City supervisor Ahsha Safai considering mayoral bid in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safai says he is exploring a potential mayoral bid in the next mayoral election in 2024. 

Safai has been on the Board of Supervisors, serving two terms since 2017. His district includes the Ingleside, Mission Terrace, and Excelsior neighborhoods. 

In a statement to KTVU on Thursday, he said, "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." He said he expects to make a final decision sometime around this summer. 

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. Again, he worked with law enforcement to have off-duty personnel provide security.

In the 2022 election, San Francisco voters decided to align the mayoral election with presidential elections for a larger voter turnout. Mayor London Breed as a result gets an extra year in office. Breed became the city's first Black woman to become mayor when Mayor Ed Lee suddenly died while she was the sitting board president.