2018 San Francisco mayoral special election
Ed Lee, who was appointed Mayor of San Francisco in 2011 following Gavin Newsom's election as Lieutenant Governor of California, elected to a full term in 2011, and reelected in 2015, died of cardiac arrest on December 12, 2017. London Breed, the President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, became the city's acting mayor.
2015 San Francisco mayoral election
In November 2015, incumbent Mayor Ed Lee declared that he would stand for reelection for a second term as mayor. State Senator Mark Leno had considered running but ultimately decided against it. Former Mayor Art Agnos, City Attorney Dennis Herrera, Public Defender Jeff Adachi and former State Assemblyman Tom Ammiano all also declined to run. Initially, local media speculated that Lee would run for reelection unopposed. Lee was ultimately opposed by five candidates: Kent Graham, Francisco Herrera, Reed Martin, Stuart Schuffman, and Amy Farah Weiss.