on these streets.

Under Breed, San Francisco has started installing speed cameras. This was not allowed by state law until 2024. San Francisco is one of the first cities in California to use them.

Addressing Homelessness

On September 26, 2024, Breed announced that San Francisco is on track to increase its shelter capacity by 90% by 2025. This is three years ahead of schedule. Since Breed became Mayor in 2018, the city has provided shelter to almost 10,000 people. It has also helped 5,250 people find housing. In 2024, the number of people living on the streets in San Francisco was the lowest in 10 years.

Breed has made homelessness a main focus. In October 2018, she planned to build 1,000 shelter beds by 2020. She also worked to expand mental health and substance abuse recovery beds. When extra money was found in property taxes, Breed proposed using it for housing and homelessness programs.

Breed has supported and allowed efforts to manage homeless encampments. San Francisco is the only city in the Bay Area where the rate of homelessness is decreasing.

Environmental Protection

CleanPowerSF Program

One of Breed's most known environmental achievements is helping to launch CleanPowerSF. This program allows San Francisco to buy clean, renewable electricity for its residents. The goal is to have 100% clean electricity in the city. This program is a big step to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

When Breed took office in 2013, CleanPowerSF had been delayed for 12 years. It faced opposition from city leaders and utility companies. Breed worked hard to get the program started. She fought for its approval and helped overcome challenges.

In 2015, a ballot measure was proposed that would have limited CleanPowerSF. Breed and another supervisor wrote a competing measure. After discussions, the opposing group agreed to support Breed's measure. It passed with 80% support.

Polystyrene Ban

In 2016, San Francisco passed a strong ban on products made from polystyrene foam. This included foam food containers, egg cartons, and packing peanuts. This law was a big step for the environment.

Drug Take Back Program

In 2015, San Francisco passed a law requiring drug makers to fund a drug take-back program. This allows people to safely dispose of unused medicines at pharmacies. This helps prevent pollution and accidental poisonings. Breed supported this law, which passed unanimously. San Francisco was one of the first places in the country to have such a program. It has collected over 20 tons of medications.

Basic Income Programs

Breed has explored different ways to provide guaranteed income. In March 2021, she started a program to give income to artists affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In November 2022, she launched a program to provide income for low-income transgender individuals.

Panda Diplomacy

At the end of the APEC United States 2023 summit, Mayor Breed asked Xi Jinping for pandas for San Francisco. In 2024, Breed traveled to China to try and bring pandas to the city.

Personal Life

As of 2020, London Breed lives in San Francisco's Lower Haight neighborhood. Before she became Mayor, her apartment had rent control.