El Mensajero / Bay Area Reporter, News Report, Posted: Jan 17, 2012

SAN FRANCISCO -- Mayor Ed Lee appointed Planning Commission President Christina Olague as the new supervisor for District 5, replacing Ross Mirkarimi who was elected sheriff. Olague, 50, is the daughter of a Latino farmworker, reports El Mensajero. She is also San Francisco's first out bisexual supervisor, reports the Bay Area Reporter. She is expected to seek a full four-year term in the November election.

The Fresno native moved to San Francisco in 1982, where she worked for the Mission Anti-Displacement Partnership and Senior Action Network. She was appointed by former board President Matt Gonzalez to the Planning Commission in 2002, and was elected to a second term as president last January.

A onetime Green Party member, Olague served on the board of LYRIC, the Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center for LGBT youth in the Castro and was a member of the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club.

She voted against three major development projects in Treasure Island, Hunter's Point, and Parkmerced, but helped the upcoming America's Cup redevelopment project win unanimous approval by the Planning Commission, a key priority for Lee.

New America Media reported that the America's Cup project has been criticized by some local groups for its environmental impact. It is also unclear whether the project will have to comply with the city's local hiring law.

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