Courtesy photo

City Attorney Dennis Herrera is running for mayor of San Francisco

Taking a page out of the playbook of some of his opponents in the race for San Francisco mayor, San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera has come out against the sale of shark fins in California. 

"Shark finning is a cruel practice that poses a serious ecological threat," Herrera said in a written statement issued Monday.

Herrera joins a growing roster of public officials and celebrities who have strongly condemned the practice of shark finning, which is estimated to kill as many as 73 million sharks annually. 

Herrera may be eager to change the subject after revelations last week that his campaign consultants appeared to have lobbied him — a violation of city ethics laws. Prompted by a Bay Citizen report, Herrera's aides amended his disclosure filings for 2009 to correct what they said was a clerical error. Disclosures appeared to show that Barnes Mosher Whitehurst Lauter and Partners, Inc. lobbied Herrera on behalf of an energy company even as it took in more than $116,000 to work on his 2009 re-election campaign.

John Whitehurst, one of the company's principals, blamed the snafu on a treasurer working for Herrera's re-election campaign. The staffer, Whitehurst said, confused the lobbying firm with its spinoff, the campaign strategy group Whitehurst/Mosher Campaign Strategy and Media.