Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier’s campaign to win another term has ended, but she is still playing an active role in the contest by endorsing friend and fellow candidate Mark Farrell to be the next supervisor to represent District 2, which includes the Marina, Cow Hollow, Fort Mason, the Presidio, Pacific Heights, Seacliff, and portions of Russian Hill, Cathedral Hill, and the Inner Richmond.

Farrell’s main challenger is Janet Reilly, who carries endorsements by Democratic Party heavy hitters such as Senator Dianne Feinstein and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. She has also been endorsed by Fire Fighters Local 798 and Carpenters Local 22.

“This race is not about endorsements, it’s about who will best represent the residents of District 2,” said Farrell. “We have run a grassroots campaign that we’ve taken to the residents of the district where I was born and raised.”

Yet Alioto-Pier’s show of support has enlivened Farrell’s campaign. He also has the backing of Supervisor Sean Elsbernd, Sheriff Michael Hennessey, Plumbers Local 38, and IBEW Local 1245.
“We don’t need any more progressive politics in this city,” Farrell said. “I want to continue building on Supervisor Alioto-Pier’s record of common sense at City Hall. As someone who has worked in the business and finance sector for the past 10 years, I feel this is what we sorely need.”
Since City Attorney Dennis Herrera claimed that Alioto-Pier had to leave office due to term limits, she has been on a bit of a rollercoaster. Her position was that she never completed two full four-year terms because Gavin Newsom, the former District 2 supervisor, appointed her to fill his seat until the next election when he became mayor. She served less than a year in that appointment, then was elected to complete the remaining two years left in Newsom’s term.

When Alioto-Pier filed as a candidate for re-election in June 2010, her application was denied by the Department of Elections based on Herrera’s interpretation, and a lawsuit ensued.

In July 2010, Superior Court Judge Peter Busch ruled that the City Charter would permit Alioto-Pier to run for another term. This threw Janet Reilly’s campaign into disarray, as she was already being supported by major figures in City politics. Mayor Newsom said the ruling made “everyone very uncomfortable.”

But Herrera appealed Judge Busch’s ruling. The California State Appeals Court took Herrera’s side, claiming Alioto-Pier was ineligible for re-election. Alioto-Pier appealed the reversal to the State Supreme Court, but the justices declined to hear the case. The result is that Alioto-Pier will be out of a job at City Hall next year.

“I don’t have any plans at this time,” she said. “I’m looking at a number of options. It’s too bad, considering that one of the appellate judges told me that I was right on the law. But it was really weird. He started to talk about intent, all sorts of strange things. He ruled against me.”

That final ruling opened the door for the remaining candidates in the race, who include Abraham Simmons, Vilma Guinto Peoro, Kat Anderson, and Barbara Berwick.

Reilly said she’s putting small business interests at the top of her agenda.

“District 2 has great commercial corridors,” Reilly stated. “It’s not easy for a small business to make it here. I’d work to make sure that the streets are clean, make sure the garbage gets picked up, and as a supervisor, work hand in hand with the merchants. That includes getting more small loans through the Office of Small Business. You can’t be a world-class city without a vibrant economy.”

Reilly said that the city is about to witness some big changes. “There’s going to be a sea of change here very soon. Three new supervisors, a new mayor, perhaps a new city attorney, and a new district attorney.”

We will see how District 2 rides out the wave on Election Day.