SF mayor nominates assessor Chu to replace Naomi Kelly as city administrator

SFassessor.org

In the wake of former San Francisco City Administrator Naomi Kelly resigning from her post earlier this week, Mayor London Breed announced on Thursday she has nominated Assessor Carmen Chu to replace Kelly.

Kelly submitted her letter of resignation on Tuesday upon returning from a six-week leave of absence as her husband, former San Francisco Public Utilities Commission General Manager Harlan Kelly, was charged by federal prosecutors with wire fraud in November.

If Chu's nomination is approved by the Board of Supervisors at an upcoming meeting, Chu would serve as city administrator for a five-year term, overseeing more than 25 city departments in her new role.

"She is a committed and well-respected public servant who has a proven track record of delivering results and working to make our government more accessible and equitable for all San Franciscans," Breed said of Chu.

"She has done a tremendous job as assessor-recorder, and during this pandemic, she has stepped way above her normal duties to help lead the city's economic recovery efforts. With Carmen leading the city administrator's office, I am confident that we will have the leadership we need to advance our recovery from COVID and move our city forward through this challenging time," the mayor said.

Chu, a former District 4 supervisor, has served as assessor since 2013. Chu, who is Chinese American, is the only Asian American woman to serve as an assessor in California.

In addition, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chu led the city's Economic Recovery Task Force, guiding the city on strategies to support local businesses during their COVID-19-related financial hardships.

Chu said she was humbled by the nomination.

"The work of the City Administrator is big -- it serves as the backbone for our entire city's operations. I look forward to serving the people of San Francisco in this new role."

Before resigning, Naomi Kelly initially said she was taking a leave to focus on her family, including her two young sons. Naomi Kelly has not been charged with a crime.

The case against Harlan Kelly, who has since resigned from his position, is part of an ongoing federal investigation into city corruption, which has already netted several city officials suspected of accepting bribes in exchange for bids for city contracts.