SF Mayor-elect London Breed lays out timeline for resigning board presidency

San Francisco Mayor-elect London Breed will step down from her role as president of the Board of Supervisors next week as she begins the process of moving to the mayor’s office.

In a letter sent to the board’s clerk Wednesday afternoon, Breed said she was resigning her duties as board president “in order to focus on the forthcoming transition to the office of mayor.” Inauguration day is set for July 11.

Breed will stay on as president through the end of the board’s June 26 meeting. That day, once the board’s regular business is concluded, the supervisors will elect their next president.

“It is important that there is not a lapse in the role of board president and those duties continue to be performed,” Breed said in a statement provided by an aide. “As such, I expect the clerk will introduce and schedule the required items to take nominations and elect a new board president at next week’s meeting.”

As the leader of the city’s lawmakers, the board president makes committee selections and can expedite the legislative process. Breed has been at the helm of the board since January 2015. The position is the second-highest ranking in the city.

In stepping down next week, Breed will get to cast a vote for the next president. Currently, the 11-member board’s moderate political faction — which includes Breed — retains a majority.

However, in this month’s election, progressive Rafael Mandelman beat District Eight incumbent Jeff Sheehy, considered a moderate. Once Mandelman takes office in July, progressives will have six members on the board.

Because she was elected in June to fill out the rest of Ed Lee’s term following his death in December, Breed’s transition to the mayor’s office will be a swift one. Had she been elected in November, she would have had months, not weeks, to complete the process.