Wearing a traditional bright red Chinese dress, San Francisco Mayor London Breed was extremely excited at the annual Chinatown parade celebrating the Year of the Dragon. “This is the best Lunar New Year parade in the world!” Breed yelled passionately into a microphone, looking to the sky as her float arrived at the grandstand.
Her recent calendar reflects that enthusiasm. In total, Breed attended almost 30 Lunar New Year events across the city this year as she looked to garner support from the Asian American community, which helped her win the mayoral race in 2018. On Feb. 10, the first day of the Chinese New Year, she hit up six events within four hours in Chinatown, her office told The Standard.
Behind Breed’s strenuous effort to maximize exposure in the Chinese community are plummeting poll numbers and a crumbling base of Asian American support as the city has struggled with crime caught in viral videos and downtown store closures. Over the past few years, the Asian American community has been increasingly outspoken about public safety and what they see as lawlessness—and the mayor’s inability to fix it.
Meanwhile, sharks are circling Breed as her competitors aggressively target the moderate, pro-police and pro-business Chinese and Asian voters that could decide the mayor’s race.
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