Gov. Brown Forgets To Endorse San Francisco Mayor Lee For Reelection; Returns To Stage, Makes It Official
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)—It was supposed to be an endorsement speech at the Ritz Carlton San Francisco, but it didn't turn out as intended. The word came from San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee's staff at his address to the Bay Area Council's Outlook Conference that Governor Jerry Brown would endorse Lee for reelection this November.
In a 15-minute speech, Gov. Brown did have nice things about the city. "San Francisco is booming, California is definitely back," he said. But he mostly talked about his own accomplishments and the issues of the day.
He initially left the stage without making any mention of endorsing the mayor. Apparently he forgot; because he came back to quickly say "Vote for Mayor Ed Lee for reelection."
Lee didn't seem to mind as long as he has the governor's support.
"I really value that endorsement only because he himself has been a mayor. He's been around; he's had all this experience. He's still so energetic and confident about the future of the state," Lee said.
Both Brown and Lee share the same political consulting team and Lee has no major opposition, which makes the endorsement itself no huge surprise. However, Brown is notoriously reluctant to get involved in local races, although last fall he did endorse Libby Schaaf in her successful bid to become Oakland mayor.
