-
Jan 11, 2008 9:09 pm US/Pacific
-
Digg |
Facebook |
E-mail
|
Print
Jew Resignation Takes Effect; Chu Sworn-In As Supe
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ―
The resignation of embattled San Francisco city supervisor Ed Jew - accused of bribery, extortion and election fraud - officially took effect at noon on Friday, city officials said.
By day's end, Mayor Gavin Newsom named his budget aid Carmen Chu as Jew's replacement. She was sworn-in just after 5:30 p.m.
Newsome had been trying for months to get Jew to resign from the Board of Supervisors. The mayor had suspended him from the 11-member board after criminal charges were first brought against him.
At the time of the suspension, Newsom had named Chu as the interim supervisor for the city's Sunset District neighborhoods that Jew represented.
"It is clear that she has done an extraordinary job for her constituents as an interim Supervisor, and I am confident... she will continue to distinguish herself as an advocate for her constituents," Newsom said after administering the oath of office to Chu at City Hall.
Chu will remain in office until an election in November.
The mayor, meantime, said Jew's resignation had been "long overdue" and said it was important "to get (any erosion of public trust) behind us."
In a statement, the 47-year old Jew said he had resigned from the board because of the cost and time needed to defend himself in the criminal cases.
City officials said that in exchange for Jew's resignation, they had agreed to drop a city ethics investigation of Jew and a civil lawsuit that sought to permanently remove him from office.
City Attorney Dennis Herrera said Jew's resignation was not an admission of wrongdoing. He also acknowledged Jew for making a difficult but principled decision.
"This is not a day to claim victory or vindication, but rather a day to put acrimony behind us," Herrera said.
In November, Jew pleaded not guilty in federal court to bribery, extortion and fraud for allegedly demanding over $80,000 from fast food restaurant owners to make help expedite permits and other business with the city's planning department.
He faces separate state charges of election fraud for allegedly lying about living in San Francisco to qualify to run for office. He has pleaded not guilty in that case as well.
"The fact that Ed Jew resigned is immaterial to the criminal case pending against him," District Attorney Kamala Harris said of that case.
In his statement, Jew said he had temporarily moved his family from San Francisco to San Mateo County because his wife had breast cancer and wanted to be closer to her mother and sisters.
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press and Bay City News contributed to this report.)