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Mayor of the
City and County of
San Francisco
Flag of San Francisco.svg
Seal of San Francisco.svg
Mayor London Breed official portrait 2019 (cropped).jpg
Incumbent
London Breed

since July 11, 2018
Government of San Francisco
Style Her Honor
Madam Mayor
Residence No official residence
Term length Four years, renewable once
Inaugural holder John W. Geary
Formation 1850
Website Office of the Mayor

The mayor of the City and County of San Francisco is the head of the executive branch of the San Francisco city and county government. The officeholder has the duty to enforce city laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the legislative branch. The mayor serves a four-year term and is limited to two successive terms. Because of San Francisco's status as a consolidated city-county, the mayor also serves as the head of government of the county; both entities have been governed together by a combined set of governing bodies since 1856.

There have been 45 individuals who have served as mayor in San Francisco since 1850, when California became a state following the American Conquest of California. Prior to the conquest, Californios served as Mayor of San Francisco during the Spanish and Mexican eras since 1779.

The current mayor is former District 5 supervisor and president of the Board of Supervisors London Breed, who won a special election following the death of Mayor Ed Lee on December 12, 2017. Breed served out the remainder of Lee's uncompleted term (until January 8, 2020), after which she is eligible to run for two full terms of her own including the 2019 San Francisco mayoral election which she won.

Elections

The mayor of San Francisco is elected every four years; until 2019 elections took place one year before United States presidential elections on election day in November. Candidates must live and be registered to vote in San Francisco at the time of the election. The mayor is usually sworn in on the January 8 following the election.

The next election for a full mayoral term will be in 2024. In 2022, San Francisco voters passed Proposition H, which changed mayoral elections to the same cycle as presidential elections. This gives London Breed an additional year to her first full term. This change was proposed because of the low turnout in off-year elections. For example, 2019 saw a turnout of only 42%, while 2020 saw 86% turnout.

Under the California constitution, all city elections in the state are conducted on a non-partisan basis. As a result, candidates' party affiliations are not listed on the ballot, and multiple candidates from a single party can run in the election.

Mayoral elections were originally run under a two-round system. If no candidate received a simple majority of votes in the general election, the two candidates who received the most votes competed in a second runoff election held several weeks later. In 2002, the election system for city officials was overhauled as a result of a citywide referendum. The new system, known as instant-runoff voting, allows voters to select and rank three candidates based on their preferences. If no one wins more than half of the first-choice votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and second-choice votes (and third-choice votes, if necessary) are counted until a candidate captures the majority. This eliminates the need to hold a separate runoff election and saves money. This was first implemented in the 2004 Board of Supervisors election after two years of preparation. In 2007, the new system was implemented in the mayoral election for the first time.

Salary and benefits

As of 2017, the mayor is paid an annual salary of $342,974, the highest mayoral salary in the United States. Nine city public employees earned higher salaries than the mayor, including the chief investment officer and the managing director of the San Francisco Employees' Retirement System, who oversee the city's pension plan.

Unlike a few other American cities, the San Francisco mayor does not have an official residence; in the 1990s, Mayor Willie Brown unsuccessfully pushed to acquire the Yerba Buena Island mansion formerly used by U.S. Navy admirals as a ceremonial residence for the mayor.

Duties and powers

The mayor has the responsibility to enforce all city laws, administer and coordinate city departments and intergovernmental activities, set forth policies and agendas to the Board of Supervisors, and prepare and submit the city budget at the end of each fiscal year. The mayor has the powers to either approve or veto bills passed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, participate in meetings of the Board of Supervisors and its committees, appoint a replacement to fill vacancies in all city elected offices until elections, appoint a member of the Board to serve as acting mayor in the absence of the mayor, and to direct personnel in the case of emergency.

Succession

When mayors die in office, resign, or are unable to carry out their duties, and did not designate an acting mayor, the president of the Board of Supervisors becomes acting mayor until the full Board selects a person to fill the vacancy and finish the previous mayoral term. (In the case that both the president of the Board of Supervisors and the mayor are incapacitated, the order of succession is followed.) This has happened seven times: James Otis died in office and was succeeded by George Hewston, Eugene Schmitz was removed and succeeded by Charles Boxton, Charles Boxton resigned and was succeeded by Edward Robeson Taylor, James Rolph resigned and was succeeded by Angelo Rossi, George Moscone was assassinated and was succeeded by Dianne Feinstein, Gavin Newsom resigned and was succeeded by Ed Lee, and Lee died in office and was succeeded by London Breed before the San Francisco Board of Supervisors selected Mark Farrell as interim mayor.

