The truth hurts with SF Mayor London Breed

Sophie Bearman [00:00:00] You're listening to the first episode of Life in Seven Songs, a new show from The San Francisco Standard where some of the world's most fascinating people share their life stories and the songs that helped them through. I'm Sophie Bearman.

Sophie Bearman [00:00:13] It's my belief that songs transport us. For me, a single melody can instantly take me somewhere I haven't been for years. To my childhood bedroom, listening to my parents fight. To my first kiss with the man who I'd later marry. To summiting a mountain. That's what the show is all about. The songs that help tell the story of who we are.

Sophie Bearman [00:00:47] And our inaugural guest is San Francisco mayor London Breed, the city's first Black female mayor. Mayor Breed grew up in San Francisco in a housing project called Plaza East, and her early life was shaped by many of the challenges that continue to plague the city today—poverty, substance abuse, crime and housing insecurity among them. As mayor, London Breed guided San Francisco through Covid and has faced an uphill battle in bringing the city back to life since. She's running again in November on the platform that she's still the woman for the job. Mayor Breed, thank you so much for joining us.

London Breed [00:01:25] Thanks, Sophie. It's great to be here.

Sophie Bearman [00:01:27] Mayor, I've heard you have a custom plaque on your desk. What does it say?

London Breed [00:01:31] It says, what will Beyoncé do?

Sophie Bearman [00:01:35] So, what's the story behind that?

London Breed [00:01:37] Well, I just love Beyoncé. And I have always loved her since Destiny's Child. And when Destiny's Child had a bit of a breakup, there was really a challenge that she endured during that breakup where she wasn't accepted. And in some cases, I've been at places where she was actually booed. And then when she came out with this song Survivor, everybody  was quiet because she made it clear that she was not going anywhere. And in fact, she not only persevered, she climbed new heights. And I think success is the best revenge. And so I think sometimes what will Beyoncé say? What did she decide to do? She decided to come back after a real challenging time and she stays on top.

Sophie Bearman [00:02:27] So when did you have that plaque made? Right when you became mayor?

London Breed [00:02:29] Well, actually, the plaque was a gift from a friend of mine, Rick Welts, who used to be the CEO for the Golden State Warriors. And he knew how much—I told him, when we build the Chase Center, the first concert has to be Beyoncé. And since the first concert wasn't Beyoncé, he gave me this plaque as a consolation prize.

Sophie Bearman [00:02:50] I love it. Is there a Beyoncé song you find yourself listening to over and over?

London Breed [00:02:55] You know, back in the day when I would dance and have fun, I would drop it like it's hot on the dance floor. And people know what that means. It means you get down and you dancing and on your knees and Get Me Bodied is a song that will, as soon as you hear it, you will hit the dance floor and you would want to break your neck to dance to it, because it's one of those songs where you just feel like I'm the fiercest dancer on the dance floor.

Sophie Bearman [00:03:20] Let's take a listen.

London Breed [00:03:36] Now that I'm older and my knees aren't what they used to be. I can't do it the same way. I bend but I don't break.

Sophie Bearman [00:03:44] But you're moving to it right now.

London Breed [00:03:45] Oh yeah. I'm in a chair, so it's easier.

Sophie Bearman [00:03:48] So let's go back a little bit in time. Tell me about where you were born and raised.

London Breed [00:03:53] So I was born and raised in San Francisco in the Fillmore/Western Edition community. And there was a lot of crime, a lot of violence. I, in fact, lived in public housing, and I lived in the same public housing development that my mother was actually raised in. My grandmother raised me there, too, and it was really challenging, drugs, gun violence, hopelessness, despair, poverty. And I lived there for more than 20 years of my life. But the community, I felt, really surrounded me with a lot of love and a lot of encouragement, which kept me out of trouble. And fortunately, I was able to go to college, graduated, and came back and started doing a lot of work in the community to help combat the gun violence. I did voter registration. I was involved in the NAACP, and so I had dedicated my life to giving back and working within the community that really raised me and protected me and supported me and helped lift me up to help turn things around there.

