David Campos Takes Leave of Absence from District Attorney’s Office

David Campos, who’s running to replace newly appointed City Attorney David Chiu in the state assembly, has taken a leave of absence from his position as chief of staff at the San Francisco District Attorney’s office.

Campos confirmed the leave in an interview with Here/Say on Monday. The leave was effective Nov. 1, according to a campaign staffer.

Campos was hired by District Attorney Chesa Boudin as chief of staff in October 2020, pledging to work on community and coalition-building programs at the office. The District Attorney’s office did not respond to requests for comment on the duration of Campos’ leave or who would fill in as chief of staff in his absence. 

The District Attorney’s office has drawn scrutiny in recent weeks over reports of mismanagement and high turnover among its attorneys. Two former assistant district attorneys, Donald Du Bain and Brooke Jenkins, recently resigned and joined the campaign to recall Boudin, citing ineffective management of the office. The recall campaign recently submitted about 83,000 signatures to the Department of Elections, and will likely head to voters next year. 

Campos is one of four candidates gunning to represent California’s 17th assembly district, which represents the eastern half of San Francisco. 

A longtime political fixture in San Francisco, Campos was first elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2008 and has served in a number of government and political roles, including as chair of the San Francisco Democratic Party. He currently serves as vice chair of the California Democratic Party. 

Other assembly candidates include District 6 Supervisor Matt Haney, small business owner and activist Thea Selby, and scientist and entrepreneur Bilal Mahmood. 

A special election for the assembly seat will take place next year, although the exact date has yet to be determined. Governor Newsom has until 14 days after Chiu’s official resignation from the assembly on Nov. 1 to declare a special election to replace him.