As far as the outcome of the political turmoil related to who will succeed Newsom, Pak said that Lee's accession to the office is a "done deal."

On a side note, Pak told KQED's Tara Siler that Board Supervisor David Chiu turned down the appointment as San Francisco D.A. today because he is going to run for mayor.

Such effusions might just be colorful San Francisco trash talk. But KQED's Scott Shafer wrote just yesterday of Pak's clout. From his News Fix post:

Lee is a protege of Chinatown dynamo Rose Pak. The foul-mouthed political activist ("mother f...er" is one of her favorite expletives) wields a heavy club in city politics. The former SF Chronicle reporter is also close to Willie Brown, who despite being out of office for seven years, still pulls a lot of strings in city politics.

You can be sure Lee wouldn't be on the verge of being mayor without the blessings of Pak and Brown.

If Lee does emerge at the end of this process as the One (he still has to be ratified by the incoming board even if he wins a vote by the current supes), he will become San Francisco's first Asian-American mayor, joining Jean Quan in the exclusive cross-Bay Chinese-American chief executive club. Even if a Lee mayoralty never materializes, both Leland Yee and Phil Ting have announced their candidacies for the post, ensuring a strong Chinese-American presence in the race.

Apropos of this trend, Mina Kim of KQED reported last month on the newfound political clout of Bay Area Asian Americans.

Chinese Chamber of CommerceChinese Chamber of Commerce

Ed Lee Issues Statement as Chinese Community Turns Out in Support