David Chiu to Announce Mayoral Bid

President of Board of Supervisors expected to be a leading contender
By: Gerry Shih

David Chiu, the president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, is expected to announce his candidacy for mayor on Monday morning at 11 a.m. on the steps of City Hall, a person with knowledge of the supervisor's plans said Sunday.

Chiu, 40, has been expected to enter the race for several months. He is regarded by political analysts as one of the stronger contenders, among a leading pack that includes California state Senator Leland Yee and City Attorney Dennis Herrera.

He has hired Josh Pulliam, a Sacramento-based consultant with extensive experience working with labor unions, as his strategist.

Chiu's candidacy was first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle late Sunday evening. He told the Chronicle that he intended to make job creation, policing and transportation infrastructure some of the tenets of his platform.

A native of Boston with three degrees from Harvard, Chiu moved to San Francisco in the 1990s to work as a prosecutor and as a staff attorney at the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights, a nonprofit organization. He also founded Grassroots Enterprises, a political communications company.

Chiu was elected to the board in 2008 and was voted board president during the inaugural session. He retained the presidency this past January after helping orchestrate the appointment of interim Mayor Edwin M. Lee.