Source: San Francisco Examiner
Ten years ago, San Francisco City Hall was brimming with Asian American representation, the culmination of years of progress from a generation of political and civic leaders knee-deep in the community.
Not only was Ed Lee in his first term as The City’s first Asian American mayor, but five of the 11 members of the Board of Supervisors were Asian American.
... Now, Asian American representation of any kind among the San Francisco supervisors has almost completely vanished. It’s a concerning trend for a community — most of which is Chinese — that represents roughly a third of The City’s population.
... “I think it’s sad. I think it’s unfortunate that so many people will say representation doesn’t matter,” said Ting, who’s represented San Francisco’s west side in the California Assembly since 2012, though he will be termed out at the end of this year.
“To them, ideology matters more than representation,” Ting said. “It’s sad, the fact that The City is becoming less diverse in terms of its institutions, at a time when the state’s becoming more diverse. It feels like The City’s going backwards.”