London Breed Mayor appoints David Chiu as city attorney, to no one surprisingly

MP David Chiu will take on the role of city attorney, Mayor London Breed announced on Wednesday. Chius’s name has been at the top of everyone’s list since Breed appointed outgoing city attorney Dennis Herrera to head the PUC in April.

“I will be working with all of these policy makers to find ways and means to use the law to address the pressing issues of the day” and “ensure”[e] that the city administration is subject to the highest ethical standards, ”said Chiu at a press conference with the mayor and Herrera at the Juan Pifarré Plaza, an inner courtyard in the Mission Housing development 3101 21st St.

The statement comes approximately 24 hours after the former Herrera received final approval to take over the Public Utilities Commission. He will take up this position on November 1st; Chiu will take over the office of city attorney on the same day. Voters will weigh up whether to keep the job in 2022.

As soon as Chiu takes up his new role, Governor Gavin Newsom will call a special election to fill the seat of Congregation 17.

As Mission Local (and many, many others) predicted, Breed Chiu, a former district attorney prosecutor, supervisor, and chief executive officer knocked on the door; it was San Francisco’s “worst kept secret,” joked the mayor on Wednesday. And with that she initiated a political music armchair game and, so to speak, cleared the field for her mayor re-election in 2023.

On Wednesday, Breed praised Chius’ background as a lawyer and said his reputation as a “consensus-builder” on the board of directors motivated her election.

When it came to filling the PUC position, the mayor said: “I can’t think of anyone better than MP David Chiu. He has had an extensive legal career – one before he even stepped foot in the world of politics, ”she said.

In addition to serving for the district attorney, Chiu was a civil attorney and clerk at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth District. He was educated in Boston where he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in law and public policy from Harvard University.

“The fight for justice is the reason I became a public interest lawyer,” said Chiu. “The fight for justice is the reason I moved to San Francisco. In our city we stand up for those who are more vulnerable than we are. We correct mistakes. ”

In public offices, Chiu last served from 2014 to the present day as a member of parliament for the 17th. Before that, he represented District 3 on the supervisory board for six years from 2009; he was elected chairman of the board on his first day in office and held the office until he left for Sacramento. He also used his political role to support low-income housing, which is why the press conference was held in the apartments of Mission Housing.

“Few people have fought as hard for low-income tenants as David Chiu,” said Sam Moss, General Manager of Mission Housing on Wednesday. “Don’t fight with a tweet here and there. He calls you and wants to know what you think. “

Chiu’s appointment is the latest development amid a major political upheaval, partly sparked after former PUC director general Harlan Kelly was charged with bribery and resigned in November.

Any investigation currently underway by prosecutors would continue, Herrera said on Wednesday. He stressed that the Chiu office would be advising on his transition.

“This work has not slowed down at all and is not slowing down,” said Herrera.

Herrera added that he is thrilled to announce Chiu – someone he ran for mayor against in 2011 – as his successor. “Come 11:59 on Halloween, I will no longer be a prosecutor. It is an honor and a privilege to hand this position over to someone who will be a great steward of our tradition. “

In previous interviews, Herrera has claimed that as a city attorney, no part of San Francisco’s city life has been untouched in two decades. But he is neither a water nor an electricity specialist. And he will now see a workforce an order of magnitude larger than the prosecution and one with far more job security.

Herrera’s move to the PUC was sold as a means of containing a rogue agency; Herrera has described himself as “the city’s top watchdog”.

Chiu said he plans to use his new job to tackle homelessness, the climate, public safety, and fight businesses when they “cross the line”. In addition, he is pleased that his work brings him closer to his wife and 5-year-old geographically.

“I’m looking forward to being home.”