San Francisco Supervisor Ahsha Safai says he will run against Mayor Breed

SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safai has officially entered the race for mayor, launching a challenge against incumbent London Breed in the 2024 election.

Safai submitted the paperwork Monday to run for the city's top position. He has been on the Board of Supervisors since 2017, serving the Ingleside, Mission Terrace, and Excelsior neighborhoods. 

"The city is in crisis right now and a lot of people feel like the city is headed in the wrong direction, so I’m talking to people, I’m listening, and I’m getting a lot of encouragement," Safai told KTVU in March. 

During his tenure, Safai proposed that off-duty San Francisco sheriff's deputies be allowed to work as private security guards in a crackdown on retail theft and to earn extra money.   

He was also vocal late last year when a security guard was shot and wounded at a Safeway grocery store in his district. 

Safai holds a master’s degree in city planning from MIT and a dual bachelor’s degree from Northeastern University in political science and African-American studies. He and his wife Yadira are raising their two children in San Francisco’s Excelsior District, according to the city website.