[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Page 19854]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        REMEMBERING EDWIN M. LEE

  Ms. HARRIS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to enter into a 
colloquy with my colleague, the senior Senator from California.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Ms. HARRIS. Mr. President, Californians and San Franciscans have lost 
a tireless champion for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Mayor Edwin 
M. Lee was the son of Chinese immigrants and the city's first Asian-
American mayor. Mayor Lee grew up in public housing and moved from 
Seattle to the Bay Area to attend law school at UC Berkeley in the mid-
1970s. As a former civil rights attorney, Mayor Lee began his career in 
public service fighting for fair housing and went on to serve in five 
different city departments under four mayors before becoming mayor 
himself. As mayor of one of America's largest cities, Mayor Lee worked 
hard to transform San Francisco into a hub for innovation and 
technology while still upholding the city's longstanding values of 
equity and justice.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Throughout his career, Mayor Lee broke down barriers 
while approaching public service with tremendous skill, efficiency, and 
purpose. On behalf of the city of San Francisco, Mayor Lee led the 
fight to protect our immigrant communities, build and rehabilitate 
affordable housing, and expand investment in public transportation and 
critical infrastructure projects, among countless other fights on 
behalf of his city.
  Ms. HARRIS. For 65 remarkable years, Mayor Lee demonstrated to all 
those he worked with, knew, and came to serve that through humble and 
steadfast leadership each one of us can create a more inclusive and 
just community for future generations.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. He was our friend, and we will miss his wise counsel 
and fearless leadership. The thoughts of San Franciscans and 
Californians are with Mayor Lee's wife, Anita, his daughters, Brianna 
and Tania, his family, city leaders, and the people of San Francisco at 
this difficult time.

                          ____________________