Sophie Bearman [00:05:00] So a young London Breed, fourth, fifth grade. You're dealing with crime, drug use around you. What are you listening to as a refuge from all that?

London Breed [00:05:09] Well, around that time, on my list here is Candy Girl by New Edition. This was when, I think, probably when I first started to like boys and pay attention to them more. I was still scared of them, but when we were able to see music videos on TV, we saw that these were like boys our age, so we were in love instantly. We would try and reenact what was being said in the playground and pretend like we were one of the girlfriends of one of the members of New Edition. Ronnie was my boyfriend as far as I was concerned.

Sophie Bearman [00:05:45] What words do you remember?

London Breed [00:05:47] My girl likes candy, a candy tree. She knocks me high up off my feet. Like that type of stuff.

Sophie Bearman [00:06:06] So Mayor Breed, you mentioned your grandmother. What was her name? And tell me a little bit more about her.

London Breed [00:06:11] Her name was Comelia Brown, and she migrated to San Francisco from Texas, and she came here to work. She worked in people's homes and she cleaned. And my grandmother raised me, two of my brothers and at one time, one of my sisters. And then I have an aunt who was developmentally disabled, who was a part of our household. So all of us were living in a two bedroom at 1133 Laguna, apartment 2403. You know, it was all of us. It was it was a little crowded, of course, but we made it work. And she dedicated her life to helping us. And when we did wrong, she held us accountable for it. And when we did right, she didn't praise us. But it was just, you knew that because she didn't say anything that we did right. We did right. But she wouldn't give you a smile. She wouldn't give you a good job. None of that. She wasn't like the grandmother, like the typical, you know how grandmothers are, where it's like, "Oh my baby," hug, kissing, and all that stuff. She wasn't that. She was she—she was tough. And she was a parent. And she made sure we were okay.

Sophie Bearman [00:07:19] At that time, did you have a sense of where your mom was or your dad was?

London Breed [00:07:23] I never knew my biological father and I knew where my mom was. And, you know, I mean, my mom is still here in San Francisco, and I don't want to put her business out there. But, you know, my grandmother was there, and she took care of us. And I'm really grateful for that.

Sophie Bearman [00:07:40] She sounds like a formidable woman. So you reached middle school, high school, what other realizations are you coming to?

London Breed [00:07:47] So rap music was starting to take a hold of my neighborhood, and they were all mostly men. And then when Salt-N-Pepa came out, they represented an era where a woman could be a rap artist, but also not be a rap artist that had to be more like a man. You could be the woman that you are as a rap artist, and rap about the things that were important to you and be, you know, sexy and be fun and be feminine and be hard all at the same time. So that was a big deal to have Salt-N-Pepa come out and, and just be so inspirational and also so confident and so positive and just take it to the next level.

Sophie Bearman [00:08:34] So Salt-N-Pepa, which song did you choose?

London Breed [00:08:36] I chose Push It.

Sophie Bearman [00:08:38] How does that one go?

London Breed [00:08:40] I will let you play the song because I'm not going to be breathing heavy on this podcast, but their outfits alone, and the moves they made in the video, it was it was epic.

Sophie Bearman [00:09:01] So Mayor Breed, you are listening to this music, into fashion, but you were also voted "Most likely to Succeed" at Galileo High where you went, right?

London Breed [00:09:11] So let's see. In high school, in ninth grade, when I stepped on the scene at Galileo High School, I, of course went to class and studied really hard and got good grades. But I like to have fun. So I went to the football games. The basketball games. I wanted to be a cheerleader, but unfortunately I didn't really have the money to buy the outfits. But I found other ways to be actively engaged. I just mostly volunteered wherever I could. And as I start to think about what do I do in the future, what is out there, I really started reading a lot in high school. As a junior I ran for homecoming queen and I came in second only to a senior, which was really cool. And then I ran for student body girls vice president and I won.

Sophie Bearman [00:10:00] What about dating? Did you have any time for that?

