By returning “divisive” ceasefire resolution unsigned, what is Mayor Breed really saying?

Image by Lynn Friedman

On Friday, SF Mayor Breed decided neither to approve nor veto Supervisors' Gaza resolution: rather, she let it become codified without intervening. Some vocal advocates are celebrating, but other residents question the efficacy of letting slide a resolution that effectively validates terrorist organizations. SF Standard surveys the impact of Breed's choice.

Mayor London Breed refused to sign a controversial cease-fire resolution on the war in Gaza on Friday after previously saying that language approved by supervisors had “inflamed division and hurt” in San Francisco and did not reflect the entire community’s values.

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An official for the clerk of the board confirmed to The Standard that Breed returned the resolution unsigned, meaning it will go into effect without her support. The mayor could have vetoed the resolution, sparking another controversial vote that was sure to rile supporters on both sides of the debate.

“Since the Board of Supervisors introduced their Gaza ceasefire resolution, and certainly since they passed it last week, our city has been angrier, more divided, and less safe. Sadly, that may have been the point,” Breed wrote in a memo explaining her decision not to sign the resolution. “Their exercise was never about bringing people together; it was about choosing a side. And while late amendments mitigated this, the damage was already done.” …

A key sticking point for the three supervisors who opposed the resolution—Catherine Stefani, Matt Dorsey and Rafael Mandelman—centered on the absence of language explicitly calling for the removal of Hamas in Gaza, as well as condemnation of reported rapes and sexual violence against Israeli women during the Oct. 7 attack. The resolution instead calls for “new leadership on both sides” while also noting an investigation should look into “gender based violence.”

Breed’s decision not to sign or veto the resolution relieves pressure on supervisors who would have needed to take another vote to override the veto and pass the resolution. Sources in the Mayor’s Office said that Supervisors Joel Engardio and Myrna Melgar had conversations with Breed asking her not to veto the resolution. Neither Engardio nor Melgar responded to requests for comment.

This article originally appeared in the San Francisco Standard. Read the whole thing here.

Related:

• Mayor Breed and local Jewish group unhappy with SF Supervisors' ceasefire resolution

• Santa Cruz rejects partisan ceasefire resolution in 5–2 vote

• Opinion: Local Jewish advocacy group urges cities to avoid “performative” and “divisive” ceasefire resolutions

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