San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee Dies Suddenly at 65

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee passed away of a heart attack early this morning. He was 65.

1 minute read

December 12, 2017, 10:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee

Oracle PR / Flickr

"Mayor Ed Lee, the city’s first Asian American mayor and the man who presided over San Francisco’s rise to the top of the tech world, died early Tuesday morning after suffering a heart attack," report Rachel Swan and Evan Sernoffsky.

"Lee, known for his friendly and often jokey personality and his focus on details and political consensus, was the 43rd mayor of San Francisco and the first Asian American to lead the city. Board of Supervisors President London Breed became mayor, effectively immediately," adds the article.

The article includes messages of grief and condolences from San Francisco supervisors, some of which considered Mayor Lee a political adversary at times. Planetizen covered Mayor Ed Lee's contributions to policy news and discussion about cities frequently through the years. Mayor Lee's figure nationally also attracted news attention around the country, from outlets such as CNN, the New York Times, and the Washington Post.

Tuesday, December 12, 2017 in SFGate

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

Overlapping highways

The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin

People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.

September 8, 2026 - Benjamin Schneider

The Hoover Dam blocking the Colorado River. The river's water level is noticeably low. The cliffs surrounding the blue water are brown and jagged.

US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico

A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.

September 11, 2026 - The Arizona Republic

Skyscrapers in Jersey City.

New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers

Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.

September 4, 2026 - The Cool Down

A New Jersey train approaches people waiting at the station.

Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds

A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.

September 15 - Mass Transit

A tall, gray power plant billows smoke into a blue sky.

EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants

Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.

September 15 - New York Times

A white RAPID bus. The lower half is light blue, and says RAPID in purple text. The bus is half visible, appearing from the left side of the image.

Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses

Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.

September 15 - KJZZ

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.