Especially after November’s grueling election, few could blame former San Francisco Mayor London Breed for blowing off some steam.
Since her defeat to Daniel Lurie, Breed has soaked up the sun on Venetian canals, hung out with girlfriends in Portugal, and caught a Beyoncé concert while donning a white cowboy hat, social media posts show.
But soon, it’ll be back to the grindstone.
In her first public career move since her exit from City Hall, Breed will join the Aspen Institute for a six-month stint as an adviser to the policy academy, the Washington, D.C.-based think tank announced Wednesday. The academy, a Bay Area-based program, trains its fellows in policymaking. Breed’s role will include teaching and mentoring and representing the program at public events.
“This program is about more than learning how government works — it’s about inspiring a new era of civic leadership,” Breed said. She will be joined in the role of adviser-in-residence by G.T. Bynum, the former mayor of Tulsa, Okla.
“Mayors bring distinctive insights to the work of policymaking given their proximity to the people and communities they serve. As inaugural advisers in this exciting program, Mayors Breed and Bynum will be invaluable resources to future policy leaders,” said Aspen Institute President and CEO Dan Porterfield.
Breed has close ties to the Aspen Institute, whose upcoming yearly festival will feature speakers National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Warriors coach Steve Kerr, and Silicon Valley Community Foundation President and CEO Nicole Taylor.
In 2019, 2022, and 2023, Breed attended Aspen Institute events in Aspen, Colo., Amsterdam, and Washington. The think tank has ties to Bloomberg Philanthropies, founded by former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is politically close to Breed and gave her $1.2 million during the 2024 campaign.
Breed appears to have other career aspirations. Sources familiar with her plans say she is considering starting a consulting company. One source said she hopes for a fall launch and has clients lined up already.
“Just because I’m not making noise every day doesn’t mean I’m not making moves,” Breed added in a statement to The Standard. “I led San Francisco through some of its most difficult years—and much of the progress we’re beginning to see now is the result of the work we put in when times were tough.”
“I’m proud of that legacy,” she continued. “Leadership isn’t about headlines; it’s about showing up, doing the hard work, and building change that lasts. That’s what I did and that’s exactly what I intend to keep doing.”
Serving as mayor from 2018 to 2025, Breed navigated the tail end of the city’s tech boom and the subsequent economic downturn caused by the pandemic. During the 2024 election, Breed sold herself as a seasoned leader who was “battle-tested.” Her critics, including Lurie, painted her as a City Hall insider who allowed homelessness and blight to fester downtown and elsewhere.
Since her exit from City Hall in January, Breed has maintained a low political profile, except this month when she condemned Calif. Sen. Alex Padilla’s arrest at a Homeland Security press conference. She will join Lurie and other elected officials Saturday at Third Baptist Church to commemorate Amos Brown.