London Breed [00:10:03] I did, of course. Dating back then was not like hanging out often. You could talk over the phone. So I talked over the phone a lot, and my grandmother would pick up the phone and "Get off the phone, I need to use the phone!" But I did have this boyfriend, who I just—I felt like the sun rose and fell with him, and I was absolutely in love, and there was nothing going to keep us apart. We tried to spend time together. It was very hard because my grandmother was very strict. For example, he couldn't even come into my house. So like, we had this gate and like, I would have to sit in a chair on one side of the gate and he would have to sit on the chair on the other side of the gate. I remember when we broke up and I, I was devastated. I felt like my heart was just gone and it was the end of the world. And so Boyz II Men, their song End of the Road, I would play and rewind and play and then I would just cry.

London Breed [00:11:23] You know, I look back now, and I'm just like, I made it through. But, you know, heartbreak is real. Especially when it's, like, your first time.

Sophie Bearman [00:11:32] Of course, it wasn't really the end of the road.

London Breed [00:11:34] No it wasn't. And yeah, I moved on.

Sophie Bearman [00:11:40] So when it comes time to go to college, how did you decide where to enroll and what did you study?

London Breed [00:11:46] Well, at the time, I really, really wanted to go to Spelman, an all-girls college in Atlanta, Georgia. I had a chance to do a Black college tour, and it was an experience. And really one of the first times I've been on a college campus, even though I lived in San Francisco. But, I had gotten a number of scholarships, including a chemistry scholarship, so I had to jump at that. And it was a great opportunity. And I got into UC Davis. So I decided to go to UC Davis.

Sophie Bearman [00:12:17] And it's closer to home.

London Breed [00:12:18] It was closer to home, especially because my grandmother, she was older and needed a lot more help.

Sophie Bearman [00:12:24] And you stuck with chemistry?

London Breed [00:12:25] I did not stick with chemistry. No, I did not. It was—I did not have the patience for chemistry. And I decided I want to be in the mix. I want to be out there in community and be around people.

Sophie Bearman [00:12:39] And you ended up in political science?

London Breed [00:12:40] Yes.

Sophie Bearman [00:12:41] So how did you balance paying for college, working a job, and I'm guessing helping your grandmother as well.

London Breed [00:12:47] It was a combination of things. During that time, I remember there were five of us living in the dorms, and this is when The Bodyguard, the movie had come out, and one of my roommates was so in love with Kevin Costner. Like, we all had to go. We all had to go see The Bodyguard because Kevin Costner and the soundtrack was absolutely amazing. And I remember, I'm Every Woman—when this came out, I was working, going to class, going to the library, studying.

Sophie Bearman [00:13:20] Doing it all.

London Breed [00:13:21] I was doing it all. I was every woman.

Sophie Bearman [00:13:23] Let's listen. Whitney Houston's I'm Every Woman.

London Breed [00:13:36] So it was tough, but I was very determined and I was very focused and got through it. Oh goodness. It was definitely a balancing act.

Sophie Bearman [00:13:50] Time for a quick break. When we come back, Mayor Breed opens up about a time in her life that she rarely talks about. Stay with us.

Sophie Bearman [00:13:57] So Mayor Breed, after college, there's a decade where you're not only developing your personal career, but also a lot happens in your personal life that's pretty difficult. And I'm thinking of your brother's incarceration and your sister passing from an overdose. Can you talk about that period of your life a little bit?

London Breed [00:14:37] My family, there have always been challenging dynamics, and we lived in poverty. I mean, it was normal for family members to be either addicted to drugs or incarcerated and having my sister suffer from addiction, you know, we tried to get her to get help. She ended up in Walden House for some time.

Sophie Bearman [00:14:59] What's Walden House?

