In Memoriam: San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee

Commissioners and staff at the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) are mourning the untimely passing of San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, who died early Tuesday morning after suffering a heart attack. He was 65.

“Mayor Lee was a steadfast partner and tireless advocate for housing, transportation and regional cooperation who stayed focused on the nuts-and-bolts of improving quality of life for residents of San Francisco and beyond,” said MTC Commissioner and BART Director Nick Josefowitz, who was appointed to serve on the MTC Commission by Mayor Lee. “The entire MTC family mourns his passing and we send our most heartfelt condolences to his wife and family.”

During his tenure as mayor, Lee was a booster of San Francisco's Central Subway Project and Vision Zero campaign to reduce pedestrian-motorist accidents, along with many regionally significant transportation and bicycle/pedestrian initiatives, including the Caltrain electrification project, the expansion of the ferry network, bike share and Bike to Work Day, among others.

Lee also took a keen interest in finding solutions to the Bay Area’s housing crisis and was serving as a member of the Steering Committee for CASA — The Committee to House the Bay Area, which was convened by MTC and ABAG to address the region’s chronic housing affordability challenges.

The lying in state will take place in the Rotunda at San Francisco City Hall on Friday, December 15, 2017, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and a public memorial service will take place on Sunday, December 17, 2017, at 3 p.m. in the same location. Lee’s life and legacy will be honored at MTC's monthly Commission meeting on Wednesday, December 20, 2017, which is scheduled to start at 1:05 p.m. in the Yerba Buena Conference Room on the first floor of the Bay Area Metro Center, 375 Beale Street, San Francisco.