SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) - Roughly 80 people will carry the Olympic torch at some point during a six-mile stretch in San Francisco next Wednesday.
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San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom unveiled the list Friday, which includes participants from Canada and Mexico, though a majority of the torchbearers are from the Bay Area.
About half of the torchbearers were picked by the Olympic officials, though some were picked by sponsors, and others had submitted online essays on why they wanted to run and what it meant to them.
"I'm not fearful at all," declared Lisa Hartmayer, a registered nurse from San Francisco who plans to carry the torch, despite the controversy surrounding the Beijing games. "I have faith in the peace officers and I'm not concerned at all, I really am not. I never really thought about it, maybe I'm a little bit too trusting."
For his part, Newsom candidly offered that he is concerned about security. "The key is just to do whatever it is people want to do in a way that is respectful of other people that may disagree with them. And, that's fundamental."
In addition to Hartmayer, other local torchbearers include Shirley Olivo, Helen Zia, Todd Hallenbeck and Ed Lee, who is San Francisco Controller.
KCBS' Tim Ryan reports
