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Astella Kung, 64, is known as the unofficial mayor of Grant Avenue, the heart of San Francisco’s Chinatown. A short woman who speaks in a nasally Cantonese dialect, she is the owner of Ming Kee Game Birds, a dingy shop crammed with chickens, ducks and pigeons in wire-mesh cages. Ms. Kung moved to Grant in 1971, a 24-year-old newlywed with $50 in her pocket. “We came with nothing and just wanted to make money; we never thought of politics,” said Ms. Kung, smiling. “But 10 years ago, when China began growing strong, I thought maybe we would have a Chinese mayor soon.” On Tuesday, that day will most likely arrive, the realization of a major power shift in San Francisco politics. The mayor’s race includes five Chinese candidates in the field of 16, including interim Mayor Ed Lee. If Mr. Lee wins, as polls predict, he will be the first elected Chinese mayor of Old Gold Mountain — the name given to San Francisco by Chinese immigrants who first came here more than 150 years ago. Nearly one-quarter of San Francisco’s population is Chinese, according to the latest census. As more affluent immigrants have settled in the city, joining an older generation whose economic fortunes continue to rise, the community’s political power has soared.