List of mayors

To date, 44 individuals have served as San Francisco mayor. There have been 45 mayoralties due to Charles James Brenham's serving two non-consecutive terms: he is counted chronologically as both the second and fourth mayor. The longest term was that of James Rolph, who served over 18 years until his resignation to become the California governor. The length of his tenure as mayor was largely due to his popularity. During his term, San Francisco saw the expansion of its transit system, the construction of the Civic Center and the hosting of the World's Fair. The shortest term was that of Charles Boxton, who served only eight days before resigning from office. Three mayors have died in office: Otis died from illness, Moscone was assassinated in 1978, and Lee died from cardiac arrest. Dianne Feinstein and London Breed are the only women who have served as mayor, both of them by succession and by election; Willie Brown and London Breed are the only African Americans to serve to date; Ed Lee is the only Asian American to serve as mayor. Three mayors have Jewish ancestry: Washington Bartlett (Sephardi), Adolph Sutro (Ashkenazi), and Dianne Feinstein (Ashkenazi). Thirteen mayors are native San Franciscans: Levi Richard Ellert, James D. Phelan, Eugene Schmitz, James Rolph, Elmer Robinson, John F. Shelley, Joseph Alioto, George Moscone, Dianne Feinstein, Frank Jordan, Gavin Newsom, Mark Farrell, and London Breed. Four mayors are foreign-born: Frank McCoppin and P.H. McCarthy (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, both born in what is now the Republic of Ireland), Adolph Sutro (Prussia, part of Germany since 1871) and George Christopher (Greece).

This list does not include acting mayors who are typically appointed whenever the mayor will be out of the city.

