By Han Li and Joel Umanzor : sfstandard – excerpt
San Francisco’s mayoral race officially entered a new era Saturday as longtime progressive leader Aaron Peskin joined the contest for the city’s top job.
Peskin, 59, president of the Board of Supervisors, formally kicked off his campaign at a rally in Chinatown’s Portsmouth Square, where throngs of his supporters—and a few dozen detractors—gathered.
“I am so deeply and sincerely grateful to have received the support I needed to recover and become sober,” Peskin, who previously sought treatment for alcoholism, said to a crowd of hundreds of supporters, “and it has inspired me to dedicate the next chapter of my life to the recovery of this city.”
“I believe San Francisco deserves a mature discussion, not a shouting match,” he added.
Prominent progressive leaders, including former mayor Art Agnos and former state legislators Mark Leno and Tom Ammiano, were among those who showed up to support Peskin, who is currently in his fourth—and final—term as supervisor. Also in attendance were local Chinatown leaders and hundreds of Chinese seniors led by Community Tenant Association.…(more)
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