Willie Brown is not just the face of San Francisco politics. He’s also a symbol of the City’s ageless wonder. The esteemed former mayor — or “Da Mayor” as he’s often affectionately called — celebrated his 90th birthday earlier this year.
His presence in The City is almost as powerful now as it was when he held office for eight years at the turn of the millennium. Mayor London Breed, who interned in Brown’s administration, told The Examiner that he’s a “pillar of the community” and a “true icon here of San Francisco.” Brown was the first Black mayor in the City’s history, and he hired more minority, LGBTQ+ and female staffers than any who had held office before him.
U.S. House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi described him as a “a champion of justice and progress” whose public service in The City was “barrier-breaking.
” His list of accomplishments as mayor is as long and as dense as anyone elected to the powerful office in San Francisco. He presided over The City during the dot-com boom as The City’s economy boomed along with it. But Brown is far more than simply a politician, wearing many other hats throughout his life — both figuratively and literally, when it comes to the many luxury fedoras that often top his head.
He is one of the rare San Franciscans whose celebrity extends beyond the political realm and the confines of the City’s seven-by-seven grid. He was a weekly columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle. He’s had roles in mult.