[Kate Moser]
A fun pastime these days in San Francisco is speculating on what happens to the DA’s office if DA Kamala Harris wins the attorney general election – who might follow her, either by election or appointment.
David Onek, the San Francisco police commissioner and fellow at the Berkeley Center for Criminal Justice, announced in a mass e-mail last week that he’s planning to run for DA in 2011 if Harris beats Los Angeles DA Steve Cooley this November.
Other frequently talked about contenders include former S.F. homicide prosecutor and TV commentator Jim Hammer and Board of Supervisors President David Chiu (unless he goes for mayor instead). There’s also Harris’ chief of administration, Paul Henderson, who is said to be in City Hall more frequently than some of the people who actually work there.
If Harris wins the AG race, it will fall to the S.F. mayor to appoint a replacement. That would probably be Gavin Newsom, unless he wins his race for lieutenant governor and leaves office before Harris does.
Superior Court Judge Katherine Feinstein has been talked about as a possible Newsom choice, though she hasn't indicated if she'd want the arguably Herculean task of whipping the DA’s office back into shape.
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