San Francisco Mayor Breed's Stunning Valentine's Day Declaration Draws Mixed Reaction

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- San Francisco Mayor London Breed's social media revelation of a long-time friendship and one-time romantic relationship with federally indicted former city official Mohammad Nuru drew a mix reaction from fellow politicians and residents.

The reactions ranged from outage to lukewarm support to a call for her to step down while a federal public corruptions probe and an independent San Francisco investigation led by City Attorney Dennis Herrera are completed into the charges against Nuru.

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Federal prosecutors announced the arrest of the former San Francisco director of public works and local restaurateur Nick Bovis in January on charges of public corruption.

Aside from discussing her friendship and how she felt shocked and betrayed by the charges, Breed also admitted that Nuru had taken care of some auto repairs for her in the last few months without charge.

That drew a strong reaction from San Francisco Supervisor Gordon Mar.

"Mayor Breed's admission of thousands of dollars in unreported gifts from a subordinate is likely illegal, certainly unethical, and part of a culture of casual corruption that is eroding the faith of the public," Mar said in a statement. "It must end. Given the seriousness of this admission, the direct connection to the central figure in the FBI's investigation into public corruption, I believe we need to put the people of San Francisco first."

"I believe Mayor Breed should do the right thing and temporarily step back from her duties until a full, independent investigation can be completed."

Supervisor Matt Haney echoed similar sentiments, posting on Twitter, "Gifts from subordinates are not allowed. Period. It isn't an issue of reporting."

San Francisco Board of Supervisors President Norman Yee was lukewarm in his support.

"Mayor Breed made a mistake and has acknowledged it publicly," he said in a statement. "If you are in a position of power, you should never put yourself in a situation where you are taking anything of value from your subordinates," he said. "In the best interests of our city, I'm focused on the hard work we need to do to restore trust in our government."

The city's top legal official -- newly elected District Attorney Chesa Boudin -- said he would assume Breed is innocent of any wrongdoing until he has had a chance to investigate the issue.

"One of the most important responsibilities of the District Attorney is to objectively and impartially investigate criminal activity. Since taking over as District Attorney last month, I have learned about the ongoing federal investigation into public corruption in our city," he said. "I have been asked about details that emerged today regarding possible ethical violations by Mayor Breed. My office will investigate any potential criminal liability, as we take public corruption very seriously. However, the Mayor, like everyone else, is presumed innocent."

Meanwhile, Supervisor Dean Preston took to twitter to say her lengthy post "raised more questions than it answered."

"I am deeply concerned with revelations today that Mayor London Breed violated San Francisco law by taking thousands of dollars in gifts from
a City Hall subordinate," he posted. "The mayor's statements today raised more questions than it answered."

In her declaration, Breed said she was being preemptive after rumors began swirling around city hall about her relationship with Nuru.

"It was with a profound sense of shock, sadness, disappointment and anger that I learned of the federal charges against Mohammed announced two weeks ago," she wrote on Medium. "From the perspective of serving as your Mayor, I was furious. The allegations against Mohammed and his co-defendants, if proved, represent a betrayal of the public trust that cuts to the core of our mission, and our duty, as public servants."

It continued -- "Mohammed Nuru and I have been close personal friends for more than 20 years. We dated for a brief time, two decades ago, long before I ever ran for office. Nevertheless, he, and his now-adult daughters, have remained close friends for all those years."

Breed was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2012 and then and elected its president in 2015. When then Mayor Ed Lee died suddenly she assumed the office from December 12, 2017, to January 23, 2018.

She was elected mayor in the San Francisco mspecia election held on June 5, 2018.