San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced Sept. 29 she has appointed Assemblymember David Chiu, D-San Francisco, to replace outgoing City Attorney Dennis Herrera.

Herrera is set to leave the role to begin his new position as San Francisco Public Utilities Commission general manager on Nov. 1.

Chiu, a former San Francisco supervisor, has served on the state Assembly since 2014. In addition, Chiu, who has a law degree from Harvard University, formerly worked as a civil rights attorney and as a prosecutor for the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office.

“I am so humbled and grateful for this appointment,” Chiu said during a news conference Sept. 29 in the city’s Mission District. “As city attorney, I’m going to fight to make sure we are protecting workers, standing up for consumers, and we are going to hold corporations accountable if they cross the line.”

Chiu’s appointment was made possible after Breed appointed Herrera to replace former SFPUC general manager Harlan Kelly, who resigned in November 2020 after federal prosecutors charged Kelly with wire fraud.

Once Chiu begins his new role as city attorney, Gov. Gavin Newsom will call for a special election to be held within 140 days to find a new state Assembly District 17 representative.