# Image Mayor Term start Term end Party 
1 John W. Geary - Brady-Handy.jpg Geary, John W.John W. Geary May 1, 1850 May 4, 1851 Independent
2 Charles J. Brenham, second and fourth mayor of San Francisco.jpg Brenham, Charles JamesCharles James Brenham May 5, 1851 December 31, 1851 Whig
3 Stephen R. Harris, M. D., third mayor of San Francisco (01).jpg Harris, Stephen RandallStephen Randall Harris January 1, 1852 November 9, 1852 Democratic
(2) Charles J. Brenham, second and fourth mayor of San Francisco.jpg Brenham, Charles JamesCharles James Brenham November 10, 1852 October 2, 1853 Whig
4 The late Commodore Garrison - photographed by Sarony. LCCN2008676711 (cropped).jpg Garrison, Cornelius KingslandCornelius Kingsland Garrison October 3, 1853 October 1, 1854 Whig
5 Undated photograph of Stephen Palfrey Webb (1804–1879) Webb, Stephen PalfreyStephen Palfrey Webb October 2, 1854 June 30, 1855 Know Nothing
6 James Van Ness (San Francisco Mayor).jpg Van Ness, JamesJames Van Ness July 1, 1855 July 7, 1856 Democratic
7 3x4.svg Whelan, George J.George J. Whelan July 8, 1856 November 14, 1856 American
8 Ephraim Willard Burr.jpg Burr, Ephraim WillardEphraim Willard Burr November 15, 1856 October 2, 1859 American
9 Henry F. Teschemacher Crop.png Teschemacher, Henry F.Henry F. Teschemacher October 3, 1859 June 30, 1863 Populist
10 Henry Perrin Coon.jpg Coon, Henry PerrinHenry Perrin Coon July 1, 1863 December 1, 1867 Populist
11 Frank McCoppin portrait.png McCoppin, FrankFrank McCoppin December 2, 1867 December 5, 1869 Democratic
12 Hon. Thomas H. Selby, portrait.jpg Selby, Thomas HenryThomas Henry Selby December 6, 1869 December 3, 1871 Republican
13 William Alvord portrait.jpg Alvord, WilliamWilliam Alvord December 4, 1871 November 30, 1873 Republican
14 James Otis (19th century).jpg Otis, JamesJames Otis December 1, 1873 October 30, 1875 Populist
15 George Hewston Crop.png Hewston, GeorgeGeorge Hewston November 4, 1875 December 5, 1875 Democratic
16 Andrew Jackson Bryant.jpg Bryant, Andrew JacksonAndrew Jackson Bryant December 6, 1875 November 30, 1879 Populist
17 Isaac Smith Kalloch.jpg Kalloch, Isaac SmithIsaac Smith Kalloch December 1, 1879 December 4, 1881 Workingmen's
18 Maurice Carey Blake.jpg Blake, Maurice CareyMaurice Carey Blake December 5, 1881 January 7, 1883 Republican
19 Washington Montgomery Bartlett SF Crop.jpg Bartlett, WashingtonWashington Bartlett January 8, 1883 January 2, 1887 Democratic
20 Edward B. Pond (cropped).jpg Pond, Edward B.Edward B. Pond January 3, 1887 January 4, 1891 Democratic
21 George Henry Sanderson.jpg Sanderson, George HenryGeorge Henry Sanderson January 5, 1891 January 3, 1893 Republican
22 Levi Richard Ellert.jpg Ellert, Levi RichardLevi Richard Ellert January 3, 1893 January 6, 1895 Republican
23 Adolph Sutro by Brady.jpg Sutro, AdolphAdolph Sutro January 7, 1895 January 3, 1897 Populist
24 The Exempt firemen of San Francisco; their unique and gallant record (1900) (14580769397).jpg Phelan, James D.James D. Phelan January 4, 1897 January 7, 1902 Democratic
25 Eugene E. Schmitz SF.png Schmitz, EugeneEugene Schmitz January 8, 1902 July 8, 1907 Union Labor
26 Charles Boxton Crop.png Boxton, CharlesCharles Boxton July 9, 1907 July 16, 1907 Union Labor
27 Edward Robeson Taylor.jpg Taylor, Edward RobesonEdward Robeson Taylor July 16, 1907 January 7, 1910 Democratic
28 P.H. McCarthy LCCN2014682828 (cropped).jpg McCarthy, P. H.P. H. McCarthy January 8, 1910 January 7, 1912 Union Labor
29 JamesRolphJr.jpg Rolph, JamesJames Rolph January 8, 1912 January 6, 1931 Republican
30 Angelo Joseph Rossi.jpg Rossi, Angelo JosephAngelo Joseph Rossi January 7, 1931 January 7, 1944 Republican
31 Roger D. Lapham, member of the new Mediation Board. President of the American Hawaiian Steamship Company (cropped).jpg Lapham, RogerRoger Lapham January 8, 1944 January 7, 1948 Republican
32 Elmer Robinson.jpg Robinson, ElmerElmer Robinson January 8, 1948 January 7, 1956 Republican
33 George Christopher, Mayor of San Francisco.jpg Christopher, GeorgeGeorge Christopher January 8, 1956 January 7, 1964 Republican
34 John Shelley.jpg Shelley, John F.John F. Shelley January 8, 1964 January 7, 1968 Democratic
35 Joseph Alioto USD 1975 (1).jpg Alioto, JosephJoseph Alioto January 8, 1968 January 7, 1976 Democratic
36 George Moscone, 1975.jpg Moscone, GeorgeGeorge Moscone January 8, 1976 November 27, 1978 Democratic
37 Mayor Diane Feinstein Cable Car (1).jpeg Feinstein, DianneDianne Feinstein December 4, 1978 January 7, 1988 Democratic
38 Agnos (1).jpg Agnos, ArtArt Agnos January 8, 1988 January 7, 1992 Democratic
39 Frank JORDAN, October 13, 1999 (1).jpg Jordan, FrankFrank Jordan January 8, 1992 January 7, 1996 Democratic
40 Willie Brown 207-DP-8318B-DSC 0017 (cropped).jpg Brown, WillieWillie Brown January 8, 1996 January 7, 2004 Democratic
41 Gavin Newsom, San Francisco, 1999.jpg Newsom, GavinGavin Newsom January 8, 2004 January 10, 2011 Democratic
42 Mayor Ed Lee Headshot Closeup (cropped).jpg Lee, EdEd Lee January 11, 2011 December 12, 2017 Democratic
43 SupervisorMarkFarrell.jpg Farrell, MarkMark Farrell January 23, 2018 July 11, 2018 Democratic
44 Mayor Breed.png Breed, LondonLondon Breed July 11, 2018 Incumbent Democratic
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