Courtesy photo

Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier

The California Supreme Court on Wednesday denied Alioto-Pier's petition for review of an appeals court decision from late August that the supervisor — who was first appointed to her seat by Mayor Gavin Newsom in 2004 — may not run for re-election because she has already served two terms.

Since the Supreme Court's decision puts an abrupt end to Alioto-Pier's campaign, progressive candidate Janet Reilly is now seen as the leading contender to succeed Alioto-Pier.

The legal battle began after City Attorney Dennis Herrera issued an opinion in 2008 stating that Alioto-Pier should not be eligible to run again.

According to San Francisco law, supervisors may only serve two consecutive terms. Alioto-Pier argued that since she was only elected once by voters (in 2006), she still has one eligible term remaining.

Herrera, however, said that the two final years of Newsom's term that Alioto-Pier served should count against her with respect to term limits, lest a "two-tier" system of supervisors emerge between those who are elected versus those who are appointed. 

"While we obviously disagreed on the interpretation of the City’s term limits law, I have always respected her right to pursue this dispute in the courts," Herrera said in a statement today.

In a statement, Alioto-Pier said that she "respects the judicial process."