Longtime public servant Dennis Herrera, who served as city attorney during SF's push to legalize same-sex marriage, announced he’s retiring in December after most recently leading the SF Public Utilities Commission.
Dennis Herrera, a longtime fixture in San Francisco city government who rose through multiple roles over three decades, announced he's retiring in December, as the Chronicle reports.
Herrera is best known for his nearly 20 years as city attorney, during which he helped lead San Francisco’s legal defense of marriage equality after then-Mayor Gavin Newsom began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in 2004. Herrera’s office defended the city through years of litigation that ultimately led to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.
Over his time as the city’s top lawyer, Herrera also repeatedly challenged policies from the first Trump administration, including efforts to restrict funding for sanctuary cities and rules affecting immigration and access to public services, as SFist reported in 2017.
According to the Chronicle, Herrera's office became a training ground for several figures who later rose to national prominence, including former Vice President Kamala Harris, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, State Senator Scott Wiener, and US District Judge Vince Chhabria.
Chhabria, who worked for Herrera for several years in the city attorney's office, described him as “the most human elected official” with whom he's ever worked.
As SFist reported in 2021, Herrera was appointed to lead the SF Public Utilities Commission by then-Mayor London Breed, following the departure of former general manager Harlan Kelly amid a federal corruption case. At the time, Herrera had already opted not to seek another term as city attorney.
When the Nob Hill Gazette asked Herrera in 2021 what he would miss most about serving as city attorney, he said it would be the people.
“I have come to appreciate my ability to recruit and retain, and the way I do that is: I stay incredibly connected to all my people,” he said. “This really is like a family to me.”
Mission Local reports that while Herrera came into the utilities role without an engineering background, he brought a long history of litigation involving PG&E and a consistent push for public power, including the city’s unsuccessful 2019 bid to acquire the utility’s San Francisco infrastructure.
During his five years at the SFPUC, Herrera oversaw ongoing efforts to modernize the city’s water and sewer systems while continuing to advocate for municipal control of energy infrastructure.
SF Mayor Daniel Lurie praised Herrera’s long record of public service, per the Chronicle.
“Thanks to his work as city attorney and at SFPUC, our city is fairer and healthier,” Lurie said. “Dennis brings almost unparalleled institutional knowledge across government, and with his retirement, the city is losing someone who has put that knowledge to work for San Franciscans for more than three decades.”
Previously: SF Mayor London Breed Names City Attorney Dennis Herrera to Lead Public Utilities Commission
Image: Same-sex couple Helen Zia (R) and her partner Lia Shigemuria get married by San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera (C) at San Francisco City Hall June 17, 2008 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
