S.D. city attorney backs chief deputy for her job

The battle for endorsements continued Wednesday in the race for San Diego’s next city attorney, with termed-out City Attorney Mara Elliott endorsing one of her deputies to succeed her next year.

It’s the second major endorsement for Chief Deputy City Attorney Heather Ferbert, who was endorsed in July by the city’s largest labor union, the 5,000-member Municipal Employees Association.

But Ferbert’s opponent, Assemblymember Brian Maienschein, a fellow Democrat, still has a much longer list of key supporters.

Maienschein has been endorsed by the county Democratic Party, Mayor Todd Gloria, most of the City Council, the city’s police labor union and several other labor organizations.

Elliott said Wednesday that she was endorsing Ferbert to succeed her because of her experience and the issues Ferbert would prioritize.

Ferbert has also been endorsed by three local legal organizations and by some local Democratic clubs, including the Pacific Beach Democratic Club.

Maienschein has the support of both Democrats on the county Board of Supervisors, three local members of Congress and several state officials, including Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Attorney General Rob Bonta.

In campaign donations, the latest disclosures submitted in July showed Maienschein with a large fundraising lead over Ferbert, $116,000 to $47,000.

The city attorney plays a key role in advising the mayor and council on land-use decisions, lawsuits and the legality of proposed city policies. The job also includes overseeing misdemeanor prosecutions.

But city leaders have discussed this year a possible November 2024 ballot measure that would divide the job between two people, an elected city attorney to handle prosecutions and an appointed municipal counsel to handle litigation and legal advice.

While Maienschein and Ferbert will face off in the March primary, the race won’t be decided until November. San Diego election rules mandate runoffs between the top two finishers, even if one gets more than 50 percent of the vote in the primary.