Special Election to Replace David Chiu in State Assembly Set for April 2022

A special election for the sought-after 17th Assembly District seat will be held on April 19, 2022, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Friday. 

The announcement comes shortly after David Chiu, having been appointed San Francisco’s City Attorney by Mayor London Breed, vacated his seat on Nov. 1. 

Four candidates are seeking the seat so far and will compete in a primary scheduled for Feb. 15, 2022, according to the governor’s release. The top two contenders from that primary will face off in the April 19 election. 

The 17th district covers the entire east side of the city in addition to Treasure Island, representing around 500,000 city residents. Each state assembly member serves a two-year term and can serve for up to 12 years. Chiu had served in the seat since 2014. 

Candidates for the assembly seat include David Campos, a former city supervisor who is currently on leave from his last role as chief of staff to District Attorney Chesa Boudin; Supervisor Matt Haney, who represents District 6; Bilal Mahmood, an entrepreneur and scientist; and Thea Selby, a member of the City College Board of Trustees. 

In the Feb. 15 election, San Francisco voters will also vote on whether to recall three members of the school board and whether to retain Joaquín Torres as Assessor-Recorder. Torres was appointed by Breed earlier this year. 

In a statewide primary election scheduled for June 7, 2022, voters will decide whether to recall Boudin along with a number of other ​​elected offices, including governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general and others.