Lydia So confirmed to sit on SFMTA Board which has had no Asian representation for over 1 year

(SAN FRANCISCO) First generation Chinese American Lydia So was confirmed by the Board of Supervisors on July 18 to serve on the 7-member San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) Board of Directors which has had no Asian representation for over one year, while the Asian ridership has reached at 40%.

So was the second nomination by Mayor London Breed to fill in the vacant seat left by Sharon Lai who resigned from the SFMTA Board in July 2022.

Breed first nominated Gloria Li to Lai’s remaining seat in September 2022. The nomination was opposed and blocked by District 1 Supervisor Connie Chan who sat on the Rules Committee in 2022.

After a long delay, Breed nominated So to the SFMTA Board on June 16 this year and the Rules Committee approved the nomination on July 10. The Board of Supervisors subsequently confirmed the nomination on July 18.

So, who was born in Hong Kong, is fully bilingual in English and Chinese. So is a licensed architect and founded her own architecture firm in San Francisco in 2015. She managed the Apple retail real estate team in North America prior to starting her business.

Before the SFMTA appointment, So has served as the City's Historic Preservation Commissioner and Portsmouth Square Board Member.

So is a longtime resident of the Mission neighborhood. She said in the Rules Committee hearing that she has been a regular Muni bus rider like many other Asian riders in the City. Public safety would be her first priority when she starts serving on the SFMTA Board soon.

"Public safety is my highest priority and I want all of us to feel safe from the moment we step out of our house to walk to a Muni stop, ride it, and then walk to where we need to go, safely and with joy and feel proud to be San Franciscans," said So.