London Breed [00:14:59] It was a place where she could stay and get treatment. I mean, she struggled and, you know, people who struggle with addiction, I'm grateful that I don't know what that feels like, but I've seen addiction firsthand. You know? My brother has always been out in the streets in some capacity or another. I mean, he suffered from addiction himself, and he made a lot of mistakes. And those mistakes have put him in the situation he is in now. And he is working on that every single day. And I'm really proud of how far he's come. But I go back to—it could have easily been me. I could have easily been in a very similar situation because of how I grew up and what I was surrounded by. So more attention is paid to my story, and the fact that someone who could grow up like I did could end up being mayor. And that is, I know, significant. But there is so many people who have a very similar story, and it's one of the reasons why it is so important for me to get people into a place where they can survive, where they can avoid being in a situation like either my brother or my sister. What's interesting about what my sister, she experienced then, and what is happening now, is I'm working with some of those same people who have been there, even with her, who are in recovery. And I look at them and I just—I'm just so happy they're alive, and I'm so happy that they have a chance to be here and to live and to help someone else, even though she couldn't be here.

Sophie Bearman [00:16:42] These issues have shaped your life in a way that it's personal for you. It's lived experience. How do you think that's made you a better leader?

London Breed [00:16:51] Well, I don't do the job in fear of losing it. So some of the decisions that I've had to make have rubbed people the wrong way. But it always goes back to why am I making the decision? The perfect example is recently, Proposition F that we just passed here in San Francisco that requires if you struggle with addiction and you want financial assistance, then you need to be in treatment. And that came from the recovery community. That came from a lot of the same people that I grew up with that have been in the street, struggling with addiction with my sister, and they have asked for me to listen, and they want me to be tougher. So if I were to not listen to them just because politically this is not really a good thing to do, then why would I be better than anyone who might have served in the past, who did the same thing that created some of the challenges that exist in our community?

Sophie Bearman [00:18:01] So this period of your life after college, Lauryn Hill comes out with her first album. How does that become the soundtrack of maybe the next even decade for you, and especially as you're sort of grappling with your own career and what's going on personally?

London Breed [00:18:18] I liked Lauryn Hill ever since I saw in Sister Act 2 and I was like, "Oh my God, that voice." And so I followed her career. But then when she released her solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, which won the most Grammy Awards of any other album, from what I can recall, I fell in love.

Sophie Bearman [00:18:39] What was it about her?

London Breed [00:18:40] It was her voice and it was her message. Being a woman, she was with the Fugees, which consists of two men and look, they were a team. But she just broke off on her own to do this and create this extraordinary album, which to me kind of elevated her to the level that she should have been elevated to. And I would listen to the album over and over and over again. I had the CD.

Sophie Bearman [00:19:07] Did you ever go see her?

London Breed [00:19:08] I did, it was the first time that I bought a ticket to a concert in the front row, and I maxed out my credit card. I got a ride from some other people who were going, and I was like, "I'm in the front row. I'll see you guys after the concert." I was right there singing. I wanted her to know, "I know every word Lauryn, I'm right here for you!"

Sophie Bearman [00:19:30] What song did you pick for us?

London Breed [00:19:31] I pick Ex-Factor.

London Breed [00:19:57] I like the story of it. You know, it talks about how you care for someone. And every time I think you're better, you're not. And I keep letting you back in. Why am I doing this? And, you know, it just is an amazing song.

Sophie Bearman [00:20:11] So after college, you hold a number of jobs in and around City Hall. You head up an important arts nonprofit, and you also earn a master's degree in public administration. So I'm skipping a lot of your resume here, I know, but in 2012, you're campaigning for Supervisor of San Francisco. And I would say in this moment, at least from the outside, if you haven't already, you really solidify yourself as someone who is her own woman. And there's a kind of famous moment now that I wonder if you could talk about that helps that realization along.

London Breed [00:20:43] Yeah. Well, I remember that night because I had spent all of my time in my life working really hard, going through so many challenges, and still emerged to be in a situation where I could run for office. Right. And at first I get all these awards for all the work I do in the community. But as soon as I step on the political scene, all of a sudden it's attributed to someone else. And it was offensive.

Sophie Bearman [00:21:14] Specifically, former Mayor Willie Brown.

London Breed [00:21:16] It was attributed to him. Yes.

Sophie Bearman [00:21:18] People were calling you "Willie's girl."

London Breed [00:21:20] Yeah, because I worked as an intern in his office. I worked on the Treasure Island Development Authority, so I worked in his administration, and I had a moment. I went off on a bit of a rampage using a lot of profanity.

