Mayor Edwin M. Lee today issued the following statement on Lunar New Year:

 

“I send my warmest wishes to the Asian American and Pacific Islander families in our City, the people of Asia, and all those around the world who are celebrating the Lunar New Year. February 3^rd marks the first day of the festivities that celebrate the Year of the Hare and San Franciscans will continue the cultural traditions of the past and begin new ones with their own families.

 

Here in San Francisco, Asian Pacific Americans and especially Chinese Americans have been an integral part of the history of this great City, building a community for all San Franciscans. Since the days of the Gold Rush in the 1850s, immigrant laborers created San Francisco’s diverse culture, and Chinese railroad workers created the City’s Chinatown quarter, the first and finest Chinatown outside of China.

 

As all San Franciscans celebrate the Lunar New Year, we join together in also celebrating diversity and multiculturalism, a core value for those of us who live and work in the San Francisco Bay Area. Asian Americans continue to make lasting contributions to building a brighter future for all in San Francisco. I want to wish everyone peace, happiness, good health, and much prosperity for the year ahead as we usher in the Year of the Hare. 

 

Gong Hay Fat Choy!”