Mayor Ed Lee

By Staff
The Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Prosecutors won’t file criminal charges in the case of a property management firm accused of laundering thousands of dollars in contributions to San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee’s election campaign last year.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that prosecutors said there was insufficient evidence to support charges. Read the full story

By Jeffrey Osborn
Northwest Asian Weekly

Edwin Mah Lee was born to immigrant parents from the Chinese province of Guandong. They had moved to America hoping for a better life. Edwin Lee would eventually realize his parents’ dream and later become the first Chinese American mayor of San Francisco.

Lee, who prefers to be called Ed, grew up with his mother, father, and five siblings in Seattle’s Beacon Hill neighborhood.

“I was the fifth of six children in our family. We had a pretty large family.” The size of the family required both parents to work diligently to provide for it. Lee’s father worked as a cook in restaurants, and his mother worked odd jobs around Seattle.

When asked about his involvement around the house, Lee said, “I always felt responsible to help my family. Even though I was the middle child, I thought it was important that with such a large family, I pitch in.” Read the full story

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee (center) pictured with his wife, Anita, and mother, Pansy, along with siblings Sharon, Manny, Edmon, Karl, and Linna (Photo by Ruthann Kurose)

By Assunta Ng

Three important leaders were in Seattle recently. I saw two of them. Ironically, the one that I didn’t meet was the one the Northwest Asian Weekly wrote the most about. Read the full story

What a great couple of weeks! In the last 10 days or so, we saw San Francisco elect its first Asian American mayor, Ed Lee — and he has Seattle roots, too. We also saw Steven Gonzalez appointed to the Washington State Supreme Court by Gov. Chris Gregoire. Gonzalez is only the second Latino justice on the court. He is half Mexican and half Eastern European. Read the full story

By Beth Duff-Brown
The Associated Press

Mayor Ed Lee

SAN FRANCISCO — Mayor Ed Lee, born in Seattle and raised in Beacon Hill, held a commanding lead in the mayor’s race against a diverse slate of 15 candidates, but because he didn’t garner a majority in last Tuesday’s election, the city’s instant runoff system kicked in.

Lee, a former city administrator who replaced then-Mayor Gavin Newsom when he became lieutenant governor in January, was ahead with nearly 31 percent of the vote. City Supervisor John Avalos followed with nearly 18 percent, and City Attorney Dennis Herrera was trailing with 11 percent.

But even with all the precincts counted late Tuesday, it will take time before the city’s 468,000 registered voters will know the winner because a voter-approved election system requires that the winner get 50 percent plus one vote. Read the full story

By Lisa Leff
The Associated Press

Ed Lee

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — As interim mayor of San Francisco, veteran civil servant Edwin Lee enjoyed several advantages that kept him safe in a city where the politics can be as punishing as the undulating streets.

But in the five minutes it took him to take out election papers and reverse his pledge not to seek the mayor’s post this November, political observers say Lee may have sacrificed the very safeguards that have made him the instant frontrunner in a crowded field, which includes his ability to get along with the famously fractious Board of Supervisors, his reputation as an unassuming bureaucrat, and his capacity to focus on running the city instead of campaigning. Read the full story

This past week, many of us filled out our primary ballots. Depending on which county you live in, there may have been an Asian American or Pacific Islander American  (APIA) candidate on the ballot. If you live in King County, there were four, maybe five candidates. In Pierce County, there were two. Read the full story

By Jason Dearen
The Associated Press

Ed Lee

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Interim Mayor Ed Lee filed papers Monday, Aug. 9, to run for a full, four-year term, marking a stark shift from his position seven months ago that he had no intention of joining the crowded mayoral race.

Flanked by family members as he announced his run, Lee said he changed his mind after seeing the tone of City Hall improve during his short tenure. That, and the urging of California Sen. Dianne Feinstein and others, persuaded him to run for the office, he said. Read the full story