Sophie Bearman [00:21:34] Right. And for the listeners, what you said, because this was never recorded, it was written up in the paper is "Willie Brown didn't wipe my ass when I was a baby. My grandmother took care of me." And then you basically said, using the mother of all curse words, that you don't do what anyone tells you to do.

London Breed [00:21:51] It was to specifically say that he is not responsible for making me into the person I am. You know, my grandmother raised me and took care of me. There's more to me than just the time that I worked for him. So I said it the wrong way. And that was really unfortunate because then it became something that I wish it wouldn't have become like, it's like, oh, this is how she is. Like, honestly, here's the ghetto coming out of her. Here's the hood rat. She grew up in the projects, do you want this person to be your elected leader? But I will say the sad reality, especially about being a woman in politics, is people don't want to attribute what you are, what you stand for, and what you do to you. Even when Ed Lee died and I became acting mayor, and then two other people who are running against me now remove me, and the accusation is I'm too beholden to wealthy white men.

Sophie Bearman [00:22:54] And just for the listener, Ed Lee dies suddenly. You are president of the Board of Supervisors. So overnight, you become acting mayor. You could have stayed in that position. But a bunch of supervisors get together and vote for someone else.

London Breed [00:23:08] Yes. They accuse me of being beholden to wealthy white men, and then they replaced me with a wealthy white man. But it's sad and it's pathetic. And it's unfortunate that a woman like me in the world of politics, every instance that someone gets to try and attribute the decisions that get made in this city, the work that I do, to someone else, it's so offensive.

Sophie Bearman [00:23:36] And just to close the loop on this story, it worked out in the end because you run for mayor in the 2018 special election and win. But let's make time for the music because you have another song by a female rapper as well, and it relates to this story you've just told. What is it?

London Breed [00:23:52] Well, I picked Lizzo, Truth Hurts. Because it is a real, I think, woman anthem. And because I feel like based on everything I've done as mayor, as supervisor, in any role, I've demonstrated that the buck stops with me. I make the decisions. I run the show. I handle whatever it is that I'm here to handle as mayor. And that should never be diminished by attributing it to anyone else, especially a man. Because I'm not a man, I'm a woman, and I run this city and I am 100% that...next song.

London Breed [00:24:54] Love that song!

Sophie Bearman [00:24:57] You're running for reelection this November. I mean, why do it all again?

London Breed [00:25:02] The thing that makes me feel energized about doing this job is the fact that things are looking and feeling better, and all of the work we've been doing is finally working. I go back to even the recovery community. The joy, the excitement, the second chances, the "I work for the city and I was formerly incarcerated." The "I just bought my first home and I'm grateful for the down payment assistance program." The "I opened my business and I basically was selling clothes out of the trunk of my car in the Safeway parking lot." Like, all of this is starting to, you know, happen. And I want to keep the momentum going. And that has everything to do with my upbringing. It has everything to do with the people I actually know who I'm still connected to.

Sophie Bearman [00:25:54] You started this mentioning recovery and this is my last question. What would you tell your sister?

London Breed [00:26:00] Well, I would tell my sister that, you know, if she were alive today, that there is hope. And I tell people that I run into in recovery that, you know, she might not have been able to make it, but they are here. And because they made it, that's everything. That's everything.

Sophie Bearman [00:26:24] Mayor breed, thank you so much for joining us.

London Breed [00:26:27] Thank you.

Sophie Bearman [00:26:53] Life in Seven Songs is a production from The San Francisco Standard. This episode was produced by me, Sophie Berman, and our senior producer Jasmyn Morris. Our executive producers are Griffin Gaffney and Jon Steinberg. Nate Tobey is our creative consultant. This episode was mixed by Michelle Lanz looking help from Meaghan Mitchell. Our theme music is by Kate Davis and Zubin Hensler. and Clark Miller created our show art. Our music consultant is Sarah Tembeckjian. You can find this guest's full playlist at sf.news/spotify. I'm Sophie Bearman. Thanks for listening and see you next time.