Is there no bottom to the dumpster fire that is San Francisco, California?
The good news for San Franciscans is that their mayor, London Breed, has been transparent. The bad news is that she had a 20-year friendship that included some romance with a former city worker who is being investigated by the FBI for public corruption.
Fox News reported that Breed admitted to the relationship with former city worker Mohammed Nuru on Friday with a post on Medium.
“I write this in the spirit of transparency because in the wake of a scandal at City Hall, I think San Franciscans are entitled to hear directly from their Mayor,” she wrote. She also discussed the affair at a news conference where she explained there had been “a number of rumors” floating around and she wanted to set the record straight.
“To be clear,” she wrote on Medium. “I never asked Mohammed Nuru to do anything improper, and he never asked me to do anything improper.”
Breed did, however, admit to accepting $5,600 from Nuru in 2019 for a car repair. Fox reported she had not paid back the money yet.
“Mayor Breed’s admission of thousands of dollars in unreported gifts from a subordinate is likely illegal, certainly unethical, and part of a culture of casual corruption that is eroding the faith of the public,” said San Francisco Supervisor Gordon Mar. “Given the seriousness of this admission, the direct connection to the central figure in the FBI’s investigation into public corruption, I believe we need to put the people of San Francisco first. I believe Mayor Breed should do the right thing and temporarily step back from her duties until a full, independent investigation can be completed.”
Breed’s political opponent, Supervisor Hillary Ronen suggested the mayor should resign, saying, “I do think she should resign. What I am sick of in this city is the culture of corruption.”
Fellow supervisor Dean Preston said Breed should face questions from the Board of Supervisors. Supervisor Aaron Peskin also said he wanted to question Breed before demanding she resign.
“She’s calling one of her staff to fix and pick up her car and get a rental car,” Peskin said. “Was he doing that instead of running the department of public works?”
Breed added that although she was being transparent, she was not remorseful for her relationship with Nuru.
“I will not apologize for dating someone two decades ago. I will not apologize for remaining close friends with him and his family for 20 more years. But neither will I make excuses for any misdeeds,” Breed said.
As Fox reported, “Nuru and restaurant owner Nick Bovis were arrested late last month and charged with corruption and lying to the FBI.”
KTVU reported San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin’s office will investigate potential ethical violations regarding Breed’s relationship with Nuru. Boudin added that he takes “public corruption very seriously.”
KTVU also reported that Nuru and Nick Bovis, a restaurant owner, were arrested by FBI agents in late January “among five ‘schemes’ that involved trying to bribe an airport commissioner to vote in favor of a Bovis-owned business at the airport and Nuru accepting travel and gifts from a Chinese developer doing business in town.”